Intelligent distribution vehicle and assembling method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an intelligent delivery vehicle comprising: a sensor unit for detecting an object; a first support part for supporting the sensor part; a second support portion for supporting the sensor portion on an upper portion of the first support portion; and a position adjusting part for adjusting the second supporting part so as to maintain the initial position information of the sensor part while the sensor part is supported on the second supporting part, and aligning the initial position of the replaced sensor part based on the initial position information of the sensor part when the sensor part is replaced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an intelligent delivery vehicle and a control method thereof, which can shorten the setting time of a replaced sensor unit when the sensor unit is replaced. Background Art

[0002] Typically, in logistics warehouses and factories and smart factories (where different parts are used to manufacture products of different specifications), smart delivery vehicles are introduced for flexible and efficient supply and transportation of parts, etc. Smart delivery vehicles are a concept that collectively refers to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and unmanned stackers or forklifts, and these smart delivery vehicles are able to move and perform tasks under the control of a control system.

[0003] At this time, the smart delivery vehicle is able to move by estimating its position based on the smart factory map information generated and collected by the LiDAR sensor or camera sensor to detect obstacles. In addition, for the smooth movement of the smart delivery vehicle, the appropriate angle and height of the sensor must be set to accurately generate map information.

[0004] However, when a sensor fails and is replaced with another sensor, the replacement sensor needs to be set accurately to the initial position where the replaced sensor was set before the replacement. Otherwise, smooth movement will be difficult due to the inconsistency of map information. In addition, depending on the complexity of the map, it takes a lot of time to set the initial position of the sensor after the replacement, which is problematic.

[0005] The above description provided as a related art of the present disclosure is only for helping understanding the background of the present disclosure, and should not be construed as being included in the related art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The present disclosure aims to solve the above problems in the related art. The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an intelligent delivery vehicle and an assembly method of the intelligent delivery vehicle, which can shorten the time required for the initial setting of the replaced sensor part based on the initial position information when the sensor part is replaced.

[0008] The objects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a smart delivery vehicle is provided, comprising: a first support portion, configured to support a sensor portion for detecting an object; a second support portion, configured to support the sensor portion on top of the first support portion; and a position adjustment portion, configured to adjust the second support portion so that while the sensor portion is supported on the second support portion, initial position information of the sensor portion is maintained, and when the sensor portion is replaced, the initial position of the replaced sensor portion is aligned based on the initial position information of the sensor portion.

[0011] For example, the sensor part may include a 2D LiDAR sensor, a 3D LiDAR sensor, and a 3D camera sensor.

[0012] For example, the sensor part may be supported at the rear and bottom by the second supporting part.

[0013] For example, the second supporting portion may be provided to be detachable from the position adjusting portion.

[0014] For example, when the sensor portion is replaced, the second support portion may be replaced together.

[0015] For example, the second supporting portion may be provided to be detachable from the position adjusting portion.

[0016] For example, the position adjusting portion may be provided in plural, and may connect the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion in the vertical direction.

[0017] For example, the initial position information of the sensor part may include at least one of information about a slope formed by the second support part and the sensor part, information about a width, information about a height, and information about an angle formed by the first support part and the sensor part.

[0018] For example, the position adjustment unit may ensure that the initial position information of the sensor unit is maintained based on the space map information obtained by the sensor unit.

[0019] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for assembling an intelligent delivery vehicle is provided, the method may include: determining a failure of a sensor part based on initial position information of a sensor part in the intelligent delivery vehicle, the intelligent delivery vehicle including: a sensor part for detecting an object; a first support part supporting the sensor part; a second support part supporting the sensor part on top of the first support part; and a position adjustment part for adjusting the second support part; when the sensor part fails, replacing the sensor part and the second support part; and when replacing the sensor part, aligning the initial position of the replaced sensor part based on the initial position information of the sensor part.

[0020] For example, the sensor part may include a 2D LiDAR sensor, a 3D LiDAR sensor, and a 3D camera sensor.

[0021] For example, the second supporting portion may be provided to be detachable from the position adjusting portion.

[0022] For example, the position adjusting portion may be provided in plural, and may connect the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion in the vertical direction.

[0023] For example, the initial position information of the sensor part may include at least one of information about a slope formed by the second support part and the sensor part, information about a width, information about a height, and information about an angle formed by the first support part and the sensor part.

[0024] For example, the position adjustment unit may ensure that the initial position information of the sensor unit is maintained based on the space map information obtained by the sensor unit.

[0025] Beneficial Effects

[0026] According to the different embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, when replacing the sensor unit, it is feasible to shorten the time required for the initial setting of the replaced sensor unit based on the initial position information. In addition, due to the shortened time, the smart delivery vehicle can start immediately, improving the operation rate.

[0027] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a smart factory configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system configuration that can be applied to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a smart delivery vehicle configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the appearance of a smart delivery vehicle that can be applied to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a driving process of a smart delivery vehicle that can be applied to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 6is a block diagram showing an example of a sensing unit constituting a smart delivery vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 7 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a smart delivery vehicle configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for assembling a smart delivery vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the numerals in the accompanying drawings, and their redundant descriptions will be omitted. The terms "module" and "unit" used for components in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the ease of writing the specification, and do not have a distinguishing meaning or function in themselves. In the following description, if it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present disclosure makes the subject matter of the embodiments described herein unclear, the detailed description is omitted. In addition, the drawings are provided only to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical spirit disclosed in the specification is not limited by the drawings, and all changes, equivalents, and substitutions should be understood to be included in the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] Terms including ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various components, but these components should not be construed as being limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

[0038] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly connected to or directly coupled to the other element, or connected to or coupled to the other element with other elements interposed therebetween. On the other hand, it should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, it may be connected to or coupled to the other element without other elements interposed therebetween.

[0039] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular forms are intended to include plural forms.

[0040] It should also be understood that the terms “includes” or “having” used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof.

[0041] In addition, the term "unit" or "control unit" included in the motor control unit (MCU), hybrid control unit (HCU), etc. is only a widely used term for naming a controller that controls a specific vehicle function, and does not mean a general functional unit. For example, each controller may include a modem / transceiver that communicates with another controller or sensor to control the corresponding function, a memory that stores an operating system or logic commands and input / output information, and one or more processors that perform determinations, calculations, decisions, etc. for controlling the corresponding function. Depending on the implementation, one processor may be responsible for operations on multiple controllers.

[0042] First, refer to Figure 1 Describe the configuration of a smart factory in which smart delivery vehicles according to an embodiment are deployed and operated.

[0043] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a smart factory configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] refer to Figure 1 , the smart factory 100 may include a smart delivery vehicle 110 , a production device 120 , a monitoring device 130 and a control system 140 .

[0045] According to the production process and the target production rate, the smart factory 100 may be provided with: a plurality of smart delivery vehicles 110, a plurality of production devices 120, and a plurality of monitoring devices 130. Each component will be described below.

[0046] First, the intelligent delivery vehicle 110 may include an autonomous mobile robot (hereinafter referred to as "AMR" for convenience), an automated guided vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "AGV" for convenience), and an unmanned stacker or forklift. Depending on the operation strategy of the intelligent delivery vehicle 110 in the smart factory 100, only one type of AGV or AMR may be operated, or AGV and AMR may be operated together in a single smart factory 100.

[0047] AGVs usually guide the AGV to perform the required operations (movement, direction change, stop, etc.) within the smart factory 100 by identifying and following the guide instrument placed on the floor. In this case, the guide instrument may refer to an optically identifiable marker (spot, 2D code, etc.), a tag that can be identified in a non-contact manner at close range (e.g., NFC tag, RFID tag, etc.), a magnetic strip, a wire, etc., but these are embodiments and are not necessarily limited to this. The guide instrument can be placed continuously on the floor or spaced apart from each other discontinuously. Since the AGV basically performs operations by identifying and following the guide instrument, the guide instrument needs to be pre-installed before operation. When the AGV needs to move to a new path or the existing path needs to be modified, the guide instrument needs to be physically constructed or modified. In addition, since the AGV does not deviate from the path set by the guide instrument, when an obstacle is detected on or around the path, the AGV usually stops until the detected obstacle disappears or receives a separate control. In the operation of the AGV, the control system 140 needs to control the AGV based on the guide instrument. Thus, the control system 140 can send commands (such as, "drive until the third marker is identified," "change the forward direction 90 degrees when the third marker is identified") from the current position to the AGV in the form of a single command or a task containing multiple commands (e.g., recovery, supply, charge, patrol, etc.).

[0048] AMR can determine the current position (i.e., positioning) through surrounding detection, and it can be said that the biggest difference from AGV is that AMR can use positioning and maps for path planning. Therefore, if a map with compatible coordinates is shared between the AMR and the control system 140, the control system 140 can control the AMR by indicating the path to the AMR based on the coordinates. In addition, when an obstacle is detected while driving, the AMR can plan an avoidance path to avoid the obstacle and then return to the original path. The function of the control system 140 to plan the path of the AMR to one or more transfer coordinates can be referred to as global path planning, and the function of the AMR to plan a path or avoidance path between transfer coordinates according to the global path planning can be referred to as local path planning.

[0049] Will refer to it later Figure 3 and Figure 4 A more detailed configuration of the smart delivery vehicle 110 is described and will be referred to later. Figure 5 Describe the drive control process of AMR.

[0050] Next, the production device 120 may refer to a device (e.g., a robotic arm, a conveyor belt, etc.) that performs a production process of a product in the smart factory 100. In a broader sense, the production device 120 may refer to a device deployed to assist in the performance of tasks (such as the entry and exit of the smart delivery vehicle 110 when the production process is performed by humans). The device deployed to assist in the performance of tasks may be a device that detects a state in which a pallet carried by the smart delivery vehicle 110 may be placed or collected at a designated location in an area where a specific production process is performed, a device that determines the progress of a process, a device that blocks entry into an area, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0051] For example, the production device 120 is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) and can communicate with the control system 140 regarding the process progress.

[0052] The monitoring device 130 may perform a function of obtaining information to determine a condition within the smart factory 100 and transmitting the obtained information to the control system 140. For example, the monitoring device 130 may include a camera, a proximity sensor, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0053] The control system 140 may communicate with the above components 110, 120, and 130 to obtain information required for the operation of the smart factory 100 or control each component. For example, the control system 140 may perform scheduling, path setting, task allocation, process management of each product, material management, etc. of the smart delivery vehicle 110.

[0054] In an embodiment, the control system 140 may include: an AMR / AGV control system (ACS, AMR / AGV Control System), which controls the surrounding processing facilities based on the position of the AGV / AMR and performs task-based control of the AGV / AMR; and a mobile robot integrated monitoring system (MoRIMS, Mobile Robot Integrated Monitoring System), which integrates and controls two or more AMR / AGV control systems. MoRIMS can perform control of the status and path, distribution flow settings, and traffic of all intelligent distribution robots 110 in the smart factory 100 with the help of a separate ACS. For example, when the ACS is provided as an intelligent distribution robot unit of the same manufacturer or model, MoRIMS can perform integrated control to prevent conflicts based on the information obtained through the ACS, such as analysis of bottleneck levels in intersections / overlapping areas, acceleration / deceleration control, and regeneration of avoidance paths through heterogeneous traffic distribution control.

[0055] In addition, MoRIMS can also have a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) as its upper control entity, and MES can be linked to Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS).

[0056] In addition to the above-mentioned configurations 110, 120, 130 and 140 of the smart factory 100, devices for mutual communication between various components (such as beacons, repeaters, access points (AP, Access Point)), etc., chargers for charging smart delivery vehicles 110, loading spaces for storing or loading parts, spaces for storing finished products or intermediate products, traffic lights, circuit breakers, waiting spaces for idle smart delivery vehicles 110, etc. can be appropriately arranged in the smart factory 100.

[0057] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 2 The configuration of the control system 140 applicable to the embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0058] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system configuration that can be applied to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 Each component shown in FIG. 1 mainly represents a component related to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and in an actual implementation of the control system 140 , more or fewer components may be included.

[0059] refer to Figure 2 The control system 140 may include a firmware management unit 141, a traffic control unit 142, a process management unit 143, a production / distribution management unit 144, an inventory management unit 145, a communication unit 146, a vehicle monitoring unit 147 and a map management unit 148.

[0060] The firmware management unit 141 can obtain the latest firmware of the smart delivery vehicle 110 through the communication unit 146, send the firmware to the smart delivery vehicle 110, and perform firmware updates to keep the firmware of the smart delivery vehicle 110 up to date.

[0061] The traffic control unit 142 may control traffic lights and obstacles based on the path of the smart delivery vehicle 110 and recalculate the path of the smart delivery vehicle 110 according to the traffic.

[0062] The process management part 143 may define the process of each product and manage tasks such as the process progress and the process position.

[0063] The production / distribution management unit 144 may dispatch smart delivery vehicles 110 based on tasks.

[0064] The inventory management unit 145 manages the location and quantity of each material, and this information can be used for more efficient processing operations, such as dispatching the smart delivery vehicle 110 to the destination before the assembly / consumption of materials is actually detected for pallet pickup or recycling, etc.

[0065] The communication unit 146 can communicate with internal components of the smart factory 100 (such as the smart delivery vehicle 110, the production device 120 and the monitoring device 130), and communicate with external entities (such as a firmware update server, etc.).

[0066] The vehicle monitoring unit 147 can monitor the location, path, battery status, communication status, transmission system status, etc. of each smart delivery vehicle 110. In this case, the path is a concept that includes a global path based on waypoints and a real-time local path. In addition, the battery status may include voltage, current, temperature, peak values ​​of voltage and current, state of charge (SOC, StateOf Charge), state of health (SOH, State Of Health), etc. The communication status may include information about the currently active communication protocol (Wi-Fi, etc.), the connected AP, the distance to the AP, the channel in use, etc. The transmission system status may include transmission system load, temperature, RPM, etc.

[0067] In addition, the vehicle monitoring unit 147 can check the tasks, operating modes, firmware versions, etc. currently assigned to each smart delivery vehicle 110.

[0068] The map management unit 148 can obtain map data in the form of a grid map obtained when the AMR of the smart delivery vehicle 110 travels inside the smart factory 100, and provide a tool that allows the factory administrator to edit the obtained map data. By editing the map data, it is possible to set the area, virtual lane, intersection, and prohibited entry area where the smart delivery vehicle 110 performs one or more preset operations when entering, but this is an embodiment and is not necessarily limited to this. In addition, through the communication unit 146, the map management unit 148 can distribute the map to the remaining smart delivery vehicles 110 other than the smart delivery vehicle 110 that obtained the initial grid map by actual driving.

[0069] Next, we will refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Describe the smart delivery vehicle.

[0070] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a smart delivery vehicle configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0071] refer to Figure 3, the smart delivery vehicle 110 may include a driving unit 111, a sensing unit 112, a loading unit 113, a communication unit 114, and a controller 115. Next, each component will be described.

[0072] The drive unit 111 may include a torque source, wheels, and suspension involved in moving, steering, and stopping the intelligent delivery vehicle 110. The torque source may be an electric motor powered by a built-in battery (not shown). The wheels may include one or more drive wheels that receive a driving force from a torque source and a non-driven wheel that rotates due to the movement of the vehicle body without receiving a driving force. According to an embodiment, when a plurality of drive wheels are provided, the torque source matches each drive wheel so that the rotation of each drive wheel can be independently controlled. In this case, by changing the direction of rotation of different drive wheels, steering can be achieved by rotating the vehicle body without a separate steering device. At least some of the non-driven wheels may be composed of self-aligning wheels, but this is an embodiment and is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0073] The sensing unit 112 is used to detect the surrounding environment or the operating state of the smart delivery vehicle 100. The sensing unit 112 may include at least one of a 2D and 3D laser scanner (e.g., LiDAR), a 3D vision (stereo) camera, a multi-axis gyroscope sensor, an acceleration sensor, a wheel encoder, and a proximity sensor.

[0074] The encoder can output information for determining how much the wheel has rotated using light emitted from a light emitting device (e.g., a photodiode). For example, the encoder can count the number of slits arranged along the circumference of a wheel or a disk that rotates with the wheel during a unit time. The controller 115 is capable of performing mileage measurement by analyzing the amount of position change relative to time using data acquired with the aid of the encoder and the gyro sensor to estimate the displacement. However, the displacement estimated based on the encoder data may differ from the actual displacement due to wheel slip or wear (change in wheel radius). Therefore, when performing mileage measurement, the controller 115 can use a predetermined algorithm (e.g., an extended Kalman filter (EKF)) to correct the noise and error of the information collected from the wheel and the gyro sensor, and output a result that tends to be close to the actual value. This mileage measurement can be particularly useful when positioning using a 2D laser scanner described later is not feasible.

[0075] The 2D laser scanner can scan the surrounding environment by emitting laser light to the surrounding area through a rotating reflector and detecting the reflected signal. At this time, the intensity of the reflected signal and the time difference between emission / reception can be analyzed to output a point cloud shape detection result.

[0076] The 3D vision camera can calculate the distance to the object based on the parallax between two cameras separated by a certain distance (i.e., the pixel distance between the images taken by each camera). At this time, a texture projector that projects a predetermined pattern of infrared light can be provided to enable detection of flat objects of the same color (e.g., a white wall).

[0077] Typically, 2D laser scanners are used for mapping, navigation, object recognition, etc., and 3D cameras can be used for obstacle avoidance during navigation, among other things, but this is an embodiment and is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0078] The loading part 113 is a device for loading the goods to be transported, and can be the top plate itself located on the top of the vehicle body, a table placed on the top plate, a lift, a turntable rotating along a vertical axis, a forklift, a conveying mechanism or a combination thereof. In the case of a forklift, a telescopic and tilting function similar to a stacker can be provided.

[0079] The communication unit 114 can communicate with other components in the smart factory 100, such as the production device 120 and the control system 140. The communication unit 114 can also support communication between smart delivery vehicles 110 and communicate with the charger when performing a charging task.

[0080] The controller 115 is an entity that performs overall control of each of the above components 111, 112, 113 and 114. The controller 115 can perform current mission, current position and destination determination, and path planning and control of the loading unit based on information obtained from the control system 140 via the communication unit 114.

[0081] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the appearance of a smart delivery vehicle that can be applied to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] refer to Figure 4 , an embodiment of the AMR is shown as a smart delivery vehicle 110. The vehicle body may have a track-like planar shape having a long axis extending along a first axis direction. One drive wheel 111-1 is arranged at the center of the vehicle body along the first axis direction, and may be arranged on one side along a second axis direction, while another drive wheel (not shown) may be arranged on the other side along the second axis direction to face one drive wheel 111-1. This drive wheel arrangement may be referred to as "differential drive (DD)". Although not shown in Figure 4As shown in , two or more non-driven wheels can be arranged on the lower part of the vehicle body. In this case, when the two driving wheels rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, it is feasible to move forward or backward along the first axis direction, and when rotating at the same speed in the opposite direction, the driving wheels can rotate based on a rotation axis extending along the third axis direction and passing through the center of the plane C of the vehicle body. In addition, the sensing unit 112 can be placed on the front surface of the vehicle body, and the loading unit 113 can be placed on the upper surface of the vehicle body. The loading unit 113 can be configured to be lifted and lowered along the third axis direction, and a rack or tray, etc. can be fixed to its upper surface by a guide 113-1.

[0083] However, the above Figure 4 The AMR shapes are examples, and the AGV may have a similar shape, or the AMR may have a different shape.

[0084] Next, we will refer to Figure 5 Describe the driving process of the intelligent delivery vehicle 110.

[0085] Figure 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a driving process of a smart delivery vehicle that can be applied to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 In the figure, for convenience, it is assumed that the intelligent delivery vehicle 110 is an AMR capable of positioning and local path planning.

[0086] refer to Figure 5 ,First, the AMR can obtain (S501) a ground truth grid map through LiDAR and the like when driving inside the smart factory 100.

[0087] *When the AMR sends the acquired grid map to the control system 140, the grid map editing and matching process (S502) may be performed in the map management unit 148 of the control system 140. In this case, the editing process may include a process of setting the above-mentioned different areas in the above-mentioned grid map, a process of allocating a cost to each grid, and the like. At this time, the cost allocation may be performed in the following manner: a higher cost is allocated to an area closer to an obstacle or an area without an entrance, so that the AMR does not move around an obstacle or does not move to an area that the AMR should not enter. This is because when planning a local path, the AMR selects a set of cells with the lowest cost between waypoints as the path.

[0088] In addition, the map matching process may refer to the process of matching coordinates between a CAD drawing used in the design of the smart factory 100, a ground truth grid map (LiDAR map), and an edited topology map.

[0089] Thereafter, the control system 140 may share the topology map to all AMRs in the factory through the communication unit 146 ( S503 ).

[0090] Subsequent steps may be processes applied to individual AMRs.

[0091] The AMR may determine the current position (positioning) on ​​the map based on the sensor data of the sensing unit 112 and the acquired map (S504). For example, the AMR may determine the current position by comparing the surrounding terrain with the map acquired by LiDAR based on feature points.

[0092] The control system 140 may select a particular AMR and assign a task, and may assign one or more waypoints to the task, typically determined by global path planning. Waypoints may be defined as coordinates on a map, and may be accompanied by information about the direction (i.e., heading) that the AMR should face at the coordinates. Based on the task assignment, a destination may be set in the AMR (yes in S505), and the AMR may perform local path planning between waypoints based on the cost of the topological map (S506).

[0093] Once the path is determined, the AMR starts driving (S507), and when the sensing unit 112 detects an obstacle while driving (Yes in S508), the AMR can perform an avoidance operation by performing a local path search to bypass the detected obstacle (S509). In some cases, and according to the avoidance operation or the failure of the avoidance operation, the control system 140 can update the task of the corresponding AMR.

[0094] Furthermore, the AMR may correct position errors during movement through the above-mentioned odometer technology ( S510 ) while traveling until reaching the destination.

[0095] After arriving at the destination (S511), the AMR may perform a task-based operation (S512). For example, the AMR may determine whether the conditions for entering a specific processing area are clear, retrieve an empty pallet from the destination, or drop a load loaded on the loading section 113.

[0096] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a smart delivery vehicle 110, which can shorten the time required for initial position setting by simply replacing the sensor part based on information about the initial position adjusted by mechanical settings when the sensor part fails.

[0097] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 6 and Figure 7 A smart delivery vehicle according to an embodiment is described.

[0098] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a sensing unit constituting a smart delivery vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, Figure 7is a configuration diagram showing an example of a smart delivery vehicle configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0099] refer to Figure 6 Specifically, the sensing portion 112 may include a sensor portion 201, a first support portion 202, a second support portion 203, and a position adjustment portion 204. First, the first support portion 202 may support the sensor portion 201 for detecting an object. The sensor portion 201 is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments of the sensing portion 112, such as 2D and 3D laser scanners (e.g., LiDAR), 3D vision (stereo) cameras, multi-axis gyro sensors, acceleration sensors, wheel encoders, and proximity sensors, and may also include devices that require initial setting information. Reference Figure 7 , the first support portion 202 is an AMR body and can support the rear surface and lower surface of the second support portion 203 and the position adjustment portion 204, which will be described later. The lower surface of the first support portion 202 is formed into a flat structure to facilitate measurement of height information and angle information using the sensor portion 201, and the rear surface of the first support portion 202 can be formed into a structure orthogonal to the sensor portion 201 to facilitate width information measurement.

[0100] In addition, the second support portion 203 may support the sensor portion 201 at the top of the first support portion 202. Figure 7 , the rear surface and the lower surface of the sensor part 201 can be supported by means of the second support part 203, similar to the first support part 202. The second support part 203 can be adjusted to be located between the first support part 202 and the sensor part 201 by means of the position adjustment part 204, which will be described later. The second support part 203 is a fixing device capable of fixing the sensor part 201 at an accurate position, and by simply replacing the second support part 203 in the first support part 202, it is possible to immediately operate based on the initial position information of the sensor part 201 without setting a separate parameter.

[0101] Specifically, when the sensor unit 201 is replaced, the initial position alignment of the replaced sensor unit 201 may be performed by the position adjustment unit 204. In this case, the position adjustment unit 204 may adjust the second support unit 203 so that the initial position information of the sensor unit 201 is maintained while the sensor unit 201 is supported on the second support unit 203. At this time, the position adjustment unit 204 may maintain the initial position information based on the spatial map information detected by the sensor unit 201, and may align the initial position of the sensor unit 201 by preventing the initial position information from changing based on the pre-sensed spatial map information when the sensor unit 201 is replaced.

[0102] The initial position alignment method of the position adjustment part 204 may be based on the initial position information of the sensor part 201 before the replacement. In this case, the initial position information of the sensor part 201 may include at least one of slope information, height information, and angle information. The slope information may be obtained based on the slope formed by the sensor part 201 and the second support part 203, and the information on the width, height, and angle may be obtained based on the width, height, and angle formed by the sensor part 201 and the first support part 202.

[0103] Therefore, the position adjustment portion 204 adjusts the position of the second support portion 203 so that the initial position of the sensor portion 201 is maintained, and by adjusting the position of the second support portion 203, the sensor portion 201 is also adjusted to its initial position. In a state where the second support portion 203 is fixed to the sensor portion 201, when the sensor portion 201 is replaced, the second support portion 203 is also replaced so that the initial position of the replaced sensor portion 201 on top of the first support portion 202 can be quickly aligned. For this purpose, the second support portion 203 can be provided to be detachable from the position adjustment portion 204.

[0104] In addition, the position adjustment portion 204 can connect the first support portion 202 and the second support portion 203 in the vertical direction. The position adjustment portion 204 connecting the first support portion 202 and the second support portion 203 in the vertical direction not only makes it easy to reconnect when replacing the sensor portion 201 and the second support portion, but also makes it easy to obtain initial position information. In addition, when a plurality of position adjustment portions 204 are configured, the fixing force can be increased when connecting the first support portion 202 and the second support portion 203.

[0105] Based on the configuration of the above intelligent delivery vehicle, reference Figure 8 A method of assembling a smart delivery vehicle according to an embodiment is described.

[0106] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for assembling a smart delivery vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0107] refer to Figure 8 , first, when the sensor part 201 is damaged, the second support part 203 required for replacement can be obtained and stored (S801). Then, the failure of the sensor part 201 can be determined (S802). If the sensor part 201 is damaged (yes in S802), while the second support part 203 is fixed to the sensor part 201, the second support part 203 is also replaced along with the replacement of the sensor part 201 (S803). Finally, by replacing the sensor part 201 and the second support part 203, the AMR can be immediately restarted by quickly aligning the initial position of the replaced sensor part 201 with the help of the position adjustment part 204 (S804).

[0108] In summary, according to the different embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, when replacing the sensor unit, it is feasible to shorten the time required for the initial setting of the replaced sensor unit based on the initial position information. In addition, due to the shortened time, the smart delivery vehicle can be started immediately, thereby improving the operation rate.

[0109] At the same time, the above disclosure can be implemented as a computer-readable code on a program recording medium. Computer-readable media include all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Embodiments of computer-readable media include hard disk drives (HDD, Hard Disk Drive), solid-state disks (SSD, Solid State Disk), silicon disk drives (SDD, Silicon Disk Drive), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, etc. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be interpreted as limiting in any aspect, and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present disclosure should be determined by the reasonable interpretation of the attached claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0110] [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 100: Smart Factory 110: Smart Delivery Vehicle

[0112] 120: Production device 130: Monitoring device

[0113] 140: Control system.

Claims

1. A smart delivery vehicle, include: a first support portion configured to support a sensor portion for detecting an object; a second supporting portion configured to support the sensor portion on top of the first supporting portion; as well as The position adjustment portion is configured to adjust the second support portion so that the initial position information of the sensor portion is maintained while the sensor portion is supported on the second support portion, and when the sensor portion is replaced, the initial position of the replaced sensor portion is aligned based on the initial position information of the sensor portion.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, in, The sensor part includes a 2D LiDAR sensor, a 3D LiDAR sensor, and a 3D camera sensor.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, in, The sensor portion is supported at the rear and bottom by the second supporting portion.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, in, The second supporting portion is provided to be detachable from the position adjusting portion.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, in, When the sensor portion is replaced, the second support portion is replaced together.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, in, The position adjusting portion is provided in plural numbers and connects the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion in a vertical direction.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, in, The initial position information of the sensor part includes at least one of information about a slope formed by the second support part and the sensor part, information about a width, information about a height, and information about an angle formed by the first support part and the sensor part.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, in, The position adjustment section is configured to maintain the initial position information of the sensor section based on the space map information obtained by the sensor section.

9. A method for assembling an intelligent delivery vehicle, the method include: Determining a fault of the sensor part based on initial position information of the sensor part in the intelligent delivery vehicle, the intelligent delivery vehicle comprising: the sensor part for detecting an object, a first support part supporting the sensor part, a second support part supporting the sensor part on top of the first support part, and a position adjustment part adjusting the second support part; When the sensor unit fails, replacing the sensor unit and the second support unit; and When the sensor unit is replaced, the initial position of the replaced sensor unit is aligned based on the initial position information of the sensor unit.

10. The method according to claim 9, in, The sensor part includes a 2D LiDAR sensor, a 3D LiDAR sensor, and a 3D camera sensor.

11. The method according to claim 9, in, The second supporting portion is provided to be detachable from the position adjusting portion.

12. The method according to claim 9, in, The position adjusting portion is provided in plural numbers and connects the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion in a vertical direction.

13. The method according to claim 9, in, The initial position information of the sensor part includes at least one of information about a slope formed by the second support part and the sensor part, information about a width, information about a height, and information about an angle formed by the first support part and the sensor part.

14. The method according to claim 9, in, The position adjustment section is configured to maintain the initial position information of the sensor section based on the space map information obtained by the sensor section.

15. A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, wherein the program is used to execute the assembly method of the intelligent delivery vehicle according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

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