Article conveyance facility

Abstract

To suppress deterioration in conveyance efficiency of a facility as a whole.SOLUTION: An article conveyance facility includes a control system that gives, to a conveyance vehicle, conveyance commands specifying a conveyance origin and a conveyance destination of articles. The control system is configured to execute: predicted conveyance time deriving processing of deriving predicted conveyance time for each of a plurality of candidate routes 90; and route selection processing of selecting, from among the plurality of candidate routes 90, the conveyance route 90 where the conveyance vehicle is caused to run. The control system preferentially selects, as the conveyance route 90, the candidate route 90 in which predicted conveyance time Tp is within a reference range Rt in the route selection processing for the candidate route 90 whose target conveyance destination is the conveyance destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an item transport facility that includes a predetermined route, a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route to transport items, a plurality of transfer target locations provided along the route, and a control system that issues transport commands to the transport vehicles specifying the source and destination of the items. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, International Publication No. 2023 / 132101 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for selecting, from among a plurality of routes from the source of an article to the destination, the route with the lowest cost as the travel route for a transport vehicle.

[0003] The cost of a route is often set based on the time required for a transport vehicle to travel along the route and transport an item. Typically, the shorter the transport time required for a route, the lower the cost of the route. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2023 / 132101 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an article transport facility, multiple transport vehicles transport articles according to their respective tasks. However, if all of the transport vehicles select routes that minimize costs, there is a possibility that multiple transport vehicles will be concentrated on a specific route, such as a main route near the center of the facility. In this case, congestion on the specific route will increase, and each transport vehicle traveling on that route will take longer to transport articles despite having selected a route that minimizes costs, which may reduce the transport efficiency of the entire facility.

[0006] In view of the above situation, it is desirable to realize a technology that can suppress a decrease in the transport efficiency of the entire facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] a predetermined route; a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route to transport items; A plurality of transfer target locations provided along the route; a control system that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle specifying the origin and destination of the item; An article conveying facility comprising: Each of the source and the destination is designated from among a plurality of transfer target locations, A candidate route is a route for transporting the item by the transport vehicle from the transport source to the transport destination. The control system includes: a predicted transport time derivation process for deriving a predicted transport time, which is a predicted value of the time required to transport the item along each of the plurality of candidate routes; a route selection process for selecting the transportation route along which the transportation vehicle is to travel from the plurality of candidate routes; configured to run a target destination among the plurality of destinations that can be designated in the transport command is designated as a target destination; The time required to transport the item along each route from each of the plurality of transport sources to one of the target transport destinations is defined as a required transport time; The average of the required transport times for the combinations of the plurality of transport sources to the target transport destination is defined as an average transport time, a time range including the average transport time is set as a reference range; In the route selection process for the candidate routes having the target destination as the destination, the control system preferentially selects, as the transfer route, the candidate route whose predicted transfer time falls within the reference range.

[0008] According to this configuration, the control system preferentially selects candidate routes for transport vehicles that have predicted transport times within a standard range. This allows each of the multiple transport vehicles operating within the facility to travel the selected route and transport items in a time close to the average transport time. As a result, the transport times required for each transport vehicle are equalized across the entire facility, making it possible to prevent a decline in transport efficiency across the entire facility.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the techniques according to the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Plan view showing a part of the article transport facility [Figure 2] Control Block Diagram [Figure 3] A diagram showing each route from each of multiple transport sources to the target transport destination. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the distribution of transport times for each route [Figure 5] A diagram showing possible routes from a specific source to a target destination. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the predicted transport time for each transport route [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing predicted transport times after correction for each transport route. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the deviation of the predicted transport time for each transport route DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an article transport facility will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a portion of an article conveying facility 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the article conveying facility 100 includes a predetermined route 9, a plurality of transport vehicles 1 that travel along the route 9 to transport articles (not shown), a plurality of transfer target locations 8 provided along the route 9, and a control system 2 (see Fig. 2) that controls the transport vehicles 1 on the route 9.

[0013] In this embodiment, the path 9 is configured using rails. For example, the rails that configure the path 9 are installed near the ceiling of the facility. In this case, the transport vehicle 1 is configured as a so-called ceiling transport vehicle that travels along the path 9 installed near the ceiling.

[0014] Various items are handled by the item transport equipment 100. For example, the item transport equipment 100 is used in a semiconductor manufacturing factory. Therefore, the items include substrate containers (so-called FOUPs: Front Opening Unified Pods) that store substrates (wafers, panels, etc.), reticle containers (so-called reticle pods) that store reticles, magazines, trays, etc. In this case, the transport vehicle 1 transports items such as substrate containers and reticle containers along the path 9 between each process.

[0015] The transfer target location 8 is a location where the transport vehicle 1 delivers an item or where the transport vehicle 1 receives an item. In this embodiment, the transfer target location 8 includes a processing device 80 that processes the item and a loading platform 81 located adjacent to the processing device 80. "Processing the item" refers to processing of the object (substrate or reticle) contained in the item serving as a container. The transport vehicle 1 receives an item that has been processed by the processing device 80 from the loading platform 81, or delivers an item that has not been processed by the processing device 80 to the loading platform 81. The processing device 80 performs various processes, such as thin film formation, photolithography, and etching. However, the transfer target location 8 is not limited to the above, and may also be a buffer for temporarily storing items along the route 9, or an inbound or outbound port located adjacent to an automated warehouse that stores the items.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the control system 2 is configured to be able to communicate with each transport vehicle 1. The control system 2 issues a transport command to the transport vehicle 1 specifying the origin F and destination T (see Fig. 5) of the item. Each of the origin F and destination T is specified from among a plurality of transfer target locations 8.

[0017] In this embodiment, the control system 2 issues transport commands to each transport vehicle 1 based on a preset production schedule for the goods. In the illustrated example, the control system 2 is configured to be able to acquire various information from a database 3. The production schedule described above is stored in the database 3, and the control system 2 acquires the production schedule from the database 3 and issues transport commands to each transport vehicle 1.

[0018] The control system 2 includes a storage device that stores information input to the input device, a processing device that retrieves information from the storage device, performs arithmetic processing, and stores the arithmetic results in the storage device, and a control device that issues commands to each device. The control system 2 is configured using one or more CPUs. These CPUs are elements included in a control device fixedly installed within the facility or a control device mounted on the transport vehicle 1.

[0019] Here, the transport vehicle 1 that has received the transport command transports the article from the origin F to the destination T, and there are multiple routes 9 from the origin F to the destination T (see FIG. 5).

[0020] The control system 2 is configured to execute a route selection process to select a route 9 along which the transport vehicle 1 will travel from the origin F to the destination T, from among the plurality of candidate routes 90, by setting candidate routes 90 as the route for transporting an item from the origin F to the destination T. The transport vehicle 1 travels along the route 9 selected by the route selection process by the control system 2, thereby transporting the item from the origin F to the destination T.

[0021] Before selecting a conveyance route 9 from among the plurality of candidate routes 90, the control system 2 derives an index serving as a selection criterion for each of the plurality of candidate routes 90. Here, the control system 2 is configured to execute a predicted conveyance time derivation process for each of the plurality of candidate routes 90 to derive a predicted conveyance time Tp (see FIG. 5 ), which is a predicted value of the time required to convey an article by traveling along the candidate route 90. The control system 2 executes a route selection process based on the predicted conveyance time Tp derived by the predicted conveyance time derivation process.

[0022] In this embodiment, the control system 2 calculates the cost for each candidate route 90 and derives the predicted transport time Tp based on the cost. The cost includes a fixed cost and a variable cost. The fixed cost is set based on the surrounding environment of the transport route 9, such as the length and structure of the transport route 9, or the presence or absence of stations (transfer target locations 8). The variable cost is determined based on, for example, the degree of congestion and the presence or absence of broken-down vehicles.

[0023] In this way, the control system 2 executes the process of deriving the predicted transport time to derive the predicted transport time Tp for each candidate route 90. Then, the control system 2 executes the process of selecting a route based on the predicted transport time Tp for each candidate route 90 to select a transport route 9 along which the transport vehicle 1 should travel from among the plurality of candidate routes 90.

[0024] Generally, in order to improve the transportation efficiency of the entire facility, the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transportation time Tp is selected as the transportation route 9 from among multiple candidate routes 90. However, route selection according to such rules does not necessarily contribute to improving transportation efficiency. This is because if the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transportation time Tp is selected for all of the transportation vehicles 1, the transportation vehicles 1 will be concentrated on a specific route 9, and traffic congestion will actually make transportation take longer.

[0025] Therefore, in the article transport facility 100 according to the present disclosure, a decrease in transport efficiency of the entire facility is suppressed by leveling out the transport time of the articles by each transport vehicle 1. This will be explained in detail below.

[0026] 3, a target destination T is defined as a target destination T among multiple destinations T that can be specified in a transport command issued by the control system 2. The time required to transport an item along each route 9 from each of the multiple transport origins F to one target destination T is defined as a required transport time Tr (see FIG. 4).

[0027] When considering the entire route 9, there can be multiple transfer origins F (transfer destinations 8) for one target transfer destination T (transfer destination 8). In other words, one transfer destination 8 (target transfer destination T) can be the destination for the next processing of items that have completed processing at each transfer destination 8 (transfer origin F) located at a different position on the route 9. If the transfer origin F is different, the transport time Tr to the target transfer destination T will vary for each route 9.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows the distribution of the required transfer times Tr from each of the possible number of transfer origins F to one target destination T. By calculating the average value of all the required transfer times Tr, the average time required for the item to be transported to the target destination T in the item transport equipment 100 can be determined. Here, the average of the required transfer times Tr for a combination of multiple transfer origins F to the target destination T is taken as the average transfer time TAvg. In the example shown, the average transfer time TAvg is set to "30 seconds." The average transfer time TAvg may be calculated for the target destination T based on all transfer target locations 8 (transfer origins F) provided in the item transport equipment 100, or may be calculated based on any part of the transfer target locations 8 (transfer origins F).

[0029] As described above, the destination T is the transfer target location 8 where the processing equipment 80 is installed. The multiple processing equipment 80 installed in the item transport facility 100 each perform different processing operations on items and have different processing times. A production schedule is established for each processing equipment 80 (destination T) according to the processing operations and processing times, and it is also effective to set this production schedule according to the average transport time TAvg calculated for each processing equipment 80 (destination T).

[0030] In this embodiment, the required transport time Tr for a combination of multiple transport sources F to the target destination T is a past performance value, which is stored in the database 3 (see FIG. 2), for example. However, the control system 2 may also calculate the required transport time Tr to the target destination T for each of multiple routes 9 based on the current state of the equipment.

[0031] By having all transport vehicles 1 present in the article transport facility 100 transport articles to the target destination T in the average transport time TAvg or a time close to it, the required transport time Tr can be leveled out for the entire facility and a decrease in transport efficiency can be suppressed. Therefore, during the route selection process, by selecting a candidate route 90 such that the required transport time Tr is the average transport time TAvg or a time close to it, a decrease in transport efficiency for the entire facility can be suppressed.

[0032] However, since the average transfer time TAvg is a concept of a "point" that refers to a single point on the time axis, if the average transfer time TAvg is used as a processing criterion for route selection processing, there may be few cases in which the processing criterion is met.

[0033] Therefore, in the article conveying equipment 100 according to the present disclosure, a time range including the average conveying time TAvg is set as the reference range Rt. This allows for a "width" to be provided to the processing criteria for the route selection process. The reference range Rt may be set as appropriate depending on the operational status of the equipment, and may be set by the control system 2 or an operator. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the reference range Rt is set to a range of "±5 seconds" with respect to the average conveying time TAvg. In other words, the reference range Rt is set to a range of 25 to 35 seconds.

[0034] 5 shows three candidate routes 90 from a specific source F to a target destination T. Hereinafter, these candidate routes 90 will be referred to as candidate route A, candidate route B, and candidate route C, respectively. In the illustrated example, of the three candidate routes 90, candidate route A is the longest, candidate route B is the shortest, and candidate route C is intermediate in length between them.

[0035] 6, the control system 2 executes the predicted transport time derivation process to derive a predicted transport time Tp for each of candidate route A, candidate route B, and candidate route C. In the illustrated example, the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route A is "60 seconds," the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route B is "15 seconds," and the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route C is "25 seconds."

[0036] In the route selection process for the candidate routes 90 having the target destination T as the destination T, the control system 2 preferentially selects, as the transfer route 9, the candidate route 90 whose predicted transfer time Tp is within the reference range Rt.

[0037] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route A and the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route B are outside the reference range Rt. On the other hand, the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route C is "25 seconds", which is within the reference range Rt. Therefore, the control system 2 preferentially selects candidate route C as the transport route 9 from among the three candidate routes 90. In other words, in the route selection process, if there is only one candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects that candidate route 90 as the transport route 9.

[0038] In the above example, only the predicted transfer time Tp of the candidate route C is within the reference range Rt, but depending on the relationship between the transfer origin F and the target transfer destination T, the predicted transfer times Tp of multiple candidate routes 90 may be within the reference range Rt. Therefore, although detailed illustration is omitted, in the route selection process, when there are multiple candidate routes 90 whose predicted transfer times Tp are within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects, as the transfer route 9, the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transfer time Tp. This makes it possible to shorten the required transfer time Tr while promoting the equalization of the required transfer time Tr for each transfer vehicle 1.

[0039] In addition, in this embodiment, the control system 2 is configured to correct the predicted transport time Tp of each candidate route 90 by a correction process so that a candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within or close to the reference range Rt is more likely to be selected as the transport route 9 along which the transport vehicle 1 will travel.

[0040] Fig. 7 shows a case where the control system 2 executes the above correction process. The preconditions in Fig. 7 are the same as those in Fig. 6, that is, the predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route A is "60 seconds", the predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route B is "15 seconds", and the predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route C is "25 seconds".

[0041] 7, among the multiple candidate routes 90, candidate routes 90 whose predicted transportation time Tp is within the reference range Rt are designated as priority candidate routes 91, and candidate routes 90 whose predicted transportation time Tp is outside the reference range Rt are designated as non-priority candidate routes 92. In the example shown in FIG. 7, candidate route C is the priority candidate route 91, and candidate routes A and B are the non-priority candidate routes 92.

[0042] The control system 2 executes a correction process to correct the predicted transport time Tp of at least one of the non-priority candidate route 92 and the priority candidate route 91 so that the priority candidate route 91 is more likely to be selected in the route selection process than the non-priority candidate route 92. In this example, the control system 2 corrects the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 in the correction process, but does not correct the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. Then, in the route selection process, the control system 2 selects, as the transport route 9, the candidate route 90 having the shortest predicted transport time Tp after correction by the correction process from among the multiple candidate routes 90.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the control system 2 adds a correction value X to the predicted transfer time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 in the correction process. The correction value X may be a fixed value or a variable value. The variable value is set, for example, based on the number of guided vehicles 1 currently present on the route 9 or the number of guided vehicles 1 scheduled to pass through the route 9. In this example, the correction value X is a fixed value and is set to the upper limit value of the reference range Rt (here, "35 seconds"). As a result, the predicted transfer time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 after the correction is always a value that exceeds the reference range Rt. Therefore, since the predicted transfer time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 is adjusted to be a long time that exceeds the reference range Rt, the non-priority candidate route 92 is less likely to be selected in the route selection process that selects the candidate route 90 with the shortest corrected predicted transfer time Tp as the transfer route 9.

[0044] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the upper limit value of the reference range Rt is "35 seconds," so the correction value X is "35 seconds." As a result, the corrected predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route A becomes "95 seconds," and the corrected predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route B becomes "50 seconds." As described above, the predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route C is not corrected, so it remains "25 seconds." Alternatively, for candidate route C, which is the priority candidate route 91, the correction value X may be set to "0 seconds," and the predicted transfer time Tp of candidate route C may be corrected by adding "0 seconds." The control system 2 selects, from among these, the candidate route C with the shortest predicted transfer time Tp as the transfer route 9.

[0045] FIG. 8 shows a case where there is no candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp falls within the reference range Rt. In the example shown in FIG. 8, unlike the situation shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route A is "40 seconds," the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route B is "45 seconds," and the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route C is "10 seconds." The predicted transport time Tp of each candidate route 90 falls outside the reference range Rt of "25 to 35 seconds."

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, in the route selection process, if there is no candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects, as the transport route 9, a candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is closest to the reference range Rt. In this example, the control system 2 calculates the deviation between the predicted transport time Tp and the reference range Rt for each candidate route 90. That is, the control system 2 calculates the extent to which the predicted transport time Tp deviates from the reference range Rt using a quantitative value. After calculating the deviation, the control system 2 compares the absolute values ​​of the deviations for each candidate route 90 and selects, as the transport route 9, the candidate route 90 whose absolute value of the deviation is smallest. By comparing the deviations as absolute values, it is possible to appropriately compare the magnitude relationship without considering positive or negative signs.

[0047] In the example shown in Fig. 8, the deviation of the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route A is "+5 seconds," and its absolute value is "5 seconds." This is the difference between "35 seconds," which is the upper limit of the reference range Rt, and "40 seconds," which is the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route A.

[0048] The deviation of the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route B is "+10 seconds," and its absolute value is "10 seconds." This is the difference between "35 seconds," which is the upper limit of the reference range Rt, and "45 seconds," which is the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route B.

[0049] The deviation of the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route C is "-15 seconds," and its absolute value is "15 seconds." This is the difference between the lower limit of the reference range Rt, "25 seconds," and the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route A, "10 seconds."

[0050] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the control system 2 selects, as the transfer route 9, the candidate route A, which has the smallest deviation of "5 seconds" between the predicted transfer time Tp and the reference range Rt.

[0051] According to the article conveying facility 100 described above, each of the multiple transport vehicles 1 operating within the facility travels along the transport route 9 selected for itself and transports an article in a time close to the average transport time TAvg. As a result, the transport time Tr required for each transport vehicle 1 is equalized for the entire facility, making it possible to suppress a decrease in transport efficiency for the entire facility.

[0052] Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments will be described.

[0053] (1) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control system 2 corrects the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 but does not correct the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91 in the correction process. However, without being limited to this example, the control system 2 may correct both the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 and the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. Alternatively, the control system 2 may correct only the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. When correcting the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91, the control system 2 may correct it so that the predicted transport time Tp becomes shorter. This makes it easier for the priority candidate route 91 to be selected when selecting the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transport time Tp as the transport route 9 in the route selection process.

[0054] (2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control system 2 calculates the deviation of the predicted transport time Tp from the reference range Rt for each candidate route 90 and compares the absolute values ​​of the deviations. However, without being limited to this example, the control system 2 may compare the squared values ​​of the deviations for each candidate route 90, or may compare the square roots of the values. This allows the positive and negative signs of each value to be removed, making it possible to appropriately compare the magnitude relationship.

[0055] (3) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which, in the route selection process, if there is no candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects, as the transport route 9, a candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is closest to the reference range Rt. However, without being limited to this example, the control system 2 may select, as the transport route 9, a candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is closest to an arbitrary value (for example, average transport time TAvg) within the reference range Rt.

[0056] (4) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the transport vehicle 1 is configured as a so-called overhead transport vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the transport vehicle 1 may be configured as a trackless vehicle such as an AGV. In this case, the path 9 is configured using a magnetic tape or the like provided on the floor surface.

[0057] (5) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradictions arise. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0058] [Summary of this embodiment] The summary of this embodiment will be described below.

[0059] a predetermined route; a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route to transport items; A plurality of transfer target locations provided along the route; a control system that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle specifying the origin and destination of the item; An article conveying facility comprising: Each of the source and the destination is designated from among a plurality of transfer target locations, A candidate route is a route for transporting the item by the transport vehicle from the transport source to the transport destination. The control system includes: a predicted transport time derivation process for deriving a predicted transport time, which is a predicted value of the time required to transport the item along each of the plurality of candidate routes; a route selection process for selecting the transportation route along which the transportation vehicle is to travel from the plurality of candidate routes; configured to run a target destination among the plurality of destinations that can be designated in the transport command is designated as a target destination; The time required to transport the item along each route from each of the plurality of transport sources to one of the target transport destinations is defined as a required transport time; The average of the required transport times for the combinations of the plurality of transport sources to the target transport destination is defined as an average transport time, a time range including the average transport time is set as a reference range; In the route selection process for the candidate routes having the target destination as the destination, the control system preferentially selects, as the transfer route, the candidate route whose predicted transfer time falls within the reference range.

[0060] According to this configuration, the control system preferentially selects candidate routes for transport vehicles that have predicted transport times within a standard range. This allows each of the multiple transport vehicles operating within the facility to travel the selected route and transport items in a time close to the average transport time. As a result, the transport times required for each transport vehicle are equalized across the entire facility, making it possible to prevent a decline in transport efficiency across the entire facility.

[0061] Among the plurality of candidate routes, the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range is designated as a priority candidate route, and the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls outside the reference range is designated as a non-priority candidate route, The control system includes: execute a correction process to correct the predicted transport time of at least one of the non-priority candidate route and the priority candidate route so that the priority candidate route is more likely to be selected in the route selection process than the non-priority candidate route; In the route selection process, it is preferable that the candidate route having the shortest predicted transport time after correction by the correction process is selected as the transport route from among the plurality of candidate routes.

[0062] According to this configuration, candidate routes whose predicted transport times are within or close to the standard range are more likely to be selected as transport routes for transport vehicles, which promotes the equalization of transport times for each transport vehicle and makes it easier to prevent a decrease in transport efficiency for the entire facility.

[0063] In the route selection process, when there are multiple candidate routes for which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects, as the transport route, the candidate route for which the predicted transport time is shortest from among the candidate routes, Preferably, in the route selection process, if there is only one candidate route for which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects the candidate route as the transport route.

[0064] According to this configuration, it is possible to shorten the required transport time while promoting the equalization of the required transport time for each transport vehicle.

[0065] Preferably, in the route selection process, if there is no candidate route in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects as the transport route the candidate route in which the predicted transport time is closest to the reference range.

[0066] According to this configuration, even if there is no candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the candidate route whose predicted transport time is closest to the reference range is selected as the transport route along which the transport vehicle will travel, thereby leveling out the transport time required for the entire facility. [Industrial Applicability]

[0067] The technology disclosed herein can be used in an item transport facility that includes a predetermined route, multiple transport vehicles that travel along the route to transport items, multiple transfer locations located along the route, and a control system that issues transport commands to the transport vehicles specifying the source and destination of the items. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 100: Goods transport equipment 1: Transport vehicle 2: Control system 8: Transfer location 9: Route 90: Candidate route 91: Preferred candidate route 92: Non-preferred candidate route F: Origin T: Destination Rt: Reference range TAvg: Average transport time Tp: Estimated transport time Tr: Transport time

Claims

1. a predetermined route; a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route to transport items; A plurality of transfer target locations provided along the route; a control system that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle specifying the origin and destination of the item; An article conveying facility comprising: Each of the source and the destination is designated from among a plurality of transfer target locations, A candidate route is a route for transporting the item by the transport vehicle from the transport source to the transport destination. The control system includes: a predicted transport time derivation process for deriving a predicted transport time, which is a predicted value of the time required to transport the item along each of the plurality of candidate routes; a route selection process for selecting the transportation route along which the transportation vehicle is to travel from the plurality of candidate routes; configured to run a target destination among the plurality of destinations that can be designated in the transport command is designated as a target destination; a required transport time is defined as a time required to transport the item along each route from each of the plurality of transport sources to one of the target transport destinations; The average of the required transport times for the combinations of the plurality of transport sources to the target transport destination is defined as an average transport time, a time range including the average transport time is set as a reference range; In the route selection process for the candidate routes having the target destination as the destination, the control system preferentially selects as the transport route the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range.

2. Among the plurality of candidate routes, the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range is designated as a priority candidate route, and the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls outside the reference range is designated as a non-priority candidate route, The control system includes: execute a correction process to correct the predicted transport time of at least one of the non-priority candidate route and the priority candidate route so that the priority candidate route is more likely to be selected in the route selection process than the non-priority candidate route; The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein the route selection process selects, as the transport route, the candidate route having the shortest predicted transport time after correction by the correction process from among the plurality of candidate routes.

3. In the route selection process, when there are a plurality of candidate routes for which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects, as the transport route, the candidate route for which the predicted transport time is shortest from among the candidate routes, 2. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein, in the route selection process, if there is only one candidate route for which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects the candidate route as the transport route.

4. 4. The item transport facility according to claim 1, wherein, in the route selection process, if there is no candidate route in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects as the transport route the candidate route in which the predicted transport time is closest to the reference range.

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