Conveying device

Abstract

The conveying equipment is provided with a monitoring system (40). A monitoring system (40) is provided with a travel data acquisition unit (43), a connection data acquisition unit (44), a display device (41), and a control unit (42). A travel data acquisition unit (43) acquires travel data (53), which is data in which position information indicating the position of a transport vehicle is associated with time information. A connection data acquisition unit (44) acquires connection data (54), which is data in which connection destination information indicating the relationship between the vehicle-side communication unit and a wireless transmission / reception unit of a connection destination to which the vehicle-side communication unit is connected, and time information are associated. On the basis of the travel data (53) and the connection data (54), the control unit (42) executes a display process for causing the display device (41) to display connection relationship information indicating the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle and the wireless transmission / reception unit of the connection destination to which the transport vehicle is connected at the position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device including a conveying vehicle for conveying an object to be conveyed, a conveying control device for controlling the conveying vehicle, and a communication system for communicating between the conveying vehicle and the conveying control device. Background Art

[0002] An example of a conveying device such as the one listed above is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-166671 (Patent Document 1). In the following description of the background technology, the symbols in Patent Document 1 are cited in parentheses. The conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a traveling vehicle (12) for conveying articles, a system server (18) for controlling the traveling vehicle (12), and a communication system for communicating between the traveling vehicle (12) and the system server (18). The communication system includes a plurality of access points (8), which perform wireless communication with the traveling vehicle (12), and the communication system connects the plurality of access points (8) to the system server (18) via a ground LAN (14) in a manner that enables communication. The plurality of access points (8) are dispersedly arranged, and the traveling vehicle (12) switches the access point (8) of the connection destination and travels at the same time. Summary of the invention

[0003] However, wireless communication is generally more susceptible to the influence of the surrounding environment such as obstacles or radio wave interference than wired communication. Therefore, in order to set the wireless communication environment constructed using multiple wireless transceivers (in patent document 1, access points) as a good environment, it is ideal to be able to grasp the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver. By grasping the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver, it is possible to maintain or improve a good wireless communication environment by, for example, restarting the wireless transceiver, changing the setting location, replacing, adding, etc. In addition, the presence or absence or size of the influence of the surrounding environment on the wireless communication may change due to changes in the layout or equipment structure in the transport equipment. Therefore, the grasp of the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver may be necessary not only when the transport equipment is set up, but also after the transport equipment is set up. Therefore, it is ideal to be able to easily grasp the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver.

[0004] Therefore, it is desired to realize a technology that can easily grasp the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transmitter-receiver unit.

[0005] The conveying equipment related to the present disclosure is a conveying equipment including a conveying vehicle for conveying objects, a conveying control device that communicates with the above-mentioned conveying vehicle and controls the above-mentioned conveying vehicle, a communication system that communicates between the above-mentioned conveying vehicle and the above-mentioned conveying control device, and a monitoring system that monitors the status of the above-mentioned communication system, the above-mentioned communication system includes a plurality of wireless transceiver units, the wireless transceiver units perform wireless communication with a vehicle-side communication unit of the above-mentioned conveying vehicle, and the above-mentioned communication system is configured to connect the plurality of the above-mentioned wireless transceiver units with the above-mentioned conveying control device in a manner capable of communicating, the above-mentioned monitoring system includes a driving data acquisition unit, a connection data acquisition unit, a control unit, and a display device for displaying information, and the above-mentioned driving data acquisition unit is connected to the above-mentioned control device. The driving data acquisition unit acquires driving data, which is data that associates position information indicating the position of the aforementioned transport vehicle with time information indicating the time. The aforementioned connection data acquisition unit acquires connection data, which is data that associates connection destination information with the aforementioned time information. The connection destination information indicates a relationship between the aforementioned vehicle-side communication unit and the aforementioned wireless transceiver unit of a connection destination to which the aforementioned vehicle-side communication unit among the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers is connected. The aforementioned control unit performs display processing on the aforementioned display device to display connection relationship information based on the aforementioned driving data and the aforementioned connection data. The connection relationship information indicates a relationship between the position of the aforementioned transport vehicle and the aforementioned wireless transceiver unit of a connection destination to which the aforementioned transport vehicle is connected at the position.

[0006] According to this configuration, it is possible to associate the position information included in the travel data with the connection destination information included in the connection data based on the time information, so that the control unit can generate connection relationship information based on these travel data and connection data. Moreover, the connection relationship information is displayed on the display device through the display processing performed by the control unit, and the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver of the connection destination connected to the transport vehicle at this position is shown in the connection relationship information. Therefore, a person who sees the display device can easily grasp which wireless transceiver is connected to which position of the transport vehicle as the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver. In this way, according to this configuration, a technology that can easily grasp the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver can be realized.

[0007] Further features and advantages of the conveying facility will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the travel path of the transport vehicle. Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of a transport vehicle. Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing the structure of the conveying equipment related to the embodiment. Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system according to the embodiment. Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display device through display processing. Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing another example of an image displayed on a display device through display processing. Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display device through a graph display process. Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device through the failure status transmitting and receiving unit display processing. Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display device through radio field intensity transition display processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] The following describes the implementation of the conveying device based on the accompanying drawings. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the transport equipment 1 includes a transport vehicle 10, a transport control device 20, a communication system 30, and a monitoring system 40. Figure 2 As shown, the transport vehicle 10 transports the transport object 2. The transport object 2 is, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) for storing semiconductor wafers. In the present embodiment, the transport equipment 1 includes a plurality of transport vehicles 10.

[0010] The transport vehicle 10 (here, an unmanned transport vehicle) travels along the travel path 3 to transport the transport object 2. The control unit (not shown) provided in the transport vehicle 10 controls the movement of the transport vehicle 10 (such as the movement of traveling or the transfer movement of the transport object 2) according to the instructions from the transport control device 20. Figure 1 In the example shown, the travel path 3 is formed in a manner that passes through a processing device 5 that processes the transported object 2 (or the stored object stored in the transported object 2). For example, the transported object 2 to be processed by the processing device 5 is transported to the processing device 5 by the transport vehicle 10, and the transported object 2 after the processing by the processing device 5 is transported out of the processing device 5 by the transport vehicle 10.

[0011] Figure 2The transport vehicle 10 illustrated in the figure is constructed as follows. The transport vehicle 10 includes a travel portion 12 that travels along a travel path 3 and a main body portion 14 connected to the travel portion 12. The travel path 3 is formed by a track 4 (here, a pair of tracks 4 arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction). The transport object 2 is transported by the transport vehicle 10 in a state where it has been accommodated in the main body portion 14. The travel portion 12 includes travel wheels 13 that roll on a travel surface (here, the upper surface) of the track 4, and the travel wheels 13 are rotationally driven by a travel drive portion (for example, an electric motor such as a servo motor) not shown in the figure, so that the travel portion 12 travels along the track 4.

[0012] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, the transport vehicle 10 is set as a ceiling transport vehicle that travels along the track 4 supported by the ceiling suspension, but the type of the transport vehicle 10 is not limited to this. For example, the transport vehicle 10 can also be a tracked transport vehicle that travels along the track set on the ground. In addition, the transport vehicle 10 can also be a trackless transport vehicle such as AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot). In the case where the transport vehicle 10 is a trackless transport vehicle, the transport vehicle 10 does not travel along the driving path 3 that is physically formed using tracks, etc., but travels along the driving path 3 that is virtually formed. For example, multiple QR codes or RF (Radio Frequency) tags and other detected bodies are set on the ground, and the driving path 3 is virtually formed in a way that multiple detected bodies are connected. It can also be set as the following structure: such a detected body is not set on the ground, but the route calculated based on the recognition result based on the surrounding environment is virtually formed.

[0013] The transport control device 20 communicates with the transport vehicle 10 to control the transport vehicle 10. The transport control device 20 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and other computing devices and peripheral circuits such as a memory. For example, the functions of the transport control device 20 are realized by the cooperation of hardware such as the computing device and the program executed on the hardware. Figure 3 As shown, the transport control device 20 includes a storage device 21. The storage device 21 includes a storage medium capable of storing and rewriting information. As the storage device 21 or a log storage device 32 described later, a flash memory or a hard disk drive can be exemplified.

[0014] The transport control device 20 may be implemented not by a single device but by a plurality of devices that can communicate with each other. For example, when the area where the transport vehicle 10 travels is divided into a plurality of divided areas for management, the transport control device 20 may include a plurality of divided control devices that manage different divided areas. In addition, the storage device 21 included in the transport control device 20 and the devices other than the storage device 21 in the transport control device 20 may be different devices. In this case, the storage device 21 is provided in, for example, a server or a cloud server that can communicate with the devices other than the storage device 21 in the transport control device 20.

[0015] The communication system 30 performs communication between the transport vehicle 10 and the transport control device 20. The communication system 30 includes, for example, all components for communication between the transport vehicle 10 and the transport control device 20 (however, excluding the vehicle-side communication unit 11 described below). Preferably, the transport vehicle 10, the transport control device 20, and the communication system 30 (specifically, the wireless transceiver unit 31 described below) have common time information by performing time alignment.

[0016] like Figure 3 As shown, the communication system 30 includes a plurality of wireless transceivers 31, which perform wireless communication with the vehicle-side communication unit 11 of the transport vehicle 10, and the communication system 30 is configured to connect the plurality of wireless transceivers 31 to the transport control device 20 in a communicative manner. That is, the communication system 30 includes a plurality of wireless transceivers 31 and a device for constructing a communication network N between the plurality of wireless transceivers 31 and the transport control device 20. The communication network N may be wired, wireless, or a combination thereof. When a wired LAN (Local Area Network) is used to construct the communication network N, the communication system 30 includes, for example, a LAN cable or a hub as a device for constructing the communication network N.

[0017] The wireless transceiver unit 31 relays the communication between the transport vehicle 10 and the transport control device 20. The wireless transceiver unit 31 is a device called a so-called access point. The wireless transceiver unit 31 has a log storage device 32 that stores a log (communication log) related to the communication with the vehicle-side communication unit 11. The wireless transceiver unit 31 performs radio wave-based communication with the vehicle-side communication unit 11. In addition, in this specification, the electromagnetic waves used for wireless communication are referred to as "radio waves", and the "radio waves" are not limited to electromagnetic waves of a specifically specified frequency band. In the present embodiment, as an example, "radio waves" are set to electromagnetic waves of a frequency used in a wireless LAN.

[0018] like Figure 1As shown, the plurality of wireless transceivers 31 are dispersedly arranged in the area where the transport vehicle 10 travels. The plurality of wireless transceivers 31 are arranged so that each communication area A partially overlaps. The communication area A is an area where the radio wave strength of the wireless transceiver 31 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the communication area A of the wireless transceiver 31 is represented by a circle centered on the wireless transceiver 31. The radius of the circle representing the communication area A of the wireless transceiver 31 is shorter than the maximum distance over which communication between the wireless transceiver 31 and the vehicle-side communication unit 11 can be performed. Therefore, as will be referred to later, Figure 6 As shown in (a), outside the communication area A of the wireless transceiver 31, there may be a transport vehicle 10 connected to the wireless transceiver 31 (the transport vehicle 10a in the figure).

[0019] The vehicle-side communication unit 11 is provided with a communication module capable of wirelessly communicating with the wireless transceiver unit 31. The communication module is configured to perform wireless communication in accordance with the communication standard (e.g., wireless LAN) of the wireless transceiver unit 31. The vehicle-side communication unit 11 functions as a wireless station that wirelessly communicates with the wireless transceiver unit 31. The vehicle-side communication unit 11 establishes a communication link with a selected wireless transceiver unit 31 (e.g., a wireless transceiver unit 31 with the strongest radio wave strength) and is connected to the wireless transceiver unit 31 in a manner capable of communicating. As will be described later, Figure 5 As shown, as the transport vehicle 10 travels, the vehicle-side communication unit 11 provided in the transport vehicle 10 switches the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the other party to establish a communication link (roaming). For example, when the reception strength of the radio wave from the wireless transceiver unit 31 in connection becomes below a predetermined value, roaming is performed. In this way, the transport vehicle 10 switches the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination while traveling.

[0020] The transport control device 20 grasps the current position of the transport vehicle 10. In the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 10 is configured to recognize its own current position, and the transport control device 20 obtains information about the current position of the transport vehicle 10 from the transport vehicle 10. The transport control device 20 grasps the current position of each of the plurality of transport vehicles 10 by obtaining information about the current position of the transport vehicle 10 from each transport vehicle 10.

[0021] The transport vehicle 10 identifies its current position, for example, as described below. Information storage bodies such as QR codes or RF tags are provided at multiple locations in the travel path 3. The information storage body stores information about the location where the information storage body is provided, i.e., location information. The transport vehicle 10 includes a reading device for reading the location information stored in the information storage body and a travel distance detection device (e.g., a rotary encoder) for detecting the travel distance of the transport vehicle 10, and identifies its current position based on the location information read by the reading device and the travel distance after the reading device reads the location information. The transport vehicle 10 can also be configured to identify its current position based on the output of a positioning device such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver.

[0022] The conveying control device 20 assigns the task of conveying the conveyed object 2 to any one of the conveying vehicles 10. For example, the task is generated based on the conveying schedule of the conveyed object 2 or in accordance with the generation of the conveying request of the conveyed object 2. The task is generated by the conveying control device 20, or by another device (e.g., a superior control device) that can communicate with the conveying control device 20. The execution instruction of the task is sent from the conveying control device 20 to the conveying vehicle 10 to which the task has been assigned.

[0023] The task is, for example, a transport task for transporting the transport object 2 from the transport source to the transport destination, or a vehicle allocation task for arranging the transport vehicle 10 at a designated location (for example, a location that is scheduled or predicted to be the transport source of the transport object 2). The transport source or the transport destination is, for example, a loading port of the processing device 5, an inlet and outlet port of a storage device (not shown) for storing the transport object 2, a storage rack (not shown) for temporarily storing the transport object 2, etc. The transport vehicle 10 to which the transport task has been assigned drives to the transport source specified by the transport task and receives the transport object 2, and then drives to the transport destination specified by the transport task and delivers the transport object 2. In addition, the transport vehicle 10 to which the vehicle allocation task has been assigned drives to the location specified by the vehicle allocation task and waits at the location.

[0024] The monitoring system 40 monitors the state of the communication system 30. For example, the monitoring system 40 is composed of a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. In addition, the monitoring system 40 may be composed not of a single hardware but of a collection of multiple hardware (multiple separate hardware) that can communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly.

[0025] The monitoring system 40 is configured to be able to obtain information stored in the storage device 21 or the log storage device 32 (specifically, the map data 51, the transceiver position data 52, the driving data 53, the connection data 54, the radio wave data 55, and the connection transport vehicle data 56 described later). The information that the monitoring system 40 has obtained by referring to the storage device 21 or the log storage device 32 is stored in, for example, a storage device (for example, a flash memory or a hard disk drive) not shown in the figure that the monitoring system 40 has. The information that has been stored in the storage device is deleted, for example, after a fixed period of time has passed. Figure 4 In FIG. 1 , a mode in which the monitoring system 40 refers to the storage device 21 of the transport control device 20 or the log storage device 32 of the wireless transceiver 31 via the communication network N is exemplified.

[0026] like Figure 4 As shown, the monitoring system 40 includes a control unit 42 and a display device 41 for displaying information. The display device 41 is, for example, a monitor (display) of a computer constituting the monitoring system 40. The control unit 42 includes, for example, a CPU or other processing unit and peripheral circuits such as a memory. For example, the functions of the control unit 42 are realized by the cooperation of hardware such as the processing unit and a program executed on the hardware.

[0027] The control unit 42 controls the display device 41. The control unit 42 generates a display screen S (see Figures 5 to 9 ) to control the display device 41 so that the display image is displayed on the display screen S. As the display device 41, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display can be exemplified. Figures 5 to 9 In FIG. 4 , the case where the display screen S is provided on the outer surface of the display device 41 is illustrated, but the display screen S may be a screen projected on a screen or the like.

[0028] The control unit 42 obtains operation information indicating the content of the operation (e.g., screen operation) performed by a staff member or the like on an input device not shown in the figure, and generates a display image corresponding to the content of the operation information. As the input device, a keyboard or a pointing device (mouse, touch pad, touch screen, etc.) can be exemplified. In addition, the display device 41 can also be a device that integrates the input device, such as a device in which the display screen S functions as a touch screen.

[0029] like Figure 4As shown, the monitoring system 40 includes a driving data acquisition unit 43 and a connection data acquisition unit 44. In this embodiment, the monitoring system 40 also includes a radio wave data acquisition unit 45 and a connection transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46. These functional units (43 to 46) of the monitoring system 40 are implemented by the control unit 42 (specifically, the processing unit) executing the program. The functional units of the monitoring system 40 are at least logically distinguished, but do not necessarily need to be physically distinguished.

[0030] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the monitoring system 40 is illustrated as being provided separately from the transport control device 20, but the transport control device 20 and the monitoring system 40 may be constituted by a common computer, or the monitoring system 40 may be constructed using the transport control device 20. For example, a control unit (not shown) provided in the transport control device 20 may be used as a control unit 42 of the monitoring system 40, a monitor (not shown) provided in the transport control device 20 may be used as a display device 41 of the monitoring system 40, and a storage device 21 provided in the transport control device 20 may be used as a storage device (not shown) of the monitoring system 40.

[0031] In this way, at least a part of the transport control device 20 may also be included in the monitoring system 40. In this case, at least any one of the functional units (43 to 46) of the monitoring system 40 may also be implemented by the transport control device 20. Similarly, at least a part of the wireless transceiver 31 may also be included in the monitoring system 40. In this case, at least any one of the functional units (43 to 46) of the monitoring system 40 may also be implemented by the wireless transceiver 31.

[0032] The driving data acquisition unit 43 is a functional unit for acquiring driving data 53. The driving data 53 is data that associates the position information showing the position of the transport vehicle 10 with the time information showing the time. In the time information associated with the position information showing the position of the transport vehicle 10, the time when the transport vehicle 10 is located at the position is shown. That is, the driving data 53 is data (driving log data) in which the history of the position of the transport vehicle 10 is associated with the time and recorded. The driving data acquisition unit 43 acquires the driving data 53, for example, at regular intervals. In the present embodiment, the transport equipment 1 has a plurality of transport vehicles 10, and the driving data 53 is associated with the specially designated transport vehicle information of the specially designated transport vehicle 10 (identification information of the transport vehicle 10). That is, the driving data 53 is data that associates the specially designated transport vehicle information, the position information of the transport vehicle 10, and the time information.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 10 sends its own position information (information of the current position) to the transport control device 20 sequentially or periodically. When the transport control device 20 has obtained the position information from the transport vehicle 10, the transport control device 20 stores the position information of the transport vehicle 10 in the storage device 21 in association with the time information indicating the time when the position information was obtained (in the present embodiment, it is also associated with the special transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10). Moreover, the driving data acquisition unit 43 obtains the driving data 53 with reference to the storage device 21. Different from such a configuration, the transport vehicle 10 can also be configured as follows: the transport vehicle 10 sends its own position information as driving data 53 to the transport control device 20 in association with the time information indicating the time when the position information was recognized, and the transport control device 20 stores the driving data 53 obtained from the transport vehicle 10 in the storage device 21 (in the present embodiment, it is stored in association with the special transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10). In addition, the special transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10 can also be included in the data sent from the transport vehicle 10 to the transport control device 20.

[0034] The connection data acquisition unit 44 is a functional unit that acquires connection data 54. The connection data 54 is data that associates connection destination information with time information. The connection destination information is information that shows the relationship between the vehicle-side communication unit 11 and the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination to which the vehicle-side communication unit 11 is connected among multiple wireless transceiver units 31. That is, the connection destination information includes specific transceiver unit information (identification information of the wireless transceiver unit 31) that specifically specifies the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination to which the vehicle-side communication unit 11 is connected. In the time information associated with the connection destination information, the time when the vehicle-side communication unit 11 is connected (in other words, logged in) to the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination included in the connection destination information is shown. The time information associated with the connection destination information may further show the time when the connection between the vehicle-side communication unit 11 and the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination is released (in other words, logged out). The connection data acquisition unit 44 acquires the connection data 54, for example, at fixed intervals. In the present embodiment, the transport facility 1 includes a plurality of transport vehicles 10, and the specific transport vehicle information is associated with the connection data 54. That is, the connection data 54 is data in which the specific transport vehicle information, the connection destination information, and the time information are associated with each other.

[0035] In the present embodiment, when the transport vehicle 10 is connected to the wireless transceiver 31, the wireless transceiver 31 stores the time information indicating the time of the connection in association with the specific transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10 (or in association with the specific transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10 and the specific transceiver information of the wireless transceiver 31) in the log storage device 32. Furthermore, the connection data acquisition unit 44 acquires the connection data 54 by referring to the log storage device 32. In addition, when the specific transceiver information of the wireless transceiver 31 provided with the log storage device 32 is not associated with the data stored in the log storage device 32, the connection data acquisition unit 44 acquires the connection data 54 by associating the specific transceiver information of the wireless transceiver 31 provided with the log storage device 32 with the data acquired from the log storage device 32.

[0036] The transport vehicle 10 can also be configured as follows when it is possible to identify the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination provided in the vehicle-side communication unit 11 of the transport vehicle 10. When the vehicle-side communication unit 11 provided in the transport vehicle 10 is connected to the wireless transceiver 31, the transport vehicle 10 sends the time information indicating the time of the connection to the transport control device 20 in association with the specific transceiver information of the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination. The transport control device 20 stores the connection data 54 acquired from the transport vehicle 10 in the storage device 21 in association with the specific transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10. Furthermore, the connection data acquisition unit 44 acquires the connection data 54 with reference to the storage device 21.

[0037] The radio wave data acquisition unit 45 is a functional unit for acquiring radio wave data 55. The radio wave data 55 is data in which radio wave strength information during connection is associated with time information, and the radio wave strength information during connection shows the strength (radio wave strength) of the communication radio wave during connection between each of the multiple radio transceiver units 31 and the vehicle-side communication unit 11. The time information associated with the radio wave strength information during connection shows the time when the radio wave strength related to the radio wave strength information during connection is detected. The radio wave strength is represented by a numerical value of RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). The radio wave data acquisition unit 45 acquires the radio wave data 55, for example, at fixed intervals.

[0038] In the present embodiment, the transport equipment 1 includes a plurality of transport vehicles 10, and the radio wave data 55 is data in which radio wave intensity information and time information are associated during connection, and the radio wave intensity information during connection indicates the intensity of the communication radio wave during connection between each of the plurality of radio transceivers 31 and the vehicle-side communication unit 11 of each of the plurality of transport vehicles 10. That is, the radio wave data 55 is associated with the specific transport vehicle information of the specific transport vehicle 10, in other words, the radio wave data 55 is data in which the specific transport vehicle information, the radio wave intensity information during connection, and the time information are associated. The specific transceiver information of the radio transceiver 31 of the connection destination of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 may be associated with the radio wave data 55, but even if the specific transceiver information of the radio transceiver 31 is not associated with the radio wave data 55, when the radio wave intensity related to the radio wave intensity information during connection is detected, the radio transceiver 31 to which the vehicle-side communication unit 11 is currently connected can be grasped based on the connection data 54.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the radio wave intensity indicated by the radio wave intensity information during connection is the radio wave intensity of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 detected by the wireless transceiver unit 31 (the reception intensity of the radio wave from the vehicle-side communication unit 11). The wireless transceiver unit 31, for example, periodically detects the radio wave intensity of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 that is connected to the wireless transceiver unit 31, and stores the information of the detected radio wave intensity (i.e., the radio wave intensity information during connection) in the log storage device 32 in association with the time information indicating the time of the detection (in the present embodiment, in association with the specific transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10 equipped with the vehicle-side communication unit 11). In addition, the radio wave data acquisition unit 45 acquires the radio wave data 55 with reference to the log storage device 32.

[0040] The connected transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46 is a functional unit that acquires the connected transport vehicle data 56. The connected transport vehicle data 56 is data in which specific transport vehicle information that specifies the transport vehicle 10 connected to each of the plurality of wireless transceivers 31 is associated with time information. The time information associated with the specific transport vehicle information indicates the time when the transport vehicle 10 connected to each of the plurality of wireless transceivers 31 is specified. The connected transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46 acquires the connected transport vehicle data 56, for example, at regular intervals.

[0041] In the present embodiment, the connection transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46 refers to the log storage device 32 to acquire the connection transport vehicle data 56. In addition, the connection transport vehicle data 56 can be generated based on the connection data 54 about each of the plurality of transport vehicles 10. Therefore, the connection transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46 can also be configured to acquire the connection data 54 from the log storage device 32 of each of the plurality of wireless transceiver units 31 to generate the connection transport vehicle data 56. In addition, it can also be configured to store the data obtained by merging the connection data 54 and the connection transport vehicle data 56 in the log storage device 32.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the monitoring system 40 (specifically, the control unit 42) is able to refer to the map data 51 of the map M showing the travel path 3 of the transport vehicle 10. In the present embodiment, in addition to the information of the map M of the travel path 3, the map data 51 also includes information on the configuration of each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the map data 51 includes transceiver position data 52 showing the position of each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31, and the monitoring system 40 (specifically, the control unit 42) is able to refer to the transceiver position data 52. Figure 4 In the illustrated example, the map data 51 and the transceiver position data 52 are stored in the storage device 21 , but the map data 51 and the transceiver position data 52 may be stored in another storage device that the monitoring system 40 can refer to.

[0043] Next, the configuration of the control unit 42 included in the monitoring system 40 will be described. The control unit 42 performs display processing to display the connection relationship information on the display device 41 based on the travel data 53 and the connection data 54. The connection relationship information is information showing the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination to which the transport vehicle 10 is connected at the position. Here, the so-called "connected at the position" means the state of being "connected" at the position, including both the case where a communication link has been established at the position (in other words, logged in) and the case where a communication link is being established before reaching the position. The control unit 42 can obtain information about which position the transport vehicle 10 is located at at each time point from the travel data 53, and obtain information about which wireless transceiver unit 31 the vehicle-side communication unit 11 is connected to at each time point from the connection data 54. Therefore, the control unit 42 can generate information about which wireless transceiver unit 31 the transport vehicle 10 is connected to at which position, i.e., the connection relationship information, by establishing a relationship between these travel data 53 and the connection data 54 at the time.

[0044] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The following respectively show how the connection relationship information is displayed on the display screen S through display processing. Figure 5In the example shown, one or more specifically designated transport vehicles 10 (here, a specifically designated transport vehicle 10) are the objects of display processing, and connection relationship information of the wireless transceiver 31 indicating the connection destination of the specifically designated transport vehicle 10 is displayed on the display screen S. Figure 6 In the example shown, one or more specifically designated wireless transceivers 31 (here, one specifically designated wireless transceiver 31) are the objects of display processing, and connection relationship information showing the transport vehicles 10 connected to the specifically designated wireless transceiver 31 is displayed on the display screen S. Figure 5 and Figure 6 Although not displayed on the display screen S in the illustrated example, information on the time when the transport vehicle 10 is located at the position indicated by the connection relationship information may be displayed on the display screen S.

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the control unit 42 causes the display device 41 to display a map M based on the map data 51 during the display process, and causes a transport vehicle mark M1 indicating the position of the transport vehicle 10 and a connection destination transceiver mark M2 of the wireless transceiver 31 indicating the connection destination to which the transport vehicle 10 is connected at the position to be displayed on the map M as connection relationship information. Figure 5 In the example, it is assumed that the map M is displayed by track 4 (refer to Figure 2 ) is not intended to be a layout of the travel route 3 formed by the above-mentioned process, but it is also possible to display only the travel route 3 on which the transport vehicle 10 has actually traveled as a map M.

[0046] The shapes or forms of the transport vehicle mark M1 and the connection destination transceiver mark M2 can be changed as appropriate. Figure 5 In the example shown, the transport vehicle mark M1 is set to a triangular mark, and the connection destination transceiver mark M2 is set to a circular mark. In this example, a circle showing the communication area A of the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination is also displayed on the map M. In addition, in this example, the connection destination transceiver display D1 showing the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination is displayed on the display screen S. Here, the connection destination transceiver display D1 is set to a display that combines characters indicating that it is a wireless transceiver 31 (here, "AP") and numbers showing the identification information of the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination (here, "0001", etc.).

[0047] As mentioned above, in Figure 5 In the example shown, the transport vehicle 10 that is specifically designated is the target of the display process, and the connection relationship information indicating the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination of the transport vehicle 10 that is specifically designated is displayed on the display screen S. Figure 5In the map M, the position of the specially designated transport vehicle 10 (here, one transport vehicle 10) is indicated by a transport vehicle mark M1, and the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination to which the specially designated transport vehicle 10 is connected at the position is indicated by a connection destination transceiver mark M2. In this example, the area around the position of the specially designated transport vehicle 10 in the map M is enlarged and displayed.

[0048] exist Figure 5 , press the image displayed on the display screen S Figure 5 (a) Figure 5 (b) Figure 5 (c) are shown in time series, and at the positions shown in each figure, the specially designated transport vehicle 10 is connected to different wireless transceivers 31. For example, the control unit 42 can be configured as follows: when a movement operation of an input device not shown is received, the position of the transport vehicle mark M1 is moved. In this case, the connection destination transceiver mark M2 is displayed in a manner showing the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination to which the transport vehicle 10 is connected at the position of the movement destination of the transport vehicle mark M1.

[0049] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, the connection relationship information (the correspondence between the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 at the connection destination of the transport vehicle 10) is displayed on the display screen S by only displaying the specially designated transport vehicle 10 (specifically, the transport vehicle mark M1 showing the transport vehicle 10) and the wireless transceiver 31 at the connection destination of the specially designated transport vehicle 10 (specifically, the transceiver mark M2 showing the connection destination of the wireless transceiver 31). In this example, in order to more clearly indicate the connection relationship information, the correspondence between the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 at the connection destination of the transport vehicle 10 is indicated by a graphic connecting the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 (here, an arrow from the wireless transceiver 31 toward the transport vehicle 10). Not limited to this, for example, the correspondence between the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 at the connection destination of the transport vehicle 10 can also be indicated by showing the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 by graphics of the same color.

[0050] In order to visually and easily display how the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination changes with the movement of the transport vehicle 10, it is appropriate that the control unit 42 is set to perform a reproduction display process in the display process. Here, the reproduction display process is a process in which the transport vehicle mark M1 is moved on the map M, and the connection destination transceiver mark M2 is changed in accordance with the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination that changes with the movement of the transport vehicle mark M1. In the reproduction display process, the transport vehicle mark M1 is moved on the map M along the travel path 3 that the transport vehicle 10 has traveled, which is shown by the transport vehicle mark M1. The control unit 42 performs the reproduction display process, for example, when a reproduction display operation on an input device not shown in the figure, such as a click operation on a button image indicating "reproduction display", has been accepted. The control unit 42 can also be set to perform the reproduction display process without being conditioned on the reception of the reproduction display operation (for example, automatically).

[0051] For example, in Figure 5 When the control unit 42 starts the reproduction and display processing in a state where the image shown in (a) is displayed on the display screen S, Figure 5 (b) The image and Figure 5 The images shown in (c) are displayed in sequence on the display screen S. Figure 5 In the example shown, by indicating only the wireless transceiver 31 connected to the transport vehicle 10 by the connection destination transceiver mark M2, the connection destination transceiver mark M2 (specifically, the position of the connection destination transceiver mark M2, i.e., the wireless transceiver 31 indicated by the connection destination transceiver mark M2) changes in accordance with the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination that changes with the movement of the transport vehicle mark M1.

[0052] In the reproduction and display processing, the speed at which the transport vehicle mark M1 moves on the map M can be set to a speed corresponding to the travel speed of the transport vehicle 10 at each position based on the travel data 53. In this case, for example, the travel data 53 includes data that associates speed information indicating the travel speed of the transport vehicle 10 with time information, and the control unit 42 obtains the travel speed of the transport vehicle 10 at each position based on the travel data 53. It can also be set as follows: the travel data 53 does not include the speed information of the transport vehicle 10, and the control unit 42 obtains the travel speed of the transport vehicle 10 through calculation based on the position information and time information of the transport vehicle 10 included in the travel data 53. In addition, in the reproduction and display processing, the speed at which the transport vehicle mark M1 moves on the map M can also be set to a fixed speed that is independent of the travel speed of the transport vehicle 10.

[0053] exist Figure 5In the example shown, a distance display D2 is displayed on the display screen S. When the control unit 42 is configured to display the connection distance information in addition to the connection relationship information in the display process, the distance display D2 showing the connection distance information is displayed on the display screen S. Here, the connection distance information is information showing the distance between the position of the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination connected to the transport vehicle 10 at the position (hereinafter referred to as "connection distance"), and the control unit 42 causes the display device 41 to display the connection distance information based on the driving data 53 and the transceiver position data 52 (and further based on the connection data 54 as needed). In this example, the distance display D2 is set to be a display that combines a character indicating the connection distance (here, "D") and a number indicating the size of the connection distance (here, "10000", etc.). The distance display D2 can also be a schematic graphic showing the size of the connection distance.

[0054] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, a radio wave strength display D3 is displayed on the display screen S. When the control unit 42 is configured to display the radio wave strength information in addition to the connection relationship information in the display process, the radio wave strength display D3 showing the radio wave strength information is displayed on the display screen S. Here, the radio wave strength information is information showing the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle 10 and the strength of the communication radio wave between the transport vehicle 10 at the position and the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination (in this embodiment, the radio wave strength of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 detected by the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination), and the control unit 42 causes the display device 41 to display the radio wave strength information based on the driving data 53 and the radio wave data 55 (and further based on the connection data 54 as needed). In this example, the radio wave strength information is displayed by the transport vehicle mark M1 showing the position of the transport vehicle 10 and the radio wave strength display D3 showing the strength of the communication radio wave between the transport vehicle 10 at the position and the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination.

[0055] The control unit 42 can obtain information about the position of the transport vehicle 10 at each time point from the driving data 53, and obtain information about the intensity of the communication radio waves between the vehicle-side communication unit 11 and the wireless transceiver unit 31 of the connection destination of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 at each time point from the radio wave data 55. Therefore, the control unit 42 can generate information about the intensity of the radio waves at each time point by establishing a relationship between the driving data 53 and the radio wave data 55 at each time point. Figure 5In the example shown, the radio wave strength display D3 is set to display a combination of characters indicating the radio wave strength (here, "RS") and numbers indicating the magnitude of the radio wave strength (here, "50", etc.). The radio wave strength display D3 may also be a schematic graph showing the magnitude of the radio wave strength.

[0056] Next, Figure 6 As described above, in Figure 6 In the example shown, a specific wireless transceiver 31 is the target of display processing, and connection relationship information showing the transport vehicles 10 connected to the specific wireless transceiver 31 is displayed on the display screen S. Figure 6 In the , by marking (here, with Figure 5 Similarly, the circular mark) indicates the position of a specific wireless transceiver 31 (here, one wireless transceiver 31), and the mark (here, the same as the connection destination transceiver mark M2) indicates the position of a specific wireless transceiver 31 (here, one wireless transceiver 31). Figure 5 Similarly, the transport vehicle 10 shown in the figure, the triangle mark) shows the position of the transport vehicle 10. Figure 6 In the example shown, it is not displayed on the display screen S, but a display showing the specifically designated wireless transceiver 31 (for example, Figure 5 The connection destination transceiver display D1 shown in the figure is displayed on the display screen S. Figure 6 The example shown is about Figure 5 The common items in the examples shown are omitted for simplicity. Figure 5 The examples shown are centered around different aspects of the description.

[0057] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, all the transport vehicles 10 present in the range of the map M displayed on the display screen S (here, the range around a specially designated wireless transceiver 31 is enlarged) are shown. Moreover, in this example, the transport vehicle 10 connected to the specially designated wireless transceiver 31 (hereinafter referred to as "the transport vehicle 10a in connection") is displayed in a form different from other transport vehicles 10, indicating the connection relationship information (the correspondence between the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination of the transport vehicle 10). In this example, the transport vehicle 10a in connection is indicated by a blackened triangle mark, and the other transport vehicles 10 are indicated by a blank triangle mark, so that the transport vehicle 10a in connection is emphasized. It is not limited to making the types of graphics different in this way. The transport vehicle 10a in connection can also be displayed in a form different from other transport vehicles 10 (for example, a form that is emphasized more than other transport vehicles 10) by making the size of the graphics different, making the color (hue, brightness, etc.) of the graphics different, making the thickness or type of the line segments constituting the graphics different, or a combination thereof.

[0058] exist Figure 6 , press the image displayed on the display screen S Figure 6 (a) Figure 6 (b) Figure 6 (c) is shown in time series. Figure 6 In the example shown, a connection number display D4 showing the number (registered number) of transport vehicles 10 (connected transport vehicles 10a) connected to a specific wireless transceiver 31 at each time point is displayed on the display screen S. In this example, the connection number display D4 is set to a display combining characters indicating the number of transport vehicles 10 (here, the acronym "NOV" for Number of Vehicles) and a number (here, "5", etc.) indicating the number of transport vehicles 10. The connection number display D4 may also be a schematic graphic showing the number of transport vehicles 10.

[0059] In order to visually and easily show how the number of registered vehicles changes with the passage of time, it is appropriate that the control unit 42 is configured to perform a replay display process in the display process. The replay display process here is a process in which a mark indicating the transport vehicle 10 is moved on the map M, and the mark indicating the transport vehicle 10 is changed in accordance with the change in the connection state of the wireless transceiver unit 31 that changes with it and is specifically designated. For example, in Figure 6 When the image shown in (a) is displayed on the display screen S and the control unit 42 starts the reproduction and display processing, Figure 6 (b) The image and Figure 6 The images shown in (c) are displayed in sequence on the display screen S. Figure 6 In the example shown, the transport vehicle 10a being connected and the transport vehicle 10 not being connected 10a are indicated by marks of different shapes, and the mark indicating the transport vehicle 10 changes in accordance with the change in the connection state with the specific wireless transceiver 31 .

[0060] As described above, the control unit 42 performs display processing to display at least the connection relationship information on the display device 41. Although not limited to such a configuration, it is suitable that the control unit 42 is configured as follows: in addition to performing the display processing, it also performs at least any one of the first graph display processing, the second graph display processing, the bad condition transceiver display processing, and the radio wave strength transition display processing described below.

[0061] The first graph display processing is a processing for causing the display device 41 to display a graph (hereinafter referred to as "the first graph G1") showing the number of transport vehicles 10 connected to each of the plurality of wireless transceiver units 31 within a set period. The control unit 42 executes the first graph display processing based on the connected transport vehicle data 56. The control unit 42 obtains information on which transport vehicle 10 is connected to which wireless transceiver unit 31 at each time point from the connected transport vehicle data 56 and generates the first graph G1 (refer to Figure 7 ). The number of transport vehicles 10 (number of registered vehicles) shown in the first graph G1 is, for example, the number of transport vehicles 10 at a time point when the number of transport vehicles 10 connected to each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31 becomes the maximum within a set period (that is, the maximum number of transport vehicles 10 connected at the same time). Not limited to this, the number of transport vehicles 10 (number of registered vehicles) shown in the first graph G1 can also be set to the cumulative value of the number of transport vehicles 10 connected to each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31 within a set period, etc.

[0062] The second graph display processing is a processing for causing the display device 41 to display a graph (hereinafter referred to as "the second graph G2") showing the radio wave strength related to the radio wave strength information during connection during the set period of each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31. The control unit 42 performs the second graph display processing based on the radio wave data 55. As described above, the radio wave strength information during connection is information showing the strength of the communication radio wave (radio wave strength) during the connection between each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31 and the vehicle-side communication unit 11 of each of the multiple transport vehicles 10. The control unit 42 obtains information about the radio wave strength of each of the multiple wireless transceiver units 31 at each time point from the radio wave strength information during connection included in the radio wave data 55 to generate the second graph G2 (refer to Figure 7 The radio wave intensity shown in the second graph G2 is, for example, an average value (time average value, the same applies below) of the radio wave intensity during the setting period of each of the plurality of radio transceivers 31. The average value is, for example, an average value of the radio wave intensity without distinguishing between the plurality of transport vehicles 10.

[0063] The display process for displaying the connection relationship information and the display process for the first graph may be executed in a switching manner or simultaneously. When the display process for displaying the connection relationship information and the display process for the first graph are executed simultaneously, the image showing the connection relationship information and the first graph G1 are displayed simultaneously (for example, in different areas on the display screen S). In addition, the display process for displaying the connection relationship information and the display process for the second graph may be executed in a switching manner or simultaneously. When the display process for displaying the connection relationship information and the display process for the second graph are executed simultaneously, the image showing the connection relationship information and the second graph G2 are displayed simultaneously (for example, in different areas on the display screen S).

[0064] In addition, the first graph display process and the second graph display process may be executed in a switching manner or simultaneously. Figure 7 , an example is shown in which the first graph display process and the second graph display process are executed simultaneously, and the first graph G1 and the second graph G2 are displayed in different areas of the display screen S. In this example, in both the first graph G1 and the second graph G2, a graph is shown in which a plurality of wireless transceivers 31 are arranged side by side on the horizontal axis, and numbers such as "0001" indicate identification numbers of the wireless transceivers 31. In addition, in the first graph G1, the number of registered units in the setting period of each wireless transceiver 31 is shown by a bar graph, and the average value of the number of registered units is shown by a line graph. In addition, in the second graph G2, a line graph showing the average value of the radio wave strength in the setting period of each wireless transceiver 31 and a line graph showing the average value of the average value are shown in a superimposed manner.

[0065] The bad condition transceiver display process is a process of causing the display device 41 to display the bad condition transceiver 31a. The control unit 42 sets the wireless transceiver 31 whose at least one of the number of transport vehicles 10 connected within a set period and the radio wave intensity related to the radio wave intensity information during connection within the set period is less than a predetermined judgment threshold as the bad condition transceiver 31a, and executes the bad condition transceiver display process. Alternatively, the wireless transceiver 31 that cannot continuously (in other words, more than a set number of times) obtain data from the log storage device 32 may be set as the bad condition transceiver 31a.

[0066] For example, the following configuration may be adopted: the bad condition transceiver 31a may be displayed on the first graph G1 or the second graph G2 by the bad condition transceiver display processing (for example, it may be displayed more prominently than other wireless transceivers 31). Figure 8 The image shown is displayed on the display screen S.

[0067] exist Figure 8In the example shown, a bad transceiver map showing bad transceivers 31a on a map M is displayed in the left area of ​​the display screen S, and a bad transceiver list showing a list of bad transceivers 31a is displayed in the right area of ​​the display screen S. In the bad transceiver map, bad transceivers 31a (here, two bad transceivers 31a) and wireless transceivers 31 that are not bad transceivers 31a are displayed in different forms on the map M. Here, bad transceivers 31a are indicated by blackened and large-diameter circular marks, and other wireless transceivers 31 are indicated by blank and small-diameter circular marks, so that bad transceivers 31a are emphasized. In addition, in the bad condition transceiver list, identification information of each wireless transceiver 31 of a plurality of wireless transceivers 31 (herein, marked as "AP") is displayed side by side, and the bad condition transceiver 31a and the wireless transceiver 31 that is not the bad condition transceiver 31a are displayed in different forms. Here, the bad condition transceiver 31a is highlighted by surrounding the identification information of the bad condition transceiver 31a with a frame.

[0068] The radio wave strength transition display processing is a processing for causing the display device 41 to display a graph (hereinafter referred to as "third graph G3") showing the transition of radio wave strength related to the radio wave strength information during connection for one or more specifically designated wireless transceiver units 31 (here, specifically designated one wireless transceiver unit 31). The control unit 42 performs the radio wave strength transition display processing based on the radio wave data 55.

[0069] exist Fig. 9 In the example shown, the third graph G3 with the horizontal axis set to time for the wireless transceiver 31 with the identification number "0001" is shown. Here, a line graph showing the transition of the average value of the radio wave intensity within the set period (for example, the radio wave intensity shown by the second graph G2 described above), a line graph showing the transition of the maximum value of the radio wave intensity within the set period, and a line graph showing the transition of the minimum value of the radio wave intensity within the set period are shown in a superimposed manner. The control unit 42 is configured to update the display of the third graph G3 at fixed intervals. Fig. 9 The following situation is shown: Fig. 9 After a fixed time has passed from the time point shown in (a), based on the newly acquired radio wave data 55, Fig. 9 (b) Update the third graph G3. Specifically, Fig. 9 (a) and Fig. 9 In (b), a graph of the area surrounded by the two-dot chain line is generated based on the newly acquired radio wave data 55 .

[0070] [Other Implementation Methods] (1) In the above-mentioned embodiments, the following configuration is described as an example: the control unit 42 causes the display device 41 to display the map M based on the map data 51 during the display process, and causes the transport vehicle mark M1 indicating the position of the transport vehicle 10 and the connection destination transceiver mark M2 indicating the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination connected to the transport vehicle 10 at the position to be displayed as the connection relationship information on the map M. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the following configuration may be adopted: during the display process, the control unit 42 causes the display device 41 to display a table indicating the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle 10 and the wireless transceiver 31 of the connection destination connected to the transport vehicle 10 at the position as the connection relationship information.

[0071] (2) In the above-listed embodiments, the following configuration is used as an example for explanation: the radio wave intensity indicated by the radio wave intensity information during connection is the radio wave intensity of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 detected by the wireless transceiver unit 31. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and the radio wave intensity indicated by the radio wave intensity information during connection can also be configured as the radio wave intensity of the wireless transceiver unit 31 detected by the vehicle-side communication unit 11 (the reception intensity of the radio wave from the wireless transceiver unit 31). In this case, for example, the following configuration can be configured. The transport vehicle 10 detects the radio wave intensity of the wireless transceiver unit 31 at the connection destination on a regular basis, and sends the information of the detected radio wave intensity (i.e., the radio wave intensity information during connection) to the transport control device 20 in association with the time information indicating the time of the detection. The transport control device 20 stores the radio wave data 55 obtained from the transport vehicle 10 in the storage device 21 in association with the specific transport vehicle information of the transport vehicle 10. In addition, the radio wave data acquisition unit 45 acquires the radio wave data 55 with reference to the storage device 21. Alternatively, the radio intensity indicated by the connected radio intensity information may include both the radio intensity of the vehicle-side communication unit 11 detected by the wireless transceiver 31 and the radio intensity of the wireless transceiver 31 detected by the vehicle-side communication unit 11 .

[0072] (3) In the above-listed embodiments, the following configuration is described as an example: the monitoring system 40 includes the radio wave data acquisition unit 45 and the connection transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and the monitoring system 40 may not include at least one of the radio wave data acquisition unit 45 and the connection transport vehicle data acquisition unit 46.

[0073] (4) In addition, as long as no contradiction occurs, the configuration disclosed in each of the above-mentioned embodiments can also be combined with the configuration disclosed in other embodiments and applied (including the combination of the embodiments described as other embodiments). With regard to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all aspects. Therefore, various changes can be appropriately made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0074] [Summary of this embodiment] Hereinafter, a summary of the embodiments related to the conveying equipment described in the above examples will be described below.

[0075] A conveying device, which is a conveying device comprising a conveying vehicle for conveying a conveyed object, a conveying control device for communicating with the conveying vehicle to control the conveying vehicle, a communication system for communicating between the conveying vehicle and the conveying control device, and a monitoring system for monitoring the status of the communication system, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of wireless transceivers, the wireless transceivers performing wireless communication with a vehicle-side communication unit of the conveying vehicle, and the communication system is configured to connect the plurality of wireless transceivers to the conveying control device in a communicative manner, the monitoring system comprises a driving data acquisition unit, a connection data acquisition unit, a control unit, and a display device for displaying information, and the driving The data acquisition unit acquires driving data, which is data that associates position information indicating the position of the aforementioned transport vehicle with time information indicating the time. The aforementioned connection data acquisition unit acquires connection data, which is data that associates connection destination information with the aforementioned time information. The connection destination information indicates a relationship between the aforementioned vehicle-side communication unit and the aforementioned wireless transceiver unit of a connection destination to which the aforementioned vehicle-side communication unit among the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers is connected. The aforementioned control unit performs display processing to cause the aforementioned display device to display connection relationship information based on the aforementioned driving data and the aforementioned connection data. The connection relationship information indicates a relationship between the position of the aforementioned transport vehicle and the aforementioned wireless transceiver unit of a connection destination to which the aforementioned transport vehicle is connected at the position.

[0076] According to this configuration, it is possible to associate the position information included in the travel data with the connection destination information included in the connection data based on the time information, so that the control unit can generate connection relationship information based on these travel data and connection data. Moreover, the connection relationship information is displayed on the display device through the display processing performed by the control unit, and the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver of the connection destination connected to the transport vehicle at this position is shown in the connection relationship information. Therefore, a person who sees the display device can easily grasp which wireless transceiver is connected to which position of the transport vehicle as the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver. In this way, according to this configuration, a technology that can easily grasp the actual communication status between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver can be realized.

[0077] Here, it is appropriate that the aforementioned monitoring system is able to refer to the transceiver position data showing the position of each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers, and the aforementioned control unit, based on the aforementioned driving data and the aforementioned transceiver position data, causes the aforementioned display device to display, in addition to the aforementioned connection relationship information, connection distance information showing the distance between the position of the aforementioned transport vehicle and the aforementioned wireless transceiver of the connection destination to which the aforementioned transport vehicle is connected at that position in the aforementioned display processing.

[0078] According to this configuration, the display device displays connection distance information in addition to connection relationship information through display processing performed by the control unit, and the connection distance information shows the distance between the position of the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver of the connection destination to which the transport vehicle is connected at the position. Therefore, a person who sees the display device can easily grasp the distance between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver of the connection destination in addition to easily grasping which wireless transceiver is connected at which position of the transport vehicle.

[0079] In addition, it is suitable that the aforementioned monitoring system further includes a radio wave data acquisition unit for acquiring data that establishes an association between radio wave strength information in connection and the aforementioned time information, namely, radio wave data, the radio wave strength information in connection showing the strength of communication radio waves in connection between each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers and the aforementioned vehicle-side communication unit, and the aforementioned control unit causes the aforementioned display device to display radio wave strength information in addition to the aforementioned connection relationship information in the aforementioned display processing based on the aforementioned driving data and the aforementioned radio wave data, the radio wave strength information showing the relationship between the position of the aforementioned transport vehicle and the strength of the communication radio waves between the aforementioned transport vehicle at the position and the aforementioned wireless transceiver at the connection destination.

[0080] According to this configuration, the display device displays radio wave strength information in addition to the connection relationship information by display processing performed by the control unit, and the radio wave strength information shows the position of the transport vehicle and the strength of the communication radio wave between the transport vehicle at the position and the wireless transceiver at the connection destination. Therefore, a person who sees the display device can easily understand which wireless transceiver at which position the transport vehicle is connected, and can also easily understand the strength of the communication radio wave between the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver at the connection destination.

[0081] In addition, it is suitable that the above-mentioned monitoring system is able to refer to map data of a map showing the travel path of the above-mentioned transport vehicle, and the above-mentioned control unit, in the above-mentioned display processing, causes the above-mentioned display device to display the above-mentioned map based on the above-mentioned map data, and causes the transport vehicle mark showing the position of the above-mentioned transport vehicle and the connection destination transceiver mark of the above-mentioned wireless transceiver unit showing the connection destination to which the above-mentioned transport vehicle is connected at the position to be displayed on the above-mentioned map as the above-mentioned connection relationship information.

[0082] According to this configuration, through the display processing performed by the control unit, it is possible to cause the display device to display visually and easily to understand which position the transport vehicle is connected to which wireless transceiver.

[0083] As listed above, in the configuration in which the control unit displays the transport vehicle mark and the connection destination transceiver mark as the connection relationship information on the map in the display processing, it is appropriate that the control unit performs the following reproduction display processing in the display processing: the transport vehicle mark is moved on the map, and the connection destination transceiver mark is changed in accordance with the wireless transceiver of the connection destination that changes with the movement of the transport vehicle mark.

[0084] According to this configuration, the control unit performs the playback display process, so that the display device can visually and easily display how the wireless transceiver of the connection destination changes with the movement of the transport vehicle.

[0085] In the conveying equipment of each structure listed above, it is suitable that there are multiple aforementioned conveying vehicles, and the aforementioned monitoring system further includes a connected conveying vehicle data acquisition unit for acquiring data that establishes an association between specially designated conveying vehicle information and the aforementioned time information, namely, connected conveying vehicle data, the specially designated conveying vehicle information specially designates the aforementioned conveying vehicle connected to each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers, and the aforementioned control unit performs a first graph display processing based on the aforementioned connected conveying vehicle data to cause the aforementioned display device to display a graph, the graph showing the number of the aforementioned conveying vehicles connected to each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers within a set period.

[0086] According to this configuration, a graph is displayed on the display device through the first graph display processing performed by the control unit, in which the number of transport vehicles connected to each of the plurality of wireless transceivers within a set period is shown. Therefore, a person viewing the display device can easily understand whether there is a deviation or the degree of deviation in the number of transport vehicles connected between the plurality of wireless transceivers.

[0087] In addition, it is suitable that there are multiple aforementioned transport vehicles, and the aforementioned monitoring system also includes a radio wave data acquisition unit for acquiring data that establishes an association between radio wave strength information in connection and the aforementioned time information, that is, radio wave data, the radio wave strength information in connection showing the strength of communication radio waves in the connection between each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the multiple aforementioned wireless transceivers and the aforementioned vehicle-side communication units of each of the aforementioned transport vehicles of the multiple aforementioned transport vehicles, and the aforementioned control unit performs a second graph display processing for causing the aforementioned display device to display a graph based on the aforementioned radio wave data, the graph showing the radio wave strength related to the aforementioned radio wave strength information in connection within a set period of each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the multiple aforementioned wireless transceivers.

[0088] According to this configuration, a graph showing the radio wave strength during the setting period of each of the plurality of wireless transceivers is displayed on the display device by the second graph display processing performed by the control unit. Therefore, a person viewing the display device can easily understand whether there is a deviation in the radio wave strength between the plurality of wireless transceivers or the degree of the deviation.

[0089] In addition, it is suitable that there are multiple aforementioned transport vehicles, and the aforementioned monitoring system further includes a connected transport vehicle data acquisition unit and a radio wave data acquisition unit, the aforementioned connected transport vehicle data acquisition unit acquires data that establishes an association between specifically designated transport vehicle information and the aforementioned time information, namely, connected transport vehicle data, the specifically designated transport vehicle information specifically designates the aforementioned transport vehicle connected to each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers, the aforementioned radio wave data acquisition unit acquires data that establishes an association between radio wave strength information during connection and the aforementioned time information, namely, radio wave data, the radio wave strength information during connection indicates the strength of communication radio waves during connection between each of the aforementioned wireless transceivers of the plurality of aforementioned wireless transceivers and the aforementioned vehicle-side communication unit of each of the aforementioned transport vehicles of the plurality of aforementioned transport vehicles, and the aforementioned control unit executes a bad condition transceiver display process, the bad condition transceiver display process causes the aforementioned display device to display the aforementioned wireless transceiver for which at least one of the number of the aforementioned transport vehicles connected within a set period and the radio wave strength associated with the aforementioned radio wave strength information during the aforementioned set period is less than a predetermined judgment threshold.

[0090] According to this configuration, when there is a wireless transceiver (hereinafter referred to as a "bad condition transceiver") whose number of connected transport vehicles and radio wave strength are less than the determination threshold, the bad condition transceiver display processing performed by the control unit can be used to display the bad condition transceiver on the display device. Therefore, a person who sees the display device can easily understand the presence of the bad condition transceiver and can quickly take measures such as restarting the bad condition transceiver.

[0091] The conveying equipment related to the present disclosure only needs to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned effects.

Explanation of symbols

[0092] 1: Conveying equipment 2: Transported objects 3: Driving path 10: Transport vehicle 11: Vehicle-side communication unit 20: Conveying control device 30: Communication System 31: Wireless transceiver 40: Surveillance System 41: Display device 42: Control Department 43: Driving data acquisition unit 44: Connection data acquisition unit 45: Radio data acquisition unit 46: Connect to the transport vehicle data acquisition unit 51: Map Data 52: Transceiver location data 53: Driving data 54: Connecting Data 55: Radio data 56: Connecting to the transport vehicle data G1: First graph (a graph showing the number of transport vehicles connected within a set period) G2: Second graph (graph showing radio wave strength related to connected radio wave strength information during a set period) M: Map M1: Transport vehicle mark M2: Connection destination transceiver mark

Claims

1. A conveying device comprising a conveying vehicle for conveying an object to be conveyed, a conveying control device for communicating with the conveying vehicle to control the conveying vehicle, a communication system for communicating between the conveying vehicle and the conveying control device, and a monitoring system for monitoring the state of the communication system, The conveying device has the following characteristics: The communication system includes a plurality of wireless transceivers that perform wireless communication with a vehicle-side communication unit of the transport vehicle, and the communication system is configured to connect the plurality of wireless transceivers to the transport control device in a communicative manner. The monitoring system includes a driving data acquisition unit, a connection data acquisition unit, a control unit, and a display device for displaying information. The travel data acquisition unit acquires travel data that is data in which position information indicating the position of the transport vehicle is associated with time information indicating the time. The connection data acquisition unit acquires connection data that is data that associates connection destination information with the time information, the connection destination information indicating a relationship between the vehicle-side communication unit and the wireless transceiver unit of the connection destination to which the vehicle-side communication unit is connected among the plurality of wireless transceivers, The control unit performs display processing for causing the display device to display connection relationship information indicating a relationship between a position of the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver of a connection destination to which the transport vehicle is connected at the position, based on the travel data and the connection data.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: The monitoring system is capable of referring to the transceiver position data indicating the position of each of the plurality of wireless transceivers, The control unit causes the display device to display connection distance information showing the distance between the position of the transport vehicle and the wireless transceiver of the connection destination to which the transport vehicle is connected at the position, in addition to the connection relationship information, based on the travel data and the transceiver position data.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The monitoring system further comprises a radio wave data acquisition unit for acquiring radio wave data that establishes a correlation between radio wave strength information during connection and the time information, wherein the radio wave strength information during connection indicates the strength of the communication radio wave during connection between each of the plurality of radio transceivers and the vehicle-side communication unit. Based on the driving data and the radio wave data, the control unit causes the display device to display radio wave strength information in addition to the connection relationship information during the display processing. The radio wave strength information shows the relationship between the position of the transport vehicle and the strength of the communication radio wave between the transport vehicle at the position and the wireless transceiver at the connection destination.

4. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The monitoring system can refer to map data of a map showing a travel path of the transport vehicle. In the display processing, the control unit causes the display device to display the map based on the map data, and causes a transport vehicle mark indicating the position of the transport vehicle and a connection destination transceiver mark of the wireless transceiver indicating the connection destination to which the transport vehicle is connected at the position to be displayed on the map as the connection relationship information.

5. The conveying device according to claim 4, wherein: In the display process, the control unit executes a reproduction display process of moving the transport vehicle mark on the map and changing the connection destination transceiver mark in accordance with the wireless transceiver of the connection destination that changes with the movement of the transport vehicle mark.

6. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A plurality of the transport vehicles are provided, The monitoring system further comprises a connected transport vehicle data acquisition unit that acquires connected transport vehicle data, which is data that associates specific transport vehicle information with the time information, the specific transport vehicle information specifically identifying the transport vehicle connected to each of the plurality of wireless transceivers, The control unit executes a first graph display process for causing the display device to display a graph indicating the number of the transport vehicles connected within a set period for each of the plurality of wireless transceivers based on the connected transport vehicle data.

7. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A plurality of the transport vehicles are provided, The monitoring system further comprises a radio wave data acquisition unit for acquiring data that associates radio wave strength information during connection with the time information, namely radio wave data, wherein the radio wave strength information during connection indicates the strength of communication radio waves during connection between each of the plurality of wireless transceivers and the vehicle-side communication unit of each of the plurality of transport vehicles, The control unit executes a second graph display process for causing the display device to display a graph showing radio wave strengths associated with the connected radio wave strength information during a setting period for each of the plurality of radio transceivers based on the radio wave data.

8. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A plurality of the transport vehicles are provided, The monitoring system further comprises a transport vehicle data acquisition unit and a radio wave data acquisition unit. The connected transport vehicle data acquisition unit acquires connected transport vehicle data, which is data that associates specific transport vehicle information with the time information, and the specific transport vehicle information specifically identifies the transport vehicle connected to each of the wireless transceivers of the plurality of wireless transceivers. The radio wave data acquisition unit acquires radio wave data that is data that associates radio wave strength information in connection with the time information, the radio wave strength information in connection indicating the strength of the communication radio wave in connection between each of the wireless transceiver units of the plurality of wireless transceiver units and the vehicle-side communication unit of each of the plurality of transport vehicles, The control unit executes a bad condition transceiver display process, which causes the display device to display the number of the transport vehicles connected within a set period and the wireless transceiver whose radio wave strength related to the radio wave strength information during the connection within the set period is less than a predetermined judgment threshold.

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