Automatic crane transport command generation device, transport control system, transport command generation method, and transport command generation program

Abstract

To provide an automatic crane transportation instruction generator capable of realizing effective automatic crane transportation, while reducing a load of a calculator for controlling an automatic crane; and to provide an automatic crane transportation instruction generation method and an automatic crane transportation instruction generation program therefor.SOLUTION: A plurality of pieces of conveyance instruction data obtained by setting a plurality of pieces of conveyance route information given by identifying a conveyance route for every conveyance object are acquired. A transmission request of each conveyance instruction is acquired from a plurality of respective automatic cranes. Conveyance route information extracted from among the plurality of pieces of conveyance instruction data is set as a conveyance instruction candidate for an evaluation object crane. When it is determined that an interference between the evaluation object crane and the other automatic crane is generated from the conveyance route as the conveyance instruction candidate, and the conveyance route of the conveyance instruction transmitted at present to the other automatic crane, a searched alternative instruction is allocated as the conveyance instruction for the evaluation object crane by searching the conveyance route information that does not interfere with any other automatic crane from the plurality of pieces of conveyance instruction data, as the alternative instruction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance command generation device, a conveyance control system, a conveyance command generation method, and a conveyance command generation program for an automatic crane. [[Background Art]]

[0002] An automatic crane (hereinafter abbreviated as crane) receives a conveyance command output from a control computer, and conveys an object to be conveyed from a conveyance source to a conveyance destination in accordance with the received conveyance command. In this case, when operating a plurality of cranes traveling on the same rail, if the conveyance commands output from the control computer overlap between the cranes, there is a possibility that the cranes will collide with each other. For this reason, cranes are provided with a sensor that detects the approach of cranes to each other, and when the approach of cranes to each other is detected, the crane is provided with a function of emergency stopping the crane in order to avoid collision between the cranes. However, if situations where collision between cranes is avoided occur frequently, the conveyance efficiency of objects to be conveyed decreases. For this reason, crane operation control has been proposed that achieves non-interference of conveyance commands output to each crane so that the traveling ranges of the plurality of cranes do not overlap.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, for each of a plurality of cranes, a plurality of conveyance commands whose execution order is specified in accordance with a predetermined priority are set as a conveyance schedule, and the quality of the set conveyance schedule is evaluated based on the end time of the conveyance command with respect to the delivery deadline. The method is described. Then, the method described in Patent Document 1 performs crane operation control based on the conveyance schedule evaluated as excellent. In addition, the method described in Patent Document 1 generates two or more conveyance patterns that are combinations of the priority of conveyance commands and assignment to cranes. Then, the method described in Patent Document 1 determines the quality of the conveyance schedule by executing a crane operation simulation that takes into account operations such as hoisting, lowering, traveling (acceleration, deceleration) of each crane and interference between cranes.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a real-time scheduling method for cranes, which involves performing a preliminary simulation before instructing the overhead crane with the initially planned transport schedule to verify whether it will interfere with other overhead cranes. The method described in Patent Document 2, if interference occurs with other overhead cranes, verifies whether interference occurs again by performing a simulation with a transport schedule of the same priority as the initially planned transport schedule. In addition, if interference occurs with any transport schedule of the same priority, the method described in Patent Document 2 creates and instructs a transport schedule that moves away from and waits for the minimum necessary amount of time away from other overhead cranes, and then checks the status of the overhead crane and verifies and corrects the validity of the simulation. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-35763 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-68669 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The method described in Patent Document 1 involves setting multiple transport schedules as transport patterns and evaluating their quality by running a crane operation simulation. Therefore, in order to obtain a good transport pattern, it is necessary to set up a large number of transport schedules. This increases the load on the computer running the crane operation simulation. In addition, with automated cranes, there may be discrepancies between the pre-set position and orientation of the transported object and its actual position and orientation, which can cause delays due to adjustments to the automated crane's position or readjustment of the object's grip with the hook. As a result, the pre-set transport schedule may become inappropriate, and the timing of the pre-set transport schedule and the actual operation of the automated crane may diverge, potentially causing interference between multiple automated cranes.

[0007] On the other hand, the method described in Patent Document 2 determines whether interference will occur in the next transport route according to a predetermined priority, thus eliminating the need to perform crane operation simulations for the entire transport schedule. However, it is necessary to simulate interference between multiple overhead cranes in real time from the present to the future, which places a heavy load on the computer, such as requiring a parallel processing computer, and increases equipment costs. In addition, if interference occurs between multiple overhead cranes, transport orders with lower priority will not be executed, which can lead to a backlog of transport orders. As a result, it becomes necessary to manually reset the priority of the backlogged transport orders, thus hindering the automatic control of the overhead cranes.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its objective is to provide an automatic crane transport command generation device, a transport command generation method, and a transport command generation program that can achieve efficient automatic crane transport while reducing the load on the computer used to control the automatic crane. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an automatic crane transport control system that can achieve an efficient transport process using an automatic crane. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The automatic crane transport command generation device according to the present invention is an automatic crane transport command generation device that generates transport commands for transport objects to be transported to a plurality of automatic cranes traveling on the same rail, and comprises: a transport command data acquisition unit that acquires transport instruction data in which a plurality of transport route information specifying the transport route for each transport object is set; an instruction request acquisition unit that acquires a request to transmit the transport command from each of the plurality of automatic cranes; a transport command candidate setting unit that sets the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data as a transport command candidate for the automatic crane that requested the transmission of the transport command as the evaluation target crane; an interference determination unit that determines whether interference occurs between the evaluation target crane and other automatic cranes based on the transport route of the transport command candidate and the transport route of the transport command currently transmitted to the other automatic cranes; an alternative command search unit that searches for transport route information that does not interfere with any other automatic cranes as an alternative command from the transport instruction data when the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the evaluation target crane and other automatic cranes; and a transport command assignment unit that assigns the alternative command search unit as a transport command to the evaluation target crane.

[0010] If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automated crane, the system includes a waiting count determination unit that determines the number of times the transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate has been avoided as the waiting count. If the waiting count determination unit determines that the waiting count is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, it increments the waiting count by 1 and performs a search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit. If the waiting count exceeds the predetermined threshold, it assigns the transport command candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without performing a search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit, and assigns an escape command to the other automated crane that was determined to be causing interference to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0011] The transport route information includes information regarding the priority of transporting the transported object, and the transport command candidate setting unit may set the transport command candidates according to the priority.

[0012] If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automated crane, the system includes a priority determination unit that determines a transport route according to the priority prior to the search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit. The priority determination unit, if the priority of the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of the transport command for the other automated crane where interference is determined to occur, performs a search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit. If the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of the transport command for the other automated crane where interference is determined to occur, the system assigns the transport command candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport command and assigns an evacuation command to the other automated crane where interference is determined to occur, causing it to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0013] The transport control system for an automatic crane according to the present invention is a transport control system for an automatic crane that uses a transport command generation device for an automatic crane according to the present invention to control the transport of an object to be transported for a plurality of automatic cranes traveling on the same rail, wherein each of the plurality of automatic cranes includes a request unit that requests the transport command generation device to transmit a transport command, a receiving unit that receives a transport command output by the transport command generation device, and a control unit that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the transport command received by the receiving unit.

[0014] When each of the aforementioned automated cranes completes a transport process based on a transport order it has received at that time, it may request the transport order generation device to send a transport order from the request unit.

[0015] The present invention relates to a method for generating a transport order for an automated crane, which generates a transport order for an object to be transported to a plurality of automated cranes traveling on the same rail, and includes: a data acquisition step of acquiring transport instruction data in which a plurality of transport route information specifying a transport route for each object to be transported is set; a request acquisition step of acquiring a request to transmit the transport order from each of the plurality of automated cranes; a setting step of setting the automated crane that requested the transmission of the transport order as the crane to be evaluated, and the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data as a candidate transport order for the crane to be evaluated; a determination step of determining whether interference occurs between the crane to be evaluated and other automated cranes based on the transport route of the candidate transport order and the transport route of the transport order currently transmitted to the other automated cranes; a search step of searching for transport route information that does not interfere with the transport route of any other automated crane as an alternative order from the transport instruction data if it is determined in the determination step that interference occurs between the crane to be evaluated and other automated cranes; and an assignment step of assigning the alternative order found in the search step as a transport order for the crane to be evaluated.

[0016] If the determination step determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automated crane, the system includes a waiting count determination step in which the number of times the transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate is avoided is determined as the waiting count. If the waiting count determination step is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the waiting count is incremented by 1 and the search for an alternative command is performed by the search step. If the waiting count exceeds the predetermined threshold, the search for an alternative command is not performed by the search step, and the transport command candidate is assigned to the crane under evaluation as a transport command, and an escape command is assigned to the other automated crane that was determined to be causing interference to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0017] The transport route information includes information regarding the priority of transporting the transported object, and the setting step may set the transport command candidates according to the priority.

[0018] If the determination step determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automated crane, the determination step includes a priority determination step to determine the transport route according to the priority prior to searching for an alternative command by the search step, wherein if the priority of the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of the transport command to the other automated crane where interference occurred, the search for an alternative command by the search step is performed; if the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of the transport command to the other automated crane where interference occurred, the transport command candidate is assigned to the crane under evaluation as a transport command, and an evacuation command is assigned to the other automated crane where interference occurred to move it away from the transport route of the transport command candidate, without performing the search for an alternative command by the search step.

[0019] The present invention relates to an automated crane transport command generation program, which generates transport commands for transport objects to be transported to multiple automated cranes traveling on the same rail, comprising: a computer transport command data acquisition unit that acquires transport command data in which multiple transport route information specifying the transport route for each transport object is set; an command request acquisition unit that acquires a request to transmit the transport command from each of the multiple automated cranes; and an automated crane that requested the transmission of the transport command as an evaluation target crane, and transport route information extracted from the transport command data as a transport command candidate for the evaluation target crane. The system is configured to function as follows: a transport command candidate setting unit that sets the transport command candidate; an interference determination unit that determines whether interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other automatic cranes based on the transport route of the transport command candidate and the transport route of the transport command currently transmitted to other automatic cranes; an alternative command search unit that searches for transport route information that does not interfere with any other automatic cranes as an alternative command from the transport instruction data if the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other automatic cranes; and a transport command assignment unit that assigns the alternative command search unit as a transport command to the crane under evaluation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the automatic crane transport command generation device, transport command generation method, and transport command generation program of the present invention, efficient automatic crane transport can be achieved while reducing the load on the computer used to control the automatic crane. Furthermore, according to the automatic crane transport control system of the present invention, an efficient transport process can be achieved using the automatic crane. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crane facility to which an automated crane transport command generation device, which is one embodiment of the present invention, is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of transport instruction data. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conveyance command generation device for an automatic crane according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of conveyance instruction data to which priority levels of conveyance processes are assigned. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a conveyance command generation method for an automatic crane according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a conveyance command generation method for an automatic crane according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of a conveyance command generation method for an automatic crane according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of a conveyance command generation method for an automatic crane according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the execution status of a conveyance plan for objects to be conveyed in an example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the execution status of a conveyance plan for objects to be conveyed in a comparative example. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, a conveyance command generation device, a conveyance control system, a conveyance command generation method, and a conveyance command generation program for an automatic crane that is an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] [Configuration of Crane Equipment] First, the configuration of crane equipment to which the conveyance command generation device for an automatic crane according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crane facility to which an automated crane transport command generation device, which is one embodiment of the present invention, is applied. As shown in Figure 1, in the crane facility 1 to which the automated crane transport command generation device, which is one embodiment of the present invention, is applied, two automated cranes (hereinafter abbreviated as cranes) CR (CR1, CR2) are mounted on rails 2 fixed to the pillars of the building. Cranes CR1 and CR2 travel within the travel range set on rails 2 and transport objects to be transported to different locations. On rails 2, positions for dispensing and receiving objects to be transported (hereinafter referred to as transport positions) are determined according to the layout of the production line installed inside the building and the storage locations of the products. Transport positions are set, for example, near loading and dispensing devices of the production line, temporary storage areas for products, and transfer locations for objects to be transported to and from the outside of the building. In the example shown in Figure 1, seven transport positions A to G are set on rails 2. Transport positions A to G may be temporary storage areas for objects to be transported, and therefore each transport position may be the source or destination of the objects to be transported.

[0025] In crane equipment 1, each crane CR may have a predetermined stopping position where it stops when not performing a transport process. In crane equipment 1 shown in Figure 1, crane CR1 is set to stopping position ST1, and crane CR2 is set to stopping position ST2. The stopping positions of the cranes CR are positions where the crane CR stops when not performing a transport process, and are set to positions that do not obstruct the transport process of other cranes CR as much as possible. In addition, in this crane equipment 1, the travel direction of the cranes CR is identified as rightward (R) and leftward (L).

[0026] Crane equipment 1 is equipped with a transport control system 3 to automatically execute a transport process in which an object is transported from one transport position selected from transport positions A to G to a different transport position. Since the cranes CR of crane equipment 1 travel on the same rail 2, the order in which cranes CR1 and CR2 are positioned cannot be reversed during the transport process. Reversing the order in which they are positioned means that the transport process cannot be executed unless one crane CR overtakes the other crane CR. The transport control system 3 controls the cranes CR while taking these equipment constraints into account.

[0027] The transport control system 3 comprises a host computer 31, a transport command generation device 32, and control controllers 33 (33a, 33b) provided on each of the cranes CR (CR1, CR2). The host computer 31 and the transport command generation device 32 are connected via communication. The transport command generation device 32 is also connected via communication to each of the cranes CR (CR1, CR2).

[0028] The upper-level computer 31 is a computer that generates transport instruction data for objects to be transported by the crane equipment 1 and manages the transport process by the crane equipment 1. The transport instruction data is data that represents a transport plan composed of multiple transport route information. The transport route information is information that includes location information of the source and destination of the objects to be transported as a transport route. The transport route information represents a single transport process that transports a specific object from the source to the destination. The transport instruction data is set according to the progress of the production plan in the production line of the building where the crane equipment 1 is installed. The transport instruction data is updated as needed at predetermined intervals or according to the requests of the manager who manages the operation of the crane equipment 1.

[0029] Figure 2 shows an example of transport instruction data. The transport instruction data includes multiple transport route information. As shown in Figure 2, the transport route information is identified by an identification number. For example, in the transport route information for identification number O1 shown in Figure 2, the transport route, represented by the transport source (FROM) transport position B and the transport destination (TO) transport position A, is associated with the transport object X1. Thus, the transport route information for identification number O1 identifies transport process O1, in which the transport object X1 is lifted at the transport source B by one of the cranes CR of crane equipment 1, the crane CR is driven from the transport source B to the transport destination A, and the transport object X1 is unloaded at the transport destination A.

[0030] Returning to Figure 1, the transport command generation device 32 generates and outputs transport commands to each crane CR of the crane equipment 1 based on the transport instruction data generated by the higher-level computer 31. A transport command is an instruction to each crane CR to execute one of the transport processes included in the transport instruction data. In response to a transport command transmission request from each crane CR, the transport command generation device 32 selects and outputs a transport command from the transport instruction data for the crane CR that requested the transmission of a transport command. However, the transport command generation device 32 may, in response to a transport command transmission request from a crane CR, determine that none of the transport processes included in the transport instruction data can be executed and output a retreat command to retreat one of the cranes.

[0031] A control controller 33 is provided for each crane CR of the crane equipment 1, and executes the transport process according to the transport order received from the transport order generation device 32. Since the transport order includes transport route information, the control controller 33 executes control of the crane CR according to the following steps SC1 to SC6.

[0032] Step SC1: Receive a transport command from the transport command generation device 32. Step SC2: Move crane CR from its current position to the transport source. Step SC3: Lift the object to be transported at the transport source. Step SC4: With the object to be transported suspended, the crane CR is driven from the source to the destination. Step SC5: Unload the transported goods at the destination. Step SC6: Request the transport command generation device 32 to send the next transport command.

[0033] The control controller 33 is connected to a communication device for communicating with the transport command generation device 32 in order to execute steps SC1 and SC6. In order to execute step SC2, the control controller 33 obtains detailed position information of the transport object being tracked by the higher-level computer 31 and moves the crane CR based on that position information. If the crane CR is equipped with a device that identifies the transport object (e.g., a 3D scanner), the control controller 33 moves the crane CR based on detailed position information of the transport source and information from the device that identifies the transport object in order to execute step SC2. In order to execute step SC5, the control controller 33 controls the unloading of the transport object based on the position information of the transport destination.

[0034] The control controller 33 is equipped with a position sensor to detect the current position of the crane CR in order to execute steps SC2 and SC4. The control controller 33 is also pre-configured with information necessary for controlling the movement of the crane CR, such as acceleration, travel speed, and deceleration, in order to execute steps SC2 and SC4. The control controller 33 controls the movement of the crane CR according to this pre-configured information. Furthermore, the control controller 33 has a function to control the position of the crane CR's hook height in order to execute steps SC3 and SC5. The control controller 33 is also pre-configured with information necessary for lifting and lowering the object to be transported, such as the hoisting speed and lowering speed of the object to be transported, in order to execute steps SC3 and SC5. The control controller 33 controls the lifting and lowering of the object to be transported according to this pre-configured information.

[0035] [First Embodiment] [Transport command generation device] Next, with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the configuration of the transport command generation device 32, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, will be described.

[0036] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a transport command generation device 32, which is a first embodiment of the present invention. The transport command generation device 32, which is a first embodiment of the present invention, is configured by a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. The transport command generation device 32 is not limited to these, and may consist of one or a plurality of server devices that can communicate with each other. As shown in Figure 3, the transport command generation device 32 comprises a transport command generation unit 321, an input unit 322, an output unit 323, and a storage unit 324.

[0037] The transport instruction generation unit 321 is configured by, for example, an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, and by executing a computer program read from the storage unit 324, it functions as a transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a, an instruction request acquisition unit 321b, a transport instruction candidate setting unit 321c, an interference determination unit 321d, an alternative instruction search unit 321g, and a transport instruction assignment unit 321h. The transport instruction generation unit 321 can also function as a wait count determination unit 321e and a priority determination unit 321f by executing a computer program read from the storage unit 324.

[0038] The input unit 322 is composed of, for example, a keyboard or a touch panel integrated with the display. The output unit 323 is composed of, for example, an LCD or CRT display. The storage unit 324 is composed of, for example, an updatable flash memory, a built-in or data communication terminal-connected hard disk, a memory card or other information recording medium and its read / write device. The storage unit 324 stores computer programs for the transport command generation unit 321 to realize each function, as well as data used by said computer programs.

[0039] The transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a acquires transport instruction data generated by the higher-level computer 31. The transport instruction data includes a series of transport route information currently planned as the transport process for the crane equipment 1, as illustrated in Figure 2. The transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a may acquire the latest transport instruction data from the higher-level computer 31 at a preset interval, for example, every 30 to 120 minutes. The transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a may also acquire the latest transport instruction data when the transport plan is updated in the higher-level computer 31. Furthermore, the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a may acquire transport instruction data from the higher-level computer 31 in response to a request signal from the operator of the crane equipment 1, which is input via the input unit 322. It is preferable that the transport instruction data includes five or more transport route information entries. This is because the more transport route information entries included in the transport instruction data, the more alternative command candidates will be available, as described later, thus facilitating efficient operation of the crane equipment 1.

[0040] The command request acquisition unit 321b acquires transmission requests for transport commands from cranes CR1 and CR2, respectively. The transmission requests for transport commands from cranes CR1 and CR2 are sent from the request units 33a1 and 33b1 of the control controllers 33 (33a and 33b) provided for each crane CR. The command request acquisition unit 321b identifies the crane CR that sent the transmission request for transport command and outputs an instruction to the transport command generation unit 321 to execute the process of generating a transport command for that crane CR. The transport command generation unit 321 executes the functions of the transport command candidate setting unit 321c, the interference determination unit 321d, the alternative command search unit 321g, and the transport command assignment unit 321h according to the instructions from the command request acquisition unit 321b.

[0041] When the transport command candidate setting unit 321c receives information from the transport command generation unit 321 that a transport command transmission request has been made, it sets the crane that requested the transport command transmission as the crane to be evaluated. The transport command candidate setting unit 321c sets the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data acquired by the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a as a transport command candidate for the crane to be evaluated. A transport command candidate means transport route information extracted as a candidate for the next transport command to the crane to be evaluated. Transport command candidates are arbitrarily selected from transport route information that has not been assigned to any other crane at this time, excluding transport route information that has already been completed from the transport instruction data. However, transport process priorities may be set in advance in the transport instruction data, and transport command candidates may be extracted in order of the set priority.

[0042] Figure 4 shows an example of transport instruction data with transport process priorities assigned. The transport instruction data shown in Figure 4 is the same as the transport instruction data shown in Figure 2, but with the transport process priority and the progress of the current transport plan added. The priority of the transport instruction data shown in Figure 4 is set so that a lower number indicates a higher priority. In other words, a lower priority number means a higher priority. For the progress, transport routes where the transport process has been completed are indicated as "Completed," and transport routes where a transport order has been sent to a crane other than the crane being evaluated are indicated as "Assigned." In this case, "Assigned to CR1" means that a transport order has been sent to crane CR1 and the transport route information (transport process O3) with identification number O3 is being executed. When the command request acquisition unit 321b receives a request to transmit a transport command from crane CR2, it extracts the transport route information with the highest priority, identification number O5 (priority: 4), (transport process O5) from the transport instruction data, excluding the transport route information with identification numbers O1 and O2 for which the transport process has been completed (transport processes O1 and O2) and the transport route information with identification number O3 that is currently assigned to another crane CR1, as a transport command candidate.

[0043] The priority assigned to the transport instruction data may be set when the host computer 31 generates the transport instruction data. Alternatively, the priority assigned to the transport instruction data may be set after the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a acquires the transport instruction data. The priority assigned to the transport instruction data can also be set according to rules that have been set in advance according to the operating mode of the crane equipment 1. For example, as transport route information, rules can be set so that the transport process at the transport position where the transport object is discharged from the production line and the transport process at the position where the transport object is loaded into the production line have higher priority. This is to prevent a decrease in the operating rate of the production line due to delays in discharge or loading. On the other hand, the priority assigned to the transport instruction data may be set by the manager or operator after the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a acquires the transport instruction data and accepts input from the input unit 322. By flexibly setting the priority order of transport processes according to the actual transport work, the transport plan can be executed efficiently.

[0044] Returning to Figure 3, the interference determination unit 321d determines whether interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other cranes based on the transport route of the transport command candidate set by the transport command candidate setting unit 321c and the transport route of the transport command currently output to the other cranes. Interference between the crane under evaluation and other cranes means that the transport section of the crane under evaluation and the transport section of any of the other cranes overlap, or that the arrangement order of the crane under evaluation and other cranes is reversed. In this case, overlapping transport sections include not only overlapping travel sections but also the transport positions of the source or destination being the same. Furthermore, a reversal of the arrangement order means that the crane under evaluation cannot perform the transport process unless it overtakes any of the other cranes. In other words, in the crane equipment 1 shown in Figure 1, it means that the transport process cannot be performed unless crane CR2 moves to the left of crane CR1.

[0045] In the transport instruction data shown in Figure 4, the interference determination unit 321d determines whether interference occurs between the crane under evaluation CR2 and the other crane CR1 based on the transport route information with identification number O5 for crane CR2, which is the crane under evaluation, and the transport route information with identification number O3 currently output to the other crane CR1. The transport route information with identification number O5 transports cargo X5 from source D to destination F, and the transport route information with identification number O3 for crane CR1 transports cargo X3 from source C to destination E. Then, referring to the transport positions in Figure 1, it can be determined that the transport route with identification number O3 for crane CR1 interferes with the transport route with identification number O5 in the section between transport positions D and E. In this way, the interference determination unit 321d determines whether interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and the other crane based on the transport route of the transport command candidate set by the transport command candidate setting unit 321c and the transport route of the transport command currently output to the other crane.

[0046] If it is determined that interference will occur between the crane under evaluation and another crane, the interference determination unit 321d outputs a determination result indicating that interference will occur to the transport command generation unit 321. On the other hand, if it is determined that no interference will occur between the crane under evaluation and another crane, the interference determination unit 321d outputs a determination result indicating that no interference will occur to the transport command generation unit 321. If the transport command generation unit 321 receives a determination result indicating that interference will occur, it will execute the processing of the alternative command search unit 321g, and if it receives a determination result indicating that no interference will occur, it will execute the processing of the transport command assignment unit 321h. In the latter case, the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns a transport command candidate for the crane under evaluation to a transport command.

[0047] If the interference determination unit 321d determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another crane, the alternative command search unit 321g executes its process. The alternative command search unit 321g searches the transport instruction data for transport route information that does not interfere with the transport routes of any other cranes, and uses this information as an alternative command. The alternative command search unit 321g extracts transport route information that does not interfere with the transport route information currently assigned to other cranes, excluding transport route information that has already been completed from the transport instruction data acquired by the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a. In this case, if the transport instruction data has a pre-set transport process priority, the alternative command search unit 321g may extract the transport route information that does not interfere in order of the set priority. However, if the same priority is set for multiple transport route information, the alternative command search unit 321g may arbitrarily extract the transport route information that does not interfere from among the transport route information with the same priority.

[0048] In the transport instruction data shown in Figure 4, according to the transport route information for identification number O3 currently output for crane CR1, the transport process is being executed in the section at transport position CE. In contrast, the transport route information for identification number O6 (priority: 5), which has the next highest priority after the transport command candidate transport route information for identification number O5, is for the transport process in the section at transport position EF, so interference with crane CR1 occurs at transport position E. Therefore, the alternative instruction search unit 321g selects the transport route information for identification number O4 (priority: 6), which has the next highest priority, and refers to the transport position AB of the transport route information for identification number O4. Although transport position AB does not overlap with transport position CE, crane CR2 cannot move to the left of crane CR1, so it is determined that the transport route information for identification number O4 for crane CR2 interferes with the transport route information for identification number O3 for crane CR1. Furthermore, the alternative instruction search unit 321g selects the transport route information for identification number O7 (priority: 7), which has the next highest priority, and refers to the transport position GF of the transport route information for identification number O7. As a result, the transport position GF does not overlap with the transport route information of identification number O3 for crane CR1, nor does it reverse the placement order of crane CR2, which is the crane under evaluation, and the other crane CR1. Therefore, the transport route information of identification number O7 for the crane under evaluation is transport route information that does not interfere with the transport route of the other crane CR1, and the alternative instruction search unit 321g selects this as the alternative instruction.

[0049] If an alternative instruction is found in the manner described above, the alternative instruction search unit 321g outputs a search result to the transport instruction generation unit 321 indicating that an alternative instruction has been found. On the other hand, if an alternative instruction cannot be found, that is, if the transport instruction data does not contain an alternative instruction that can be substituted for a transport instruction candidate, the alternative instruction search unit 321g outputs a search result to the transport instruction generation unit 321 indicating that an alternative instruction was not found. When the transport instruction generation unit 321 receives a search result indicating that an alternative instruction has been found, it issues an instruction to the transport instruction assignment unit 321h to assign the alternative instruction as a transport instruction to the crane under evaluation. When the transport instruction generation unit 321 receives a search result indicating that an alternative instruction was not found, it issues an instruction to the transport instruction assignment unit 321h to assign a retraction instruction to the crane under evaluation.

[0050] The transport command assignment unit 321h executes the following processes according to instructions from the transport command generation unit 321. Specifically, if the interference determination unit 321d outputs a determination result indicating that no interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other cranes, the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns the transport command candidate as a transport command to the crane under evaluation. Also, if the alternative command search unit 321g outputs a search result indicating that an alternative command has been found, the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns the alternative command as a transport command to the crane under evaluation. On the other hand, if the alternative command search unit 321g outputs a search result indicating that no alternative command was found, the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns the evacuation command as a transport command to the crane under evaluation.

[0051] An evacuation command for the crane under evaluation is an order to move the crane under evaluation to a position that does not interfere with the transport route of the transport order currently output to the other crane, without assigning the transport order candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport order to the crane under evaluation. For example, in the example shown in Figure 4, an evacuation command is assigned to move the crane under evaluation CR2 to transport position F, G, or stop position ST2 for the transport section CE of the transport order currently output to the other crane CR1. In this case, after the crane under evaluation CR2 executes the evacuation command assigned by the transport order assignment unit 321h, it requests a transport order again from the transport order generation device 32.

[0052] As described above, when the transport processes of multiple cranes CR traveling on the same rail 2 interfere with each other, the transport command generation device 32 searches for an alternative command from the transport instruction data and assigns it to the crane under evaluation as a transport command. In other words, instead of avoiding interference by issuing a retreat command to the interfering crane, the device executes a transport command that does not cause interference, thereby enabling an efficient transport plan for the crane equipment 1. In this case, even if the transport instruction data has been assigned a priority, the search for an alternative command can be performed by assigning an alternative command regardless of the priority, thereby shortening the retreat time required to retreat the crane CR and enabling an efficient transport plan to be executed. In other words, the priority assigned to the transport instruction data is for the purpose of determining the search order for alternative commands.

[0053] Each function of the transport command generation device 32 described above may be a computer program configured to be executable on a computer. In this case, the transport command generation device 32 can be configured using a general-purpose computer by being connected to a host computer 31 and a control controller 33 in a communicative manner.

[0054] [Method for generating transport commands] Next, with reference to Figure 5, a method for generating transport commands for an automated crane, which is a first embodiment of the present invention, will be described.

[0055] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane, which is the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, in the method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, first, the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a acquires transport instruction data from the host computer 31 (step S1). Next, the instruction request acquisition unit 321b acquires a request to transmit a transport command from one of the cranes of the crane equipment 1 (step S2). Next, the transport command candidate setting unit 321c sets the crane that requested the transport command as the crane to be evaluated, and sets the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data acquired by the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a as a transport command candidate for the crane to be evaluated (step S3). Next, the interference determination unit 321d determines whether or not interference occurs between the crane to be evaluated and other cranes based on the transport route of the set transport command candidate and the transport route of the transport command currently transmitted to the other cranes (step S4). Then, if the determination results in interference between the crane being evaluated and another crane (Step S4: Yes), the alternative command search unit 321g searches the transport instruction data for transport route information that does not interfere with the transport route of any other crane as an alternative command (Step S5).

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined that no interference will occur between the crane under evaluation and other cranes (Step S4: No), the transport command generation unit 321 determines the transport command candidate to be a transport command for the crane under evaluation (Step S6), and the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns the determined transport command to the crane under evaluation (Step S9). If, as a result of searching for alternative commands in the processing of Step S5, an alternative command is found among the transport instruction data (Step S5: Yes), the transport command generation unit 321 determines the found alternative command to be a transport command for the crane under evaluation (Step S8), and the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns the determined transport command to the crane under evaluation (Step S9). Conversely, if, as a result of searching for alternative commands, no alternative command is found among the transport instruction data (Step S5: No), the transport command generation unit 321 determines the evacuation command to be a transport command for the crane under evaluation (Step S7), and the transport command assignment unit 321h assigns the determined transport command to the crane under evaluation (Step S9).

[0057] [Second Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 6, the configuration of a transport command generation device and a method for generating transport commands for an automatic crane, which are second embodiments of the present invention, will be described.

[0058] [Transport command generation device] The transport command generation device, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, includes a waiting count determination unit 321e (see Figure 3) in addition to the configuration of the transport command generation device 32, which is a first embodiment of the present invention. When the waiting count determination unit 321e determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another crane, it determines the number of times the transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate has been avoided as the waiting count N. If the waiting count N is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the waiting count determination unit 321e increments the value of the waiting count N by 1 and causes the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command. On the other hand, if the waiting count N exceeds the predetermined threshold, the waiting count determination unit 321e outputs a determination result to the transport command generation unit 321 indicating that the waiting count N has exceeded the predetermined threshold. When the transport command generation unit 321 receives the determination result that the waiting count N has exceeded the predetermined threshold, it assigns the transport command candidate to the transport command for the crane under evaluation without causing the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command. At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 assigns an evacuation command to any other crane (hereinafter referred to as an interfering crane) that has been determined to be causing interference, instructing it to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0059] The waiting count determination unit 321e resets the waiting count N to zero when the transport instruction data acquisition unit 321a acquires new transport instruction data. The waiting count N is counted for each transport route information that is a candidate for a transport order. In other words, the waiting count N is counted for each transport route information included in the transport instruction data. As a result, if the number of times a transport route information included in the transport instruction data was selected as a candidate for a transport order but was not made into a transport order for the crane under evaluation exceeds a predetermined threshold, that transport route information is assigned as a transport order with priority over other transport route information. This eliminates transport processes that remain pending for a long time in the transport instruction data, and the transport plan is executed efficiently in the crane equipment 1.

[0060] In this case, if the waiting count N exceeds a predetermined threshold, an evacuation order is assigned to the interfering crane to move it away from the transport route of the transport order candidate. The evacuation order for the interfering crane is an order to move the interfering crane to a position where it does not interfere with the transport route of the transport order candidate for the crane under evaluation. Evacuation orders for other cranes are issued after waiting for the transport process of the transport order currently issued to the crane to be evacuated to be completed. During that time, the transport order of the transport order candidate for the crane under evaluation is put on hold. This allows the transport process of transport route information that remains for a long time to be executed for the crane under evaluation without hindering the progress of the current transport process of the interfering crane.

[0061] [Method for generating transport commands] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane, which is a second embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart shown in Figure 6 is the same as the flowchart shown in Figure 5, but with the addition of processing by the waiting count determination unit 321e. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, in the method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, first, the processing of steps S11 to S14, which is the same as the processing of steps S1 to S4 shown in Figure 5, is executed. Next, if it is determined in the processing of step S14 that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another crane (step S14: Yes), the waiting count determination unit 321e determines the number of waiting times N for avoiding a transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate (step S16).

[0062] If the result of the determination is that the number of waiting times N is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S16: Yes), the waiting time determination unit 321e increments the waiting time N by 1 and causes the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command for the crane under evaluation (step S19). Note that the processing in steps S19 to S22 is the same as the processing in steps S5, S7 to S9 shown in Figure 5, so the explanation is omitted. On the other hand, if the number of waiting times N exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S16: No), the transport command generation unit 321 determines the transport command candidate as a transport command for the crane under evaluation without searching for an alternative command for the crane under evaluation (step S15), and the transport command assignment unit 321h executes the processing in step S22. At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 determines an evacuation command to move the interfering crane away from the transport route of the transport command candidate (step S17), and assigns the determined evacuation command to the interfering crane (step S18). Note that the predetermined threshold may be set to 1 to 5 times.

[0063] [Third Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 7, the configuration of a transport command generation device and a method for generating transport commands for an automatic crane, which are third embodiments of the present invention, will be described.

[0064] [Transport command generation device] A third embodiment of the present invention, a transport command generation device, processes transport route information to which priority has been assigned, and in addition to the configuration of the transport command generation device 32 of the first embodiment of the present invention, it includes a priority determination unit 321f (see Figure 3). When the priority determination unit 321f determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other cranes, it determines the transport route according to the priority prior to the search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit 321g. Furthermore, if the priority of the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of a transport command to any of the other cranes to which interference has been determined, the priority determination unit 321f causes the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command. On the other hand, if the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of the transport commands to all of the other cranes to which interference has been determined, the priority determination unit 321f outputs a determination result to the transport command generation unit 321 indicating that the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of the transport commands to all of the other cranes to which interference has been determined. Then, when the transport command generation unit 321 receives a determination result indicating that the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of transport commands for all other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference, it determines the transport command candidate as the transport command for the crane under evaluation without having the alternative command search unit 321g perform an alternative command search. At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 also determines an evacuation command to move the interfering crane away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0065] This ensures that the transport process for the transport route information with the highest priority among the transport route information included in the transport instruction data is executed preferentially, allowing the transport process with the highest priority in the transport plan to be executed earlier in crane equipment 1. Furthermore, evacuation orders to move other cranes are sent only after the transport process of the transport order currently sent to the crane being evacuated has been completed. During this time, transport orders for candidate transport orders for the crane under evaluation are held in abeyance. This allows the transport process for the transport route information with the highest priority to be executed for the crane under evaluation without hindering the progress of the current transport process of the interfering crane.

[0066] [Method for generating transport commands] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane, which is a third embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart in Figure 7 is the same as the flowchart in Figure 5, but with the addition of processing by the priority determination unit 321f. Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, in the method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane, which is a third embodiment of the present invention, first, the processes of steps S31 to S34, which are the same as the processes of steps S1 to S4 in Figure 5, are executed. Next, if it is determined that interference will occur between the crane under evaluation and another crane (step S34: Yes), the priority determination unit 321f determines the priority of the transport route information corresponding to the transport command candidate and the priority of the transport command to the other crane (step S36). If, as a result of the determination, the priority of the transport route information corresponding to the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of the transport command to any of the other cranes where interference was determined to occur (step S36: Yes), the transport command generation unit 321 causes the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command for the crane under evaluation (step S39). Note that the processing in steps S39 to S42 is the same as the processing in steps S5, S7 to S9 shown in Figure 5, so its explanation will be omitted. On the other hand, if the priority of the transport route information corresponding to the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of the transport commands for all other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference (step S36: No), the transport command generation unit 321 determines the transport command candidate as a transport command for the crane under evaluation without performing a search for an alternative command for the crane under evaluation (step S35). At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 determines an evacuation command to move the interfering crane away from the transport route of the transport command candidate (step S37), and assigns the determined evacuation command to the interfering crane (step S38).

[0067] [Fourth Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 8, the configuration of a transport command generation device and a method for generating transport commands for an automatic crane, which are fourth embodiments of the present invention, will be described.

[0068] [Transport command generation device] The fourth embodiment of the present invention, a transport command generation device, includes both a waiting count determination unit 321e and a priority determination unit 321f (see Figure 3) in addition to the configuration of the transport command generation device 32 of the first embodiment of the present invention. That is, in this embodiment, if the waiting count N for the transport route information of the transport command candidate is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the waiting count determination unit 321e increments the value of the waiting count N by 1 and causes the priority determination unit 321f to execute processing. On the other hand, if the waiting count N exceeds the predetermined threshold, it outputs a determination result to the transport command generation unit 321 indicating that the waiting count N has exceeded the predetermined threshold. When the transport command generation unit 321 receives the determination result that the waiting count N has exceeded the predetermined threshold, it assigns the transport command candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without causing the priority determination unit 321f to execute processing. At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 assigns an evacuation command to the interfering crane to move it away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0069] The priority determination unit 321f, if the priority of the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of any other transport command to any of the other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference, instructs the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command. On the other hand, if the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of all other transport commands to any of the other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference, the priority determination unit 321f outputs a determination result to the transport command generation unit 321 indicating that the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of all other transport commands to any of the other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference. Upon receiving the determination result that the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of all other transport commands to any of the other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference, the transport command generation unit 321 determines the transport command candidate as a transport command to the crane under evaluation without having the alternative command search unit 321g search for an alternative command. At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 assigns an evacuation command to the interfering crane to move it away from the transport route of the transport command candidate.

[0070] [Method for generating transport commands] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a method for generating a transport order for an automatic crane, which is a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart in Figure 8 is the same as the flowchart in Figure 5, but with the addition of processing by the waiting count determination unit 321e and the priority determination unit 321f. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, in the method for generating a transport order for an automatic crane, which is a fourth embodiment of the present invention, first, the processing of steps S51 to S54, which is the same as the processing of steps S1 to S4 shown in Figure 5, is executed. Next, if it is determined in the processing of step S54 that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other cranes (step S54: Yes), the waiting count determination unit 321e determines the number of waiting times N to avoid issuing a transport order to the transport route information of the transport order candidate (step S56). On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of step S54 that no interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other cranes (step S54: No), the transport order generation unit 321 determines the transport order candidate as a transport order to the crane under evaluation (step S55).

[0071] If the waiting count determination unit 321e determines that the waiting count N is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S56: Yes), the waiting count determination unit 321e increments the value of the waiting count N by 1. At the same time, the priority determination unit 321f determines the priority of the transport route information corresponding to the transport order candidate and the priority of the transport orders to other cranes (step S57). On the other hand, if the waiting count N exceeds the predetermined threshold (step S56: No), the transport order generation unit 321 determines the transport order candidate as a transport order for the crane under evaluation (step S55). At the same time, the transport order generation unit 321 determines an evacuation order to move the interfering crane away from the transport route of the transport order candidate (step S58), and assigns the determined evacuation order to the interfering crane (step S59).

[0072] In step S57, if the priority of the transport command candidate is determined to be the same as or lower than the priority of any other transport command for any of the other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference (step S57: Yes), the transport command generation unit 321 instructs the alternative command search unit 321g to search for an alternative command (step S60). Note that the processing in steps S60 to S63 is the same as the processing in steps S5, S7 to S9 shown in Figure 5, so the explanation is omitted. On the other hand, if the priority of the transport command candidate is determined to be higher than the priority of all other transport commands for any of the other cranes that have been determined to be causing interference (step S57: No), the transport command generation unit 321 decides on the transport command candidate as the transport command for the crane under evaluation without searching for an alternative command (step S55). At the same time, the transport command generation unit 321 decides on an evacuation command to move the interfering crane away from the transport route of the transport command candidate (step S58), and assigns the decided evacuation command to the interfering crane (step S59).

[0073] [Crane transport control system] In a crane transport control system, which is one embodiment of the present invention, each of the multiple cranes CR is equipped with a request unit that requests the transmission of a transport command to a transport command generation device, a receiving unit that receives the transport command output by the transport command generation device, and a control unit that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the transport command received by the receiving unit. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, cranes CR1 and CR2 are equipped with control controllers 33a and 33b, respectively, and as shown in Figure 3, each control controller is equipped with a request unit (33a1, 33b1), a receiving unit (33a2, 33b2), and a control unit (33a3, 33b3).

[0074] The requesting unit requests the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command. The requesting unit should request a transport command from the transport command generation device 32 when the crane equipped with the control controller has completed the transport process based on the transport command currently received. By requesting a transport command from the transport command generation device 32, the transport command generation unit 321 can identify that a predetermined transport process included in the transport instruction data has been completed.

[0075] The receiving unit receives the transport command assigned by the transport command assignment unit 321h from the transport command generation device 32. The receiving unit receives the transport command, as described above, which is the transport command assigned from the transport command candidate, alternative command, and save command.

[0076] The control unit controls the execution of transport orders requested by the requesting unit and received by the receiving unit. Specifically, the control unit controls the crane to execute the transport process described in steps SC1 to SC6 above, according to the transport route information included in the transport order. This enables the transport plan for the transported object to be efficiently executed in the crane equipment 1. [Examples]

[0077] As an embodiment of the present invention, the results of crane transport control based on the transport instruction data shown in Figure 2 will be described in the transport control system for the crane equipment shown in Figures 1 and 3. Figure 9 schematically shows the execution status of the transport plan for the transported object in the embodiment. In Figure 9, T1 is the time when crane CR1 executes transport process O1 (priority: 1) and unloads load X1 at transport position A, and T2 is the time when crane CR2 executes transport process O2 (priority: 2) and unloads load X2 at transport position F.

[0078] At time T1, crane CR1 requested the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command from the request unit 33a1 of the control controller 33a. The transport command generation unit 321 of the transport command generation device 32 selected crane CR1 as the crane to be evaluated, set the transport command candidate to transport process O3 (priority: 3), which has a high priority, and determined whether it interfered with another crane, crane CR2. As a result, it was determined that transport process O3, which was the transport command candidate, did not interfere with the transport route of crane CR2. Accordingly, the transport command assignment unit 321h assigned transport process O3 to crane CR1 as a transport command and sent the transport command to crane CR1.

[0079] Subsequently, when crane CR2 completed transport process O2, which it had received as a transport command, at time T2, the request unit 33b1 of the control controller 33b requested the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command. The transport command generation unit 321 of the transport command generation device 32 selected crane CR2 as the crane to be evaluated, set the transport command candidate to transport process O5 (priority: 4), which has a high priority, and determined whether it would interfere with another crane, crane CR1. As a result, it was determined that transport process O5 interfered with the transport route (transport position C → transport position E) of the transport command that had been sent to the other crane CR1 at time T2. Therefore, the alternative command search unit 321g searched the transport instruction data for an alternative command with a higher priority and that would not interfere with the transport route of crane CR1, and assigned this to the transport command for crane CR2.

[0080] Next, after the crane CR1 had finished unloading the cargo X3 in transport process O3, at time T3, the request unit 33a1 of the control controller 33a requested the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command. The transport command generation unit 321 of the transport command generation device 32 selected crane CR1 as the crane to be evaluated and set transport process O5 (priority: 4), which has a high priority, as a transport command candidate. However, transport process O5 interferes with the transport route (transport position G → transport position F) of the transport command that was sent to another crane CR2 at time T3. Therefore, the alternative command search unit 321g searched for transport process O4 (priority: 6) as an alternative command. As a result, crane CR1 received transport process O4 as a transport command, and control of crane CR1 was started accordingly.

[0081] Furthermore, after the crane CR2 had finished unloading the cargo X7 in transport process O7, at time T4, the request unit 33b1 of the control controller 33b requested the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command. The transport command generation unit 321 of the transport command generation device 32 selected crane CR2 as the crane to be evaluated and set transport process O5 (priority: 4), which has a high priority, as a transport command candidate. In this case, the transport route of transport process O5 (transport position D → transport position F) does not interfere with the transport route of the transport command sent to crane CR1 at time T4 (transport position A → transport position B). Therefore, the transport command assignment unit 321h assigned transport process O5 as a transport command to crane CR2, and the crane CR2 was controlled.

[0082] As described above, in the crane equipment transport control in this embodiment, alternative commands are searched for from the transport instruction data regardless of the priority assigned to the transport route information, so the transport plan can be executed without issuing an evacuation command to any of the cranes.

[0083] On the other hand, Figure 10 schematically shows the execution status of the transport plan for the transported object in the comparative example. The comparative example is a system in which, without executing the function of the alternative command search unit 321g, if the interference determination unit 321d determines that interference will occur, a retreat command is issued to the crane with the lower priority. Specifically, similar to the above embodiment, it is assumed that crane CR1 completes transport process O1 (priority: 1) at time T1, and while crane CR2 is executing transport process O2 (priority: 2), a higher priority transport process O3 (priority: 3) is assigned to crane CR1. Then, when crane CR2 completes transport process O2 (priority: 2), which it had received as a transport command, at time T2, the request unit 33b1 of the control controller 33b requests the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command. The transport command generation unit 321 of the transport command generation device 32 sets crane CR2 as the crane to be evaluated and sets the transport command candidate to the higher priority transport process O5 (priority: 4). Then, after determining interference with another crane, crane CR1, it was determined that transport process O5 interferes with the transport route (transport position C → transport position E) of the transport command sent to crane CR1 at time T2.

[0084] However, at time T2, transport process O3 (priority: 3) of the transport order sent to crane CR1 had a higher priority than transport process O5 (priority: 4). Therefore, a retreat order was sent to crane CR2 to move out of the transport route section of transport process O3 (transport position C → transport position E). As a result, crane CR2 waited at transport position F, where it would not interfere with crane CR1. In this case, while crane CR2 was waiting at transport position F, the request unit 33b1 of the control controller 33b requested the transport order generation device 32 to send a transport order. However, the transport order generation device 32 determined that the request for transmission of a transport order from crane CR2 would interfere with the transport route (transport position C → transport position E) of the transport order output to crane CR1. Therefore, a retreat order was continuously sent to crane CR2 to wait at transport position F.

[0085] Then, after crane CR1 had finished unloading cargo X3 in transport process O3, at time T3, the request unit 33a1 of the control controller 33a requested the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command. At this point, crane CR2 had also requested the transport command generation device 32 to send a transport command, so at time T3, the transport command generation unit 321 prioritized processing the transport command transmission request from crane CR2. In other words, the transport command generation unit 321 set transport process O5 (priority: 4), which has a high priority, as a transport command candidate for crane CR2. In this case, since the other crane CR1 is located at transport position E at time T3, crane CR2 will interfere with crane CR1 when executing the high-priority transport process O5. For this reason, the transport command generation device 32 assigned transport process O5 as a transport command to crane CR2, and also sent an evacuation command to crane CR1 to move away from the section of the transport route (transport position D → transport position F) of transport process O5. Therefore, crane CR1 waited at transport position C, where no interference occurred with crane CR1.

[0086] Thus, in the comparative example, high-priority transport route information was selected from the transport instruction data and executed with priority over other transport instruction data, making it impossible to efficiently execute the transport plan for crane equipment 1.

[0087] From the above, it has been confirmed that, according to the embodiment of the present invention, without performing a precise operation simulation of the crane for each transport process, transport command candidates are set based on the transport route information of the transport instruction data, and alternative commands are searched for when interference occurs, thereby enabling efficient execution of the transport plan for the crane equipment.

[0088] Although embodiments applying the invention made by the present inventors have been described above, the present invention is not limited by the descriptions and drawings that constitute part of the disclosure of the present invention in this embodiment. That is, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1. Crane equipment 31 Upper computer 32 Transport command generation device 321 Transport command generation unit 321a Transport instruction data acquisition unit 321b Command request acquisition unit 321c Transport command candidate setting unit 321d Interference detection unit 321e Wait count determination unit 321f Priority judgment unit 321g Alternative instruction search unit 321h Transport command assignment unit 322 Input section 323 Output section 324 Storage section 33a, 33b Control Controllers 33a1,33b1 Request part 33a2, 33b2 Receiver 33a3, 33b3 Control Unit CR, CR1, CR2 Cranes

Claims

1. An automated crane transport command generation device that generates transport commands for transporting objects to be transported to multiple automated cranes traveling on the same rail, A transport instruction data acquisition unit acquires transport instruction data in which multiple transport route information sets specifying the transport route for each of the transported objects, A command request acquisition unit that acquires the transmission request for the transport command from each of the multiple automatic cranes, A transport command candidate setting unit sets the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data as a transport command candidate for the crane under evaluation, with the automatic crane that requested the transmission of the transport command being the crane under evaluation. An interference determination unit that determines whether or not interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other automatic cranes based on the transport route of the candidate transport order and the transport route of the transport order currently transmitted to other automatic cranes, If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, the alternative command search unit searches for alternative command information from the transport instruction data to find transport route information that does not interfere with any other automatic cranes, A transport command assignment unit assigns the alternative command found by the alternative command search unit as a transport command to the crane under evaluation, If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, the waiting count determination unit determines the number of times the transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate has been avoided as the waiting count, Equipped with, The aforementioned waiting count determination unit is: If the number of waiting times is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the number of waiting times is increased by 1 and the alternative instruction search unit performs a search for an alternative instruction. If the number of waiting times exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system assigns the transport command candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without performing a search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit, and assigns a retreat command to other automated cranes that are determined to be causing interference, causing them to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate. Automatic crane transport command generation device.

2. The transport route information includes information regarding the priority of transporting the transported object, The transport command candidate setting unit sets the transport command candidates according to the priority. The automatic crane transport command generation device according to claim 1.

3. If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, the system includes a priority determination unit that determines a transport route according to the priority prior to the search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit. The priority determination unit, If the priority of the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of a transport command for another automated crane that is determined to be causing interference, the alternative command search unit will perform a search for an alternative command. If the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of transport commands for other automated cranes that are determined to be causing interference, the transport command candidate is assigned to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without the alternative command search unit performing an alternative command search, and an evacuation command is assigned to the other automated cranes that are determined to be causing interference to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate. The automatic crane transport command generation device according to claim 2.

4. An automatic crane transport control system that uses an automatic crane transport command generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to control the transport of objects to be transported for multiple automatic cranes traveling on the same rail, Each of the aforementioned multiple automatic cranes includes a request unit that requests the transmission of a transport command to the transport command generation device, a receiving unit that receives the transport command output by the transport command generation device, and a control unit that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the transport command received by the receiving unit. An automated crane transport control system equipped with [the following features].

5. The automatic crane transport control system according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of automatic cranes, upon completion of a transport process based on a transport order currently received, requests the transport order generation device to transmit a transport order from the request unit.

6. A method for generating transport orders for automated cranes, which generates transport orders for transporting objects to be transported for multiple automated cranes traveling on the same rail, A data acquisition step involves acquiring transport instruction data in which multiple transport route information sets, each specifying a transport route for each of the transported objects, A request acquisition step of acquiring a request to transmit the transport command from each of the multiple automated cranes, Setting step: The automated crane that requested the transmission of the transport command is set as the crane to be evaluated, and the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data is set as a candidate transport command for the crane to be evaluated. A determination step of determining whether or not interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other automated cranes, based on the transport route of the candidate transport order and the transport route of the transport order currently transmitted to other automated cranes, If, in the determination step, it is determined that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, a search step is performed to search for alternative transport route information from the transport instruction data as an alternative command, in which case the evaluation step is performed. The assignment step involves assigning the alternative command found in the search step as a transport command to the crane under evaluation, If it is determined in the determination step that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, the waiting count determination step determines the number of times the transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate was avoided as the waiting count, Includes, The aforementioned waiting count determination step is: If the number of waiting times is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the number of waiting times is increased by 1 and the search for alternative instructions in the search step is performed. If the number of waiting times exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system assigns the transport command candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without performing the search for an alternative command in the search step, and assigns a retreat command to other automated cranes that are determined to be causing interference, causing them to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate. A method for generating transport commands for an automated crane.

7. The transport route information includes information regarding the priority of transporting the transported object, The setting step involves setting the transport command candidates according to the priority. A method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane according to claim 6.

8. If the determination step determines that interference occurs between the crane being evaluated and another automated crane, the determination step includes a priority determination step in which a transport route is determined according to the priority prior to searching for an alternative command in the search step. The priority determination step described above is: If the priority of the transport command candidate is the same as or lower than the priority of the transport command for another automated crane that is determined to be causing interference, the search for an alternative command using the search step is performed. If the priority of the transport command candidate is higher than the priority of the transport command for the other automated crane that is determined to be causing interference, the transport command candidate is assigned to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without performing the search for an alternative command in the search step, and an evacuation command is assigned to the other automated crane that is determined to be causing interference to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate. A method for generating a transport command for an automatic crane according to claim 7.

9. An automated crane transport command generation program that generates transport commands for transporting objects to be transported to multiple automated cranes traveling on the same rail, Computers, A transport instruction data acquisition unit acquires transport instruction data in which multiple transport route information sets specifying the transport route for each of the transported objects, A command request acquisition unit that acquires the transmission request for the transport command from each of the multiple automatic cranes, A transport command candidate setting unit sets the transport route information extracted from the transport instruction data as a transport command candidate for the crane under evaluation, with the automatic crane that requested the transmission of the transport command being the crane under evaluation. An interference determination unit that determines whether or not interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and other automatic cranes based on the transport route of the candidate transport order and the transport route of the transport order currently transmitted to other automatic cranes, If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, the alternative command search unit searches for alternative command information from the transport instruction data to find transport route information that does not interfere with any other automatic cranes, A transport command assignment unit assigns the alternative command found by the alternative command search unit as a transport command to the crane under evaluation, If the interference determination unit determines that interference occurs between the crane under evaluation and another automatic crane, the waiting count determination unit determines the number of times the transport command for the transport route information of the transport command candidate has been avoided as the waiting count, To make it function as, The aforementioned waiting count determination unit is: If the number of waiting times is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the number of waiting times is increased by 1 and the alternative instruction search unit performs a search for an alternative instruction. If the number of waiting times exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system assigns the transport command candidate to the crane under evaluation as a transport command without performing a search for an alternative command by the alternative command search unit, and assigns a retreat command to other automated cranes that are determined to be causing interference, causing them to move away from the transport route of the transport command candidate. Automatic crane transport command generation program.

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