Travel control device, mobile object, and operating system

Abstract

A travel control device, a mobile body, and an operation system are provided, which can realize operation avoiding competition among mobile bodies. The travel control device as an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a movement instruction data generating unit, which obtains a travel route and passing order information of a first mobile body in a travel area, determines a third area, and generates movement instruction data of the first mobile body based on the third area and the passing order information, wherein the travel area includes a plurality of first areas and a second area of ​​at least one travel road among a plurality of travel roads set between the plurality of first areas, the passing order information determines the order in which a plurality of mobile bodies including the first mobile body pass through the first areas included in the travel route, and the third area is the second area located before the first area in the travel route; and a communication unit, which sends the movement instruction data to the first mobile body.

Description

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-196650 (filing date: 10 / 29 / 2019) and claims priority from the Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-196650. The entire contents of the Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-196650 are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a travel control device, a mobile object, and a driving system. Background Art

[0003] When multiple moving bodies are driven simultaneously according to the operation plan, if these moving bodies can drive on the planned driving route at the planned timing, the operation according to the plan can be achieved. However, when the driving timing of at least one moving body deviates from the plan, competition may occur between the moving bodies. For example, sometimes the moving bodies collide or rear-end each other, and sometimes a deadlock (stagnation) occurs in which the moving bodies cannot move anywhere. Summary of the invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present invention provide a travel control device, a mobile body, and an operating system capable of performing an operation that avoids competition among mobile bodies.

[0005] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0006] A driving control device as an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a movement instruction data generating unit, which obtains a driving route and passing order information of a first moving body in a driving area, determines a third area, and generates movement instruction data of the first moving body based on the third area and the passing order information, the driving area including a plurality of first areas and a second area of ​​at least one driving road among a plurality of driving roads set between the plurality of first areas, the passing order information determines the order in which a plurality of moving bodies including the first moving body pass through the first areas included in the driving route, the third area being the second area located before the first area in the driving route; and a communication unit, which sends the movement instruction data to the first moving body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the operation planning device and the mobile object according to the first embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 It is a top view schematically showing a state in which the operations of a plurality of moving bodies are controlled.

[0009] Figure 3 (A) is a diagram showing an example of a collision. Figure 3 (B) is a diagram showing an example of a stalemate.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a travel road network.

[0011] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of structural information of a travel road network.

[0012] Figure 6 (A) is a diagram showing an example of information on a travel road. Figure 6 (B) is a diagram showing an example of information of a reference node.

[0013] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example in which a virtual area is set for each traveling road combined with a reference area of ​​a traveling road network.

[0014] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of a virtual area DB.

[0015] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example in which virtual nodes are added to the structural information of the travel road network.

[0016] Fig.10 This is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the virtual region setting unit.

[0017] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing an example of operation information.

[0018] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing an example of an operation plan created by the operation plan determination unit.

[0019] Fig.13 This is a diagram showing a state where a moving object is arranged at a departure point.

[0020] Fig.14 It is a diagram showing an example of movement instruction data.

[0021] Fig.15 yes Figure 1 A flowchart of an example of the operation of the operation plan device.

[0022] Fig.16 yes Figure 1 A flowchart of another example of the operation of the operation planning device.

[0023] Fig.17 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the moving object.

[0024] Fig.18 This is a block diagram of the operation planning device and the mobile object according to the second embodiment.

[0025] Fig.19This is a diagram showing an example of movement instruction data generated for AGV0 and AGV1.

[0026] Fig. 20 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the moving object.

[0027] Fig.21 Yes means Figure 1 Diagram of the hardware structure of the operation planning device.

[0028] Description of symbols

[0029] 11: Virtual area setting unit

[0030] 12: Operational Planning and Decision Department

[0031] 13: Driving control unit

[0032] 14: Ministry of Communications

[0033] 15: Movement instruction data generation unit

[0034] 21: Driving road information database (DB)

[0035] 22: Baseline area DB

[0036] 23: Driving road network information DB

[0037] 24: Mobile body information DB

[0038] 25: Operation information DB

[0039] 26: Run Plan DB

[0040] 51: Ministry of Communications

[0041] 52: Command Execution Department

[0042] 53: Pass confirmation

[0043] 54: Through the notification department

[0044] 55: Driving control unit

[0045] 57: Right of Way Processing Department

[0046] 201__1~201__3:Moving body

[0047] 100: Operation plan device

[0048] 300: Computer device

[0049] 301: CPU

[0050] 302: Input interface

[0051] 303: Display device

[0052] 304: Communication device

[0053] 305: Main storage device

[0054] 306: External storage device DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In general operation planning systems, operation plans are often made for moving objects in a guideline system that travel on a single track such as a track or a conveyor belt. When a single track such as a direct path is used in a dedicated manner, interference is less likely to occur, and the moving object can travel at a roughly accurate timing as planned.

[0056] On the other hand, the mobile body of the autonomous mobile system freely travels in a relatively large area and determines its own position, while finding the most appropriate activity line (activity route) to travel. Examples of mobile bodies of autonomous mobile systems include unmanned transport vehicles (AGV: Automatic Guided Vehicle) that transport goods in factories. Sometimes people walk or cross the driving path of the mobile body of the autonomous mobile system, and the mobile body sometimes has the function of identifying and stopping people who suddenly appear on the driving path. In addition, the mobile body sometimes has the function of driving while identifying and avoiding obstacles placed on the driving path.

[0057] Thus, the mobile body of the autonomous mobile system can travel flexibly, but in the driving environment, there are many interferences, so it is sometimes difficult to travel according to the planned timing. For example, when the mobile body avoids obstacles while traveling, it may not be able to travel according to the planned timing.

[0058] When the timing of the moving bodies deviates from the plan, competition will occur between the moving bodies. For example, sometimes the moving bodies will collide or rear-end each other. In addition, sometimes a stalemate will occur where the moving bodies cannot move at any place (such as the intersection or end of the driving road).

[0059] In this embodiment, when the moving bodies of the autonomous moving system are used as the objects of the operation plan, it is also possible to avoid the occurrence of competition between the moving bodies. However, the moving bodies used as the objects in this embodiment are not limited to the moving bodies of the autonomous moving system, but may also be the moving bodies of the guidance system. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] Figure 1A block diagram showing an operation system including an operation planning device (driving control device) and a mobile body according to the present embodiment. The operation planning device 100 includes a virtual area setting unit (area setting unit) 11, an operation plan determination unit 12, a driving control unit 13, a communication unit 14, a movement instruction data generation unit 15, a driving road information database (DB) 21, a reference area DB 22, a driving road network information DB 23, a mobile body information DB 24, an operation information DB 25, an operation plan DB 26, and a virtual area DB 27. The mobile bodies 201_1 to 201_N include a communication unit 51, a command execution unit 52, a passage confirmation unit 53, a passage notification unit 54, and a passage confirmation unit 55.

[0061] The operation planning device 100 generates an operation plan for controlling the operation when a plurality of moving bodies 201__1 to 201__N autonomously travel in a travel area (travel road network) so that competition such as collision or stalemate does not occur among the plurality of moving bodies. The travel area is, for example, a free plane. The plurality of moving bodies 201__1 to 201__N are moving bodies capable of autonomous movement such as AGVs, autonomous mobile robots, and autonomous vehicles (e.g., autonomous vehicles).

[0062] The plurality of moving bodies 201_1 to 201_N travel in a travel area (travel road network) such as a factory, a warehouse, a facility site, etc. As an example, the plurality of moving bodies 201_1 to 201_N are equipped with storage batteries (batteries) and use the power stored in the batteries to perform operations such as moving.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a top view schematically showing the state of controlling the operation of multiple mobile bodies in a driving road network. Multiple areas (reference areas) A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H are set as references for the driving road network. Between the reference areas are passages (driving roads) on which mobile bodies can travel. The driving road network (driving area) thus includes multiple reference areas and multiple driving roads between the multiple reference areas. The reference area corresponds to any place such as the intersection of driving roads (intersection), the end of a driving road, etc. There are loading ports for reference areas F and G, and racks for reference areas A, E, and H. Reference area B corresponds to the intersection of multiple driving roads.

[0064] Here, the reference area can be either a specific location or an area with a certain range. For example, when the driving road network is represented by an XY plane, the reference area is determined by XY coordinates. When considering the height, the reference area is determined by XYZ coordinates. Alternatively, it can be determined by a group of multiple XY coordinates. For example, when the reference area is a rectangle, it can also be determined by a group of XY coordinates of diagonal vertices. Below, it is assumed that the reference area is determined by XY coordinates.

[0065] A plurality of reference areas are managed as reference nodes in a form associated with coordinates on the map data of the driving road network. For ease of explanation, the reference nodes and reference areas are represented by the same reference numerals. The lines (arcs) obtained by connecting the reference areas are managed as virtual driving roads on which the mobile body travels. The reference nodes and the virtual driving roads are saved as data in advance. The solid lines and dotted lines in the figure are lines connecting the reference nodes (corresponding to the virtual driving roads). In the case where two or more mobile bodies can run in parallel (drive side by side) between the reference nodes, the reference nodes can also be connected by two or more lines. The data of the reference nodes and the virtual driving roads are defined on the map data. The map data can be data defined in advance as a drawing such as CAD (Computer-Aided Design), or in the case where the mobile body has a function of making an environmental map by a self-position detection function, it can also be an environmental map made by this function. In addition, the shape of the virtual driving road can be a straight line, a curve, or a combination of a straight line and a curve.

[0066] Mobile bodies 1, 2, and 3 correspond to Figure 1 The moving bodies 201__1 to 201__3. The moving bodies 1 to 3 have an autonomous driving function. In more detail, the moving bodies 1 to 3 have the following functions: the moving body itself generates a moving line for traveling on the driving road between the reference areas, and travels along the generated moving line in an autonomous manner. As an example, when moving from the reference area B to the reference area C, if there is no obstacle between the reference area B and the reference area C, a line segment connecting the position of the reference area B and the position of the reference area C is generated as an moving line, and the moving body travels on the driving road in an autonomous manner along the moving line. The moving line generated by the moving body may or may not be consistent with the imaginary driving road between the reference node B and the reference node C. The moving body may also have the following function: the moving body travels on the imaginary driving road as a recommended path when moving between the two reference nodes, and avoids the obstacle when a temporary obstacle is found on the imaginary driving road.

[0067] In addition, a driving path that allows a moving body to avoid obstacles and travel on may be treated as a driving path where moving bodies do not compete with each other. Figure 2 In the driving road BE (the driving road between the reference area B and the reference area E. The same applies to the following), the driving road BA, the driving road BH, etc., there is a sufficient margin to avoid each other, so even if two moving bodies are traveling in directions facing each other, there is no competition. For example, one moving body is waiting beside the driving road, and the other moving body is moving on the driving road along the activity line. After the other moving body has finished passing, the one moving body resumes moving. On the other hand, in the driving road BC, there is no margin to avoid each other, so when two moving bodies are traveling in directions facing each other on this driving road, there will be competition such as collision.

[0068] In addition, the moving body can move forward, backward, or in both the forward and backward directions. The moving body can also be rotated so as to be reversed forward and backward. In addition, the moving body can also be moved in directions other than the forward and backward directions, such as the diagonal direction.

[0069] A sensor for detecting the state of the mobile body, a communication device for communicating with the mobile body, or both may be arranged in the reference area, the driving road, the rack, the loading port, or any other place. In this case, the sensor is connected to at least one of the communication device and the operation planning device 100 in a wired or wireless manner.

[0070] Mobile body Figure 1 Under the management of the operation planning device 100, the vehicle travels on the driving road network according to the assigned operation. For example, the goods received from the loading port are transported to other loading ports. During the movement, the vehicle may also unload goods from the shelf, stack goods, etc. Each moving body performs such operations by executing the command group included in the movement instruction data provided by the operation planning device 100. In addition, the moving body may sometimes not transport goods but only move.

[0071] Here, collision and stalemate are explained.

[0072] Figure 3 (A) represents an example of collision. Figure 3 (B) indicates an example of stalemate. Figure 3 (A) and Figure 3 In (B), for the sake of convenience, the travel road is represented by a straight line. Figure 3 In (A), two moving bodies travel toward the intersection on two driving roads connected to the intersection, arrive at the intersection at the same time, and collide with each other. Figure 3In (B), two moving bodies are traveling in opposite directions on the same driving road. When the two moving bodies are set to be able to move only forward, the two moving bodies cannot return to the original direction, and therefore cannot move in any area (intersection or end, etc.), resulting in a stalemate.

[0073] Competition between moving objects is not limited to collision or stalemate. For example, one or more moving objects may be waiting at an intersection connected to a driving road while other moving objects are driving on the driving road.

[0074] Figure 1 The operation planning device 100 does not cause competition among the moving bodies, and realizes efficient operation of the moving bodies.

[0075] The driving road network information DB23 internally stores the construction information of the driving road network. The construction information of the driving road network includes reference nodes and imaginary driving roads (arcs) configured in association with the map data of the driving area. The reference node corresponds to the reference area. As an example, the reference area is set at the intersection of multiple driving roads or the end of the driving road. However, the reference area can be set anywhere on the driving road. Examples of any place include cargo stacking / unloading places, waiting places, etc.

[0076] Figure 4 A simple example showing a driving road network. Figure 5 express Figure 4 An example of construction information of a driving road network. Figure 4 The driving road network includes 5 reference areas and 4 driving roads. Here, for the sake of convenience, the driving roads are represented by straight lines. Reference area Na is the intersection where the 4 driving roads intersect, and reference areas Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are the ends of the 4 driving roads. Racks are arranged in reference areas Pb and Pd, and there are loading ports in reference areas Pa and Pc. As an example, reference areas Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd can also be the departure point or arrival point of the moving body.

[0077] exist Figure 5 In the diagram, the virtual driving road is represented by a straight line connecting (or linking) the reference nodes. Each circle represents a reference node (reference area), and the straight line connecting the circles represents an arc (virtual driving road). The reference nodes are marked with the same number as the reference area.

[0078] The driving road information DB 21 stores information of each arc (virtual driving road) and reference node in the structural information of the driving road network as driving road information. The driving road information includes the arc ID (driving road ID) and the IDs of the nodes at both ends of the arc (i.e., the IDs of the areas at both ends of the driving road).

[0079] Figure 6 (A) shows an example of information on each arc (hypothetical travel road). Figure 6 In (A), for example, the arc ID between the reference nodes Pa and Na is 1, and the reference nodes at both ends of the arc are Pa and Na. The distance between the reference nodes (the distance of the driving road) may also be stored in association with the arc ID. Alternatively, the distance of the driving road may be calculated based on the positions of the reference nodes on both sides of the arc. In addition, information related to the structure / configuration of the driving road, such as the width / height / material / friction coefficient / slope of the driving road, may also be stored.

[0080] In addition, the reference area DB 22 stores information of each reference node in the structural information of the driving road network. For example, as the information of the reference node, the reference node ID, X coordinate, and Y coordinate are stored. The position of the reference node corresponds to the position (coordinates) of the reference area corresponding to the reference node.

[0081] Figure 6 (B) is an example of information representing a reference node. For example, the coordinates of the reference node Pb are (X, Y) = (20, 20). That is, the position of the reference area corresponding to the reference node Pb is (X, Y) = (20, 20). In addition, the position of the reference node Na is (X, Y) = (20, 60). That is, the position of the reference area Na corresponding to the reference node Na is (X, Y) = (20, 60).

[0082] The virtual area setting unit 11 sets a virtual area on at least one driving road for a reference area set in a driving road network. The virtual area is an area for managing the passing order of a moving body. Here, in each driving road combined (or connected) with the reference area, it is set at a position away from the reference area. That is, in the structural information of the driving road network, a virtual node is set at a position away from the reference node on each arc combined with the reference node. The virtual area can be set for all reference areas in the driving road network, or only for a reference area corresponding to an intersection, a reference area corresponding to an end of a driving road, or a specific reference area of ​​the two. The setting of the virtual area can also be specified by a user who is an operator of the present device 100 using an input device. Here, the following case is explained, which is: the virtual area is set for the reference area corresponding to the intersection.

[0083] Figure 7 Expressing Figure 4In this example, virtual areas Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id are set at positions away from the intersection Na in each of the driving roads connected to the intersection Na.

[0084] The virtual region DB 27 stores information on the virtual region set by the virtual region setting unit 11. Specifically, the virtual region DB 27 stores virtual nodes indicating the virtual region in association with reference nodes and virtual travel roads (arcs).

[0085] Figure 8 An example of the virtual area DB 27 is shown. Figure 7 The virtual region (virtual node) Ia is set on the travel road (arc with ID 1) relative to the reference region (reference node) Na. The XY coordinates of the virtual region Ia are (15, 60).

[0086] Fig. 9 Express Figure 7 An example of setting up virtual nodes in the structural information of the driving road network of the example. On each arc connected to (or connected to) the reference node Na, virtual nodes Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id are set at a position away from the reference node Na by a certain distance. In addition, the virtual nodes are marked with the same number as the virtual area corresponding to the virtual node. It is also possible to set virtual nodes for the reference nodes Pa~Pd. In this case, for example, in each arc connected to the reference nodes Pa~Pd, a virtual node can be set at a position away from the reference nodes Pa~Pd by a certain distance.

[0087] Fig.10 2 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the virtual region setting unit 11. In this example, when the virtual travel road is a straight line, a virtual node is set at a position away from the reference node by a certain distance.

[0088] In step S101, a reference node to be set as a virtual node is determined, and the coordinates (Xn, Yn) of the determined reference node are determined. The reference node to be set as a virtual node may be a specific reference node (e.g., a reference node corresponding to an intersection), or all reference nodes, or may be specified by a user. In addition, the direction (θ) of each arc (virtual driving road) connected to the determined reference node and the distance (L) between the reference node and the virtual node are determined.

[0089] The coordinates of the reference node are obtained from the reference area DB22. The direction θ of the virtual driving road is obtained from the driving road information DB21. The distance L is a predetermined value. The distance L can also be determined based on the structure / configuration of the driving road corresponding to the virtual driving road. In addition, the distance L can also be determined based on the characteristics (size, etc.) of the moving body. In this case, the virtual node can also be set for each moving body. In addition, the distance L is sometimes randomly determined from a certain value range.

[0090] In step S102, the distance Xl in the X direction and the distance Yl in the Y direction from the reference node to the virtual node are calculated. Xl = Lcosθ, Yl = Lsinθ.

[0091] In step S103, the coordinates of the virtual node are calculated. The coordinates of the virtual node are calculated by (Xn+X1, Yn+Y1).

[0092] The mobile body information DB 24 stores information of more than one mobile body. For example, the location information of the mobile body is stored. As an example, the location information of the mobile body is real-time location information (the latest location information). For example, data containing location information can also be received from the mobile body at regular intervals, and the location information of the mobile body can be obtained from the received data. Alternatively, when a sensor set up in the driving road network detects the passage of the mobile body, data notifying the passage of the mobile body can be received from a communication device connected to the sensor. The location information of the mobile body can also be the location information of a mobile body in standby that has not yet been assigned to run. In this case, the standby position of the mobile body can also be grasped by receiving data containing location information from a communication device connected to a sensor set up in standby or a standby place. The communication unit 14 receives data containing location information. The location information can also be historical record information of the location that the mobile body has passed so far. As examples other than location information, there can be the remaining power of the battery carried by the mobile body, whether the mobile body holds goods (when the mobile body transports goods), the type and / or quantity of goods being transported, etc. The inherent information of the moving object includes, for example, specification information of the moving object such as a standard speed, a maximum speed, a minimum speed, a size of the moving object, and a movable direction.

[0093] If the mobile body is used for transporting goods, the information of the operation time required for loading and unloading goods (for example, the time required to stack or unload a predetermined number of goods) is included. The information cited here is only an example, and other information may also be used.

[0094] The operation information DB 25 stores operation information indicating the operation to be assigned to one or more moving bodies. The operation information includes information of the departure point and the arrival point. In addition to the departure point and the arrival point, the operation information may also include the content of the operation to be performed by the moving body and the order of the operation. The operation information may be input by the user using an input device or may be obtained from an external device through wired or wireless communication.

[0095] Fig.11 This shows an example of operation information. Fig.11 The operation information of Figure 4 driving road network.

[0096] exist Fig.11 2 shows an example of two operation information. The first operation information includes a departure point Pa and an arrival point Pb. This means that the vehicle departs from the departure point Pa and moves to the arrival point Pb. The second operation information includes a departure point Pc and an arrival point Pd. This means that the vehicle departs from the departure point Pc and moves to the arrival point Pd.

[0097] The operation plan determination unit 12 determines the mobile body to which each operation information in the operation information DB 25 should be assigned, and assigns the operation represented by the operation information to the determined mobile body. The operation plan determination unit 12 creates a travel plan for the mobile body to which the operation is assigned, based on the operation assigned to the mobile body and the information of the mobile body in the mobile body information DB 24. The travel plan includes the order of the reference areas passed (travel route) and the timing of departure or passing through the reference areas (travel timing). As an example, the travel timing is determined by the time of a clock provided in the operation planning device 100.

[0098] The travel route and travel timing of each mobile body are determined so that there is no competition between the mobile bodies. That is, if each mobile body travels on the travel route at the travel timing, there is no competition. As a method for creating a travel plan, any method can be used.

[0099] For example, all movement modes of each mobile body can be searched through simulation to determine the driving route and driving timing that do not cause competition. In this case, the standard speed can also be used as the moving speed of the mobile body. The standard speed can also be determined based on the characteristics of the mobile body, the characteristics of the driving road (such as the material of the driving road, etc.), the slope of the driving road, etc. In this case, competition conditions can also be defined as conditions that may cause competition, and movement modes that do not meet the competition conditions can be searched. As an example of a competition condition, there is the following situation: two or more mobile bodies are traveling in the same direction or opposite directions on the same driving road at the same time.

[0100] Alternatively, the travel routes of each mobile body may be determined first, and then the departure time (passing time) of each reference area included in the travel route may be determined so that no competition occurs between the mobile bodies. The travel route may also be a route that has the shortest travel distance or travel time from the departure point to the destination point. In this case, the departure time (passing time) of each reference area may be determined so that no competition condition is satisfied.

[0101] A travel plan may be prepared using methods other than those described above.

[0102] The operation plan decision unit 12 determines a reference area commonly included in the travel routes of more than two mobile bodies. From the determined reference area, the area for managing the passing order of the mobile body is determined as a designated area (passing management area). The reference node corresponding to the designated area is called a designated node. The designated area is sometimes one and sometimes more than two. The designated area can be all or part of the determined reference area. The designated area can also be selected by the user. The operation plan decision unit 12 saves the information of the designated node in the operation plan DB26 or the internal cache of the operation plan decision unit 12. As an example, the reference area or the designated area corresponds to the first area, and as an example, the virtual area corresponds to the second area, the third area, and the fourth area.

[0103] The operation plan determination unit 12 determines the passing order of each mobile body for each designated area (designated node). For example, the departure time of each mobile body from the designated area is compared based on the travel plan, and the passing order of the mobile body in the designated area is determined in such a way that the earlier the departure time, the earlier the order. Information indicating the constraint that the mobile body needs to pass through in the determined passing order, that is, the constraint on the passing order in the designated area, is generated. This information is referred to as passing order information.

[0104] The operation plan determination unit 12 may use the information of the travel route (travel route information) and the passing order information included in the travel plan of each mobile body as the operation plan.

[0105] The operation plan DB 26 stores therein the operation plan (information on the travel route of each moving body and passing order information) created by the operation plan determination unit 12 .

[0106] The following is a specific example of the operation of the operation plan determination unit 12. First, AGV0 is assigned Fig.11 The first run of AGV1 is assigned Fig.11 In the second run, the driving plans of AGV0 and AGV1 are made.

[0107] Fig.12(A) shows an example of the driving plan of AGV0 and AGV1. The driving route of AGV0 is Pa, Na, Pb, and the departure times of Pa, Na, Pb are 0, 10, 20. That is, it departs from location Pa at time 0, passes (departs) at the intersection Na at time 10, and arrives at location Pb at time 20. The driving route of AGV1 is Pc, Na, Pd, and the departure times of Pc, Na, Pd are 10, 20, 30. That is, it departs from location Pc at time 10, passes (departs) at the intersection Na at time 20, and arrives at location Pd at time 30. Locations Pa to Pd and the intersection Na are all reference areas.

[0108] Both AGV0 and AGV1 pass through the intersection Na. Therefore, the operation plan determination unit 12 determines Na as the designated area.

[0109] In addition, the departure time of AGV0 at Na is 10, and the departure time of AGV1 at Na is 20. That is, as the passing order of the intersection Na, AGV0 passes first, and AGV1 passes next. Therefore, the operation plan determination unit 12 generates the passing order information including the constraint that AGV0 and AGV1 pass through Na in this order.

[0110] The operation plan determination unit 12 may use the information of the travel route included in the created travel plan and the created passing order information as the operation plan.

[0111] Fig.12 (B) shows an example of the operation plan obtained by the operation plan determination unit 12. The travel route of AGV0 is Pa, Na, Pb, and the travel route of AGV1 is Pc, Na, Pd. In the passing order information, the designated area is the intersection Na, and as the passing order of the intersection Na, AGV0 passes first and AGV1 passes next, which is determined as the passing order.

[0112] Fig.13 Indicated in Figure 4 In the shown driving road network, AGV0 and AGV1 are respectively arranged at the departure points Pa and Pc indicated in the operation plan. Fig.13 In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the travel path is represented by a straight line. In addition, before the operation plan is made, AGV0 and AGV1 are present at the departure locations Pa and Pc, and the operation plan determination unit 12 uses the information that AGV0 and AGV1 are present at the locations Pa and Pc to assign operation information to AGV0 and AGV1. However, after the operation is assigned to AGV0 and AGV1, AGV0 and AGV1 may be arranged at the locations Pa and Pc.

[0113] The movement instruction data generation unit 15 generates movement instruction data for the mobile body based on the movement plan (travel route information, passing order information) of the mobile body in the movement plan DB 26 and the imaginary area set by the imaginary area setting unit 11. That is, the movement instruction data generation unit 15 obtains the travel route and passing order information of the mobile body, determines the imaginary area set on the travel road where the mobile body travels before the designated area included in the travel route, and generates movement instruction data for the mobile body based on the set imaginary area and passing order information. The movement instruction data includes a plurality of commands for the mobile body. The movement instruction data is sequentially executed by the mobile body to perform the operation assigned to the mobile body. The movement instruction data is generated so that a plurality of mobile bodies do not compete in the designated area. By the mobile body executing the movement instruction data, the travel timing in the imaginary area and the designated area is adjusted, and competition in the designated area can be prevented. The details are described below.

[0114] The movement instruction data generation unit 15 acquires the travel route of the mobile body based on the operation plan, and generates one or more instructions for each of a plurality of reference nodes (reference areas) included in the travel route.

[0115] In this embodiment, the first reference area in the driving route corresponds to the departure point (starting position) of the moving body. For this first reference area, a movement command to the departure point is generated (in addition, if the moving body is already at the departure point, the moving body does not move even if the movement command is executed).

[0116] The last reference area of ​​the travel route corresponds to the arrival point (end position) of the moving body. For the last reference area, a movement command to the arrival point is generated.

[0117] Regarding the reference area other than the first reference area and the last reference area, it is determined whether the reference area is a designated area. If the reference area is not a designated area, a movement command to the reference area corresponding to the reference area is generated.

[0118] When the reference area is a designated area (here, the reference area N is set as the designated area), the driving road connected before the reference area N is determined. Specifically, the virtual driving road connected before the reference node corresponding to the reference area is determined, and the driving road corresponding to the virtual driving road is determined. The virtual area set for the reference area N in the determined driving road is determined (recorded as virtual area A). In addition, in the driving route, the driving road connected after the reference area N is determined, and the virtual area set for the reference area N in the determined driving road is determined (recorded as virtual area B).

[0119] Furthermore, a command (first command) to move to the virtual area A, a command (second command) to confirm whether it is allowed to pass through the reference area N, a command (third command) to move to the virtual area B if it is allowed to pass through the reference area N, and a command (fourth command) to send information indicating that it has passed through the reference area N after moving to the virtual area B to the device 100 are generated. The second command can also be said to be a command to confirm whether it is allowed to depart from or pass through the virtual area A, and the third command can also be said to be a command to depart from or pass through the virtual area A. In this way, four commands are generated for one reference area N.

[0120] The travel control unit 13 generates movement instruction data by arranging commands generated for the plurality of reference areas included in the travel route in the arrangement order of the plurality of reference areas.

[0121] The movement instruction data generating unit 15 transmits the movement instruction data generated for the moving object to the moving object via the communication unit 14 .

[0122] The above operation is performed for all moving objects for which operation plans are created.

[0123] The execution start time of the first command included in the movement instruction data may also be added. The execution start time of the first command may also be the same as the departure time of the first reference area in the driving plan. In the case where the driving plan or driving route includes an operation performed by the mobile body, the command corresponding to the operation is also appended to the movement instruction data. Examples of operations include receiving goods from the entrance, transporting the received goods to the shelf, and stacking goods on the shelf. In addition, there are also cases where goods are unloaded from the shelf.

[0124] Fig.14 Indicated in Fig.12 Operation plan (driving route information, passing order information) and Figure 7 An example of movement instruction data generated for AGV0 and AGV1 in the example of the travel road network of FIG.

[0125] In the travel route of AGV0, the first reference area Pa corresponds to the departure point, and therefore a command to move to the point Pa is generated. Fig.14 The "Pa" in the example means a command to move to Pa. The command can be recorded arbitrarily, for example, the command to move to Pa can be set to Move_Pa, etc. In addition, in this example, AGV0 already exists at the departure point, so it is assumed that even if the command is executed, it will not actually move. Therefore, the generation of the command to move to Pa can also be omitted.

[0126] In the driving route of AGV0, the second area Na is an area whose passing order is determined by the passing order information. Therefore, in the driving route of AGV0, the driving road immediately before the area Na is determined. The virtual area Ia set for the area Na in the determined driving road is determined. As a specific process, the virtual driving road immediately before the reference node Na is determined, and the virtual node Ia for the reference node Na is determined in the determined virtual driving road.

[0127] In addition, in the driving route of AGV0, the driving road immediately after the area Na is determined. The virtual area Ib set for the area Na in the determined driving road is determined. As a specific process, the virtual driving road immediately after the reference node Na is determined, and the virtual node Ib for the reference node Na is determined in the determined virtual driving road.

[0128] From this, we generate:

[0129] Command "Ia" to move to virtual area Ia,

[0130] A command "Check (Na)" to confirm whether the vehicle is allowed to pass through the designated area Na (depart from or pass through the virtual area Ia),

[0131] A command "Ib" to move to the virtual area Ib (start from or pass through the virtual area Ia) when the designated area Na is allowed to pass,

[0132] After moving to the virtual area Ib, a command “Notice (Na)” is sent to the device 100 to indicate that the device has passed through the designated area Na (arrived at the virtual area Ib).

[0133] Check(Na) corresponds to a command for checking the passage of the designated area Na (a passage confirmation command), and Notice(Na) corresponds to a command for notifying the completion of the passage of the designated area Na (a passage notification command).

[0134] In addition, AGV0 is set to be unable to move to a position ahead of the virtual area Ia before being allowed to pass through the area (specified node) Na by executing Check (Na) from the driving control unit 13. For example, if AGV0 reaches the virtual area Ia before obtaining permission to pass through the area Na, it will temporarily stop in the virtual area Ia. On the other hand, AGV0 executes Notice (Na) at the time of reaching the virtual area Ib in the virtual area Ib, and does not need to temporarily stop in the virtual area Ib.

[0135] In the travel route of AGV0, the third area Pb is the arrival point, and therefore a command "Pd" is generated to move to the arrival point Pb.

[0136] By arranging the commands generated as described above in accordance with the order of the reference areas included in the travel route, the AGV0 generates Fig.14 In the case of AGV1, the movement command data can also be generated in the same manner as AGV0. The travel control unit 13 transmits the movement command data generated for AGV0 and AGV1 to AGV0 and AGV1 via the communication unit 14.

[0137] When the driving control unit 13 receives inquiry data for confirmation of passage through a designated area (reference area) from a mobile body, it confirms the passage order information of the designated area. When the passage completion notification of the designated area has been received from all mobile bodies that are earlier in sequence than the mobile body of the inquiry source or the mobile body of the inquiry source is the first and first in sequence, a permission notification (a permission notification for departure or passage in a virtual area) allowing passage through the designated area is sent to the mobile body of the inquiry source. In addition to these, a non-permission notification that does not allow passage through the designated area is sent to the mobile body of the inquiry source. The operation planning device 100 may also repeatedly send non-permission notifications until passage through the designated area is allowed. In addition, when the driving control unit 13 receives a passage completion notification for a designated area from a mobile body, the designated area represented by the passage completion notification is associated with the mobile body that sent the passage completion notification and is stored in the operation plan DB26 or an internal cache, etc.

[0138] The communication unit 14 communicates with the communication unit 51 of the mobile object wirelessly or by wire. The communication method may be arbitrary, and a dedicated protocol may be defined, or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) protocol defined by IEEE802.11 may be used.

[0139] The communication unit 51 of the mobile body performs wireless or wired communication with the communication unit 14 of the operation planning device 100. The communication method may be arbitrary as described above.

[0140] The travel control unit 55 of the mobile body controls the travel of the mobile body using the command execution unit 52, the passage confirmation unit 53, and the passage notification unit 54. Before the mobile body passes through the virtual area, the travel control unit 55 confirms whether it can pass through the designated area based on communication with the travel control device. The virtual area is set to the travel road traveled before the designated area in the travel route of the mobile body. The travel control unit 55 controls so that: if the mobile body can pass through the designated area, the virtual area is passed, and if the mobile body cannot pass through the designated area, the virtual area is not passed (for example, it stops in the virtual area) until it can be confirmed that it can pass through the designated area. The travel control unit 55 obtains the movement instruction data from the operation planning device 100 via the communication unit 51.

[0141] The command execution unit 52 executes the commands included in the movement instruction data in order, and travels from the departure point to the arrival point along the travel route. When a time is attached to the first command, the moving body starts to execute the command at the time point that becomes the time. When no time is attached, the execution of the command starts immediately or after a certain time from the receipt of the movement instruction data. The timing of executing the first command may also be determined by a method other than the method described here.

[0142] When the command is a command to move to the reference area or the imaginary area, the command execution unit 52 moves to the reference area or the imaginary area specified by the command. When the command is a command to confirm passage of the specified area, the passage confirmation unit 53 inquires the operation planning device 100 for passage confirmation.

[0143] The confirmation unit 53 sends inquiry data (inquiry data for confirmation) to the operation planning device 100 regarding whether passage through the designated area is permitted. When the confirmation unit 53 receives the notification of permission for passage, it provides the command execution unit 52 with data or a signal indicating permission for passage. When the command execution unit 52 receives the data or signal for permission for passage, it executes the next command. That is, it sets out from the imaginary area in front of the designated area (i.e., the imaginary area currently temporarily stopped or currently heading to). On the way to the next area (imaginary area or reference area), it passes through the designated area. On the other hand, when the confirmation unit 53 receives a notification of non-permission for passage from the operation planning device 100 or does not receive any response, it waits until it receives a notification of permission for passage, or repeatedly sends inquiry data for permission for passage at a certain time. Alternatively, the operation planning device 100 may repeatedly send notifications of non-permission until passage is permitted.

[0144] When the command is a notification command for passing through a designated area, the command execution unit 52 uses the passing notification unit 54 to notify the operation planning device 100 of the completion of passing through. The passing notification unit 54 sends a notification to the operation planning device 100 indicating that the designated area specified by the command has been passed through.

[0145] The following describes the operation of the moving object by taking AGV0 and AGV1 as examples.

[0146] AGV0 receiving Fig.14 AGV1 receives the first moving body instruction data and executes the commands contained in the received moving body instruction data in order. Fig.14 The second moving body instruction data of the received moving body instruction data is received, and the commands included in the received moving body instruction data are executed in order. Here, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that AGV0 and AGV1 that have received the moving body instruction data start executing the commands at the same time.

[0147] [AGV0]

[0148] AGV0 executes command Pa, but since it already exists in area Pa, it executes the next command Ia (or it can skip the first command). AGV0 moves to the virtual area Ia by executing command Ia. When AGV0 reaches the virtual area Ia or before reaching the virtual area Ia, it executes command Check (Na). When AGV0 reaches the virtual area Ia, if it has not obtained permission to pass through Ia, it temporarily stops in the virtual area Ia. AGV0 confirms whether it is allowed to pass through area Na by executing command Check (Na). Specifically, AGV0 sends inquiry data (confirmed inquiry data) to the operation planning device 100 on whether it is allowed to pass through area Na (pass through or depart from the virtual area Ia). The travel control unit 13 of the operation planning device 100 confirms the passing order of AGV0 based on the passing order information. The passing order of AGV0 is the first, so the travel control unit 13 sends a permission notification to AGV0 to allow passing through area Na (a permission notification to pass through or depart from the virtual area Ia). AGV0 is allowed to pass through area Na (pass through or depart from virtual area Ia), so it executes the next command Ib and drives to virtual area Ib. It passes through area Na on the way to virtual area Ib. When it reaches virtual area Ib, it executes the next command Notice(Na) and sends a passing completion notification to the operation planning device 100 indicating that it has passed area Na (reached virtual area Ib). AGV0 then executes the next command Pb and moves to area Pb. If it reaches area Pb, the action ends. For example, AGV0 waits to receive the next movement instruction data from the operation planning device 100.

[0149] [AGV1]

[0150] AGV1 executes command Pc, but since it is already in area Pc, it executes the next command Ic (or it can skip the first command). AGV1 drives to the imaginary area Ic by executing command Ic. AGV1 executes command Check(Na) when it reaches the imaginary area Ic or before it reaches the imaginary area Ic. If AGV1 has not obtained permission to pass through Ic at the time of reaching the imaginary area Ic, it will temporarily stop in the imaginary area Ic. AGV1 confirms whether it is allowed to pass through area Na by executing the next command Check(Na). Specifically, AGV1 sends inquiry data (confirmed inquiry data) to the operation planning device 100 on whether it is allowed to pass through area Na (pass through or depart from the imaginary area Ic). The travel control unit 13 of the operation planning device 100 confirms the passing order of AGV1 based on the passing order information. AGV1's passing order is the second, so the travel control unit 13 investigates whether the first AGV0 has passed through area Na. In the case of receiving a notification of completion of passing through area Na from AGV0, it is determined that AGV0 has passed through area Na. In this case, the travel control unit 13 sends a permission notification to AGV1 to allow AGV1 to pass through area Na (a permission notification to pass through or depart from the virtual area Ic). On the other hand, in the case of not receiving a notification of completion of passing through area Na from AGV0, the travel control unit 13 determines that AGV0 has not passed through area Na, sends a non-permission notification to AGV1, or does not send any response. In the case of being allowed to pass through area Na (in the case of being allowed to pass through or depart from the virtual area Ia), AGV1 executes the next command Id and drives to the virtual area Id. In the case of receiving a non-permission notification from the operation planning device 100 or not receiving any response, AGV1 remains in a standby state in the virtual area Ic and sends the inquiry data again after a certain period of time. Alternatively, it continues to standby in the virtual area Ic until receiving a permission notification from the operation planning device 100. AGV1 passes through area Na on the way to the virtual area Id. When the virtual area Id is reached, the next command Notice (Na) is executed, and a passing completion notice indicating that the area Na has been passed (the virtual area Ib has been reached) is sent to the operation planning device 100. AGV1 executes the next command Pd and moves to the area Pd. If the area Pb is reached, the action is terminated. For example, AGV1 waits to receive the next movement instruction data from the operation planning device 100.

[0151] Fig.151 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the operation planning device 100. The virtual area setting unit 11 sets a virtual area for each reference area in the driving road network based on the information stored in the driving road network information DB 23, the reference area DB 22, and the driving road information DB 21. As a specific process, a virtual node is set for each reference node represented by the structural information of the driving road network (S11).

[0152] The operation plan determination unit 12 assigns each operation represented by the operation information to the mobile body based on the information stored in the operation information DB25 and the mobile body information DB24 (S12). Based on the operation assigned to each mobile body, a travel plan for each mobile body is generated (S13). As an example, the travel plan includes a travel route and a travel timing. The operation plan determination unit 12 determines a reference area that multiple mobile bodies pass through together based on the travel routes of each mobile body (S14). The determined reference area is used as a designated area. The order in which the mobile bodies pass through the designated area is determined (S15). As an example, based on the travel timing of multiple mobile bodies in the designated area, the order of the mobile bodies is determined in the order of the travel timing from early to late. The operation plan determination unit 12 can use information representing the travel routes of each mobile body (travel route information) and information representing constraints on the order of passing through the designated area (passing order information) as an operation plan (S16).

[0153] The driving control unit 13 generates movement command data for each moving body based on the driving route information of each moving body in the operation plan and the information of the virtual area set by the virtual area setting unit 11 (S17). More specifically, for the first reference area and the last reference area of ​​the driving route, a movement command to the first reference area and a movement command to the last reference area are generated. For the reference area between the first reference area and the last reference area, a movement command to the virtual area before the reference area (set as virtual area A), a passing confirmation command for the reference area, a movement command to the virtual area after the reference area (set as virtual area B) after obtaining the permission to pass (a command to start from or pass through virtual area A), and a command to send a passing completion notification of the reference area at the time of reaching the virtual area B are generated. The driving control unit 13 generates movement command data by arranging the commands generated for each reference area included in the driving route corresponding to the arrangement order of the reference areas. The driving control unit 13 sends the generated movement command data of each moving body to each moving body via the communication unit 14 (S18).

[0154] Fig.16 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation after the movement instruction data is transmitted to each moving body.

[0155] The driving control unit 13 determines whether inquiry data confirming the passage through the designated area (reference area) is received from the mobile body (S21). If the inquiry data is not received (S21: No), the process proceeds to step S25. If the inquiry data is received (S21: Yes), the passage order information of the designated area represented by the inquiry data is confirmed. All mobile bodies that are earlier in order than the mobile body at the inquiry source are determined, and it is determined whether the passage completion notification of the designated area has been received from all the determined mobile bodies, or whether the mobile body at the inquiry source is the first and first order (S22). When the passage completion notification has been received from all mobile bodies, or when the mobile body at the inquiry source is the first and first order, a permission notification (a permission notification for departure or passage through the virtual area) is sent to the mobile body at the inquiry source (S23). Otherwise, a non-permission notification not allowing passage through the designated area is sent to the mobile body at the inquiry source (S24).

[0156] The driving control unit 13 determines whether a notification of completion of passing the designated area is received from the moving body (S25). When a notification of completion of passing is received (S25: Yes), the designated area indicated by the notification of completion of passing is associated with the moving body that sent the notification of completion of passing and is saved in the operation plan DB 26 or an internal cache or the like (S26). When a notification of completion of passing is not received (S25: No), the process proceeds to step S21. When the driving control unit 13 receives notifications of completion of operation from all the moving bodies, the process ends (S27: Yes). When there is a moving body that has not completed operation, the process returns to step S21.

[0157] Fig.17 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the action of a mobile body that has received movement instruction data. The command execution unit 52 of the mobile body determines the multiple commands contained in the movement instruction data in order from the beginning. Confirm whether the determined command is a movement command (S31). When it is a movement command, move to the area (reference area or imaginary area) specified by the movement command (S32). After moving to the area, determine whether all commands have been executed (S37). In addition, when the mobile body is located at the first departure point (starting point), when the first command is a movement command to move to the starting point, there is no need to move.

[0158] If it is determined in step S37 that all commands have not been executed (No), the next command is determined (S38), and the process returns to step S31. If all commands have been executed (Yes), the process ends.

[0159] When the determined command is not a movement command ( S31 : No), it is determined whether the command is a passage confirmation command for a designated area or a passage notification command for a designated area ( S33 ).

[0160] In the case of a pass confirmation command, inquiry data for passing confirmation of the designated area is sent from the passing confirmation unit 53 to the operation planning device 100 (S34). In the case of receiving a permission notification for passing from the operation planning device 100 (S35: Yes), the process proceeds to step S38. In the case of not receiving a permission notification (S35: No), the process waits until a permission notification is received. Alternatively, the above-mentioned inquiry data may be repeatedly sent at regular intervals until a permission notification is received. In addition, as a mode in which a permission notification is not received, there is a case in which a non-permission notification is received or a case in which no response is received.

[0161] When the determined command is a pass notification command, a pass completion notification for the specified area is sent from the pass notification unit 54 to the operation planning device 100 (S36). It may also be set to receive a confirmation response from the operation planning device 100 after the transmission. In this case, the pass notification unit 54 waits until the confirmation response can be received. Alternatively, even if the confirmation response is not received after a certain period of time, the pass completion notification may be sent again. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S37.

[0162] In the present embodiment, the virtual area is set in advance for each reference area in the travel road network. However, the virtual area may be created for the reference area included in the travel route when the operation plan is created.

[0163] In this embodiment, after the moving body passes through the designated area, a passing completion notification is sent to the virtual area that the moving body passes through immediately after the designated area. In the case where the position information of the moving body is managed in real time in the present device 100, it is also possible to detect that the moving body has passed through the designated area on the side of the present device 100. In this case, the sending of the passing completion notification from the moving body can also be omitted (that is, the fourth command can also be omitted).

[0164] In this embodiment, the imaginary area is set on the driving road combined with the designated area, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the driving road that is combined with the designated area on one end may be combined with another reference area on the other end, and the imaginary area for the designated area may be set on the other driving road combined with the other reference area. For example, in other reference areas, when the passing order of the moving body does not need to be managed and other reference areas are not used as designated areas, this process may also be performed.

[0165] In the present embodiment, a passing order is generated for reference areas (reference nodes) passed by multiple moving bodies, but a passing order may be generated for reference areas (reference nodes) passed by only one moving body. In addition, a reference area passed by only one moving body may be used as a designated area.

[0166] As described above, according to this embodiment, control is performed so that: only when all other moving bodies that are determined to pass before the moving body by the passing order information have passed through the designated area, the moving body departs from or passes through the virtual area immediately before the designated area. In this way, the passing order of the moving bodies in the designated area can be guaranteed. In this way, regardless of the interference of the driving environment, etc., it is possible to perform operation that avoids competition among the moving bodies.

[0167] (First Modification)

[0168] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the travel route of each mobile body and the departure time of each reference area included in the travel route are calculated as the travel plan. As another method, the travel routes of multiple mobile bodies and the passing order of the mobile bodies for the reference areas commonly included in the travel routes of the multiple mobile bodies can also be calculated as the travel plan. In this case, it is not necessary to calculate the departure time of each reference area. The information on the passing order for the reference area can be directly used as the passing order information of the operation plan.

[0169] (Second Modification)

[0170] The reference area is not only an intersection, but also a place where the mobile body stops, such as a loading and unloading place, a charging place, and a waiting place for the mobile body. In addition, the reference area may also be a place where the road is narrow, such as when a two-lane route changes to a single-lane route. In addition, the reference area may also be a place where the slope of the driving road changes. In addition, the reference area may also be a place where the speed of the mobile body changes, such as a corner. It can be considered to control the passing order appropriately by setting a place that may cause a rear-end collision between mobile bodies as a reference area and setting a virtual area for the reference area. In addition, the place that will become the departure point of the mobile body and the place that will become the arrival point of the operation information can be used as the reference area. In addition, the current position of the mobile body can also be used as the reference area.

[0171] (Second embodiment)

[0172] In the first embodiment, the departure or passage of the imaginary area immediately before the designated area is controlled by communication between the mobile body and the operation management device 100 (by inquiry for confirmation and by sending a completion notification). In the present embodiment, the departure or passage of the imaginary area immediately before the designated area is controlled by communication between the mobile bodies. In the present embodiment, the following structure is introduced: the mobile bodies hand over the right to pass through the designated area (right of passage) to each other, and only the mobile body with the right of passage is allowed to pass through the designated area (depart from or pass through the imaginary area immediately before the designated area). The following is a detailed description of this embodiment. The same description as the first embodiment is omitted.

[0173] Fig.18 A block diagram showing an operation system including an operation planning device (travel control device) and a mobile body according to a second embodiment. The operation planning device 100 has the same configuration as the first embodiment except that it does not include the travel control unit 13. The mobile bodies 201_1 to 201_N include a right of way processing unit 57, but do not include the passage confirmation unit 53 and the passage notification unit 54 in the first embodiment. The communication unit 51 of the mobile bodies 201_1 to 201_N communicates with the operation planning device 100, and also communicates with mobile bodies other than the mobile body itself among the mobile bodies 201_1 to 201_N. The communication method between the mobile bodies may be any method such as a dedicated protocol or a wireless LAN protocol.

[0174] The operations of the virtual region setting unit 11 and the operation plan determination unit 12 of the operation planning device 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0175] The movement instruction data generating unit 15 generates movement instruction data of the moving body based on the operation plan (travel route information, passing order information) of the moving body in the operation plan DB 26 and the virtual area set by the virtual area setting unit 11. As in the first embodiment, the movement instruction data is generated so that a plurality of moving bodies do not compete in the designated area, but the structure of the generated movement instruction data is different from that in the first embodiment. The details are described below.

[0176] The mobile instruction data generating unit 15 determines the designated area among the multiple reference nodes (reference areas) included in the driving route based on the operation plan. For the designated area determined, the mobile body with the earliest order is determined based on the passing order information. For the determined mobile body, a command (right-of-way provision command) is generated to provide the mobile body itself with the right of way in the designated area. The right-of-way provision command is represented as SendRight(argument 1, argument 2). Argument 1 is the ID of the designated area, and argument 2 is the ID of the mobile body. The mobile body that executes the right-of-way provision command provides the right of way in the designated area specified by argument 1 to the mobile body specified by argument 2. Providing the right of way means sending data containing information indicating the right of way. Here, the right of way is provided to the mobile body that executes the right-of-way provision command itself, so the ID specified in argument 2 is the ID of the mobile body itself. The ID specified in argument 1 is the ID of the designated area determined above.

[0177] The first reference area in the travel route is determined. In the present embodiment, the first reference area corresponds to the departure point (starting position) of the moving body. For this first reference area, a movement command to the departure point is generated in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0178] The last reference area of ​​the travel route is determined. The last reference area corresponds to the arrival point (end position) of the moving body. For the last reference area, a movement command to the arrival point is generated in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0179] Regarding the reference area other than the first reference area and the last reference area, it is determined whether the reference area is a designated area. If the reference area is not a designated area, a movement command to the reference area corresponding to the reference area is generated.

[0180] When the reference area is a designated area (here, the reference area N is set as the designated area), the driving road connected before the reference area N is determined. The virtual area set for the reference area N in the determined driving road is determined (recorded as the virtual area A). In addition, in the driving route, the driving road connected after the reference area N is determined, and the virtual area set for the reference area N in the determined driving road is determined (recorded as the virtual area B).

[0181] Furthermore, a command to move to the virtual area A (the first command), a command to confirm whether the own moving body has the right of way to the reference area N (the right of way confirmation command, the second command), a command to move to the virtual area B if it has the right of way to the reference area N (the third command), and a command to provide the right of way to the reference area N to the moving body in the next order in the passing order information after moving to the virtual area B (the passing providing command, the fourth command) are generated. When there is no moving body in the next order (when the own moving body is the last order), the ID of the moving body is set to NULL (no moving body is specified) as an independent variable of the passing providing command. The right of way confirmation command is represented as HaveRight (independent variable). The independent variable of the right of way confirmation command is the ID of the reference area (specified area). The moving body that executes the right of way confirmation command confirms whether the own moving body has the right of way to pass through the specified area specified as the independent variable (that is, whether it is allowed to pass through the specified area). The second command can also be said to be a command to confirm whether or not the vehicle is allowed to depart from or pass through the virtual area A. The third command can also be said to be a command to depart from or pass through the virtual area A. The fourth command can also be said to be a command to allow the next mobile body to pass through the reference area N. In this way, four commands are generated for one reference area N.

[0182] The driving control unit 13 generates movement instruction data by arranging the commands generated for the multiple reference areas included in the driving route in the arrangement order of the multiple reference areas. Regarding the movement instruction data of the moving body that first passes through the designated area, the right of way provision command of the designated area is arranged at the beginning of the movement instruction data (before the departure command). When there are multiple designated areas that a certain moving body first passes through, multiple right of way provision commands are arranged at the beginning of the movement instruction data for the multiple designated areas. At this time, the arrangement order of the multiple right of way provision commands can be arbitrary.

[0183] The movement instruction data generating unit 15 transmits the movement instruction data generated for the moving object to the moving object via the communication unit 14 .

[0184] The above operation is performed for all moving objects for which operation plans are created.

[0185] Fig.19 Indicated in Fig.12 Operation plan (driving route information, passing order information) and Figure 7 An example of movement instruction data generated for AGV0 and AGV1 in the example of the travel road network of FIG.

[0186] The designated area Na is determined in the driving route of AGV0 and AGV1. According to the passing order information, the moving body that passes the designated area Na the earliest is AGV0. Thus, a command (right of way provision command) SendRight(Na, AGV0) is generated for AGV0 to provide AGV0 with the right of way in the designated area Na. In the driving route of AGV0 and AGV1, there is no designated area other than Na.

[0187] In the travel route of AGV0, the first reference area Pa corresponds to the departure point, and therefore a command to move to the point Pa is generated.

[0188] In the driving route of AGV0, the second area Na is a designated area whose passing order is determined by the passing order information. Therefore, in the driving route of AGV0, the driving road immediately before the area Na is determined. The virtual area Ia set for the area Na in the determined driving road is determined.

[0189] In addition, a travel road immediately following the area Na is determined in the travel route of the AGV 0. A virtual area Ib set for the area Na in the determined travel road is determined.

[0190] From this, we generate:

[0191] Command "Ia" to move to virtual area Ia,

[0192] A command "HaveRight(Na)" to confirm the right of way to the designated area Na (to confirm whether it is allowed to depart from or pass through the virtual area Ia),

[0193] A command "Ib" to move to the virtual area Ib (depart from or pass through the virtual area Ia) while having the right of way to the designated area Na,

[0194] After moving to the virtual area Ib, a command SendRight(Na, AGV1) is issued to provide the right of way of the designated area Na to the next-order moving body (AGV1).

[0195] In the travel route of AGV0, the third area Pb is the arrival point, and therefore a command "Pd" is generated to move to the arrival point Pb.

[0196] By arranging the commands generated as described above in accordance with the order of the reference areas included in the driving route, and arranging SendRight(Na, AGV0) at the beginning, a command is generated for AGV0. Fig.19The movement instruction data shown. In addition, the arrangement of SendRight (Na, AGV0) at the beginning is an example, and it can be arranged at any position as long as it is before the command HaveRight (Na) for confirming the right of way in the designated area designated by SendRight.

[0197] In the case of AGV1, movement instruction data can be generated in the same manner as AGV0.

[0198] Specifically, in the travel route of the AGV 1 , the first reference area Pc corresponds to the departure point, and therefore a command to move to the point Pc is generated.

[0199] In the driving route of AGV1, the second area Na is a designated area whose passing order is determined by the passing order information. Therefore, in the driving route of AGV1, the driving road immediately before the area Na is determined. The virtual area Ic set for the area Na in the determined driving road is determined.

[0200] In addition, a travel road immediately following the area Na is determined in the travel route of the AGV 0. A virtual area Id set for the area Na in the determined travel road is determined.

[0201] From this, we generate:

[0202] The command "Ic" to move to the virtual area Ic,

[0203] A command "HaveRight(Na)" to confirm the right of way in the designated area Na (to confirm whether it is allowed to depart from or pass through the virtual area Ic),

[0204] A command "Id" to move to the virtual area Id (to depart from or pass through the virtual area Ic) while having the right of way to the designated area Na,

[0205] The command SendRight(Na, NULL) is to provide the right of way of the designated area Na to the next moving body after moving to the virtual area Ic. Since there is no next moving body, the argument 2 of SendRight is set to NULL.

[0206] In addition, AGV1 is set to be unable to move to a position ahead of the virtual area Ic before confirming that it has the right of way to the designated area Na by executing HaveRight(Na). For example, if AGV1 reaches the virtual area Ic before obtaining the right of way to the area Na, it temporarily stops in the virtual area Ic. On the other hand, in the virtual area Id, AGV1 executes SendRight(Na, NULL) at the time of reaching the virtual area Id, and does not need to temporarily stop in the virtual area Id.

[0207] The travel control unit 13 transmits the movement instruction data generated for the AGV0 and the AGV1 to the AGV0 and the AGV1 via the communication unit 14 .

[0208] The driving control unit 55 of the mobile body uses the command execution unit 52 and the right of way processing unit 57 to control the driving of the mobile body. Before the mobile body passes through the imaginary area set in the driving route of the mobile body on the driving road before the designated area, the driving control unit 55 of the mobile body confirms whether it can pass through the designated area based on communication with other mobile bodies. The driving control unit 55 controls so that: if the mobile body can pass through the designated area, the imaginary area is passed, and if the mobile body cannot pass through the designated area, the imaginary area is not passed (for example, it stops in the imaginary area) until it can be confirmed that it can pass through the designated area. The driving control unit 55 obtains the movement instruction data from the operation planning device 100 via the communication unit 51.

[0209] The command execution unit 52 executes the commands included in the movement instruction data in order to cause the vehicle to travel from the departure point to the arrival point along the travel route.

[0210] When the command is a movement command to the reference region or the virtual region, the command execution unit 52 moves to the reference region or the virtual region specified by the movement command.

[0211] When the command is a right-of-way provision command, the command execution unit 52 uses the right-of-way processing unit 57 to perform processing for providing the right of way in the designated area specified by the right-of-way provision command to the moving body specified by the right-of-way provision command.

[0212] For example, a frame including a target field and a notification field is used, and the notification field stores the ID of the designated area to which the right of way is provided. The right of way processing unit 57 stores the ID (address, etc.) of the designated moving body in the target field of the frame, and stores the ID of the designated area to which the right of way is provided in the notification field to generate a frame. The generated frame is sent via the communication unit 51. In this way, the right of way of the designated area specified by the designated area field can be provided to the moving body specified by the target address. It can also be set to receive a response confirmation of the frame from the target moving body. It is also possible to resend the frame at a certain time interval when no response confirmation is received. In this way, the reliability of the provision of the right of way can be improved.

[0213] When receiving a frame from another mobile body, the right-of-way processing unit 57 checks whether the target is the mobile body itself. When it is the mobile body itself, the ID of the designated area is read from the notification field. The mobile body itself obtains the right of way in the designated area. The right-of-way processing unit 57 can store the information of the designated area where the mobile body itself has the right of way in the internal cache of the right-of-way processing unit 57, or the right-of-way processing unit 57 can store it in an accessible storage unit. The storage unit can be configured inside the mobile body or in an external device that can be accessed through wired or wireless communication.

[0214] When the command is a right of way confirmation command, the command execution unit 52 uses the right of way processing unit 57 to confirm whether the own moving body has the right of way in the designated area specified by the right of way provision command. If the moving body has the right of way, the next command is executed. That is, the moving body starts from the imaginary area in front of the designated area (i.e., the imaginary area currently temporarily stopped or currently heading to) and moves to the next area (imaginary area or reference area). The moving body passes through the designated area during the movement. If the moving body does not have the right of way, the moving body waits in the imaginary area in front of the designated area until the right of way is obtained.

[0215] The following describes the operation of the moving object by taking AGV0 and AGV1 as examples.

[0216] AGV0 receiving Fig.19 AGV1 receives the first moving body instruction data and executes the commands contained in the received moving body instruction data in order. Fig.19 The second moving body instruction data is received, and the commands included in the received moving body instruction data are executed in order. Here, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that AGV0 and AGV1 that have received the moving body instruction data start executing the commands at the same time.

[0217] [AGV0]

[0218] AGV0 executes SendRight(Na, AGV0) to provide AGV0 with the right of way of Na. Execute the next command Pa. Since it is already in area Pa, execute the next command Ia. AGV0 moves to the virtual area Ia by executing command Ia. When AGV0 reaches the virtual area Ia or before reaching the virtual area Ia, it executes the next command HaveRight(Na). AGV0 has the right of way of Na, so it executes the next command Ib. By executing command Ib, it drives to the virtual area Ib. On the way to the virtual area Ib, it passes through the area Na. When it reaches the virtual area Ib, it executes the next command SendRight(Na, AGV1) to provide AGV1 with the right of way of area Na. AGV0 then executes the next command Pb to move to area Pb. If it reaches area Pb, the action ends. For example, AGV0 waits to receive the next movement instruction data from the operation planning device 100.

[0219] [AGV1]

[0220] AGV1 executes command Pc, but since it is already in area Pc, it executes the next command Ic. AGV1 drives to the virtual area Ic by executing command Ic. When AGV1 reaches the virtual area Ic or before reaching the virtual area Ic, it executes the next command HaveRight(Na) to confirm whether it has the right of way to area Na. If AGV1 has not yet obtained the right of way, it temporarily stops in the virtual area Ic until it obtains the right of way to Na. If AGV1 obtains the right of way to Na before reaching Ic or if it obtains the right of way to Na in Ic, it executes the next command Id and drives to the virtual area Id. When AGV1 reaches the virtual area Id, it executes the next command SendRight(Na, NULL). The ID of the moving body is NULL, so it is determined that there is no moving body that will receive the right of way next. In this case, the right of way can also be abandoned. Alternatively, the right of way can also be sent to the operation planning device 100. In this case, the operation planning device 100 can grasp that all planned moving bodies have passed through the designated area involved in the right of way. AGV1 executes the next command Pd and moves to area Pd. If it reaches area Pb, the action ends. For example, AGV1 waits to receive the next movement instruction data from the operation planning device 100.

[0221] Fig. 201 is a flowchart showing an example of the action of a mobile body that has received movement instruction data. The command execution unit 52 of the mobile body determines the multiple commands contained in the movement instruction data in order from the beginning. The type of the determined command is confirmed (S41). When it is a movement command, move to the area (reference area or imaginary area) specified by the movement command (S42). After moving to the area, it is determined whether all commands have been executed (S47). In addition, when the mobile body is located at the first departure point (starting point), it is not necessary to move when the first command is a movement command to the starting point.

[0222] If it is determined in step S47 that all commands have not been executed (No), the next command is determined (S48), and the process returns to step S41. If all commands have been executed (Yes), the process ends.

[0223] When the determined command is not a movement command (S41: No), it is determined whether the command is a right-of-way provision command or a right-of-way confirmation command for a designated area (S43).

[0224] If the determined command is a right-of-way provision command, the right of way for the designated area designated by the right-of-way provision command is provided to the moving body designated by the right-of-way provision command (S46). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S45.

[0225] If the determined command is a right of way confirmation command, whether the right of way is available in the designated area is confirmed (S44). If the own moving body passes through the designated area first, the right of way is available. Otherwise, it is determined whether the right of way in the designated area has been obtained from another moving body (whether data including information indicating the right of way has been received). If the right of way is available, the next command is determined (S48), and the process returns to step S41.

[0226] According to this embodiment, by communicating between mobile bodies and handing over the right of way to a designated area, it is possible to prevent contention between mobile bodies in the designated area. For example, if the right of way to a designated area is not obtained, contention can be prevented by temporarily stopping in a virtual area in front of the designated area. In addition, by accepting the right of way before reaching the virtual area in front of the designated area, it is possible to move to the designated area without stopping in the virtual area.

[0227] (Hardware Structure)

[0228] Fig.21 express Figure 1 The hardware structure of the operation planning device 100. Figure 1The operation planning device 100 is constituted by a computer device 300 . The computer device 300 includes a CPU 301 , an input interface 302 , a display device 303 , a communication device 304 , a main storage device 305 , and an external storage device 306 , and these components are connected to each other via a bus 307 .

[0229] The CPU (central processing unit) 301 executes an operation plan program (information processing program) as a computer program on the main storage device 305. The operation plan program is a program that realizes the above-mentioned functional structures of the operation plan device 100. The operation plan program may not be a single program, but may be realized by a combination of multiple programs and scripts. The CPU 301 realizes each functional structure by executing the operation plan program.

[0230] The input interface 302 is a circuit or an input device for inputting an operation signal from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel to the operation planning device 100 .

[0231] The display device 303 displays the data output from the operation planning device 100. The display device 303 is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display), an organic electroluminescent display, a CRT (cathode ray tube, picture tube) or a PDP (plasma display panel), but is not limited thereto. The data output from the computer device 300 can be displayed on the display device 303.

[0232] The communication device 304 is a circuit for the operation planning device 100 to communicate with an external device wirelessly or by wire. Data can be input from an external device via the communication device 304. Data input from an external device can be stored in the main storage device 305 or the external storage device 306.

[0233] The main storage device 305 stores the operation plan program, data required for executing the operation plan program, data generated by executing the operation plan program, etc. The operation plan program is deployed on the main storage device 305 and executed. The main storage device 305 is, for example, RAM, DRAM, or SRAM, but is not limited thereto. Figure 1 Each DB or storage unit may also be constructed on the main storage device 305 .

[0234] The external storage device 306 stores the operation plan program, data required for the execution of the operation plan program, data generated by the execution of the operation plan program, etc. These operation plan programs and data are read to the main storage device 305 when the operation plan program is executed. The external storage device 306 is, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a flash memory, and a magnetic tape, but is not limited thereto. Figure 1 Each DB or each storage unit may also be constructed on the external storage device 306.

[0235] The operation planning program may be pre-installed in the computer device 300 or stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The operation planning program may also be uploaded to the Internet.

[0236] The operation planning device 100 may be configured by a single computer device 300 or may be configured as a system including a plurality of computer devices 300 connected to each other.

[0237] [Technical solution 1]

[0238] A driving control device, comprising:

[0239] a movement instruction data generating unit, which obtains a travel route and passing order information of a first moving body in a travel area, determines a third area, and generates movement instruction data for the first moving body based on the third area and the passing order information, wherein the travel area includes a plurality of first areas and a second area of ​​at least one travel road among a plurality of travel roads set between the plurality of first areas, the passing order information determines an order in which a plurality of moving bodies including the first moving body pass through the first areas included in the travel route, and the third area is the second area located before the first area in the travel route; and

[0240] A communication unit transmits the movement instruction data to the first moving body.

[0241] [Technical Solution 2]

[0242] According to the driving control device described in technical solution 1,

[0243] The movement instruction data includes:

[0244] A first command to move to the third area;

[0245] a second command to the travel control device to confirm whether the travel control device is allowed to pass through the first area; and

[0246] A third instruction to pass through the third area if the passage through the first area is permitted.

[0247] [Technical Solution 3]

[0248] According to the driving control device described in technical solution 1,

[0249] The movement instruction data generating unit specifies a fourth area as the second area located after the first area in the travel route, and generates the movement instruction data using the fourth area and the third area.

[0250] [Technical Solution 4]

[0251] According to the driving control device described in technical solution 3,

[0252] The movement instruction data includes:

[0253] A first command to move to the third area;

[0254] a second command to the travel control device to confirm whether the travel control device is allowed to pass through the first area;

[0255] a third command to move to the fourth area if passage through the first area is permitted; and

[0256] When the vehicle reaches the fourth area, a fourth command indicating that the vehicle has passed the first area is transmitted to the travel control device.

[0257] [Technical Solution 5]

[0258] According to the driving control device described in technical solution 2,

[0259] The driving control unit includes a driving control unit, which receives inquiry data on whether the first moving body executing the second command is allowed to pass through the first area, determines whether the passage of the first moving body is allowed based on the passage order information, and sends a permission notification for allowing the first moving body to pass if the passage of the first moving body is allowed.

[0260] [Technical Solution 6]

[0261] According to the driving control device described in technical solution 4,

[0262] The driving control unit includes a driving control unit, which receives inquiry data on whether the first moving body executing the second command is allowed to pass through the first area, determines whether the passage of the first moving body is allowed based on the passage order information, and sends a permission notification for allowing the first moving body to pass if the passage of the first moving body is allowed, and determines that the first moving body has passed through the first area when a passage completion notification indicating that the first moving body has passed through the first area is received from the first moving body executing the fourth command.

[0263] [Technical Solution 7]

[0264] According to the driving control device described in technical solution 3,

[0265] The movement instruction data includes:

[0266] A first command to move to the third area;

[0267] a second instruction for confirming whether the right of passage to the first area has been acquired from the second moving object;

[0268] a third order to move to said fourth area having obtained said right of way; and

[0269] A fourth command for providing the third moving body with the right of way after the third moving body has moved to the fourth area.

[0270] [Technical Solution 8]

[0271] The travel control device according to any one of technical solutions 1 to 7,

[0272] The travel road in which the third area is set is connected to the first area.

[0273] [Technical Solution 9]

[0274] The travel control device according to any one of technical solutions 1 to 8,

[0275] The first moving object is a moving object of an autonomous moving system.

[0276] [Technical Solution 10]

[0277] A mobile body, comprising:

[0278] a driving control unit that controls driving in a driving area including a plurality of first areas and a second area, wherein the second area is set at at least one driving road among a plurality of driving roads between the plurality of first areas; and

[0279] a communication unit capable of communicating with a travel control device for controlling travel of a plurality of moving bodies or at least one of the plurality of moving bodies,

[0280] The travel control unit,

[0281] the second area located before the first area in the travel route of the moving body is defined as a third area,

[0282] confirming whether the first area can be passed based on communication with the travel control device or a first moving body determined to pass through the first area before the moving body,

[0283] Control is performed so that: when the vehicle can pass through the first area, the vehicle passes through the third area, and when the vehicle cannot pass through the first area, the vehicle does not pass through the third area until the vehicle can pass through the first area.

[0284] [Technical Solution 11]

[0285] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 10,

[0286] A right of way processing unit is provided, wherein the right of way processing unit obtains the right of way for the first area from the first moving body,

[0287] The travel control unit performs control so that: the vehicle does not pass through the third area until the right of way is acquired, and passes through the third area after acquiring the right of way from the first vehicle;

[0288] The right-of-way processing unit provides the right of way to a second moving body at least after the moving body passes through the first area.

[0289] [Technical Solution 12]

[0290] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 11,

[0291] The right-of-way processing unit provides the right of way to the second moving body after the moving body moves to a fourth area which is the second area located after the first area in the travel route.

[0292] [Technical Solution 13]

[0293] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 11 or 12,

[0294] If the right of way has not been acquired when the vehicle reaches the third area, the travel control unit stops in the third area until the right of way is acquired.

[0295] [Technical Solution 14]

[0296] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 11 or 12,

[0297] When the travel control unit acquires the right of way before reaching the third area, the travel control unit passes through the third area without stopping in the third area.

[0298] [Technical Solution 15]

[0299] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 12,

[0300] A command execution unit is provided, the command execution unit receives movement instruction data and executes the first to fourth commands contained in the movement instruction data, the movement instruction data including the first to fourth commands,

[0301] The first command is a command to move to the third area,

[0302] The second command is a command to confirm whether the right of way has been obtained from the first moving object.

[0303] The third command is a command to move to the fourth area after obtaining the right of way.

[0304] The fourth command is a command to provide the right of way to the second moving body after the second moving body has moved to the fourth area.

[0305] [Technical Solution 16]

[0306] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 15,

[0307] The travel control unit controls the moving body so that the moving body stops in the third area.

[0308] The command execution unit executes the second command in a state where the moving body is stopped in the third area.

[0309] [Technical Solution 17]

[0310] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 15,

[0311] The command execution unit executes the second command before the mobile body reaches the third area, and the travel control unit causes the mobile body to pass through the third area without stopping in the third area when it can be confirmed that the mobile body has obtained the right of way before reaching the third area.

[0312] [Technical Solution 18]

[0313] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 10,

[0314] The travel control unit,

[0315] confirming with the travel control device whether the vehicle is allowed to pass through the first area,

[0316] When the travel control device permits the vehicle to pass through the first area, control is performed so as to pass through the third area.

[0317] [Technical Solution 19]

[0318] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 10,

[0319] The travel control unit transmits information indicating that the mobile body has passed through the first area to the travel control device after the mobile body moves to a fourth area that is the second area located after the first area in the travel route.

[0320] [Technical Solution 20]

[0321] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 18 or 19,

[0322] When the vehicle reaches the third area and is not permitted by the travel control device to pass through the first area, the travel control unit stops in the third area until the vehicle is permitted to pass through the first area.

[0323] [Technical Solution 21]

[0324] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 18 or 19,

[0325] The travel control unit performs control so as to pass through the third area without stopping in the third area, when the vehicle is allowed to pass through the first area before reaching the third area.

[0326] [Technical Solution 22]

[0327] The mobile body according to any one of technical solutions 10 and 18 to 21,

[0328] A command execution unit is provided, the command execution unit receives movement instruction data and executes first to third commands included in the movement instruction data, wherein the movement instruction data includes the first to third commands,

[0329] The first command is a command to move to the third area,

[0330] The second command is a command to confirm with the travel control device whether the travel control device allows the vehicle to pass through the first area.

[0331] The third command is a command to pass through the third area if passing through the first area is permitted.

[0332] [Technical Solution 23]

[0333] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 22,

[0334] The third command is a command for the mobile body to move to a fourth area, and the fourth area is the second area located after the first area in the driving route.

[0335] The movement instruction data includes a fourth command, wherein the fourth command is a command for transmitting information indicating that the moving body has passed through the first area to the travel control device after the moving body has moved to the fourth area.

[0336] The command execution unit executes the fourth command.

[0337] [Technical Solution 24]

[0338] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 22 or 23,

[0339] The travel control unit controls the moving body so that the moving body stops in the third area.

[0340] The command execution unit executes the second command in a state where the moving body is stopped in the third area.

[0341] [Technical Solution 25]

[0342] According to the mobile body described in technical solution 22 or 23,

[0343] The command execution unit executes the second command before the mobile body reaches the third area, and the travel control unit allows the mobile body to pass through the third area without stopping in the third area when the mobile body is allowed to pass through the first area before reaching the third area.

[0344] [Technical Solution 26]

[0345] The mobile body according to any one of technical solutions 10 to 25,

[0346] The travel road in which the third area is set is connected to the first area.

[0347] [Technical Solution 27]

[0348] The mobile body according to any one of technical solutions 10 to 26,

[0349] The mobile object is a mobile object of an autonomous mobile system.

[0350] [Technical Solution 28]

[0351] A travel system comprises a travel control device and a first moving body.

[0352] The travel control device includes a movement instruction data generating unit and a communication unit.

[0353] The movement instruction data generating unit obtains passage order information, the passage order information indicating the passage order of the plurality of moving bodies in the first area that the plurality of moving bodies pass through together in a travel route of the plurality of moving bodies in a travel area including a plurality of first areas and a second area, the second area being set at least one of the plurality of travel roads between the plurality of first areas,

[0354] The movement instruction data generating unit sets a second area on a travel path of a first moving body among the plurality of moving bodies as a third area,

[0355] The movement instruction data generating unit generates movement instruction data for the first moving body based on the third area and the passing order information.

[0356] The communication unit sends the movement instruction data to the moving object,

[0357] The mobile body comprises:

[0358] a communication unit that receives the movement instruction data; and

[0359] A travel control unit is configured to travel in the travel area based on the movement instruction data.

[0360] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the constituent elements can be deformed and embodied in the implementation stage without departing from the scope of its purpose. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of multiple constituent elements disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, several constituent elements can also be deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment. Further, the constituent elements in different embodiments can also be appropriately combined.

Claims

1. A driving control device comprising: a virtual region setting unit that determines an intersection region as the region where two or more of the driving roads intersect in a driving area including a plurality of regions and a plurality of driving roads connecting the plurality of regions, and sets a virtual region for the driving roads connected to the intersection region; and a movement instruction data generating unit, which obtains a travel route of a moving body in the travel area, the intersection area included in the travel route, and passing order information, and generates movement instruction data to be sent to the moving body based on the imaginary area in the travel route of the moving body, the intersection area, and the passing order information, wherein the passing order information determines the order in which a plurality of moving bodies including the moving body pass through the intersection area, The movement instruction data generating unit, determining a first imaginary area and a second imaginary area, wherein the first imaginary area is an imaginary area on the driving road connected to the intersection area before the moving body passes through the intersection area in the driving route of the moving body, and the second imaginary area is an imaginary area on the driving road connected to the intersection area after the moving body passes through the intersection area, The movement instruction data is generated using the first virtual area and the second virtual area.

2. The travel control device according to claim 1, The virtual region setting unit sets the virtual region at a position at a predetermined distance from the intersection region with respect to the travel road connected to the intersection region.

3. The travel control device according to claim 1, The virtual region setting unit sets the virtual region at a position associated with a distance from the intersection region corresponding to a structure of the travel road.

4. The travel control device according to claim 1, The virtual region setting unit sets the virtual region at a position associated with a distance from the intersection region corresponding to characteristics of each moving body traveling on the traveling road.

5. The travel control device according to claim 1, The movement instruction data includes: A first command for the mobile body to move to a first imaginary area; a second command to the travel control device to confirm whether the moving body is allowed to pass through the first imaginary area; as well as A third instruction for causing the mobile body to pass through the first virtual area when the mobile body is allowed to pass through the intersection area coupled to the travel road including the first virtual area.

6. The travel control device according to claim 1, The movement instruction data includes: a first instruction for the mobile body to move to the first imaginary area; a second command to the travel control device to confirm whether the mobile body is allowed to pass through the intersection area; A third command for causing the mobile body to move to the second virtual area if the mobile body is allowed to pass through the intersection area; and When the mobile body reaches the second virtual area, the mobile body transmits a fourth command to the travel control device, indicating that the mobile body has passed through the intersection area.

7. The travel control device according to claim 5, The driving control unit is provided with a driving control unit, which receives inquiry data on whether the mobile body executing the second command is allowed to pass through the intersection area, determines whether the passage of the mobile body is allowed based on the passage order information, and sends a permission notification allowing the mobile body to pass if the passage of the mobile body is allowed.

8. The travel control device according to claim 6, A driving control unit is provided, which receives inquiry data on whether the mobile body executing the second command is allowed to pass through the intersection area, determines whether the passage of the mobile body is allowed based on the passage order information, and sends a permission notification for allowing the mobile body to pass if the passage of the mobile body is allowed, and determines that the mobile body has passed through the intersection area when a passage completion notification indicating that the mobile body has passed through the intersection area is received from the mobile body executing the fourth command.

9. The travel control device according to claim 1, The movement instruction data includes: a first instruction for the mobile body to move to the first imaginary area; a second instruction for confirming whether the moving object has obtained the right of way in the intersection area from another moving object; A third instruction to move to the second virtual area when the mobile body has acquired the right of way; and A fourth command for providing the right of way to the third moving object after the moving object has moved to the second virtual area.

10. The travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The mobile object is a mobile object of an autonomous mobile system.

11. A running system comprising a running control device and a moving body, The travel control device includes a virtual area setting unit, a movement instruction data generating unit, and a communication unit. The virtual region setting unit determines an intersection region as the region where two or more of the driving roads intersect in a driving area including a plurality of regions and a plurality of driving roads connecting the plurality of regions, and sets a virtual region for the driving roads connected to the intersection region. The movement instruction data generating unit obtains passing order information, and generates movement instruction data of the moving body based on the imaginary area included in the driving route of the moving body, the intersection area included in the driving route of the moving body, and the passing order information, wherein the passing order information indicates the passing order of the plurality of moving bodies in the driving area in the intersection area commonly included in the driving routes of the plurality of moving bodies including the moving body, The communication unit sends the movement instruction data to the moving object, The mobile body comprises: a communication unit that receives the movement instruction data; and a travel control unit configured to control the vehicle to travel in the travel area based on the movement instruction data, The movement instruction data generating unit, determining a first imaginary area and a second imaginary area, wherein the first imaginary area is an imaginary area on the driving road connected to the intersection area before the moving body passes through the intersection area in the driving route of the moving body, and the second imaginary area is an imaginary area on the driving road connected to the intersection area after the moving body passes through the intersection area, The movement instruction data is generated using the first virtual area and the second virtual area.

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