WO2024134831A1 - Conveyance system - Google Patents

Conveyance system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2024134831A1
WO2024134831A1 PCT/JP2022/047375 JP2022047375W WO2024134831A1 WO 2024134831 A1 WO2024134831 A1 WO 2024134831A1 JP 2022047375 W JP2022047375 W JP 2022047375W WO 2024134831 A1 WO2024134831 A1 WO 2024134831A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
transport
cart
destination
control unit
unit
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2022/047375
Other languages
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
琢也 小田
浩二 河口
寿人 澤浪
秀一郎 鬼頭
Original Assignee
株式会社Fuji
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by 株式会社Fuji filed Critical 株式会社Fuji
Priority to PCT/JP2022/047375 priority Critical patent/WO2024134831A1/en
Publication of WO2024134831A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024134831A1/en

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
    • B65G1/02—Storage devices
    • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical

Definitions

  • This specification discloses a conveying system.
  • an automated guided vehicle such as an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) or an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle)
  • AMR Autonomous Mobile Robot
  • AGV Automatic Guided Vehicle
  • the primary objective of this disclosure is to make it possible to more reliably transport the remaining objects to their destination positions even when the destination positions of some of the multiple objects to be transported cannot be recognized.
  • the conveying system of the present disclosure includes: A transport system including an automated guided vehicle, A recognition unit that recognizes an object to be conveyed; a setting unit that sets a destination position of the object to be transported based on a recognition result of the recognition unit; a control unit that, when a plurality of objects to be transported are transported, controls the automated guided vehicle to transport the objects to the set destination position if the setting unit is successful in setting the destination position, and controls the automated guided vehicle to transport the objects to a predetermined temporary position and then move on to transport a next object if the setting unit is unsuccessful in setting the destination position;
  • the gist of the invention is to provide the following:
  • the automated guided vehicle when transporting multiple objects, if setting the destination position based on the recognition results of the objects fails, the automated guided vehicle is controlled to transport the objects to a specified temporary position and then move on to transport the next object. This makes it possible to transport the other objects to the destination position more reliably, even if some of the multiple objects include objects for which a destination position cannot be set.
  • FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a plurality of basket carts arranged in a cart storage area of a store or the like and an unmanned transport vehicle that transports the basket carts.
  • FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the basket cart and the unmanned transport vehicle.
  • FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an automatic guided vehicle.
  • FIG. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle has slipped under the cart.
  • FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle is coupled to a cart.
  • 1 is a block diagram of a transportation system including an automated guided vehicle and a management device.
  • FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of destination information.
  • 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport control routine.
  • FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route of the automatic guided vehicle when the destination of the transport target cart is successfully set;
  • FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route of an automatic transport vehicle when setting of a destination of a transport target carriage fails.
  • FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a plurality of basket carts 100 arranged in a cart storage area L of a store or the like, and an automated guided vehicle 10 that transports the basket carts 100.
  • FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the basket carts 100 and the automated guided vehicle 10.
  • FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the automated guided vehicle 10.
  • FIGS. 4 and 5 are side views of the automated guided vehicle 10.
  • FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the automated guided vehicle 10 slipping under the basket cart 100.
  • FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the automated guided vehicle 10 connected to the basket cart 100.
  • FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a transport system 1 including the automated guided vehicle 10 and a management device 60.
  • the transport system 1 of this embodiment is used in a logistics center, warehouse, store, etc. having multiple shelves S, and includes one or more automated guided vehicles 10 and a management device 60 (see FIG. 8) that manages the operation of the automated guided vehicles 10.
  • the automated guided vehicles 10 are autonomously driven transport robots (AMR: Autonomous Mobile Robot) that are connected to a basket cart 100 and transport the vehicles to a specified shelf S.
  • AMR Autonomous Mobile Robot
  • the basket cart 100 has a rectangular, mesh-shaped platform 101 capable of carrying luggage, and a number of (e.g., four) casters 110 rotatably attached to the underside of the platform 101.
  • the platform 101 of the basket cart 100 is provided with a marker M, such as an AR marker, a two-dimensional code, or a barcode, for identifying the basket cart 100.
  • the automated guided vehicle 10 recognizes the basket cart 100 to be transported (transport target cart) and the type of luggage loaded on the platform 101.
  • the marker M may be attached to the luggage loaded on the platform 101.
  • the unmanned guided vehicle 10 of this embodiment has a low, flat, rectangular parallelepiped appearance.
  • the unmanned guided vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 11, a plurality of (e.g., four) wheels 21 rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the vehicle body 11, and a plurality of (e.g., four) drive motors 22 (see FIG. 8) that rotate and drive the corresponding wheels 21.
  • the wheels 21 are configured as Mecanum wheels having a plurality of rollers on the outer periphery of the wheel that can rotate around an axis inclined at 45 degrees to the rotation axis of the wheel.
  • the unmanned guided vehicle 10 can move the vehicle body 11 in all directions and turn (such as a super-pivot turn, a pivot turn, or a gentle turn) by independently controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the corresponding wheels 21 with the plurality of drive motors 22.
  • the wheels 21 may be configured as omniwheels having a plurality of rollers that can rotate around an axis that crosses the rotation axis of the wheel.
  • the multiple wheels 21 may be any type of wheels that can move and turn the vehicle body 11 in multiple directions.
  • the automated guided vehicle 10 is provided with a connecting part 30 that is provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body part 11 and can be connected to the cart 100 when the vehicle body part 11 is under the cart 100.
  • the connecting part 30 has a flat lift plate 31, connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 that are provided to extend upward relative to the lift plate 31, and a lifting device 35 that raises and lowers the lift plate 31.
  • the lift plate 31 has a left-right width that is approximately the same as the left-right width of the vehicle body part 11 so as to cover the upper surface of the vehicle body part 11, and has a front-to-rear width that is slightly shorter than the front-to-rear width of the vehicle body part 11.
  • the connecting pin 32 is provided at the front of the lift plate 31, the connecting pin 33 is provided at the rear of the lift plate 31, and the connecting pin 34 is provided at the intermediate part between the front and rear of the lift plate 31.
  • the lifting device 35 raises the lifting plate 31 of the connecting portion 30, so that at least one of the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 engages with the back side of the loading platform 101 of the cart 100. This connects the automated guided vehicle 10 and the cart 100, and the automated guided vehicle 10 can transport (tow) the cart 100.
  • contact detection sensors 36 are provided on both the left and right sides of the lift plate 31 to detect when the connecting portion 30 (connecting pins 32, 33, 34) comes into contact with (connects to) the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100.
  • the contact detection sensor 36 has a plate that is biased upward by a spring and has its upper end at approximately the same height as the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 relative to the lift plate 31.
  • the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 engage with the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100
  • the plate of the contact detection sensor 36 comes into contact with the loading platform 101 and descends relative to the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 while the spring is compressed.
  • the contact detection sensor 36 detects when the plate has descended relatively, thereby detecting when the connecting portion 30 has come into contact with (connects to) the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100.
  • the automated guided vehicle 10 is equipped with a control unit 40 that handles overall control, a memory unit 41 that stores various information including map information 41a, a communication unit 42 for communicating (wireless communication) with the management device 60 and other automated guided vehicles, a camera unit 51 as an imaging device, sensor units 52, 53, and a light-emitting unit 54 that illuminates the front of the vehicle body unit 11.
  • the camera unit 51 is installed on the front of the vehicle body unit 11 so as to recognize the front of the vehicle body unit 11.
  • the sensor units 52, 53 are installed on the front and rear of the vehicle body unit 11, respectively, so as to detect surrounding obstructions.
  • the sensor units 52, 53 detect surrounding objects and the distance to objects.
  • the sensor units 52 and 53 use LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors that scan the surroundings with laser light, receive each reflected light, and measure the time it takes to receive the reflected light, thereby measuring distance data for each scan angle and obtaining surrounding point cloud data.
  • the light-emitting unit 54 is installed on the front of the vehicle body unit 11, and by illuminating the front, makes it easier for the camera unit 51 to recognize surrounding objects in dark places.
  • the control unit 40 is configured as a microprocessor with a CPU at its core, and in addition to the CPU, it is equipped with a ROM for storing processing programs, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a timer, etc. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 40 receives inputs of image signals from the camera unit 51, detection signals from the sensor units 52 and 53, detection signals from the contact detection sensor 36, etc. The control unit 40 outputs control signals to the drive motor 22, control signals to the lifting device 35, etc.
  • the management device 60 includes a processing unit 61, a memory unit 62, and a communication unit 63 for communicating (wireless communication) with each automated guided vehicle 10.
  • an input device 65 such as a mouse or keyboard, a display 66, and a printer 67 are connected to the management device 60.
  • the processing unit 61 is configured as a microprocessor centered around a CPU, and in addition to the CPU, includes a ROM for storing processing programs and a RAM for temporarily storing data.
  • the memory unit 62 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and stores various information such as map information 62a and destination information 62b.
  • FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of destination information 62b.
  • destination information 62b is information in which the type of luggage is associated with the destination of the luggage, and is registered in advance by the operator.
  • the management device 60 creates a unique marker M for each type of luggage at the instruction of the operator, and prints (issues) the created marker M with the printer 67. The operator then attaches the printed marker M to a specified location on the basket cart 100 or to the luggage loaded on the basket cart 100.
  • the automated guided vehicle 20 can recognize the type of luggage to be transported by reading the marker M with the camera unit 51, and can obtain the destination (destination) of the basket cart 100 (transport target cart) loaded with the luggage based on the recognized type of luggage.
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport control routine executed by the control unit 40 of the automated guided vehicle 10. This process is executed when an instruction to transport a basket cart 100 (baggage) is issued from the management device 60.
  • the transport control routine will be described below with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12.
  • the control unit 40 When the transport control routine is executed, the control unit 40 first controls the drive motor 22 to move to the cart storage area L (S100). Next, the control unit 40 reads the marker M (see FIG. 2) attached to the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) or the luggage loaded on its loading platform 101 with the camera unit 51 provided on the front of the vehicle body unit 11, and recognizes the type of luggage corresponding to the marker M by communicating with the management device 80 (S102). Then, the control unit 40 judges whether or not the recognition of the luggage type was successful (S104).
  • Examples of cases where the recognition of the luggage type fails include cases where the marker M itself cannot be read because it is dirty or scratched or the lighting is reflected on the marker M, or cases where the registration of the corresponding luggage is deleted after the marker M is issued, and information on the luggage corresponding to the marker M cannot be found.
  • the control unit 40 determines that the recognition of the type of the luggage has been successful, it acquires the destination of the luggage corresponding to the recognized type of luggage and sets the acquired destination as the destination of the transportation target cart (S106).
  • the destination is acquired by communicating with the management device 80 and receiving from the management device 80 the destination derived from the destination information 62b based on the recognized type of luggage.
  • the destination may be acquired by storing destination information similar to the destination information 62b in the storage unit 41 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10, and deriving the corresponding destination of the luggage from the stored destination information when the control unit 40 recognizes the type of luggage. Then, the control unit 40 determines whether the destination setting has been successful (S108).
  • An example of a case where the destination setting has failed is when the destination information 62b does not contain a destination of the luggage corresponding to the type of luggage. Note that if the type of luggage cannot be recognized, the destination of the luggage (transport target cart) cannot be acquired, so S104 can be said to be a determination of whether the destination setting has failed.
  • the control unit 40 determines that the destination has been successfully set, it couples it to the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) (S110).
  • This process is performed as follows. That is, the control unit 40 first recognizes two casters 110 that are lower than the position where the marker M was recognized by the camera unit 51, based on the point cloud data detected by the sensor unit 52. Next, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body unit 11 slips under the cart to be transported from between the casters 110 of the cart to be transported. The control unit 40 then raises the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 by the lifting device 35 so that they engage with the loading platform unit 101 of the cart to be transported, and couples it to the cart to be transported.
  • the control unit 40 acquires a transport route and controls the drive motor 22 to start transport from the cart storage area L to the destination according to the acquired transport route (S112).
  • the transport route is acquired by grasping the surrounding shape based on the point cloud data measured by the sensor units 52 and 53 (LiDAR), recognizing the current location of the vehicle by comparing (collating) the grasped surrounding shape with the map information 41a stored in the memory unit 41, and searching for a route based on the recognized current location and the designated destination, based on the map information 41a.
  • the transport route may be acquired by recognizing the current location and transmitting it to the management device 80, and receiving a transport route generated by the management device 80 based on the current location.
  • control unit 40 When the control unit 40 starts transporting the cart to be transported, it acquires its own position (S114) and determines whether the destination has been reached (S116). When the control unit 40 determines that the destination has not been reached, it determines whether the transport has failed on the way to the destination (S118). This process applies, for example, when the wheels 21 start to slip due to spinning and the vehicle cannot move any further. Slippage can be detected, for example, by providing a rotation sensor on each of the multiple wheels 21 and determining whether the difference in the wheel speeds of the wheels 21 detected by each rotation sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or more.
  • Slippage can also be detected, for example, by measuring the vehicle speed based on the time change in the vehicle's position detected by the sensor units 52 and 53, estimating the vehicle speed from the wheel speeds of the wheels 21 detected by each rotation sensor, and determining whether the difference between the measured and estimated vehicle speeds is equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or more.
  • control unit 40 determines that the transport has not failed, it returns to S114 and continues traveling. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S116 that the destination has been reached, it releases the connection from the transport target cart (S120). Specifically, the control unit 40 releases the connection from the transport target cart by lowering the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 using the lifting device 35. Next, the control unit 40 determines whether the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 at the cart storage area L has been completed (S122). If the control unit 40 determines that the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 (baggage) has not been completed and that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) to be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100.
  • the automated guided vehicle 20 couples to one of the multiple basket carts 100 arranged in the cart storage area L and transports it to its destination. Once transport to the destination is complete, the automated guided vehicle 20 returns to the cart storage area L to transport the next basket cart 100. This operation is repeated to transport the multiple planned basket carts 100.
  • control unit 40 determines in S118 that the transport of the target cart has failed en route to the destination, it releases the connection with the target cart (S120). That is, the control unit 40 gives up on transporting the target cart to the destination, leaves the target cart there, and proceeds to S122. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S122 that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) remaining at the cart storage area L that should be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100.
  • baggage baggage
  • control unit 40 determines whether or not there are basket carts 100 to be transported to a temporary storage site T described below (S124). When the control unit 40 determines that there are no basket carts 100 to be transported to the temporary storage site T, it controls the drive motor 22 to move to a standby position (e.g., a charging point where the automated guided vehicle 10 can be charged) (S126), and ends this routine.
  • a standby position e.g., a charging point where the automated guided vehicle 10 can be charged
  • the control unit 40 determines whether the recognition of the type of luggage has failed in S104 or that the setting of the destination has failed in S108, it determines whether the retry flag F is 0 (S128).
  • the retry flag F is set to 0 as an initial value, and is set to 1 when a retry operation described later is executed.
  • the control unit 40 determines that the retry flag F is 0, it couples with the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) (S130), and controls the drive motor 22 to start transport from the cart storage area L to a predetermined temporary storage area T (S132) as shown in FIG. 11.
  • the transport route from the cart storage area L to the temporary storage area T may be predetermined.
  • control unit 40 when the control unit 40 starts transporting the cart to be transported, it acquires its own position (S134) and determines whether it has arrived at the temporary storage area T (S136). When the control unit 40 determines that the cart has not arrived at the temporary storage area T, it determines whether transport has failed on the way to the temporary storage area T (S138). This determination can be made using the same process as S118.
  • control unit 40 determines whether the transport has not failed, it returns to S134 and continues traveling. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S136 that the transport has arrived at the temporary storage site T, it releases the connection with the transport target cart (S120). Next, the control unit 40 determines whether the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 has been completed (S122). If the control unit 40 determines that the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 (baggage) has not been completed and that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) to be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100. In this embodiment, multiple basket carts 100 are arranged in a crowded state in the cart storage site L.
  • the control unit 40 obtains the transport destination by reading the markers M attached to the basket carts 100 and the luggage at the cart storage site L, and transports the basket carts 100 (transport target carts) one by one from the cart storage site L to the transport destination. For this reason, if the transport of the cart to be transported is stopped when the transport destination cannot be obtained, the cart to be transported will get in the way of the next cart 100 being transported, making it impossible for the next cart 100 to be transported. Therefore, if the destination setting of the cart to be transported fails at the cart storage area L, the cart is coupled to the cart to be transported and moved to the temporary storage area T, where it will head for the transport of the next cart 100. This makes it possible to transport the remaining carts 100 for which the destination can be set correctly to their destinations more reliably.
  • control unit 40 determines in S138 that the transport of the target cart has failed en route to the temporary storage site T, it releases the connection with the target cart (S120). That is, the control unit 40 gives up on transporting the target cart to the temporary storage site T, leaves the target cart there, and proceeds to S122. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S122 that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) remaining at the cart storage site L to be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100.
  • baggage baggage
  • control unit 40 When the control unit 40 transports the cart to be transported to the temporary storage area T, it determines in S122 that the transportation of all the basket carts 100 scheduled at the cart storage area L has been completed, and then in the following S124, it determines that there are basket carts 100 that have been transported to the temporary storage area T, so it controls the drive motor 22 to move to the temporary storage area T (S140), sets the retry flag F to a value of 1 to perform a retry operation (S142), and then returns to S102.
  • the control unit 40 reads the marker M of the basket cart 100 placed in the temporary storage area T to recognize the type of luggage (S102), and judges whether the recognition was successful or not (S104).
  • the control unit 40 judges that the recognition of the type of luggage was successful, it acquires the transport destination of the luggage corresponding to the recognized luggage type, sets the transport destination as the destination (S106), and judges whether the setting was successful or not (S108).
  • the control unit 40 judges that the recognition of the luggage type and the setting of the destination were successful, it controls the drive motor 22 to couple with the transport target cart and transport it to the destination, and releases the connection with the transport target cart (S110 to S122).
  • control unit 40 judges that the recognition of the luggage has failed or the setting of the destination has failed, it controls the drive motor 22 to couple with the transport target cart and transport it to the cart storage area L, and releases the connection with the transport target cart (S144, S146, S134 to S138, S120).
  • the control unit 40 acquires the destination (destination) of the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) by reading the marker M attached to the basket cart 100 or the like with the camera unit 51 and recognizing the type of luggage. For this reason, depending on the lighting conditions at the cart parking area L, there may be cases where the camera unit 51 fails to read the marker M and the destination cannot be acquired. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the control unit 40 fails to set the destination of the cart to be transported at the cart parking area L, it transports the cart to the temporary storage area T, and at the temporary storage area T performs a retry operation to read the marker M and attempt to set the destination. This is based on the fact that if the position of the basket cart 100 changes and the lighting conditions change, it may be possible to successfully read the marker M and set the destination.
  • control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 to move to the standby position (S126), and ends this routine.
  • the basket cart 100 (luggage) of this embodiment is an example of an object to be transported in this disclosure
  • the control unit 40 that executes the processes of S102 and S104 of the transport control routine and the camera unit 51 are an example of a recognition unit
  • the control unit 40 that executes the processes of S106 and S108 of the transport control routine is an example of a setting unit
  • the control unit 40 that executes the processes of S110 to S146 of the transport control routine is an example of a control unit.
  • control unit 40 if the control unit 40 fails to set a destination for a transport target cart (baggage) placed in the cart storage area L and transports the transport target cart to the temporary storage area T, it performs a retry operation to attempt to set a destination for the transport target cart in the temporary storage area T after the planned transport of multiple basket carts 100 in the cart storage area L is completed. However, once the planned transport of multiple basket carts 100 in the cart storage area L is completed, the control unit 40 may move to a standby position without performing a retry operation.
  • baggage transport target cart
  • the automated guided vehicle 10 if the automated guided vehicle 10 fails to transport the target cart en route to the destination or temporary storage site T, it will disconnect from the target cart and move on to the next transport. However, if the automated guided vehicle 10 fails to transport the cart en route, it may also stop the transport and output an error.
  • the automated guided vehicle 10 engages the connecting pin 34 of the connecting portion 30 with the loading platform portion 101 of the basket cart 100 to tow the basket cart 100.
  • the automated guided vehicle 10 may also be configured to lift the basket cart 100 with the connecting portion 30 and transport it.
  • the automated guided vehicle when transporting multiple objects, if setting a destination position based on the recognition results of the objects fails, the automated guided vehicle is controlled to transport the objects to a predetermined temporary position and then move on to transport the next object. This makes it possible to transport the other objects to the destination position more reliably, even if some of the multiple objects include objects for which a destination position cannot be set.
  • control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to transport multiple transport objects arranged closely together one by one to the destination position or the temporary position in sequence.
  • transport objects may be carts.
  • control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to stop conveying the object and move on to convey the next object. In this way, the remaining objects to be conveyed can be more reliably conveyed to the destination position.
  • the recognition unit may have a camera and recognize the transport object based on an image captured by the camera
  • the control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to, when an object that has been transported to the temporary position is present, move toward the temporary position at a predetermined timing and transport the object by retrying recognition of the object by the recognition unit and setting of the destination position by the setting unit for the object at the temporary position.
  • the predetermined timing may be a timing after the multiple scheduled transport objects have been transported to either the destination position or the temporary position.
  • the control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to transport the transport object to a second temporary position different from the temporary position. In this way, if there are multiple transport objects transported to the temporary position, even if the retry fails for some of the transport objects, it is possible to retry for the remaining transport objects.
  • the second temporary position may be the original position of the transport object.
  • This disclosure can be used in the automated guided vehicle manufacturing industry, etc.
  • Automated guided vehicle system 10. Automated guided vehicle, 11. Vehicle body, 21. Wheels, 22. Driving motor, 30. Connection, 31. Lifting plate, 32, 33, 34. Connection pins, 35. Lifting device, 36. Contact detection sensor, 40. Control unit, 41. Memory unit, 41a. Map information, 42. Communication unit, 51. Camera unit, 52, 53. Sensor unit, 54. Light-emitting unit, 60. Management device, 61. Processing unit, 62. Memory unit, 62a. Map information, 62b. Delivery destination information, 63. Communication unit, 100. Basket cart, 101. Cargo platform, 110. Casters, L. Cart storage area, M. Marker, T. Temporary storage area, S. Shelf.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

This conveyance system comprises a recognition unit that includes an unmanned conveyance vehicle and recognizes a conveyance object, a setting unit that sets a target position for the conveyance object on the basis of the result of recognition by the recognition unit, and a control unit. If setting of the target position by the setting unit is successful in a case in which a plurality of conveyance objects are to be conveyed, the control unit controls the unmanned conveyance vehicle so as to convey the conveyance objects to the set target position. In cases in which setting of the target position by the setting unit has failed, the control unit controls the unmanned vehicle so as to convey a conveyance object to a prescribed provisional position and then prepare to convey a subsequent conveyance object.

Description

搬送システムTransport System
　本明細書は、搬送システムについて開示する。 This specification discloses a conveying system.
　従来、この種の搬送システムでは、対象物を認識して目的位置に移動させる自律走行可能な移動体において、対象物の目的位置が不明である場合には、目的位置を再設定し、対象物を再設定した目的位置に移動させるものが提案されている（例えば、特許文献１参照）。 　Conventionally, this type of transport system has been proposed to use an autonomous mobile body that recognizes an object and moves it to a destination position, and if the destination position of the object is unknown, it resets the destination position and moves the object to the reset destination position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
国際公開第２０２１／１２５０１９号公報International Publication No. 2021/125019
　ところで、ＡＭＲ（Autonomous Mobile Robot）やＡＧＶ（Automatic Guided Vehicle）といった無人搬送車を用いて複数の搬送対象物を搬送する場合においては、複数の搬送対象物のうち一部の搬送対象物で目的位置の認識（設定）に失敗すると、認識に失敗した搬送対象物が邪魔となり、残りの搬送対象物を搬送できなくなる場合がある。 Incidentally, when multiple objects are transported using an automated guided vehicle such as an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) or an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), if the target position of some of the objects fails to be recognized (set), the object that failed to be recognized may get in the way and prevent the remaining objects from being transported.
　本開示は、搬送すべき複数の搬送対象物のうち一部の搬送対象物の目的位置が認識できない場合であっても、残りの搬送対象物の目的位置への搬送をより確実に行なえるようにすることを主目的とする。 The primary objective of this disclosure is to make it possible to more reliably transport the remaining objects to their destination positions even when the destination positions of some of the multiple objects to be transported cannot be recognized.
　本開示は、上述の主目的を達成するために以下の手段を採った。 This disclosure takes the following steps to achieve the above-mentioned primary objective:
　本開示の搬送システムは、
　無人搬送車を含む搬送システムであって、
　搬送対象物を認識する認識部と、
　前記認識部の認識結果に基づいて前記搬送対象物の目的位置を設定する設定部と、
　複数の搬送対象物を搬送する場合に、前記設定部による目的位置の設定が成功すると、設定された前記目的位置に前記搬送対象物を搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御し、前記設定部による目的位置の設定が失敗すると、所定の仮位置に前記搬送対象物を搬送した後、次の搬送対象物の搬送に向かうように前記無人搬送車を制御する制御部と、
　を備えることを要旨とする。 The conveying system of the present disclosure includes:
A transport system including an automated guided vehicle,
A recognition unit that recognizes an object to be conveyed;
a setting unit that sets a destination position of the object to be transported based on a recognition result of the recognition unit;
a control unit that, when a plurality of objects to be transported are transported, controls the automated guided vehicle to transport the objects to the set destination position if the setting unit is successful in setting the destination position, and controls the automated guided vehicle to transport the objects to a predetermined temporary position and then move on to transport a next object if the setting unit is unsuccessful in setting the destination position;
The gist of the invention is to provide the following:
　この本開示の搬送システムでは、複数の搬送対象物を搬送する場合に、搬送対象物の認識結果に基づく目的位置の設定が失敗すると、所定の仮位置に搬送対象物を搬送した後、次の搬送対象物の搬送に向かうように無人搬送車を制御することとしている。これにより、複数の搬送対象物のうちの一部に目的位置が設定できない搬送対象物が含まれていても、それ以外の搬送対象物をより確実に目的位置まで搬送することができる。 In the transport system disclosed herein, when transporting multiple objects, if setting the destination position based on the recognition results of the objects fails, the automated guided vehicle is controlled to transport the objects to a specified temporary position and then move on to transport the next object. This makes it possible to transport the other objects to the destination position more reliably, even if some of the multiple objects include objects for which a destination position cannot be set.
店舗等の台車置き場に配置された複数のカゴ台車とカゴ台車を搬送する無人搬送車の外観斜視図である。FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a plurality of basket carts arranged in a cart storage area of a store or the like and an unmanned transport vehicle that transports the basket carts. カゴ台車と無人搬送車の外観斜視図である。FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the basket cart and the unmanned transport vehicle. 無人搬送車の外観斜視図である。FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an automatic guided vehicle. 無人搬送車の側面図である。FIG. 無人搬送車の側面図である。FIG. 無人搬送車がカゴ台車の下に潜り込んだ状態を示す説明図である。FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle has slipped under the cart. 無人搬送車がカゴ台車に連結した状態を示す説明図である。FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle is coupled to a cart. 無人搬送車と管理装置とを含む搬送システムのブロック図である。1 is a block diagram of a transportation system including an automated guided vehicle and a management device. 搬送先情報の一例を示す説明図である。FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of destination information. 搬送制御ルーチンの一例を示すフローチャートである。10 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport control routine. 搬送対象台車の目的地の設定が成功した場合における無人搬送車の搬送ルートを示す説明図である。13 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route of the automatic guided vehicle when the destination of the transport target cart is successfully set; FIG. 搬送対象台車の目的地の設定が失敗した場合における無人搬送車の搬送ルートを示す説明図である。FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route of an automatic transport vehicle when setting of a destination of a transport target carriage fails.
　次に、本開示を実施するための形態について図面を参照しながら説明する。 Next, the form for implementing this disclosure will be explained with reference to the drawings.
　図１は、店舗等の台車置き場Ｌに配置された複数のカゴ台車１００とカゴ台車１００を搬送する無人搬送車１０の外観斜視図である。図２は、カゴ台車１００と無人搬送車１０の外観斜視図である。図３は、無人搬送車１０の外観斜視図である。図４および図５は、無人搬送車１０の側面図である。図６は、無人搬送車１０がカゴ台車１００の下に潜り込んだ状態を示す説明図である。図７は、無人搬送車１０がカゴ台車１００に連結した状態を示す説明図である。図８は、無人搬送車１０と管理装置６０とを含む搬送システム１のブロック図である。 FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a plurality of basket carts 100 arranged in a cart storage area L of a store or the like, and an automated guided vehicle 10 that transports the basket carts 100. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the basket carts 100 and the automated guided vehicle 10. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the automated guided vehicle 10. FIGS. 4 and 5 are side views of the automated guided vehicle 10. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the automated guided vehicle 10 slipping under the basket cart 100. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the automated guided vehicle 10 connected to the basket cart 100. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a transport system 1 including the automated guided vehicle 10 and a management device 60.
　本実施形態の搬送システム１は、図１に示すように、複数の棚Ｓを有する物流センタや倉庫、店舗等で用いられ、１または複数の無人搬送車１０と、当該無人搬送車１０の運行を管理する管理装置６０（図８参照）と、を備える。無人搬送車１０は、カゴ台車１００に連結して指定の棚Ｓに搬送する自律走行可能な搬送ロボット（ＡＭＲ：Autonomous Mobile Robot）である。 As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 1 of this embodiment is used in a logistics center, warehouse, store, etc. having multiple shelves S, and includes one or more automated guided vehicles 10 and a management device 60 (see FIG. 8) that manages the operation of the automated guided vehicles 10. The automated guided vehicles 10 are autonomously driven transport robots (AMR: Autonomous Mobile Robot) that are connected to a basket cart 100 and transport the vehicles to a specified shelf S.
　カゴ台車１００は、例えば、図２に示すように、荷物を積載可能な矩形かつ網状の荷台部１０１と、荷台部１０１の下面に旋回自在に取り付けられた複数（例えば、４つ）のキャスタ１１０と、を有する。カゴ台車１００の荷台部１０１には、当該カゴ台車１００を識別するためのＡＲマーカや二次元コード、バーコードといったマーカＭが設けられている。無人搬送車１０は、マーカＭを読み取ることにより、搬送すべきカゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）やその荷台部１０１に積載されている荷物の種類を認識する。なお、マーカＭは、荷台部１０１に積載されている荷物に付されてもよい。 As shown in FIG. 2, the basket cart 100 has a rectangular, mesh-shaped platform 101 capable of carrying luggage, and a number of (e.g., four) casters 110 rotatably attached to the underside of the platform 101. The platform 101 of the basket cart 100 is provided with a marker M, such as an AR marker, a two-dimensional code, or a barcode, for identifying the basket cart 100. By reading the marker M, the automated guided vehicle 10 recognizes the basket cart 100 to be transported (transport target cart) and the type of luggage loaded on the platform 101. The marker M may be attached to the luggage loaded on the platform 101.
　本実施形態の無人搬送車１０は、図３に示すように、高さの低い偏平な直方体状の外観を有する。この無人搬送車１０は、車体部１１と、車体部１１の底面に回転可能に取り付けられた複数（例えば４つ）の車輪２１と、それぞれ対応する車輪２１を回転駆動する複数（例えば４つ）の駆動モータ２２（図８参照）と、を備える。複数の車輪２１は、本実施形態では、ホイールの外周に当該ホイールの回転軸に対して４５度傾斜した軸周りに回転可能な複数のローラを有するメカナムホイールとして構成される。無人搬送車１０は、複数の駆動モータ２２で対応する車輪２１の回転方向および回転速度を独立して制御することにより、車体部１１を全方向へ移動させたり旋回（超信地旋回や信地旋回、緩旋回など）させたりすることができる。なお、複数の車輪２１は、ホイールの回転軸に対して立体交差する軸周りに回転可能な複数のローラを有するオムニホイールにより構成されてもよい。すなわち、複数の車輪２１は、車体部１１を複数の方向に移動させたり旋回させたりすることができるものであれば、如何なるタイプの車輪であってもよい。 As shown in FIG. 3, the unmanned guided vehicle 10 of this embodiment has a low, flat, rectangular parallelepiped appearance. The unmanned guided vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 11, a plurality of (e.g., four) wheels 21 rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the vehicle body 11, and a plurality of (e.g., four) drive motors 22 (see FIG. 8) that rotate and drive the corresponding wheels 21. In this embodiment, the wheels 21 are configured as Mecanum wheels having a plurality of rollers on the outer periphery of the wheel that can rotate around an axis inclined at 45 degrees to the rotation axis of the wheel. The unmanned guided vehicle 10 can move the vehicle body 11 in all directions and turn (such as a super-pivot turn, a pivot turn, or a gentle turn) by independently controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the corresponding wheels 21 with the plurality of drive motors 22. The wheels 21 may be configured as omniwheels having a plurality of rollers that can rotate around an axis that crosses the rotation axis of the wheel. In other words, the multiple wheels 21 may be any type of wheels that can move and turn the vehicle body 11 in multiple directions.
　また、無人搬送車１０は、図４，図５に示すように、車体部１１の上面に設けられ、車体部１１がカゴ台車１００の下に潜り込んだ状態でカゴ台車１００と連結可能な連結部３０を備える。連結部３０は、平板状の昇降プレート３１と、昇降プレート３１に対して上方に延出するように設けられた連結ピン３２，３３，３４と、昇降プレート３１を昇降させる昇降装置３５と、を有する。昇降プレート３１は、車体部１１の上面を覆うように、車体部１１の左右幅と略同じ左右幅を有すると共に、車体部１１の前後幅よりも若干短い前後幅を有する。連結ピン３２は、昇降プレート３１の前部に設けられ、連結ピン３３は、昇降プレート３１の後部に設けられ、連結ピン３４は、昇降プレート３１の前部と後部との間の中間部に設けられている。連結部３０は、図６，図７に示すように、車体部１１がカゴ台車１００の下に潜り込んだ状態で昇降装置３５により昇降プレート３１を上昇させることにより、連結ピン３２，３３，３４の少なくとも１つがカゴ台車１００の荷台部１０１の裏側に係合する。これにより、無人搬送車１０とカゴ台車１００とが連結され、無人搬送車１０は、カゴ台車１００を搬送（牽引）することができる。 Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the automated guided vehicle 10 is provided with a connecting part 30 that is provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body part 11 and can be connected to the cart 100 when the vehicle body part 11 is under the cart 100. The connecting part 30 has a flat lift plate 31, connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 that are provided to extend upward relative to the lift plate 31, and a lifting device 35 that raises and lowers the lift plate 31. The lift plate 31 has a left-right width that is approximately the same as the left-right width of the vehicle body part 11 so as to cover the upper surface of the vehicle body part 11, and has a front-to-rear width that is slightly shorter than the front-to-rear width of the vehicle body part 11. The connecting pin 32 is provided at the front of the lift plate 31, the connecting pin 33 is provided at the rear of the lift plate 31, and the connecting pin 34 is provided at the intermediate part between the front and rear of the lift plate 31. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the vehicle body 11 is submerged under the cart 100, the lifting device 35 raises the lifting plate 31 of the connecting portion 30, so that at least one of the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 engages with the back side of the loading platform 101 of the cart 100. This connects the automated guided vehicle 10 and the cart 100, and the automated guided vehicle 10 can transport (tow) the cart 100.
　図３～図５に示すように、昇降プレート３１の左右両側には、連結部３０（連結ピン３２，３３，３４）がカゴ台車１００の荷台部１０１に接触（連結）したことを検知するための接触検知センサ３６（スプリングセンサ）が設けられている。接触検知センサ３６は、昇降プレート３１に対して連結ピン３２，３３，３４と略同じ高さを上端としてスプリングにより上方に付勢されたプレートを有する。連結ピン３２，３３，３４がカゴ台車１００の荷台部１０１に係合する際に、接触検知センサ３６のプレートは、荷台部１０１に接触し、スプリングが圧縮されつつ連結ピン３２，３３，３４に対して相対的に下降する。接触検知センサ３６は、プレートが相対的に下降した状態を検知することにより、連結部３０がカゴ台車１００の荷台部１０１に接触（連結）したことを検知する。 As shown in Figures 3 to 5, contact detection sensors 36 (spring sensors) are provided on both the left and right sides of the lift plate 31 to detect when the connecting portion 30 (connecting pins 32, 33, 34) comes into contact with (connects to) the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100. The contact detection sensor 36 has a plate that is biased upward by a spring and has its upper end at approximately the same height as the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 relative to the lift plate 31. When the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 engage with the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100, the plate of the contact detection sensor 36 comes into contact with the loading platform 101 and descends relative to the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 while the spring is compressed. The contact detection sensor 36 detects when the plate has descended relatively, thereby detecting when the connecting portion 30 has come into contact with (connects to) the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100.
　更に、無人搬送車１０は、図８に示すように、全体の制御を司る制御部４０と、マップ情報４１ａを含む各種情報を記憶する記憶部４１と、管理装置６０や他の無人搬送車との通信（無線通信）を行なうための通信部４２と、撮像装置としてのカメラ部５１と、センサ部５２，５３と、車体部１１の前方を照らす発光部５４と、を備える。カメラ部５１は、車体部１１の前方を認識するように、車体部１１の前面に設置されている。センサ部５２，５３は、周囲の干渉物を検出するように、車体部１１の前面および後面にそれぞれ設置される。センサ部５２，５３は、周囲の物体や物体との距離を検出するものである。本実施形態では、センサ部５２，５３は、レーザ光を周囲に走査して各々の反射光を受光し、反射光を受光するまでの時間を計測することにより、走査角ごとに距離データを測定して周囲の点群データを得るＬｉＤＡＲ（Light Detection And Ranging）センサが用いられる。発光部５４は、車体部１１の前面に設置されており、前方を照らすことで、暗所でカメラ部５１により周囲の物体を認識し易くする。 Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the automated guided vehicle 10 is equipped with a control unit 40 that handles overall control, a memory unit 41 that stores various information including map information 41a, a communication unit 42 for communicating (wireless communication) with the management device 60 and other automated guided vehicles, a camera unit 51 as an imaging device, sensor units 52, 53, and a light-emitting unit 54 that illuminates the front of the vehicle body unit 11. The camera unit 51 is installed on the front of the vehicle body unit 11 so as to recognize the front of the vehicle body unit 11. The sensor units 52, 53 are installed on the front and rear of the vehicle body unit 11, respectively, so as to detect surrounding obstructions. The sensor units 52, 53 detect surrounding objects and the distance to objects. In this embodiment, the sensor units 52 and 53 use LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors that scan the surroundings with laser light, receive each reflected light, and measure the time it takes to receive the reflected light, thereby measuring distance data for each scan angle and obtaining surrounding point cloud data. The light-emitting unit 54 is installed on the front of the vehicle body unit 11, and by illuminating the front, makes it easier for the camera unit 51 to recognize surrounding objects in dark places.
　制御部４０は、ＣＰＵを中心としたマイクロプロセッサとして構成され、ＣＰＵの他に、処理プログラムを記憶するＲＯＭやデータを一時的に記憶するＲＡＭ、計時部等を備える。制御部４０には、図８に示すように、カメラ部５１からの画像信号や、センサ部５２，５３からの検出信号、接触検知センサ３６からの検出信号などが入力されている。制御部４０からは、駆動モータ２２への制御信号や、昇降装置３５への制御信号などが出力されている。 The control unit 40 is configured as a microprocessor with a CPU at its core, and in addition to the CPU, it is equipped with a ROM for storing processing programs, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a timer, etc. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 40 receives inputs of image signals from the camera unit 51, detection signals from the sensor units 52 and 53, detection signals from the contact detection sensor 36, etc. The control unit 40 outputs control signals to the drive motor 22, control signals to the lifting device 35, etc.
　管理装置６０は、図８に示すように、処理部６１と、記憶部６２と、各無人搬送車１０と通信（無線通信）を行なうための通信部６３と、を備える。また、管理装置６０には、マウスやキーボード等の入力デバイス６５やディスプレイ６６、プリンタ６７が接続されている。処理部６１は、ＣＰＵを中心としたマイクロプロセッサとして構成され、ＣＰＵの他に、処理プログラムを記憶するＲＯＭやデータを一時的に記憶するＲＡＭ等を備える。記憶部６２は、ＨＤＤやＳＳＤ等のストレージであり、記憶部６２には、マップ情報６２ａや搬送先情報６２ｂなどの各種情報が記憶される。 As shown in FIG. 8, the management device 60 includes a processing unit 61, a memory unit 62, and a communication unit 63 for communicating (wireless communication) with each automated guided vehicle 10. In addition, an input device 65 such as a mouse or keyboard, a display 66, and a printer 67 are connected to the management device 60. The processing unit 61 is configured as a microprocessor centered around a CPU, and in addition to the CPU, includes a ROM for storing processing programs and a RAM for temporarily storing data. The memory unit 62 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and stores various information such as map information 62a and destination information 62b.
　図９は、搬送先情報６２ｂの一例を示す説明図である。図示するように、搬送先情報６２ｂは、荷物の種類と荷物の搬送先とが対応付けられた情報であり、オペレータにより予め登録されている。また、管理装置６０は、オペレータの指示により、荷物の種類ごとに固有のマーカＭを作成し、作成したマーカＭをプリンタ６７で印刷（発行）する。そして、オペレータは、印刷したマーカＭをカゴ台車１００の指定箇所やカゴ台車１００に積載されている荷物に貼り付ける。これにより、無人搬送車２０は、カメラ部５１によりマーカＭを読み取ることで搬送すべき荷物の種類を認識することができ、認識した荷物の種類に基づいて荷物を積載したカゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）の搬送先（目的地）を取得することができる。 FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of destination information 62b. As shown in the figure, destination information 62b is information in which the type of luggage is associated with the destination of the luggage, and is registered in advance by the operator. Furthermore, the management device 60 creates a unique marker M for each type of luggage at the instruction of the operator, and prints (issues) the created marker M with the printer 67. The operator then attaches the printed marker M to a specified location on the basket cart 100 or to the luggage loaded on the basket cart 100. In this way, the automated guided vehicle 20 can recognize the type of luggage to be transported by reading the marker M with the camera unit 51, and can obtain the destination (destination) of the basket cart 100 (transport target cart) loaded with the luggage based on the recognized type of luggage.
　次に、こうして構成された本実施形態の搬送システム１の動作について説明する。特に、図１に示すように、台車置き場Ｌに密集して配置された複数のカゴ台車１００を１台ずつ各々の搬送先まで搬送する際の無人搬送車１０の動作について説明する。図１０は、無人搬送車１０の制御部４０により実行される搬送制御ルーチンの一例を示すフローチャートである。この処理は、管理装置６０からカゴ台車１００（荷物）の搬送が指示されたときに実行される。以下、搬送制御ルーチンについて、図１１，図１２を参照しながら説明する。 Next, the operation of the transport system 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10 when transporting multiple basket carts 100 arranged closely together in a cart storage area L one by one to their respective destinations will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport control routine executed by the control unit 40 of the automated guided vehicle 10. This process is executed when an instruction to transport a basket cart 100 (baggage) is issued from the management device 60. The transport control routine will be described below with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12.
　搬送制御ルーチンが実行されると、制御部４０は、まず、台車置き場Ｌへ移動するように駆動モータ２２を制御する（Ｓ１００）。続いて、制御部４０は、車体部１１の前面に設けられたカメラ部５１でカゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）またはその荷台部１０１に積載された荷物に付されたマーカＭ（図２参照）を読み取り、管理装置８０と通信することによりマーカＭに対応する荷物の種類を認識する（Ｓ１０２）。そして、制御部４０は、荷物の種類の認識に成功したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１０４）。荷物の種類の認識に失敗する場合としては、例えば、マーカＭに汚れや傷があったりマーカＭに照明が反射したりしてマーカＭ自体を読み取れなかった場合や、マーカＭが発行された後、対応する荷物の登録が削除される等としてマーカＭに対応する荷物の情報が見つからない場合などが該当する。 When the transport control routine is executed, the control unit 40 first controls the drive motor 22 to move to the cart storage area L (S100). Next, the control unit 40 reads the marker M (see FIG. 2) attached to the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) or the luggage loaded on its loading platform 101 with the camera unit 51 provided on the front of the vehicle body unit 11, and recognizes the type of luggage corresponding to the marker M by communicating with the management device 80 (S102). Then, the control unit 40 judges whether or not the recognition of the luggage type was successful (S104). Examples of cases where the recognition of the luggage type fails include cases where the marker M itself cannot be read because it is dirty or scratched or the lighting is reflected on the marker M, or cases where the registration of the corresponding luggage is deleted after the marker M is issued, and information on the luggage corresponding to the marker M cannot be found.
　制御部４０は、荷物の種類の認識に成功したと判定すると、認識した荷物の種類に対応する荷物の搬送先を取得し、取得した搬送先を搬送対象台車の目的地に設定する（Ｓ１０６）。搬送先の取得は、管理装置８０と通信して、認識した荷物の種類に基づいて搬送先情報６２ｂから導出される搬送先を管理装置８０から受信することにより行なわれる。なお、搬送先の取得は、無人搬送車１０の記憶部４１に搬送先情報６２ｂと同様の搬送先情報を記憶し、制御部４０が荷物の種類を認識すると、記憶した搬送先情報から対応する荷物の搬送先を導出することにより行なってもよい。そして、制御部４０は、目的地の設定に成功したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１０８）。目的地の設定に失敗する場合としては、例えば、搬送先情報６２ｂに荷物の種類に対応する荷物の搬送先が登録されていない場合などが該当する。なお、荷物の種類を認識できなければ、荷物（搬送対象台車）の搬送先を取得できないため、Ｓ１０４は、目的地の設定に失敗したか否かを判定するものといえる。 When the control unit 40 determines that the recognition of the type of the luggage has been successful, it acquires the destination of the luggage corresponding to the recognized type of luggage and sets the acquired destination as the destination of the transportation target cart (S106). The destination is acquired by communicating with the management device 80 and receiving from the management device 80 the destination derived from the destination information 62b based on the recognized type of luggage. The destination may be acquired by storing destination information similar to the destination information 62b in the storage unit 41 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10, and deriving the corresponding destination of the luggage from the stored destination information when the control unit 40 recognizes the type of luggage. Then, the control unit 40 determines whether the destination setting has been successful (S108). An example of a case where the destination setting has failed is when the destination information 62b does not contain a destination of the luggage corresponding to the type of luggage. Note that if the type of luggage cannot be recognized, the destination of the luggage (transport target cart) cannot be acquired, so S104 can be said to be a determination of whether the destination setting has failed.
　制御部４０は、目的地の設定に成功したと判定すると、カゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）に連結する（Ｓ１１０）。この処理は、以下のようにして行なわれる。すなわち、制御部４０は、まず、センサ部５２により検出される点群データに基づいて、カメラ部５１によりマーカＭを認識した位置よりも下にある２つのキャスタ１１０を認識する。続いて、制御部４０は、車体部１１が搬送対象台車のキャスタ１１０同士の間から搬送対象台車の下に潜り込むように駆動モータ２２を制御する。そして、制御部４０は、搬送対象台車の荷台部１０１に係合するように昇降装置３５により連結ピン３２，３３，３４を上昇させて、搬送対象台車と連結する。 When the control unit 40 determines that the destination has been successfully set, it couples it to the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) (S110). This process is performed as follows. That is, the control unit 40 first recognizes two casters 110 that are lower than the position where the marker M was recognized by the camera unit 51, based on the point cloud data detected by the sensor unit 52. Next, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body unit 11 slips under the cart to be transported from between the casters 110 of the cart to be transported. The control unit 40 then raises the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 by the lifting device 35 so that they engage with the loading platform unit 101 of the cart to be transported, and couples it to the cart to be transported.
　次に、制御部４０は、図１１に示すように、搬送ルートを取得すると共に取得した搬送ルートに従って台車置き場Ｌから目的地まで搬送を開始するよう駆動モータ２２を制御する（Ｓ１１２）。搬送ルートの取得は、センサ部５２，５３（ＬｉＤＡＲ）により測定された点群データに基づいて周囲の形状を把握し、把握した周囲の形状と記憶部４１に記憶されたマップ情報４１ａとを比較（照合）することにより自車の現在地を認識し、認識した現在地と指定された目的地とに基づいてマップ情報４１ａを基にルート検索することにより行なわれる。なお、搬送ルートの取得は、現在地を認識して管理装置８０に送信し、現在地に基づいて当該管理装置８０により生成された搬送ルートを受信してもよい。制御部４０は、搬送対象台車の搬送を開始すると、自己位置を取得して（Ｓ１１４）、目的地に到着したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１１６）。制御部４０は、目的地に到着していないと判定すると、目的地に向かう途中で搬送に失敗したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１１８）。この処理は、例えば車輪２１に空転によるスリップが生じてこれ以上進むことができなくなった場合などが該当する。スリップの検出は、例えば、複数の車輪２１にそれぞれ回転センサを設け、各回転センサにより検出される各車輪２１の車輪速の差が所定値以上の状態が所定時間以上継続したか否かを判定することにより行なうことができる。また、スリップの検出は、例えば、センサ部５２，５３により検出される自己位置の時間変化に基づいて自車の車体速を計測し、各回転センサにより検出される各車輪２１の車輪速から自車の車体速を推定し、車体速の計測値と推定値との差が所定値以上の状態が所定時間以上継続したか否かを判定することにより行なうことができる。 Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 40 acquires a transport route and controls the drive motor 22 to start transport from the cart storage area L to the destination according to the acquired transport route (S112). The transport route is acquired by grasping the surrounding shape based on the point cloud data measured by the sensor units 52 and 53 (LiDAR), recognizing the current location of the vehicle by comparing (collating) the grasped surrounding shape with the map information 41a stored in the memory unit 41, and searching for a route based on the recognized current location and the designated destination, based on the map information 41a. The transport route may be acquired by recognizing the current location and transmitting it to the management device 80, and receiving a transport route generated by the management device 80 based on the current location. When the control unit 40 starts transporting the cart to be transported, it acquires its own position (S114) and determines whether the destination has been reached (S116). When the control unit 40 determines that the destination has not been reached, it determines whether the transport has failed on the way to the destination (S118). This process applies, for example, when the wheels 21 start to slip due to spinning and the vehicle cannot move any further. Slippage can be detected, for example, by providing a rotation sensor on each of the multiple wheels 21 and determining whether the difference in the wheel speeds of the wheels 21 detected by each rotation sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or more. Slippage can also be detected, for example, by measuring the vehicle speed based on the time change in the vehicle's position detected by the sensor units 52 and 53, estimating the vehicle speed from the wheel speeds of the wheels 21 detected by each rotation sensor, and determining whether the difference between the measured and estimated vehicle speeds is equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or more.
　制御部４０は、搬送に失敗していないと判定すると、Ｓ１１４に戻って走行を継続する。そして、制御部４０は、Ｓ１１６で目的地に到着したと判定すると、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する（Ｓ１２０）。具体的には、制御部４０は、昇降装置３５により連結ピン３２，３３，３４を下降させることにより、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する。次に、制御部４０は、台車置き場Ｌにおいて予定された全てのカゴ台車１００の搬送を完了したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１２２）。制御部４０は、予定された全てのカゴ台車１００（荷物）の搬送が完了しておらず、他に搬送すべきカゴ台車１００（荷物）が残っていると判定すると、次のカゴ台車１００の搬送に向かうため、Ｓ１００に戻る。このように、無人搬送車２０は、台車置き場Ｌに配置された複数のカゴ台車１００のうち１つに連結してその搬送先まで搬送し、搬送先まで搬送し終えると、台車置き場Ｌに戻って次のカゴ台車１００を搬送する動作を繰り返すことで、予定された複数のカゴ台車１００の搬送を行なう。 If the control unit 40 determines that the transport has not failed, it returns to S114 and continues traveling. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S116 that the destination has been reached, it releases the connection from the transport target cart (S120). Specifically, the control unit 40 releases the connection from the transport target cart by lowering the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 using the lifting device 35. Next, the control unit 40 determines whether the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 at the cart storage area L has been completed (S122). If the control unit 40 determines that the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 (baggage) has not been completed and that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) to be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100. In this way, the automated guided vehicle 20 couples to one of the multiple basket carts 100 arranged in the cart storage area L and transports it to its destination. Once transport to the destination is complete, the automated guided vehicle 20 returns to the cart storage area L to transport the next basket cart 100. This operation is repeated to transport the multiple planned basket carts 100.
　制御部４０は、Ｓ１１８において目的地に向かう途中で搬送対象台車の搬送に失敗したと判定すると、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する（Ｓ１２０）。すなわち、制御部４０は、搬送対象台車を目的地まで搬送するのを諦め、搬送対象台車をその場に置いて、Ｓ１２２に進む。そして、制御部４０は、Ｓ１２２において、台車置き場Ｌに他に搬送すべきカゴ台車１００（荷物）が残っていると判定すると、次のカゴ台車１００の搬送に向かうため、Ｓ１００に戻る。 If the control unit 40 determines in S118 that the transport of the target cart has failed en route to the destination, it releases the connection with the target cart (S120). That is, the control unit 40 gives up on transporting the target cart to the destination, leaves the target cart there, and proceeds to S122. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S122 that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) remaining at the cart storage area L that should be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100.
　制御部４０は、Ｓ１２２において予定された全てのカゴ台車１００の搬送が完了したと判定すると、後述する仮置き場Ｔに搬送すべきカゴ台車１００が有るか否かを判定する（Ｓ１２４）。制御部４０は、仮置き場Ｔに搬送すべきカゴ台車１００はないと判定すると、待機位置（例えば、無人搬送車１０が充電可能な充電ポイント）まで移動するよう駆動モータ２２を制御して（Ｓ１２６）、本ルーチンを終了する。 When the control unit 40 determines in S122 that the transportation of all scheduled basket carts 100 has been completed, it determines whether or not there are basket carts 100 to be transported to a temporary storage site T described below (S124). When the control unit 40 determines that there are no basket carts 100 to be transported to the temporary storage site T, it controls the drive motor 22 to move to a standby position (e.g., a charging point where the automated guided vehicle 10 can be charged) (S126), and ends this routine.
　制御部４０は、Ｓ１０４において荷物の種類の認識に失敗したと判定したり、Ｓ１０８において目的地の設定に失敗したと判定したりすると、リトライフラグＦが値０であるか否かを判定する（Ｓ１２８）。ここで、リトライフラグＦは、初期値としては値０が設定され、後述するリトライ動作が実行されるときに、値１が設定される。制御部４０は、リトライフラグＦが値０であると判定すると、カゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）と連結し（Ｓ１３０）、図１１に示すように、台車置き場Ｌから予め定められた仮置き場Ｔまで搬送を開始するように駆動モータ２２を制御する（Ｓ１３２）。台車置き場Ｌから仮置き場Ｔまでの搬送ルートは、予め定められていてもよい。次に、制御部４０は、搬送対象台車の搬送を開始すると、自己位置を取得して（Ｓ１３４）、仮置き場Ｔに到着したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１３６）。制御部４０は、仮置き場Ｔに到着していないと判定すると、仮置き場Ｔに向かう途中で搬送に失敗したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１３８）。この判定は、Ｓ１１８と同様の処理により行なうことができる。 When the control unit 40 determines that the recognition of the type of luggage has failed in S104 or that the setting of the destination has failed in S108, it determines whether the retry flag F is 0 (S128). Here, the retry flag F is set to 0 as an initial value, and is set to 1 when a retry operation described later is executed. When the control unit 40 determines that the retry flag F is 0, it couples with the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) (S130), and controls the drive motor 22 to start transport from the cart storage area L to a predetermined temporary storage area T (S132) as shown in FIG. 11. The transport route from the cart storage area L to the temporary storage area T may be predetermined. Next, when the control unit 40 starts transporting the cart to be transported, it acquires its own position (S134) and determines whether it has arrived at the temporary storage area T (S136). When the control unit 40 determines that the cart has not arrived at the temporary storage area T, it determines whether transport has failed on the way to the temporary storage area T (S138). This determination can be made using the same process as S118.
　制御部４０は、搬送に失敗していないと判定すると、Ｓ１３４に戻って走行を継続する。そして、制御部４０は、Ｓ１３６で仮置き場Ｔに到着したと判定すると、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する（Ｓ１２０）。次に、制御部４０は、予定された全てのカゴ台車１００の搬送を完了したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１２２）。制御部４０は、予定された全てのカゴ台車１００（荷物）の搬送が完了しておらず、他に搬送すべきカゴ台車１００（荷物）が残っていると判定すると、次のカゴ台車１００の搬送に向かうため、Ｓ１００に戻る。本実施形態では、台車置き場Ｌには複数のカゴ台車１００が密集した状態で配置されている。そして、制御部４０は、台車置き場Ｌにおいて、カゴ台車１００や荷物に付されたマーカＭを読み取ることにより、搬送先を取得し、台車置き場Ｌからカゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）を１つずつ連結して搬送先に搬送する。このため、搬送先が取得できない場合に、搬送対象台車の搬送を中止すると、当該搬送対象台車が次のカゴ台車１００を搬送する際の邪魔となり、次のカゴ台車１００の搬送ができなくなる。そこで、台車置き場Ｌにおいて、搬送対象台車の目的地の設定に失敗すると、当該搬送対象台車に連結して仮置き場Ｔに移動させ、次のカゴ台車１００の搬送に向かうこことしている。これにより、正常に目的地を設定できる残りのカゴ台車１００をより確実に目的地まで搬送させることが可能となる。 If the control unit 40 determines that the transport has not failed, it returns to S134 and continues traveling. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S136 that the transport has arrived at the temporary storage site T, it releases the connection with the transport target cart (S120). Next, the control unit 40 determines whether the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 has been completed (S122). If the control unit 40 determines that the transport of all scheduled basket carts 100 (baggage) has not been completed and that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) to be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100. In this embodiment, multiple basket carts 100 are arranged in a crowded state in the cart storage site L. Then, the control unit 40 obtains the transport destination by reading the markers M attached to the basket carts 100 and the luggage at the cart storage site L, and transports the basket carts 100 (transport target carts) one by one from the cart storage site L to the transport destination. For this reason, if the transport of the cart to be transported is stopped when the transport destination cannot be obtained, the cart to be transported will get in the way of the next cart 100 being transported, making it impossible for the next cart 100 to be transported. Therefore, if the destination setting of the cart to be transported fails at the cart storage area L, the cart is coupled to the cart to be transported and moved to the temporary storage area T, where it will head for the transport of the next cart 100. This makes it possible to transport the remaining carts 100 for which the destination can be set correctly to their destinations more reliably.
　Ｓ１３８において、制御部４０は、仮置き場Ｔに向かう途中で搬送対象台車の搬送に失敗したと判定すると、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する（Ｓ１２０）。すなわち、制御部４０は、搬送対象台車を仮置き場Ｔまで搬送するのを諦め、搬送対象台車をその場に置いて、Ｓ１２２に進む。そして、制御部４０は、Ｓ１２２において、台車置き場Ｌに他に搬送すべきカゴ台車１００（荷物）が残っていると判定すると、次のカゴ台車１００の搬送に向かうため、Ｓ１００に戻る。 If the control unit 40 determines in S138 that the transport of the target cart has failed en route to the temporary storage site T, it releases the connection with the target cart (S120). That is, the control unit 40 gives up on transporting the target cart to the temporary storage site T, leaves the target cart there, and proceeds to S122. Then, if the control unit 40 determines in S122 that there are other basket carts 100 (baggage) remaining at the cart storage site L to be transported, it returns to S100 to transport the next basket cart 100.
　制御部４０は、搬送対象台車を仮置き場Ｔに搬送すると、Ｓ１２２において台車置き場Ｌにおいて予定された全てのカゴ台車１００の搬送が完了したと判定した後、続くＳ１２４で仮置き場Ｔに搬送したカゴ台車１００があると判定されるため、仮置き場Ｔに移動するように駆動モータ２２を制御し（Ｓ１４０）、リトライ動作を行なうために、リトライフラグＦに値１を設定した後（Ｓ１４２）、Ｓ１０２に戻る。 When the control unit 40 transports the cart to be transported to the temporary storage area T, it determines in S122 that the transportation of all the basket carts 100 scheduled at the cart storage area L has been completed, and then in the following S124, it determines that there are basket carts 100 that have been transported to the temporary storage area T, so it controls the drive motor 22 to move to the temporary storage area T (S140), sets the retry flag F to a value of 1 to perform a retry operation (S142), and then returns to S102.
　リトライ動作では、制御部４０は、仮置き場Ｔに置かれたカゴ台車１００のマーカＭを読み取って荷物の種類を認識し（Ｓ１０２）、認識に成功したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１０４）。制御部４０は、荷物の種類の認識に成功したと判定すると、認識した荷物の種類に対応する荷物の搬送先を取得して当該搬送先を目的地に設定し（Ｓ１０６）、設定に成功したか否かを判定する（Ｓ１０８）。制御部４０は、荷物の種類の認識に成功し、且つ、目的地の設定に成功したと判定すると、搬送対象台車に連結して目的地まで搬送するよう駆動モータ２２を制御し、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する（Ｓ１１０～Ｓ１２２）。一方、制御部４０は、荷物の認識の失敗したと判定したり、目的地の設定に失敗したと判定したりすると、搬送対象台車に連結して台車置き場Ｌまで搬送するよう駆動モータ２２を制御し、搬送対象台車との連結を解除する（Ｓ１４４，Ｓ１４６，Ｓ１３４～Ｓ１３８，Ｓ１２０）。 In the retry operation, the control unit 40 reads the marker M of the basket cart 100 placed in the temporary storage area T to recognize the type of luggage (S102), and judges whether the recognition was successful or not (S104). When the control unit 40 judges that the recognition of the type of luggage was successful, it acquires the transport destination of the luggage corresponding to the recognized luggage type, sets the transport destination as the destination (S106), and judges whether the setting was successful or not (S108). When the control unit 40 judges that the recognition of the luggage type and the setting of the destination were successful, it controls the drive motor 22 to couple with the transport target cart and transport it to the destination, and releases the connection with the transport target cart (S110 to S122). On the other hand, when the control unit 40 judges that the recognition of the luggage has failed or the setting of the destination has failed, it controls the drive motor 22 to couple with the transport target cart and transport it to the cart storage area L, and releases the connection with the transport target cart (S144, S146, S134 to S138, S120).
　本実施形態では、制御部４０は、カゴ台車１００等に付されたマーカＭをカメラ部５１で読み取って荷物の種類を認識することで、カゴ台車１００（搬送対象台車）の搬送先（目的地）を取得する。このため、台車置き場Ｌの照明条件によっては、カメラ部５１でのマーカＭの読み取りに失敗し、搬送先を取得できない場合が生じる。そこで、本実施形態では、台車置き場Ｌにおいて、制御部４０は、搬送対象台車の目的地の設定に失敗すると、搬送対象台車を仮置き場Ｔまで搬送し、仮置き場Ｔにおいて、マーカＭの読み取りを行なって目的地の設定を試みるリトライ動作を行なう。これは、カゴ台車１００の配置が変わり、照明条件が変わると、マーカＭの読み取りに成功し、目的地の設定できる場合があることに基づく。 In this embodiment, the control unit 40 acquires the destination (destination) of the basket cart 100 (cart to be transported) by reading the marker M attached to the basket cart 100 or the like with the camera unit 51 and recognizing the type of luggage. For this reason, depending on the lighting conditions at the cart parking area L, there may be cases where the camera unit 51 fails to read the marker M and the destination cannot be acquired. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the control unit 40 fails to set the destination of the cart to be transported at the cart parking area L, it transports the cart to the temporary storage area T, and at the temporary storage area T performs a retry operation to read the marker M and attempt to set the destination. This is based on the fact that if the position of the basket cart 100 changes and the lighting conditions change, it may be possible to successfully read the marker M and set the destination.
　そして、制御部４０は、Ｓ１２４において仮置き場Ｔにある全てのカゴ台車１００を目的地あるいは台車置き場Ｌに搬送すると、待機位置に移動するよう駆動モータ２２を制御して（Ｓ１２６）、本ルーチンを終了する。 Then, when all the basket carts 100 in the temporary storage area T have been transported to the destination or the cart storage area L in S124, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 to move to the standby position (S126), and ends this routine.
　ここで、実施形態の主要な要素と請求の範囲に記載した本開示の主要な要素との対応関係について説明する。即ち、本実施形態のカゴ台車１００（荷物）が本開示の搬送対象物の一例であり、搬送制御ルーチンのＳ１０２，Ｓ１０４の処理を実行する制御部４０とカメラ部５１とが認識部の一例であり、搬送制御ルーチンのＳ１０６，Ｓ１０８の処理を実行する制御部４０が設定部の一例であり、搬送制御ルーチンのＳ１１０～Ｓ１４６の処理を実行する制御部４０が制御部の一例である。 Here, we will explain the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the present disclosure described in the claims. That is, the basket cart 100 (luggage) of this embodiment is an example of an object to be transported in this disclosure, the control unit 40 that executes the processes of S102 and S104 of the transport control routine and the camera unit 51 are an example of a recognition unit, the control unit 40 that executes the processes of S106 and S108 of the transport control routine is an example of a setting unit, and the control unit 40 that executes the processes of S110 to S146 of the transport control routine is an example of a control unit.
　なお、本開示は上述した実施形態に何ら限定されることはなく、本開示の技術的範囲に属する限り種々の態様で実施し得ることはいうまでもない。 It goes without saying that this disclosure is in no way limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.
　例えば、上述した実施形態では、制御部４０は、台車置き場Ｌに配置された搬送対象台車（荷物）の目的地の設定に失敗して当該搬送対象台車を仮置き場Ｔに搬送した場合、台車置き場Ｌにおいて予定された複数のカゴ台車１００の搬送が完了した後、仮置き場Ｔにある搬送対象台車の目的地の設定を試みるリトライ動作を行なうものとした。しかし、制御部４０は、台車置き場Ｌにおいて予定された複数のカゴ台車１００の搬送が完了すると、リトライ動作を行なうことなく、待機位置に移動してもよい。 For example, in the above-described embodiment, if the control unit 40 fails to set a destination for a transport target cart (baggage) placed in the cart storage area L and transports the transport target cart to the temporary storage area T, it performs a retry operation to attempt to set a destination for the transport target cart in the temporary storage area T after the planned transport of multiple basket carts 100 in the cart storage area L is completed. However, once the planned transport of multiple basket carts 100 in the cart storage area L is completed, the control unit 40 may move to a standby position without performing a retry operation.
　上述した実施形態では、無人搬送車１０は、目的地や仮置き場Ｔに向かう途中で搬送対象台車の搬送に失敗すると、搬送対象台車との連結を解除して次の搬送に向かうものとした。しかし、無人搬送車１０は、途中で搬送に失敗すると、搬送を中止してエラーを出力してもよい。 In the above-described embodiment, if the automated guided vehicle 10 fails to transport the target cart en route to the destination or temporary storage site T, it will disconnect from the target cart and move on to the next transport. However, if the automated guided vehicle 10 fails to transport the cart en route, it may also stop the transport and output an error.
　上述した実施形態では、無人搬送車１０は、連結部３０の連結ピン３４をカゴ台車１００の荷台部１０１に係合させて当該カゴ台車１００を牽引するものとした。しかし、無人搬送車１０は、連結部３０でカゴ台車１００を持ち上げて搬送するようにしてもよい。 In the embodiment described above, the automated guided vehicle 10 engages the connecting pin 34 of the connecting portion 30 with the loading platform portion 101 of the basket cart 100 to tow the basket cart 100. However, the automated guided vehicle 10 may also be configured to lift the basket cart 100 with the connecting portion 30 and transport it.
　以上説明したように、本開示の搬送システムでは、複数の搬送対象物を搬送する場合に、搬送対象物の認識結果に基づく目的位置の設定が失敗すると、所定の仮位置に搬送対象物を搬送した後、次の搬送対象物の搬送に向かうように無人搬送車を制御することとしている。これにより、複数の搬送対象物のうちの一部に目的位置が設定できない搬送対象物が含まれていても、それ以外の搬送対象物をより確実に目的位置まで搬送することができる。 As described above, in the transport system disclosed herein, when transporting multiple objects, if setting a destination position based on the recognition results of the objects fails, the automated guided vehicle is controlled to transport the objects to a predetermined temporary position and then move on to transport the next object. This makes it possible to transport the other objects to the destination position more reliably, even if some of the multiple objects include objects for which a destination position cannot be set.
　こうした本開示の搬送システムおいて、前記制御部は、密集して配置された複数の搬送対象物を１つずつ前記目的位置または前記仮位置に順次搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御してもよい。ここで、搬送対象物は、台車であってもよい。 In the transport system of the present disclosure, the control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to transport multiple transport objects arranged closely together one by one to the destination position or the temporary position in sequence. Here, the transport objects may be carts.
　また、本開示の搬送システムにおいて、前記制御部は、前記目的位置または前記仮位置まで搬送対象物を搬送している途中で当該搬送対象物の搬送に失敗した場合には、当該搬送対象物の搬送を中止し、次の搬送対象物の搬送に向かうように前記無人搬送車を制御してもよい。こうすれば、残りの搬送対象物をより確実に目的位置まで搬送させることができる。 Furthermore, in the conveying system disclosed herein, if the control unit fails to convey an object to be conveyed while conveying the object to the destination position or the temporary position, the control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to stop conveying the object and move on to convey the next object. In this way, the remaining objects to be conveyed can be more reliably conveyed to the destination position.
　さらに、本開示の搬送システムにおいて、前記認識部は、カメラを有し、前記カメラの撮像画像に基づいて搬送対象物を認識し、前記制御部は、前記仮位置に搬送した搬送対象物が存在する場合に、所定のタイミングで前記仮位置に向かい、当該仮位置にある搬送対象物に対して前記認識部による搬送対象物の認識と前記設定部による目的位置の設定とをリトライして当該搬送対象物を搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御してもよい。これは、カメラを用いて搬送対象物を認識する場合、異なる場所であれば、照明条件等の違いにより、搬送対象物の認識に成功することがあることに基づく。 Furthermore, in the transport system of the present disclosure, the recognition unit may have a camera and recognize the transport object based on an image captured by the camera, and the control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to, when an object that has been transported to the temporary position is present, move toward the temporary position at a predetermined timing and transport the object by retrying recognition of the object by the recognition unit and setting of the destination position by the setting unit for the object at the temporary position. This is based on the fact that when the object to be transported is recognized using a camera, if the object is in a different location, recognition of the object to be transported may be successful due to differences in lighting conditions, etc.
　この場合、前記所定のタイミングは、予定された複数の搬送対象物を前記目的位置または前記仮位置のいずれかに搬送した後のタイミングであってもよい。こうすれば、予定された複数の搬送対象物のうち目的位置に搬送できるものをより確実に搬送しつつ、仮位置に搬送した搬送対象物をリトライによって目的位置に搬送することが可能となる。さらにこれらの場合、前記制御部は、前記仮位置にある搬送対象物に対して前記認識部による搬送対象物の認識と前記設定部による目的位置の設定とをリトライしたにも拘わらず、前記目的位置の設定が失敗した場合には、前記仮位置とは異なる第２仮位置に前記搬送対象物を搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御してもよい。こうすれば、仮位置に搬送した搬送対象物が複数存在する場合に、一部の搬送対象物についてリトライに失敗しても、他の残りの搬送対象物についてリトライすることが可能となる。なお、第２仮位置は、搬送対象物の当初の位置であってもよい。 In this case, the predetermined timing may be a timing after the multiple scheduled transport objects have been transported to either the destination position or the temporary position. In this way, it is possible to transport the multiple scheduled transport objects that can be transported to the destination position more reliably, while transporting the transport objects transported to the temporary position to the destination position by retrying. Furthermore, in these cases, if the control unit retries the recognition of the transport object by the recognition unit and the setting of the destination position by the setting unit for the transport object at the temporary position, but the setting of the destination position fails, the control unit may control the automated guided vehicle to transport the transport object to a second temporary position different from the temporary position. In this way, if there are multiple transport objects transported to the temporary position, even if the retry fails for some of the transport objects, it is possible to retry for the remaining transport objects. The second temporary position may be the original position of the transport object.
　本明細書では、出願当初の請求項３において「請求項１に記載の搬送システム」を「請求項１または２に記載の搬送システム」に変更した技術思想や、出願当初の請求項６において「請求項４に記載の搬送システム」を「請求項４または５に記載の搬送システム」に変更した技術思想も開示されている。 This specification also discloses the technical idea of changing "the conveying system according to claim 1" in claim 3 as originally filed to "the conveying system according to claim 1 or 2," and the technical idea of changing "the conveying system according to claim 4" in claim 6 as originally filed to "the conveying system according to claim 4 or 5."
　本開示は、無人搬送車の製造産業などに利用可能である。 This disclosure can be used in the automated guided vehicle manufacturing industry, etc.
　１　無人搬送車システム、１０　無人搬送車、１１　車体部、２１　車輪、２２　駆動モータ、３０　連結部、３１　昇降プレート、３２，３３，３４　連結ピン、３５　昇降装置、３６　接触検知センサ、４０　制御部、４１　記憶部、４１ａ　マップ情報、４２　通信部、５１　カメラ部、５２，５３　センサ部、５４　発光部、６０　管理装置、６１　処理部、６２　記憶部、６２ａ　マップ情報、６２ｂ　搬送先情報、６３　通信部、１００　カゴ台車、１０１　荷台部、１１０　キャスタ、Ｌ　台車置き場、Ｍ　マーカ、Ｔ　仮置き場、Ｓ　棚。 1. Automated guided vehicle system, 10. Automated guided vehicle, 11. Vehicle body, 21. Wheels, 22. Driving motor, 30. Connection, 31. Lifting plate, 32, 33, 34. Connection pins, 35. Lifting device, 36. Contact detection sensor, 40. Control unit, 41. Memory unit, 41a. Map information, 42. Communication unit, 51. Camera unit, 52, 53. Sensor unit, 54. Light-emitting unit, 60. Management device, 61. Processing unit, 62. Memory unit, 62a. Map information, 62b. Delivery destination information, 63. Communication unit, 100. Basket cart, 101. Cargo platform, 110. Casters, L. Cart storage area, M. Marker, T. Temporary storage area, S. Shelf.

Claims (6)

  1. 　無人搬送車を含む搬送システムであって、
    　搬送対象物を認識する認識部と、
    　前記認識部の認識結果に基づいて前記搬送対象物の目的位置を設定する設定部と、
    　複数の搬送対象物を搬送する場合に、前記設定部による目的位置の設定が成功すると、設定された前記目的位置に前記搬送対象物を搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御し、前記設定部による目的位置の設定が失敗すると、所定の仮位置に前記搬送対象物を搬送した後、次の搬送対象物の搬送に向かうように前記無人搬送車を制御する制御部と、
    　を備える搬送システム。     A transport system including an automated guided vehicle,
    A recognition unit that recognizes an object to be conveyed;
    a setting unit that sets a destination position of the object to be transported based on a recognition result of the recognition unit;
    a control unit that, when a plurality of objects to be transported are transported, controls the automated guided vehicle to transport the objects to the set destination position if the setting unit is successful in setting the destination position, and controls the automated guided vehicle to transport the objects to a predetermined temporary position and then move on to transport a next object if the setting unit is unsuccessful in setting the destination position;
    A transport system comprising:
  2. 　請求項１に記載の搬送システムであって、
    　前記制御部は、密集して配置された複数の搬送対象物を１つずつ前記目的位置または前記仮位置に順次搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御する、
    　搬送システム。     2. The transport system according to claim 1,
    the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle so as to sequentially transport a plurality of closely-spaced transport objects one by one to the destination position or the temporary position.
    Conveying system.
  3. 　請求項１に記載の搬送システムであって、
    　前記制御部は、前記目的位置または前記仮位置まで搬送対象物を搬送している途中で当該搬送対象物の搬送に失敗した場合には、当該搬送対象物の搬送を中止し、次の搬送対象物の搬送に向かうように前記無人搬送車を制御する、
    　搬送システム。     2. The transport system according to claim 1,
    When the control unit fails to transport the object to the destination position or the temporary position, the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle to stop transporting the object and move to transport a next object.
    Conveying system.
  4. 　請求項１ないし３いずれか１項に記載の搬送システムであって、
    　前記認識部は、カメラを有し、前記カメラの撮像画像に基づいて搬送対象物を認識し、
    　前記制御部は、前記仮位置に搬送した搬送対象物が存在する場合に、所定のタイミングで前記仮位置に向かい、当該仮位置にある搬送対象物に対して前記認識部による搬送対象物の認識と前記設定部による目的位置の設定とをリトライして当該搬送対象物を搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御する、
    　搬送システム。     A transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
    The recognition unit has a camera and recognizes the transport object based on an image captured by the camera.
    the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle to move toward the temporary position at a predetermined timing when the transport object transported to the temporary position exists, and transport the transport object by retrying recognition of the transport object by the recognition unit and setting of a destination position by the setting unit for the transport object at the temporary position.
    Conveying system.
  5. 　請求項４に記載の搬送システムであって、
    　前記所定のタイミングは、予定された複数の搬送対象物を前記目的位置または前記仮位置のいずれかに搬送した後のタイミングである、
    　搬送システム。     5. The transport system according to claim 4,
    The predetermined timing is a timing after a plurality of planned transport objects are transported to either the destination position or the temporary position.
    Conveying system.
  6. 　請求項４に記載の搬送システムであって、
    　前記制御部は、前記仮位置にある搬送対象物に対して前記認識部による搬送対象物の認識と前記設定部による目的位置の設定とをリトライしたにも拘わらず、前記目的位置の設定が失敗した場合には、前記仮位置とは異なる第２仮位置に前記搬送対象物を搬送するように前記無人搬送車を制御する、
    　搬送システム。     5. The transport system according to claim 4,
    when the control unit fails to set the destination position despite retrying the recognition of the transport object by the recognition unit and the setting of the destination position by the setting unit for the transport object at the temporary position, controls the automatic guided vehicle to transport the transport object to a second temporary position different from the temporary position.
    Conveying system.
PCT/JP2022/047375 2022-12-22 2022-12-22 Conveyance system WO2024134831A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2022/047375 WO2024134831A1 (en) 2022-12-22 2022-12-22 Conveyance system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2022/047375 WO2024134831A1 (en) 2022-12-22 2022-12-22 Conveyance system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2024134831A1 true WO2024134831A1 (en) 2024-06-27

Family

ID=91587891

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/JP2022/047375 WO2024134831A1 (en) 2022-12-22 2022-12-22 Conveyance system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2024134831A1 (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH04176961A (en) * 1990-11-09 1992-06-24 Fujita Corp Unloading and conveying system for construction site
JPH04176962A (en) * 1990-11-09 1992-06-24 Fujita Corp Unloading and conveying system for construction site
JP2013257743A (en) * 2012-06-13 2013-12-26 Sumitomo Heavy Ind Ltd Moving body
WO2021125019A1 (en) * 2019-12-17 2021-06-24 株式会社Ｐｒｅｆｅｒｒｅｄ Ｎｅｔｗｏｒｋｓ Information system, information processing method, information processing program and robot system

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH04176961A (en) * 1990-11-09 1992-06-24 Fujita Corp Unloading and conveying system for construction site
JPH04176962A (en) * 1990-11-09 1992-06-24 Fujita Corp Unloading and conveying system for construction site
JP2013257743A (en) * 2012-06-13 2013-12-26 Sumitomo Heavy Ind Ltd Moving body
WO2021125019A1 (en) * 2019-12-17 2021-06-24 株式会社Ｐｒｅｆｅｒｒｅｄ Ｎｅｔｗｏｒｋｓ Information system, information processing method, information processing program and robot system

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11097760B2 (en) Self-driving systems with inventory holder
US5202832A (en) Material handling automation system using portable transfer module
KR101397342B1 (en) Apparatus and method of unmanned forklift for autonomous loading and unloading
US11320822B2 (en) Unmanned transport vehicle, method of controlling unmanned transport vehicle, and storage medium
US11124401B1 (en) Automated loading of delivery vehicles
CN109160451A (en) Independent navigation unmanned fork lift, system and control method
CN111771175B (en) Travel control system for carrier vehicle and travel control method for carrier vehicle
CN110182718A (en) The control method and cargo movement system of transfer robot
JP2018090084A (en) Coupling device, coupling travel gear and autonomous travel gear
CN108529493B (en) Land transportation vehicle with improved sensor solution and land transportation system
JP7081194B2 (en) Travel control system for transport vehicles and travel control methods for transport vehicles
JP7282345B2 (en) Self-powered system with RFID reader and built-in printer
CN111204556A (en) Conveying device, conveying system and goods shelf conveying method
JP7004248B2 (en) Coupling device, connecting mobile device and autonomous mobile device
CN116917148A (en) cargo handling device
WO2024134831A1 (en) Conveyance system
JP2022146514A (en) Unmanned guided vehicle, unmanned guided vehicle system, and conveying program
JP2021086205A (en) Identification member, autonomous mobile device, connection system and connection method
JP7095301B2 (en) Travel control system for transport vehicles and travel control methods for transport vehicles
EP3647896A1 (en) Virtual coupling
WO2022190324A1 (en) Moving system and management device
WO2024157301A1 (en) Transport system
WO2024116332A1 (en) Automated guided vehicle
WO2024009342A1 (en) Conveyance device and control method thereof
WO2024057487A1 (en) Mobile body and mobile body system

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 22969217

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1