Picking system and storage part robot

Abstract

A picking system is provided with: a pickup arm which is attached to a first trolley robot and picks up a basket; a transfer arm which is attached to the first trolley robot and conveys a basket to the second trolley robot; a receiving arm which is attached to the second trolley robot and receives the basket from the transfer arm; an arm sensor group attached to a front end portion of at least one of the pickup arm, the transfer arm, and the reception arm; and a compensation control unit that, on the basis of information detected by the arm sensor group, compensates for a dead angle of the vehicle body sensor group that occurs as the pick-up arm, the transfer arm, and the reception arm move.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a picking system and a storage unit robot. Background Art

[0002] In the past, in picking in a warehouse, manufacturing in a factory (e.g., component assembly), or packaging operations, etc. (hereinafter referred to as picking operations, etc.), each operator performs operations at different speeds.

[0003] In such an operating environment, an automatically controlled cart robot (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a cart) has been introduced.

[0004] For example, a plurality of arms (picking arms, transfer arms, receiving arms, etc.) are installed on the cart robot, and the transfer of goods is performed by controlling the posture of the arm.

[0005] For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-093506 describes the posture control of a robot used for automatic operations on a production line in a factory. Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, in picking operations, etc. using a cart robot, there is still room for improvement from the viewpoint of improving operation efficiency.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a picking system and a storage unit robot capable of improving operation efficiency in picking operations, etc. using a cart robot have been obtained.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure technology, there is provided a picking system, wherein the picking system picks up a basket containing goods by a first cart robot moving at a relatively low speed along a local lane, and processes the operation of transferring to a second cart robot moving at a relatively high speed along a high-speed lane under the monitoring of a body sensor group mounted on each of the bodies of the first cart robot and the second cart robot. The picking system includes: a picking arm mounted on the first cart robot for picking up the basket; a transfer arm mounted on the first cart robot for transporting the basket to the second cart robot; a receiving arm mounted on the second cart robot for receiving the basket from the transfer arm; an arm sensor group mounted on at least one of the front ends of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm; and a compensation control unit that compensates for the dead angle of the body sensor group generated due to the movement of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm based on the information detected by the arm sensor group.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure technology, there is provided the picking system according to the first aspect, wherein the arm sensor group is mounted on the front end of any one of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm having a multi-axis arm structure.

[0010] The third aspect related to the present disclosure technology is the picking system according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the arm sensor group is installed inside the joint of the wrist structure of any one of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm of the multi-axis arm structure.

[0011] The fourth aspect related to the present disclosure technology is the picking system according to any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, wherein the picking system has a stepped structure portion provided between the local lane and the high-speed lane, and transfers to the second cart robot via a transfer path that can move the basket released from the first cart robot by using at least the drop in the direction of the gravitational force.

[0012] The fifth aspect related to the present disclosure technology is the picking system according to the fourth aspect, wherein, relatively, the local lane is at a high position, the high-speed lane is at a low position, the transfer path is an inclined portion connecting the local lane and the high-speed lane, and the basket released from the first cart robot slides down the inclined portion and moves to the capture position of the second cart robot.

[0013] The sixth aspect related to the present disclosure technology is the picking system according to any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, wherein the picking system has: a serpentine arm camera installed on the vehicle body, and having an arm portion and a photographing portion installed at the front end portion of the arm portion, the arm portion being able to adjust the connection angles of a plurality of link portions respectively connected through respective joint portions by an adjustment mechanism portion; and a dead angle determination portion that determines whether there is a dead angle area of the vehicle body sensor group generated during a series of operations performed by the cart robot, and the picking system controls the adjustment mechanism portion based on the determination result of the dead angle determination portion, adjusts the connection angles of the link portions, and compensates for the dead angle area by using the photographing portion for photographing.

[0014] The seventh aspect related to the present disclosure technology is the picking system according to the sixth aspect, wherein a picking arm for picking up a basket and a transfer arm for transporting the basket to the second cart robot are installed on the first cart robot, a receiving arm for receiving the basket from the transfer arm is installed on the second cart robot, and the serpentine arm camera is installed on at least one of the first cart robot and the second cart robot in a manner separated from the working arm group constituting the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm.

[0015] The eighth aspect related to the present disclosure technology is the picking system according to the sixth aspect, wherein a picking arm for picking up a basket and a transfer arm for transporting the basket to the second cart robot are installed on the first cart robot, a receiving arm for receiving the basket from the transfer arm is installed on the second cart robot, and each of the working arm groups constituting the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm has the function of a serpentine arm camera.

[0016] According to the ninth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system involved in the eighth aspect, wherein the photographing unit of the snake-shaped arm camera is installed inside the joint of the wrist structure of the working arm group.

[0017] According to the tenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system involved in any one of the first aspect to the ninth aspect, wherein the picking system has a charging operation control unit that controls a charging operation, which is an operation different from a series of normal operations, for charging a battery that is a power source of the first cart robot or the second cart robot, and during the charging operation, the picking system continuously monitors through the vehicle body sensor group and the arm sensor group.

[0018] According to the eleventh aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system involved in the tenth aspect, wherein the charging operation is an operation of loading a rechargeable charging pack that can charge the power source instead of the cargo basket during traveling along the local lane by the first cart robot and charging the battery of the first cart robot, or an operation of transferring the charging pack to the second cart robot to charge the battery of the second cart robot and returning it after charging, and the charging operation is executed in parallel with a series of normal operations.

[0019] According to the twelfth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system involved in the tenth aspect, wherein the charging operation is an operation of introducing the first cart robot and the second cart robot that need to be charged into the charging station via a charging lane that is respectively connected to the local lane and the high-speed lane through a switch, charging at the charging station, and then sending them out to the local lane and the high-speed lane via the charging lane, and the charging operation is executed in parallel with a series of normal operations.

[0020] According to the thirteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is a picking system, wherein the picking system uses a cart robot to transport an object to be transported containing goods, and the picking system has: a normal operation processing control unit that processes a normal operation, which is to pick up the object to be transported by the arm of the first cart robot moving at a relatively low speed along the local lane and transfer the object to be transported from the picking position to the unloading position through a transfer operation of transferring it to the arm of the second cart robot moving at a relatively high speed along the high-speed lane; and a special operation processing control unit that processes a special operation when a transportation method classified as special transportation relative to the transportation of the normal operation is selected.

[0021] According to the fourteenth aspect related to the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system related to the thirteenth aspect. Among them, the handling method classified as special handling is a handling method targeting the objects to be handled that are particularly urgent or require priority processing. The special operation processing control unit causes the third cart robot dedicated to this special handling to move along the dedicated direct lane, pick up the object to be handled with the arm of the third cart robot, and directly transport it from the picking position to the destination position.

[0022] According to the fifteenth aspect related to the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system according to the thirteenth aspect or the fourteenth aspect. Among them, the object to be handled is an irregularly shaped object to be handled that is difficult to handle in normal operations, or a large amount of objects to be handled exceeding the unit handling capacity of the first cart robot and the second cart robot. The special operation processing control unit uses the fourth cart robot dedicated to special handling and executes handling control according to the control of the normal operation processing control unit.

[0023] According to the sixteenth aspect related to the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system according to any one of the thirteenth aspect to the fifteenth aspect. Among them, this picking system executes normal operations or special operations under the monitoring of the body sensor group installed on the body of the cart robot and the arm sensor group installed at the front end of the arm.

[0024] According to the seventeenth aspect related to the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is a picking system. Among them, this picking system picks up the basket containing goods by the first cart robot moving at a relatively low speed along the local lane, and processes the operation of transferring to the second cart robot moving at a relatively high speed along the high-speed lane under the monitoring of the body sensor group installed on the bodies of the first cart robot and the second cart robot respectively. This picking system includes: an arm part, which is installed on the first cart robot and executes the picking up and transferring of the basket; an arm sensor group, which is installed at the front end of the arm part; and a position control unit, which controls the position of the second cart robot during the basket transfer based on the information detected by the body sensor group and the information detected by the arm sensor group.

[0025] According to the eighteenth aspect related to the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, it is the picking system related to the seventeenth aspect. Among them, the position control unit also predicts the position of the first cart robot and the movement of the arm part based on the information detected by the arm sensor group, and controls the position of the second cart robot during the basket transfer.

[0026] According to the nineteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, there is provided a storage robot, which is disposed in a storage unit of a basket containing goods, and is configured to pick up the basket and hand it over to a cart robot moving along a lane under the monitoring of a vehicle body sensor group. The storage robot includes: a pick-up arm for picking up the basket in the storage unit; an arm sensor group mounted at the front end of the pick-up arm; and a control unit for controlling the pick-up arm based on the information detected by the vehicle body sensor group and the information detected by the arm sensor group to adjust the orientation of the basket when handing it over from the pick-up arm to the cart robot.

[0027] According to the twentieth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, there is provided a storage robot according to the nineteenth aspect, wherein the control unit controls the pick-up arm such that the cart robot can grasp the handle of the basket during the basket handover.

[0028] According to the twenty-first aspect of the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, there is provided a storage robot according to the nineteenth aspect or the twentieth aspect, wherein the control unit controls the pick-up arm to deliver the basket at intervals corresponding to the cart robots moving on the lane. Description of the Drawings

[0029] Figure 1 It is a floor plan of a warehouse applying the picking system according to the first embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 It is a perspective view of the cart robot according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing the state when handing over the basket from a local cart to a high-speed cart.

[0032] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing a control routine for the basket picking process by the local cart according to the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 5 It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the functional structure of the cart robot.

[0034] Figure 6 It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the computer hardware that functions as the information processing device of the cart robot in the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 7A It is a perspective view of the five-finger manipulator according to a modification of the arm in the first embodiment.

[0036] Figure 7B It is a perspective view of the five-finger manipulator according to a modification of the arm in the first embodiment.

[0037] Figure 7C It is a perspective view of a three-finger simple manipulator related to a modified example of the arm according to the first embodiment.

[0038] Figure 7D It is a perspective view of a three-finger simple manipulator related to a modified example of the arm according to the first embodiment.

[0039] Figure 8 It is a perspective view of a cart robot according to the second embodiment.

[0040] Figure 9 It is a perspective view of a snake-arm camera according to the second embodiment.

[0041] Figure 10 It is a functional block diagram of connection angle adjustment control and shooting control executed by the control unit of the snake-arm camera according to the second embodiment.

[0042] Figure 11 It is a flowchart showing an operation control routine of the snake-arm camera according to the second embodiment.

[0043] Figure 12 It is a floor plan of a warehouse to which the picking system according to the third embodiment is applied.

[0044] Figure 13 It is Figure 12 A sectional view taken along line IX-IX of

[0045] Figure 14 It is a perspective view of a cart robot showing a state of picking up a basket as a charging pack from a charging area of a storage unit according to the fourth embodiment.

[0046] Figure 15 The structure of an operation device system controlled by an information processing device mounted on the cart robot according to the fourth embodiment, and a functional block diagram of a battery management control unit that manages the charging state of a battery that supplies power to the operation device system.

[0047] Figure 16 It is a battery monitoring control routine started at the start of operation according to the fourth embodiment.

[0048] Figure 17 It is a flowchart showing a charging operation control routine interrupted when an instruction to change to a charging operation program is given according to the fourth embodiment.

[0049] Figure 18 It is a floor plan of a warehouse to which the picking system according to the fifth embodiment is applied.

[0050] Figure 19It is a floor plan of a warehouse that applies the picking system related to the sixth method.

[0051] Figure 20 It is a perspective view of a long object handling cart suitable for handling long objects related to the sixth method.

[0052] Figure 21 It is a perspective view of a sphere handling cart suitable for handling spheres related to the sixth method.

[0053] Figure 22 It is a perspective view of a large quantity handling cart suitable for handling a large number of baskets related to the sixth method.

[0054] Figure 23 It is a flowchart showing a pick-up processing control routine for handling special-shaped objects or a large number of basket handling operations by a long object handling cart, a sphere handling cart, and a large quantity handling cart related to the sixth method.

[0055] Figure 24 It is a perspective view of a high-speed cart related to the seventh embodiment.

[0056] Figure 25 It is a perspective view showing the state when transferring a basket from a local cart to a high-speed cart in the seventh embodiment.

[0057] Figure 26A It is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the high-speed cart and the local cart when transferring a basket in the seventh embodiment, and is a diagram showing the situation when the two carts approach.

[0058] Figure 26B It is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the high-speed cart and the local cart when transferring a basket in the seventh embodiment, and is a diagram showing the situation when the two carts are transferring.

[0059] Figure 27A It is a diagram showing another example of the positional relationship between the high-speed cart and the local cart when transferring a basket in the seventh embodiment, and is a diagram showing the situation when the two carts approach.

[0060] Figure 27B It is a diagram showing another example of the positional relationship between the high-speed cart and the local cart when transferring a basket in the seventh embodiment, and is a diagram showing the situation when the two carts are transferring.

[0061] Figure 28 It is a floor plan showing the state where the storage unit robot holds a basket located in the storage unit in the eighth embodiment.

[0062] Figure 29 It is a floor plan showing the state when transferring a basket from the storage unit robot to the picking arm of a local cart approaching the storage unit in the eighth embodiment. Detailed implementation mode

[0063] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described through disclosed implementation modes. However, the following implementation modes do not limit the disclosure related to the claims. In addition, all combinations of the features described in the implementation modes are not essential for the disclosed solution.

[0064] [First implementation mode]

[0065] Figure 1 It is a floor plan of floor 50 of a warehouse to which the picking system according to the first implementation mode is applied.

[0066] The picking operation refers to the work of collecting (i.e., picking up) necessary items. Picking personnel (for example, in this implementation mode, the trolley robot 52) play an indispensable role in shipping the items in the warehouse, so they are configured in all types of warehouses. It should be noted that it is not limited to trolley robots, and humanoid robots can also be used.

[0067] For example, the main work is to collect the specified items based on a pre-indicated list and order, and hand over the collected items to the inspection personnel and packaging personnel. The larger the scale of the warehouse, the more diverse and numerous the types and quantities of stored items. Therefore, most picking personnel will move within floor 50.

[0068] In Figure 1 As shown in the floor 50, a storage section (such as a warehouse, a shelf, etc.) 54 is provided, and a plurality of baskets 56 are stored (refer to Figure 3 ). The trolley robot 52 moves around the storage section 54. The main function of the trolley robot 52 is to deliver and receive the basket 56. The trolley robot 52 is classified into a high-speed trolley 52A and a local trolley 52B. The high-speed trolley 52A is set as the trolley robot 52 that moves along the high-speed lane 58, and the local trolley 52B is set as the trolley robot 52 that moves along the local lane 60.

[0069] The local lane 60 is the inner lane within floor 50. The local trolley 52B meanders in a way that approaches or moves away from the storage section 54, and temporarily decelerates to pick up the basket 56 from the storage section 54.

[0070] As Figure 2 shown, the local trolley 52B has a picking arm 62. On the local trolley 52B, the picking arm 62 is arranged on the inner side (i.e., the storage section 54 side) with respect to the local lane 60. For example, two picking arms 62 are provided. The local trolley 52B picks up the basket 56 containing goods through the picking arm 62.

[0071] In addition, the local cart 52B has a passing arm 64. On the local cart 52B, the passing arm 64 is disposed on the outer side with respect to the local lane 60 (i.e., on the side of the high-speed lane 58). For example, three passing arms 64 are provided. The local cart 52B delivers the basket 56 to the high-speed cart 52A moving on the high-speed lane 58 through the passing arm 64.

[0072] It should be noted that the local cart 52B is internally provided with a balance weight battery for preventing tipping (illustration omitted).

[0073] The high-speed lane 58 is the outer lane within the floor 50. The high-speed cart 52A travels on the high-speed lane 58 at a speed of, for example, 20 Km per hour and receives the basket 56 from the local cart 52B moving on the local lane 60. Specifically, the high-speed cart 52A has a receiving arm 66. In Figure 3 the example shown, the high-speed cart 52A has three receiving arms 66. The high-speed cart 52A receives the basket 56 from the local cart 52B through the receiving arm 66.

[0074] A series of operations between the local cart 52B and the high-speed cart 52A are as follows, for example. After picking up the basket 56, the local cart 52B moving on the local lane 60 temporarily accelerates to travel side by side with the high-speed cart 52A moving on the high-speed lane 58 which is outside the local lane 60. The speed during side-by-side travel is, for example, 20 Km per hour. And, in the state where the local cart 52B and the high-speed cart 52A are traveling side by side, the basket 56 is handed over from the three passing arms 64 of the local cart 52B to the three receiving arms 66 of the high-speed cart 52A in the manner of a baton pass.

[0075] A docking station 68 is provided corresponding to the storage unit 54 on the floor 50. That is, the docking station 68 is a place where the baskets 56 picked up from the storage unit 54 are stacked.

[0076] In addition, the docking station 68 becomes the intersection point of the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60.

[0077] The docking station 68 has the function of receiving the basket 56 from the high-speed lane 58. The docking station 68 is provided with, for example, 20 arms.

[0078] In the docking station 68, the high-speed cart 52A temporarily decelerates, hands over the basket 56 to the arm of the docking station 68, and then accelerates again. The speed of the high-speed cart 52A relative to the docking station 68 is, for example, 2 Km per hour, and the time required for the handover is, for example, within 1 minute.

[0079] In the floor 50, a warehouse internal sensor group 70 including a camera and / or a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is disposed on the ceiling and the wall.

[0080] Within these warehouses, the sensor group 70 measures the inter-vehicle distance and / or speed of the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B. The information collected by the sensor group 70 within the warehouse is used as information for synchronizing the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B with each other.

[0081] In addition, on the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B, a body sensor group 72 including a camera and / or LiDAR is also provided on their respective bodies (i.e., the cart main bodies). Based on the result obtained by dividing the number of carts by the length of each lane, the inter-vehicle distance between the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B is controlled to be equally spaced. Thus, it is possible to predict for vacating a necessary inter-vehicle distance (e.g., more than 3 m).

[0082] In the above picking system, since the high-speed carts and the local cart 52B within the floor 50 perform operations in a synchronized rhythm, it is possible to suppress accidents such as interference (e.g., contact or collision). In addition, since the picking operations are performed in a synchronized rhythm, it is possible to eliminate time waste to the maximum extent.

[0083] Here, as described above, each of the cart robots 52 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of arms.

[0084] The local cart 52B includes, for example, two picking arms 62 and three transfer arms 64. In addition, the high-speed cart 52A includes, for example, three receiving arms 66. Hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as arms 62, 64, 66.

[0085] During operations such as picking of the baskets 56 or handover of the baskets 56 between the carts, the arms 62, 64, 66 perform three-dimensional movement. Therefore, the arms 62, 64, 66 pass through the monitoring area of the body sensor group 72 provided on the cart main body.

[0086] With this three-dimensional movement, dead angles may occur on any of the body sensor groups 72. In addition, the arms 62, 64, 66 sometimes move irregularly due to operations. In particular, the closer to the front end of the arms 62, 64, 66, the greater the amount of the movement trajectory. In addition, the dead angles of the body sensor group 72 change over time.

[0087] Therefore, in the present embodiment, an arm sensor group 74 including a small camera and / or LiDAR is installed at the front ends of the respective arms 62, 64, 66 of each cart robot 52 (e.g., the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B).

[0088] The arm sensor group 74 at the front ends of the arms 62, 64, 66 can reduce the dead angles of the body sensor group 72 of the cart main body.

[0089] In addition, for example, among the types of the arm sensor groups 74 at the front end portions of the arms 62, 64, and 66, a temperature sensor and / or a hardness sensor can be cited. By attaching a temperature sensor and / or a hardness sensor or the like to the arm sensor group 74, the gripping strength or the like when picking up (i.e., gripping) the basket 56 can be set. Thereby, deformation and / or damage of the basket 56 can be prevented.

[0090] As the in-warehouse sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72, and the arm sensor group 74, the highest-performance cameras, solid-state lidars (LiDARs), multi-color laser coaxial displacement gauges, or other various sensor groups can be adopted. In addition, a vibration meter, a thermal imager, a hardness meter, a radar, a LiDAR, a high-pixel / long-focus / ultra-wide-angle / 360-degree / high-performance camera can be cited. Further, as the targets that can be detected by the in-warehouse sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72, and the arm sensor group 74, visual recognition, faint sounds, ultrasonic waves, vibrations, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, electromagnetic waves, temperature, humidity, spot artificial intelligence (AI) weather forecasts, high-precision multi-channel global positioning systems (GPSs), low-altitude satellite information, or long-tail event AI data, etc. can be cited.

[0091] It should be noted that in addition to the above information, the in-warehouse sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72, and the arm sensor group 74 also detect images, distances, vibrations, heat, odors, colors, sounds, ultrasonic waves, ultraviolet rays, or infrared rays, etc. Further, as the information detected by the in-warehouse sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72, and the arm sensor group 74, the center-of-gravity movement of the cart robot 52, the detection of the material of the floor on which the cart robot 52 is installed, the detection of the external air temperature, the detection of the external air humidity, the detection of the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal inclination angles of the floor, and the detection of the moisture content can be cited. The in-warehouse sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72, and the arm sensor group 74 perform these detections, for example, every nanosecond.

[0092] Figure 5 It is a control system block diagram of the vehicle body sensor group 72, the arm sensor group 74, and the information processing device 14 mounted on the cart robot 52.

[0093] The information processing device 14 includes an information acquisition unit 140, a control unit 142, and an information storage unit 144.

[0094] The information acquisition unit 140 acquires information on objects detected by the vehicle body sensor group 72 and the arm sensor group 74. In addition, the information acquisition unit 140 acquires not only information on objects detected by the vehicle body sensor group 72 and the arm sensor group 74 of the vehicle-mounted cart robot 52 itself, but also information on objects detected by the vehicle body sensor group 72 and the arm sensor group 74 of other cart robots 52, and even information on objects detected by the in-warehouse sensor group 70.

[0095] The control unit 142 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to control the overall movement actions (e.g., driving of wheels) of the cart robot 52, as well as the actions of the arms 62, 64, and 66, etc. In addition, the control unit 142 functions as the compensation control unit of the present disclosure.

[0096] For example, the control unit 142 performs the following various processes.

[0097] (1) Drive the arms 62, 64, 66 and the gripping parts at their front ends to be able to grasp the object.

[0098] (2) Drive up and down to match the height of the workbench such as the storage unit 54.

[0099] (3) Maintain balance to prevent tipping over.

[0100] (4) Control the driving of the wheels during movement.

[0101] The following will Figure 4 explain the operation of this embodiment according to the

[0102] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a control routine for the picking process of the basket 56 by the local cart 52B.

[0103] In step 100, a picking instruction for the basket 56 is received. In the next step 102, it starts moving towards the destination along the local lane 60 at a normal speed.

[0104] In the next step 104, it is determined whether the target basket 56 is detected. If it is a positive determination, it transfers to step 106, picks up the basket 56 with the picking arm 62, and transfers to step 108.

[0105] In step 108, the speed of the local cart 52B is controlled to the set speed (e.g., 20 Km / h). Then, it transfers to step 110, winds along the direction of the high-speed lane 58, and docks with the high-speed cart 52A at the same time.

[0106] In the next step 112, the container 56 is transferred from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A through the transfer arm 64 of the local cart 52B and the receiving arm 66 of the high-speed cart 52A, and transferred to step 114.

[0107] In step 114, the local cart 52B resumes traveling at the normal speed and waits for the next instruction, and thus this routine ends.

[0108] However, since the arms 62, 64, and 66 perform three-dimensional movement based on operations such as picking of the container 56 and transfer between carts, they may pass through the monitoring area of the body sensor group 72 provided on the cart body, and sometimes there may be blind spots on one of the body sensor groups 72.

[0109] However, in the present embodiment, the blind spots of the body sensor group 72 of the cart body can be reduced by the arm sensor group 74 at the front ends of the arms 62, 64, and 66.

[0110] When the arm sensor group 74 at the front ends of the arms 62, 64, and 66 is a temperature sensor and / or a hardness sensor, etc., when transferring the container 56 (for example, holding the container 56), the holding strength, etc. can be adjusted, and deformation and damage of the container 56 can be prevented. In addition, the front ends of the arms 62, 64, and 66 can be a robotic hand 62HA having fingerless fingers like a human hand (refer to Figure 7A and Figure 7B ). In addition, the front ends of the arms 62, 64, and 66 can be a simple robotic hand 62HB having three fingers (refer to Figure 7C and Figure 7D ). In this case, the arm sensor group 74 can be installed at a position corresponding to the wrist part of a human (refer to Figure 7A and Figure 7C ), or can be installed at a part corresponding to the back of the hand (refer to Figure 7B and Figure 7D ). This is called an Intelligent Hand System.

[0111] According to the present embodiment, the arm sensor group 74 is installed at the front end of at least one of the arms 62, 64, and 66. Based on the information detected by the arm sensor group 74, as the arms 62, 64, and 66 move, the blind spots of the body sensor group 72 are compensated.

[0112] Thus, when the trolley robot 52 moves, it is possible to reduce the dead angles of the sensor group for monitoring the surroundings. By reducing the dead angles of the sensor group, it is possible to avoid poor operation caused by the generation of dead angles (for example, interference including collisions or contacts between the high-speed trolley 52A and the local trolley 52B). As a result, for example, the efficiency of the operation performed by the trolley robot 52 is improved.

[0113] [Second Embodiment]

[0114] Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structural parts as those in the first embodiment to omit the description of their structures.

[0115] The second embodiment is characterized in that, instead of the arm sensor group 74 at the front ends of the arms 62, 64, and 66, the dead angles are monitored by an independent imaging device. In other words, in the first embodiment, by respectively installing the arm sensor group 74 at the front ends of the arms 62, 64, and 66, each of the arms 62, 64, and 66 not only functions as an operation arm but also functions as a serpentine arm camera described later.

[0116] In contrast, in the second embodiment, a serpentine arm camera 76 with an independent structure for dead angle monitoring is provided.

[0117] It should be noted that the trolley equipped with the serpentine arm camera 76 may not be all trolleys but specific trolleys. In addition, in the case of specific trolleys, it is preferable to arrange the trolleys equipped with the serpentine arm camera 76 at regular intervals with respect to the total number of trolleys.

[0118] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the trolley robot according to the second embodiment.

[0119] In the second embodiment, in addition to the arms 62, 64, and 66 of each trolley robot 52 (for example, the high-speed trolley 52A and the local trolley 52B), the serpentine arm camera 76 is also installed on the trolley body.

[0120] As Figure 8 shown, the serpentine arm camera 76 has an arm portion 76B. The arm portion 76B is provided to protrude from the upper surface of the mounting base 76A. A photographing portion 76C is installed at the front end of the arm portion 76B.

[0121] As Figure 9As shown, on the arm portion 76B, a plurality of cylindrical link portions 78 are arranged in series. Between the link portions 78, connection heads 80 are installed, and the connection heads 80 connect adjacent link portions 78 (a pair of link portions 78). The connection head 80 has, for example, a ball joint mechanism. Through the ball joint mechanism, it can be rotatably connected about a point, and by an adjustment mechanism portion 82 (refer to Figure 10 ), the relative angle of a pair of link portions 78 can be adjusted. Among the drive elements of the adjustment mechanism portion 82, drive elements such as a motor, a hydraulic cylinder, and a piezoelectric element can be applied, for example. A plurality of drive elements can be combined.

[0122] The imaging unit 76C acquires an image for identifying the distance to the subject. The imaging unit 76C has, for example, a planar base 84 and a pair of imaging elements 86 disposed on the base. The pair of imaging elements 86 are arranged such that their optical axes are substantially parallel. Thus, the distance to the subject can be identified by performing image processing on the images captured by the imaging elements 86.

[0123] Each drive element of the adjustment mechanism portion 82 is controlled by a control portion 88 having a microcomputer (not shown), for example. The control portion 88 controls the adjustment of the connection angle of the pair of link portions 78, 78 of the snake-arm camera 76 according to a predetermined program, and controls the imaging of the imaging unit 76C.

[0124] Figure 10 is a functional block diagram of the connection angle adjustment control and imaging control executed by the control portion 88.

[0125] The control portion 88 includes an information acquisition portion 88A, and the information acquisition portion 88A acquires detection information from each sensor in the vehicle body sensor group 72 installed on the vehicle body of the cart.

[0126] The information acquisition portion 88A is connected to a blind spot determination portion 88B. In the blind spot determination portion 88B, based on the detection information acquired from the vehicle body sensor group 72, it is determined whether there is a blind spot around the cart robot 52.

[0127] The determination result of the blind spot determination portion 88B is output to an arithmetic portion 88C.

[0128] In the arithmetic portion 88C, when the determination result from the blind spot determination portion 88B is "there is a blind spot", the process of compensating for the blind spot by the snake-arm camera 76 is executed.

[0129] For example, a coordinate-angle database 88D is connected to the arithmetic portion 88C.

[0130] The operation unit 88C determines the position (e.g., coordinates) of the blind spot based on the detection information received from the information acquisition unit 88A. In addition, the operation unit 88C calculates the connection angles of the pair of link units 78, 78 for photographing the blind spot area by the photographing unit 76C based on the coordinate-angle data stored in the coordinate-angle database 88D.

[0131] The operation result calculated by the operation unit 88C is output to the motion instruction unit 88E. The motion instruction unit 88E is connected to the adjustment mechanism unit 82 and outputs a drive signal to each drive element 82A constituting the adjustment mechanism unit 82. Thereby, the drive element 82A adjusts the angles of the respective joint parts 80 so that the pair of link units 78, 78 becomes a specified connection angle.

[0132] In addition, the motion instruction unit 88E is connected to the photographing instruction unit 88F. The motion instruction unit 88E outputs a start signal to the photographing instruction unit 88F in a manner synchronized with the motion instruction issued to the adjustment mechanism unit 82 (e.g., at the end of the adjustment period).

[0133] The photographing instruction unit 88F performs photographing by the photographing unit 76C based on the start signal. Thereby, the snake-arm camera 76 photographs the blind spot area of the vehicle body sensor group 72 of the vehicle body.

[0134] Hereinafter, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.

[0135] Figure 11 It is a flowchart showing an operation control routine of the snake-arm camera.

[0136] In step 120, detection information is acquired from the vehicle body sensor group 72, and then the process proceeds to step 122 to analyze the detection information.

[0137] In the next step 124, based on the analysis result in step 122, during the monitoring of the vehicle body sensor group 72, it is determined whether there is a blind spot around the vehicle robot 52 (particularly, near the arms 62, 64, 66).

[0138] If an affirmative determination is made in step 124, it is determined that there is a blind spot, the process proceeds to step 126, the connection angles of the pair of link units 78, 78 are calculated based on the position information (e.g., coordinates) of the blind spot, and the process proceeds to step 128.

[0139] In step 128, based on the connection angles calculated in step 126, the motion instruction unit 88E instructs the adjustment mechanism unit 82 to adjust the angle. According to this instruction, the adjustment mechanism unit 82 operates each drive element 82A.

[0140] In the next step 130, it is determined whether the adjustment is completed, and the adjustment is continued until an affirmative determination is made. As a result, the joint head 80 adjusts the connection angle of a pair of link portions 78, 78.

[0141] If an affirmative determination is made in step 130, the process proceeds to step 132 to give a shooting instruction. Based on this shooting instruction, in the shooting unit 76C, the blind spot area is shot.

[0142] In the next step 134, based on the shooting information of the shooting unit 76C, compensation control for the blind spot is executed, and the process proceeds to step 136. It should be noted that when a negative determination is made in step 124, the process proceeds to step 136. It should be noted that for the compensation control, for example, it is sufficient to send the shooting information obtained by shooting the blind spot area to a control system (not shown) that controls the vehicle body sensor group 72. By sending the shooting information, compensation can be performed through normal image analysis of this control system.

[0143] In step 136, it is determined whether the operation is completed. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 120 to repeat the above process. Additionally, if an affirmative determination is made in step 136, this routine ends.

[0144] Through the above control, under the monitoring of the vehicle body sensor group 72, for example, during the operation of transferring the cargo basket by the arms 62, 64, 66, the blind spot area generated by the actions between the arms 62, 64, 66 is shot by the snake-shaped arm camera 76. Here, due to the flexible movement of the snake-shaped arm camera 76, the snake-shaped arm camera 76 shoots the blind spot area without interfering with the arms 62, 64, 66, etc. Thereby, the movement speed of the arms 62, 64, 66 can be increased, which helps to improve the operation efficiency.

[0145] [Third Embodiment]

[0146] Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structural parts as those in the first embodiment.

[0147] In the first embodiment, during the automatic operation of the cart robot, in order to eliminate the blind spots of the sensor group for monitoring the surroundings, the arm sensor group 74 is installed at the front ends of the arms 62, 64, 66. By using the detection information of the arm sensor group 74, the blind spot areas of other sensors can be compensated to avoid operation failures caused by the generation of blind spots (for example, interference including collisions and contacts between the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B).

[0148] In contrast, the third embodiment is characterized by being specifically designed to avoid interference between the above-mentioned high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B. More specifically, as one of the concepts for eliminating the dead zones generated when the cart robot 52 moves, a structure is adopted that eliminates the existence of the dead zones themselves, which are the main cause of interference between the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B, rather than compensating for the dead zone area through the arm sensor group 74.

[0149] Figure 12 It is a floor plan of a warehouse applying the picking system according to the third embodiment.

[0150] In the above-mentioned picking system, since the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B in the floor 50 operate at a synchronized rhythm, control is performed so as not to cause accidents such as interference (e.g., contact, collision).

[0151] However, when transferring the basket 56 from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A, the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B are closest to each other.

[0152] In order to more reliably avoid interference between the arms 62, 64, and 66 when they are closest to each other, in the third embodiment, a stepped structure portion 90 (Pass-Receive Slope) in the height direction is provided between the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60.

[0153] In the stepped structure portion 90, an inclined portion 90A is provided as a transfer path connecting the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60.

[0154] As Figure 13 shown, through this stepped structure portion 90, relatively, the high-speed lane 58 is at a lower position, the local lane 60 is at a higher position, and an inclined portion 90A is provided between the two.

[0155] When the local cart 52B approaches the storage unit 54 to receive the basket 56 placed in the storage unit 54 (in Figure 13 it is assumed to be basket 56A), by traveling in a meandering manner, it approaches the stepped structure portion 90 and releases the received basket 56A (in Figure 13 it is assumed to be basket 56B) toward the inclined portion 90A. This operation is called the "Pass operation".

[0156] The released basket 56B slides down along the inclined portion 90A toward the high-speed lane 58 direction (in Figure 13 the movement from basket 56B to basket 56C), and the standby high-speed cart 52A receives the basket 56C to accommodate the received basket 56C in the high-speed cart 52A (in Figure 13 it is assumed to be basket 56D). This operation is called the "Receive operation".

[0157] The delivery and reception (Pass operation → Receive operation) of the basket 56 can be performed while the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B are running.

[0158] Via the stepped structure portion 90 of the above structure, by transferring the basket 56 from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A (transfer of the basket 56A → 56B → 56C → 56D), even if there are dead zones in the detection information of the existing sensor groups (e.g., the warehouse interior sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72), it is possible to avoid interference (e.g., contact, collision, etc.) of the local cart 52B with the high-speed cart 52A, and it is possible to substantially eliminate the dead zones.

[0159] According to the present embodiment, in a picking system premised on the automatic operation of the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B, by providing the stepped structure portion 90, it is possible to eliminate the area itself where the carts interfere with each other during handover. That is, it is possible to substantially eliminate the dead zone area.

[0160] In addition, according to the present embodiment, relatively, the local lane 60 is set at a high position, the high-speed lane 58 is set at a low position, and the handover path is the inclined portion 90A that connects the local lane 60 and the high-speed lane 58. And the basket 56 released from the local cart 52B slides down on the inclined portion 90A and moves toward the capture position of the high-speed cart 52A.

[0161] By providing an area where it slides down on the inclined portion 90A, it is possible to maintain a fixed interval between the local lane 60 and the high-speed lane 58, and it is possible to physically avoid interference between the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B.

[0162] It should be noted that in the third embodiment, the inclined portion 90A of the stepped structure portion 90 simply causes the basket 56 to slide down due to gravity as it follows the slope, but this is merely an example. For example, a belt conveyor or the like may be provided on the inclined portion 90A, and based on the position information when the delivery and reception of the basket 56 are performed while the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B are running, the conveying speed of the belt conveyor is controlled to adjust the error between the Pass operation position of the local cart 52B and the Receive operation position of the high-speed cart 52A.

[0163] In addition, in the third embodiment, the basket 56 slides down along the inclined portion 90A of the stepped structure portion 90, but an opening may also be provided between the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60 to cause the basket 56 to fall from the opening.

[0164] [Fourth Embodiment]

[0165] Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0166] In the above embodiment, the following example is illustrated: arms 62, 64, and 66 are installed on the trolley robot 52 (for example, the high-speed trolley 52A and the local trolley 52B), and the delivery of goods is performed as a series of operations by controlling the postures of the arms 62, 64, and 66. Here, in addition to a series of operations, unexpected blind spots may exist in the movement based on unconventional operations. As unconventional operations, for example, a charging operation for charging the trolley robot 52 for driving can be listed.

[0167] Therefore, in this embodiment, not only a series of operations but also the driving action of the charging operation based on the vehicle robot 52 can avoid unexpected blind spots in the surrounding area.

[0168] (Structure of the storage unit 54 for charging the car robot 52)

[0169] As described above, the local lane 60 is an inner lane in the floor 50, and the local trolley 52B meanders toward or away from the storage unit 54 and temporarily slows down to pick up the cargo basket 56 from the storage unit 54 (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0170] In the storage portion 54, a cargo basket 56 containing cargo is placed. A portion of the storage portion 54 (for example, Figure 1 A portion of the left end of the storage section 54 is a charging area 54CZ, in which a cargo basket 56L for charging packs different from the cargo basket 56 for cargo is placed.

[0171] The cargo basket 56L is, for example, a lithium-ion battery, and is placed in the charging area 54CZ to stand by in a state of being charged in advance.

[0172] Here, the cargo basket 56L is treated in the same manner as the cargo basket 56 containing goods and can be picked up by the local cart 52B.

[0173] Although the details will be described later, the picked-up basket 56L has a battery 176 (reference Figure 15 It should be noted that in this embodiment, the local trolley 52B has a built-in battery 176 that also serves as a counterweight to prevent tipping (see Figure 15 ).

[0174] In addition, in the present embodiment, a charging area (not shown) having the same function as the charging area CZ provided in the storage unit 54 may be provided on the docking station 68, and a special basket 56L for the high-speed cart 52A may be placed.

[0175] (Control System for Battery Charging of the Cart Robot 52)

[0176] Figure 15 It is a functional block diagram of the structure of the motion device system 178 mounted on the cart robot 52 and controlled by the information processing device 14, and the function of the battery management control unit 180 that manages the charging state of the battery 176 that supplies power to the motion device system 178.

[0177] The motion device system 178 includes a battery 176. In addition to supplying power to the information processing device 14, the body sensor group 72 and the arm sensor group 74 connected to the information processing device 14, the battery 176 also supplies power to the drive device 182 and the communication device 184.

[0178] A job program reading unit 186 is connected to the information processing device 14. A storage medium 188 storing a job program is connected to the job program reading unit 186. The job program reading unit 186 reads, based on an instruction from the battery management control unit 180, a normal job program for executing a series of jobs or a charging job program for executing a charging job as an unconventional job from the storage medium 188. Preferably, the normal job program is included in the charging job program.

[0179] The read job program is sent to the information processing device 14, and based on the read job program, each part of the motion device system 178 is controlled.

[0180] In the present embodiment, the charging job exemplified is managed by the battery management control unit 180.

[0181] As Figure 15 shown, the battery management control unit 180 includes a battery state measurement unit 190. The battery state measurement unit 190 is connected to the battery 176 of the motion device system 178, measures the state of the battery 176 (for example, voltage, etc.), and outputs the measurement result to the charging state self-monitoring unit 192.

[0182] In the charging state self-monitoring unit 192, the state of the battery 176 (for example, whether it can supply necessary and sufficient power to the motion device system 178) is checked, and the check result is input to the charging necessity determination unit 194.

[0183] Based on the check result, the charging necessity determination unit 194 comprehensively determines whether charging is required, and outputs the determination result to the job program selection instruction unit 196.

[0184] When the operation program selection instruction unit 196 receives the determination result that charging is required, it instructs the operation program reading unit 186 of the action device system 178 to read the charging operation program.

[0185] Thereby, the information processing device 14 changes the action from the normal operation program to the charging operation program and controls each part of the action device system 178. When the charging operation program includes the normal operation program, the normal operation can be processed in parallel during the charging operation.

[0186] In the charging operation program, the following control is performed on the local cart 52B: making it pick up the basket 56L as a charging pack from the charging area 54CZ of the storage unit 54 (refer to Figure 1 ), performing charging of its own battery 176, or making it hand over the basket 56L to the designated high-speed cart 52A.

[0187] In addition, when the operation program selection instruction unit 196 receives the determination result that charging is not required (for example, charging is completed), it instructs the operation program reading unit 186 of the action device system 178 to read the normal operation program.

[0188] (Control for battery charging of the cart robot 52)

[0189] Figure 16 And Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the control flow for charging the cart robot 52.

[0190] Figure 16 is a battery monitoring control routine started at the start of operation. This Figure 16 battery monitoring control is executed in parallel with the local cart pickup processing control shown in Figure 4 (interrupting the local cart pickup processing control shown in Figure 4 when necessary).

[0191] In step 150, the operation mode of each cart robot 52 during the operation is determined. In step 150, if it is determined that the normal operation mode is in effect, it is determined that the cart robot 52 is not charging, and the process proceeds to step 152 to determine whether it is the measurement period of the battery 176.

[0192] If an affirmative determination is made in step 152, the process proceeds to step 154 to measure the state (voltage, etc.) of the battery 176, and then proceeds to step 156.

[0193] In step 156, based on the measured information, the state of the battery 176 is checked, and the process proceeds to step 158.

[0194] In step 158, it is determined whether the battery 176 needs to be charged in the current state. If an affirmative determination is made in this step 158, it is determined that the battery 176 needs to be charged, the process proceeds to step 160, an instruction to change the operation program to a charging operation program is issued, and the process proceeds to step 162. It should be noted that even during the startup process of the charging operation program, although the loaded goods become fewer, the normal operation can be processed in parallel.

[0195] It should be noted that when a negative determination is made in step 152 or step 158, the process proceeds to step 162.

[0196] In step 162, it is determined whether the operation has ended. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 150. If an affirmative determination is made in step 162, the routine ends.

[0197] On the other hand, in the determination of the operation mode in step 150, if it is determined that it is a charging operation, it is determined that a series of normal operations are being performed in the state where the basket 56L as a charging pack is loaded, the process proceeds to step 164, the state (such as voltage) of the battery 176 is measured, and the process proceeds to step 166.

[0198] In step 166, based on the measured information, the state of the battery 176 is checked, and the process proceeds to step 168.

[0199] In step 168, it is determined whether the charging of the battery 176 is completed in the current state. If an affirmative determination is made in step 168, it is determined that the charging of the battery 176 is completed, the process proceeds to step 170, an instruction to change the operation program to a normal operation program is issued, and the routine ends. According to this instruction, the operation of returning the basket 56L to the charging area 54CZ of the storage unit 54 is performed, and a series of normal operations are resumed.

[0200] In addition, when a negative determination is made in step 168, the process returns to step 150.

[0201] Figure 17 It is a flowchart of a charging operation control routine that is interrupted when an instruction to change to a charging operation program is given.

[0202] In step 180, the start of the charging operation is notified, and then the process proceeds to step 182, and the loading process of the charging pack (basket 56L) is executed. This loading process is the following process: the basket 56L is picked up from the charging area 54CZ of the storage unit 54 by the local cart 52B and connected to the battery 176. It should be noted that when the charging target is the high-speed cart 52A, it includes the handover process from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A.

[0203] In the next step 184, a charging process is executed and the process proceeds to step 186.

[0204] In step 186, it is determined whether there is an instruction to change to the normal operation procedure, and the process waits until an affirmative determination is made (i.e., charging continues).

[0205] If an affirmative determination is made in step 186, the process proceeds to step 188 and a return process of the charging pack (e.g., the basket 56L) is executed. This return process is the following process: The charging pack (e.g., the basket 56L) connected to the battery 176 is removed and returned to the charging area 54CZ of the storage unit 54. It should be noted that when the charging target is the high-speed cart 52A, it includes the handover process from the high-speed cart 52A to the local cart 52B.

[0206] In the next step 190, it is notified that the charging operation is completed and this routine ends.

[0207] According to the present embodiment, in a series of normal operations and the charging operation as an unconventional operation, the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B are executed by almost the same operations (i.e., the handover of the basket 56 and the handover of the basket 56L). Therefore, during the charging operation, it is also possible to appropriate the monitoring and dead angle avoidance control established in a series of normal operations and executed by the in-warehouse sensor group 70, the vehicle body sensor group 72, and the arm sensor group 74.

[0208] That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the dead angle of the vehicle body sensor group 72 that monitors the surroundings during a series of normal operations performed by the automatic operation of the cart robot 52. In addition, the monitoring of a series of normal operations can also be performed during the charging operation that is processed in parallel with the series of normal operations.

[0209] In addition, according to the present embodiment, in a series of normal operations and the charging operation, since the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B do not separately leave the local lane 60 and the high-speed lane 58, the monitoring area caused by the charging operation does not expand.

[0210] [Fifth Embodiment]

[0211] Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in the fifth embodiment, for the same structural parts as those in the fourth embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description of their structures is omitted.

[0212] The fifth embodiment is characterized in that, as Figure 18 shown, in addition to the high-speed lane 58 on which the high-speed cart 52A travels and the local lane 60 on which the local cart 52B travels, a charging lane 200 is also provided.

[0213] As shown Figure 18 in FIG. 2, the charging lane 200 includes an entrance lane 204A, an exit lane 204B, an entrance lane 208A, and an exit lane 208B. The entrance lane 204A and the exit lane 204B are connected to the high-speed lane 58 through switches (points) 202A and 202B. In addition, the entrance lane 208A and the exit lane 208B are connected to the local lane 60 through switches 206A and 206B.

[0214] A switch group 210 is provided at the terminal of the charging lane 200, and the connection state of each charging lane 200 can be switched.

[0215] A plurality of branch lanes 212 are provided starting from the switch group 210, and a charging station 214 is provided at the terminal of each branch lane 212.

[0216] In the charging station 214, when the high-speed vehicle 52A and the local vehicle 52B traveling on the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60 move through the charging lane 200 and the branch lane 212, the batteries 176 carried by them are charged respectively.

[0217] Hereinafter, the operation of the fifth embodiment will be described.

[0218] When any one of the high-speed vehicles 52A needs to be charged, the switch 202A is switched so that the high-speed vehicle 52A is introduced from the high-speed lane 58 into the entrance lane 204A.

[0219] The high-speed vehicle 52A introduced into the entrance lane 204A is guided to a designated branch lane 212 through the switching operation of the switch group 210 and reaches the charging station 214.

[0220] In the charging station 214, the battery 176 (reference Figure 14 ) is charged, and when the charging is completed, through the switching operation of the switch group 210, the high-speed vehicle 52A is guided from the branch lane 212 to the exit lane 204B and returns to the high-speed lane 58.

[0221] In addition, when any one of the local vehicles 52B needs to be charged, the switch 206A is switched so that the local vehicle 52B is introduced from the local lane 60 into the entrance lane 208A.

[0222] The local vehicle 52B introduced into the entrance lane 208A is guided to a designated branch lane 212 through the switching operation of the switch group 210, and reaches the charging station 214 through the switching of the switch 202B.

[0223] In the charging station 214, the battery 176 (reference Figure 14It is charged, and at the end of charging, through the switching action of the switch group 210, the local cart 52B is introduced from the branch lane 212 to the delivery lane 208B, and through the switching of the switch 206B, it returns to the local lane 60.

[0224] The charging states of the multiple high-speed carts 52A and the local cart 52B are appropriately monitored. When charging is required, they are guided to the charging station 214 for charging. Therefore, they will not be unable to drive due to insufficient battery power during a series of operations.

[0225] In addition, when guiding to the charging station 214, since they are driving while monitoring the surroundings without dead angles through the body sensor group 72 and the arm sensor group 74, there are no problems of mutual interference among the multiple cart robots 52 on the charging lane, the switch group 210, the branch lane 212, etc.

[0226] According to this embodiment, sometimes the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B respectively leave the local lane 60 and the high-speed lane 58. However, by setting the arm sensor group 74, there will be no dead angles even in the monitoring area where they leave.

[0227] It should be noted that in the fourth and fifth embodiments, a basket 56L that can accommodate charging packs with various charging capacities can be prepared, and the one required for charging can be selected and picked up according to the capacity. In addition, the charging can be carried out in a non-contact manner. Further, if non-contact charging units are buried along the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60, the charging operation can be carried out without imposing any restrictions on the normal operation.

[0228] [Sixth Embodiment]

[0229] Hereinafter, the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in the sixth embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same structural parts as in the first embodiment to omit the description of their structures.

[0230] However, the shapes of the objects to be carried by the cart robot 52 are various. For example, by being accommodated in the standardized basket 56, the outer shape can be kept fixed to improve the picking operation efficiency. However, for irregular-shaped goods that cannot be accommodated in the basket 56, they sometimes interfere with the normal carrying operation. Examples of irregular-shaped goods can include long-shaped objects that physically cannot be accommodated in the basket 56, spherical objects that are unstable during carrying, and / or a large number of carried objects that exceed the accommodation capacity of the cart robot 52, etc.

[0231] In addition, various sensors provided on the cart robot 52 are basically installed on the vehicle body. During the movement of the cart robot 52, various sensors monitor obstacles and the like. However, for example, sometimes as the multiple arms 62, 64, and 66 move, dead zones are generated in various sensors.

[0232] Since the arms 62, 64, and 66 move irregularly based on the command program (in particular, the amount of movement of the movement trajectory is larger as it gets closer to the front end), the dead zones change over time. In particular, for irregularly shaped objects, in the sensor group installed on the existing vehicle body, sufficient monitoring cannot sometimes be performed. In addition, when the arms 62, 64, and 66 attempt to pick up goods from the basket 56, the inside of the basket 56 is a dead zone for the sensors of the cart robot 52.

[0233] Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is achieved that in the picking operation of the cart robot 52, even if the handling method changes according to the shape and / or quantity of the object to be transported, it is possible to quickly respond without interfering with the normal operation.

[0234] The main task of the cart robot 52 is the delivery and reception of the basket 56. In the present embodiment, the cart robot 52 is classified as follows according to its movement path.

[0235] (Movement path 1) The high-speed cart 52A of the cart robot 52 that moves along the high-speed lane 58 (reference Figure 19 )

[0236] (Movement path 2) The local cart 52B of the cart robot 52 that moves along the local lane 60 (reference Figure 19 )

[0237] (Movement path 3) The direct cart 52C of the cart robot that moves along the direct lane 61 (reference Figure 19 )

[0238] As described in the above first embodiment, the high-speed cart 52A on the movement path 1 and the local cart 52B on the movement path 2 perform operations in pairs (cooperative operations). On the other hand, the direct cart 52C on the movement path 3 performs operations alone (separate operations).

[0239] (Details of separate operations)

[0240] As Figure 19 shown, the direct lane 61 is the innermost lane provided along the storage unit 54 within the floor 50. The direct cart 52C travels around the periphery of the storage unit 54 and temporarily decelerates to pick up the basket 56 from the storage unit 54.

[0241] The direct cart 52C is in contact with Figure 2Similar to the local cart 52B shown, after picking up the basket 56 containing goods by the picking arm 62, the basket 56 is directly transported to the destination location (e.g., the docking station 68).

[0242] In the docking station 68, similar to Figure 3 the high-speed cart 52A shown, the direct cart 52C temporarily decelerates, and the basket 56 is handed over to the arm of the docking station 68, and then accelerates again. The speed of the direct cart 52C relative to the docking station 68 is, for example, 2 km per hour, and the time required for the handover is, for example, within 1 minute.

[0243] Since the direct cart 52C is for so-called regular operations (such as special emergency handling or priority handling, etc.), in the absence of an instruction for the next non-regular operation, it can standby at a standby position (not shown) adjacent to the docking station 68.

[0244] (Type of the cart robot 52)

[0245] The above-mentioned cart robot 52 is a cart robot 52 with a so-called standard structure that can carry the basket 56 in a general way.

[0246] In other words, the outer shapes of the baskets 56 are almost the same, and by accommodating various-shaped goods in the basket 56, multiple baskets 56 can be loaded on the cart robot 52 in an organized state.

[0247] In contrast, irregular-shaped goods that cannot be accommodated in the basket 56 sometimes interfere with the picking operation. For example, the following situations may sometimes occur: it takes time to take out from the storage unit 54, it is difficult to hand over, and / or it is difficult to accommodate in the cart robot 52. In addition, in the case where it is necessary to transport at one time baskets 56 exceeding the loading capacity of the cart robot 52 (e.g., a large number of baskets 56), the cart robot 52 with a standard structure cannot cope.

[0248] Therefore, in the present embodiment, in addition to the cart robot 52 with a standard structure, multiple cart robots 52 with a structure suitable for various irregular-shaped goods, etc., as shown in Figures 20 to 22 are also prepared.

[0249] (Long object handling cart 52D)

[0250] Figure 20 is a perspective view of the long object handling cart 52D suitable for handling the long object 276.

[0251] As shown in Figure 20As shown, in the long object handling cart 52D, for example, compared with the partial cart 52B, the basket accommodating portion 278 has a longitudinally elongated structure. Thus, the basket accommodating portion 278 can accommodate the long object 276 in a relatively upright state, and it is difficult to apply forces such as flexure to the long object 276, and damage to the goods can be avoided.

[0252] In the long object handling cart 52D with this longitudinally elongated structure, the arm 280 is mounted to the basket accommodating portion 278 via a rotating shaft 280A. And, the tires 282 of two of the four wheels are mounted to the front end of this arm 280. Thus, it is easier to maintain balance during travel.

[0253] The arm 280 rotates around the rotating shaft 280A according to acceleration and deceleration during travel, and tilts the basket accommodating portion 278. By this tilting, the inertial force applied to the long object 276 is attenuated, and stable handling can be performed.

[0254] (Sphere handling cart 52E)

[0255] Figure 21 is a perspective view of the sphere handling cart 52E suitable for handling spheres 284.

[0256] As Figure 21 shown, in the sphere handling cart 52E, for example, compared with the partial cart 52B, a partition 286 is installed at the upper opening portion. A plurality of circular openings 286A are provided in the partition 286. In Figure 21 it, openings 286A of the same radius are shown, but openings of different radii may also be used.

[0257] When the sphere 284 is picked up, it is accommodated in the opening 286A of the partition 286. Thus, a part of the sphere 284 is accommodated in the opening 286A and is held in a stable state without rolling.

[0258] (Large quantity handling cart 52F)

[0259] Figure 22 is a perspective view of the large quantity handling cart 52F suitable for handling a large number of baskets 56.

[0260] As Figure 22 shown, the large quantity handling cart 52F, for example, compared with the partial cart 52B, includes a plurality of (six in Figure 22 ) accommodating portions 288. It should be noted that although each accommodating portion 288 shown in Figure 22 has a capacity smaller than that of Figure 2An example of the accommodating portion of the local cart 52B is shown, but it may also have the same capacity as the accommodating portion of the local cart 52B. Additionally, the installation positions and the number of installation of the picking arm 62 and the transfer arm 64 may be determined according to the capacity of the accommodating portion 288.

[0261] By providing a plurality of accommodating portions 288, it is possible to transport a large number of baskets 56 at one time (for example, the number of baskets 56 that cannot be accommodated in one local cart 52B), thereby improving efficiency and reducing the number of traveling cart robots, and reducing interference with each other (such as contact, collision, etc.).

[0262] (Strengthen monitoring "reduce blind spots")

[0263] Here, the cart robots 52 of the present embodiment (for example, the high-speed cart 52A, the local cart 52B, and the direct cart 52C) each have a plurality of arms as described above.

[0264] In addition, on other cart robots 52 (for example, the direct cart 52C, the long object handling cart 52D, the spherical object handling cart 52E, and the large quantity handling cart 52F), any one of the arms 62, 64, and 66 is installed as needed.

[0265] In addition, regarding the direct cart 52C, either the high-speed cart 52A or the local cart 52B can be applied as the direct cart 52C. It should be noted that as a dedicated structure, a direct cart 52C equipped with a picking arm 62 can be adopted.

[0266] In addition, as a dedicated structure for the direct lane 61, a variety of cart robots 52 (for example, the long object handling cart 52D, the spherical object handling cart 52E, and / or the large quantity handling cart 52F) having a structure suitable for irregularly shaped goods, etc. can be adopted.

[0267] The following is based on Figure 23 The flowchart of illustrates the operation of the present embodiment.

[0268] (Flow of normal handling process)

[0269] During normal handling, as described above, according to Figure 4 The routine showing the control of the basket 56 picking process by the local cart 52B during normal handling is executed to perform the normal handling process.

[0270] (Flow of special handling process)

[0271] Figure 23It is a flowchart showing a pickup processing control routine for the handling of special-shaped objects and a large number of basket handling operations by the long-shaped object handling cart 52D, the spherical object handling cart 52E, and the large quantity handling cart 52F during special handling.

[0272] In step 1120, the handling method is discriminated. In this step 1120, any one of (a) particularly urgent (priority) handling, (b) special-shaped object handling, and (c) large quantity handling is discriminated, but handling methods other than the above (a) to (c) are not excluded. For example, the handling methods of goods belonging to ultra-precise structures and restricted vibrations, goods that generate peculiar smells, etc. can also be used as discrimination targets, and dedicated cart robots can be prepared respectively.

[0273] In the next step 1122, it is judged whether the discriminated handling method (here, (a) to (c)) is the particularly urgent (priority) handling of (a).

[0274] If an affirmative determination is made in this step 1122, it is determined that the handling method is particularly urgent (priority) handling, and the process proceeds to step 1124. In addition, if a negative determination is made in step 1122, it is determined that the handling method is special-shaped object handling or large quantity handling, and the process proceeds to step 1134.

[0275] (Particularly urgent (priority) handling)

[0276] When an affirmative determination is made in step 1122 and the process proceeds to step 1124, in step 1124, the direct cart 52C is selected, and then the process proceeds to step 1126, and it moves along the direct lane 61 to the receiving position of the basket 56. It should be noted that in both particularly urgent or priority cases, if it is a particularly urgent situation, it moves at high speed.

[0277] In the next step 1128, the basket 56 is picked up and accommodated, the process proceeds to step 1130, and it moves along the direct lane 61 (at high speed during particularly urgent handling) to the final unloading position of the basket 56 (for example, the docking station 68), and the process proceeds to step 1132.

[0278] In step 1132, the special handling cart (it should be noted that in the case of proceeding from step 1130, it is the direct cart 52C) is moved to the standby position, and this routine ends.

[0279] (Special-shaped object or large quantity handling)

[0280] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 1122 and the process proceeds to step 1134, then in step 1134, the cart robot 52 corresponding to the discriminated handling method is selected.

[0281] That is, for the cart robot 52 used as a special-shaped object, the long object handling cart 52D or the sphere handling cart 52E is selected. For the cart robot 52 used for mass handling, the mass handling cart 52F is selected and transferred to step 1136.

[0282] In step 1136, the handover of the basket 56, etc. by the selected cart robot 52 is instructed, and the process is transferred to step 1138, and the handover process (handover from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A) of the normal handling process shown in Figure 4 is executed, and the process is transferred to step 1132.

[0283] In step 1132, the special handling cart (in the case of transfer from step 1138, it is the long object handling cart 52D, the sphere handling cart 52E, or the mass handling cart 52F) is moved to the standby position, and this routine ends.

[0284] According to the present embodiment, the carried object containing the goods is picked up by the arm of the local cart 52B that moves at a relatively low speed along the local lane 60, and the handover operation of handing over to the arm of the high-speed cart 52A that moves at a relatively high speed along the high-speed lane 58 is performed to handle the normal operation of transporting the basket 56, etc. from the picking position to the unloading position. On the other hand, for the handling of the normal operation, in the case where the handling method classified as special handling is selected, the special operation is processed.

[0285] In this way, by selecting the handling operation according to the type of the carried object, in the picking operation of the cart robot 52, even if the handling method changes according to the shape and quantity of the carried object, the handling operation can be reliably executed.

[0286] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the handling method classified as special handling is a handling method targeting a particularly urgent or priority-to-be-processed carried object, the dedicated direct cart 52C for this special handling moves along the dedicated direct lane 61, and the carried object is picked up by the arm of the direct cart 52C and directly transported from the picking position to the destination position.

[0287] In this way, according to the handling method, both the normal operation process and the special operation process are used at the same time, so that for non-conventional operations (for example, particularly urgent or priority handling), it is possible to quickly respond without disturbing the normal operation. Thereby, the operation efficiency of the cart robot 52 is improved.

[0288] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the object to be transported is a special-shaped object that is difficult to handle during normal operations or a large quantity of objects exceeding the unit transport volume of the local cart 52B and the high-speed cart 52A, a dedicated long-shaped object transport cart 52D or sphere transport cart 52E for special transport, or a cart robot 52 for large quantity transport, a large quantity transport cart 52F is used to transport the object to be transported.

[0289] In this way, even if the object to be transported is difficult to handle during normal operations, it can be dealt with. In this case, the transport control can be executed according to the control for normal operation processing, and there is no major change in the overall operation method.

[0290] [Seventh Embodiment]

[0291] Hereinafter, the seventh embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in the seventh embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structural parts as in the first embodiment to omit the description of their structures.

[0292] The seventh embodiment is characterized in that, as Figure 24 shown, the high-speed cart 52A does not have a receiving arm.

[0293] In the first embodiment, the delivery basket 56 is transferred from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A through the transfer arm 64 of the local cart 52B and the receiving arm 66 of the high-speed cart 52A.

[0294] In contrast, in the seventh embodiment, as Figure 25 shown, the transfer arm 64 of the local cart 52B directly places the delivery basket 56 on the basket placement portion 92 of the high-speed cart 52A.

[0295] In the seventh embodiment, the control unit 142 of the high-speed cart 52A uses the information obtained by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI to control the overall movement actions (such as the driving of the wheels) of the cart robot 52.

[0296] In addition, the control unit 142 of the high-speed cart 52A functions as a position control unit, and this position control unit uses the information obtained by the information acquisition unit 140 to control the position of the high-speed cart 52A during the transfer of the delivery basket 56.

[0297] It should be noted that the control unit 142 of the high-speed cart 52A can also control the position in combination with AI.

[0298] In addition, the control unit 142 of the high-speed cart 52A can also use the information obtained by the information acquisition unit 140 to predict the position of the local cart 52B and the movement of the transfer arm 64, so as to control the position of the high-speed cart 52A during the transfer of the delivery basket 56.

[0299] Hereinafter, an example of the operation at the time of the transfer of the basket 56 in the seventh embodiment will be described in detail.

[0300] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the high-speed carriage 52A and the partial carriage 52B at the time of the transfer of the basket 56, Figure 26A is a diagram showing the state when the two carriages approach each other, Figure 26B is a diagram showing the state at the time of the transfer between the two carriages.

[0301] As Figure 26A shown, at the time of the transfer of the basket 56, the partial carriage 52B temporarily accelerates in order to travel side by side with the high-speed carriage 52A, and adjusts its speed to approach the speed of the high-speed carriage 52A.

[0302] In addition, in Figure 26A the example shown, among the three transfer arms 64, the transfer arm 64A in the front in the forward direction holds the basket, and rotates counterclockwise in order to transfer the basket to the high-speed carriage 52A.

[0303] When the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A receives a reception instruction for the basket 56, it acquires information such as the speed state of the partial carriage 52B and the movement state of the transfer arm 64A holding the basket 56 from the information acquisition unit 140.

[0304] Next, the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 to predict the position of the partial carriage 52B and the movement of the transfer arm 64A, and determines at which location to approach the partial carriage 52B and the transfer position of the basket 56 of the transfer arm 64A (for example, the relative position with respect to the partial carriage 52B).

[0305] Specifically, the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A can predict at which location to approach the partial carriage 52B based on the change state of the relative speed between the high-speed carriage 52A and the partial carriage 52B. In addition, the control unit 142 can predict the transfer position of the basket 56 of the transfer arm 64A (the relative position with respect to the partial carriage 52B) based on the movement state of the transfer arm 64A holding the basket 56.

[0306] And, the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A performs position control of the high-speed carriage 52A so that the transfer arm 64A of the partial carriage 52B can place the basket 56 in the basket placement unit 92 of the high-speed carriage 52A.

[0307] In Figure 26BIn the illustrated example, among the three transfer arms 64 of the local carriage 52B, since the transfer arm 64A in front of the forward direction holds the basket 56, the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A performs position control so that the high-speed carriage 52A is slightly in front of the local carriage 52B at the transfer location of the basket 56. Thus, the transfer arm 64A in front of the forward direction of the local carriage 52B can place the basket 56 on the basket placement portion 92 of the high-speed carriage 52A.

[0308] In addition, as Figure 27A shown, the transfer arm 64C behind the forward direction holds the basket 56. When this transfer arm 64C rotates clockwise, as Figure 27B shown, the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A performs position control so that the high-speed carriage 52A is slightly behind the local carriage 52B at the transfer location of the basket 56.

[0309] In this way, in the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A, using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140, the position of the high-speed carriage 52A at the time of basket 56 transfer is appropriately controlled. Thus, even when the high-speed carriage 52A does not have a receiving arm, the high-speed carriage 52A is located at a position reachable by the transfer arm 64 of the local carriage 52B. Therefore, the basket 56 can be transferred to the high-speed carriage 52A.

[0310] In addition, in the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A, using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140, the position of the local carriage 52B and the movement of the transfer arm 64A are predicted for position control. Thus, even when the position of the local carriage 52B is deviated from the normal position, position control can be appropriately performed.

[0311] In addition, AI can also be used to store the prediction results of the position of the local carriage 52B and the movement of the transfer arm 64A in the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A, and the results of the position relationship between the local carriage 52B and the high-speed carriage 52A at the time of transfer in the case of position control based on the prediction results, and perform learning to improve the accuracy of position control.

[0312] It should be noted that in the above-described embodiment, the following method is adopted: in the control unit 142 of the high-speed carriage 52A, using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140, the position of the local carriage 52B and the movement of the transfer arm 64A are predicted. However, such prediction may not be performed, and position control may be performed without doubt based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140. In this case, for example, speed control of the high-speed carriage 52A can be performed without doubt based on information on the relative speed or relative distance between the high-speed carriage 52A and the local carriage 52B.

[0313] Based on the information detected by the vehicle body sensor group 72 and the information detected by the arm sensor group 74, according to this embodiment, the position of the high-speed vehicle 52A during the transfer of the cargo basket 56 is controlled.

[0314] Thus, if the cargo basket 56 is transferred from the local vehicle 52B to the high-speed vehicle 52A, the cargo basket 56 can be transferred even when the high-speed vehicle 52A does not have a receiving arm.

[0315] [Eighth Embodiment]

[0316] Hereinafter, the eighth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structural parts as those in the first embodiment to omit the description of their structures.

[0317] As Figure 28 and Figure 29 shown, in the picking system according to this embodiment, a storage robot 375 is provided in the storage unit 54. The storage robot 375 transfers the cargo basket 56 placed in the storage unit 54 and containing goods to the vehicle robot 52 (for example, the local vehicle 52B). In addition, under the monitoring of the vehicle body sensor groups 72 respectively installed on the storage robot 375, the local vehicle 52B, and the high-speed vehicle 52A, the operation of transferring the cargo basket 56 from the local vehicle 52B to the high-speed vehicle 52A is processed. It should be noted that the storage robot 375 may be configured to be movable within the storage unit 54 or may be fixed to the storage unit 54.

[0318] This picking system includes a picking arm 376, a picking arm 62 as an arm, a transfer arm 64, a sensor group 74, and a control unit 142 (refer to Figure 5 ).

[0319] The picking arm 376 is an arm installed on the storage robot 375 and picks up the cargo basket 56 in the storage unit 54. For example, two picking arms 376 are installed on one storage robot 375. An arm sensor group 74 is installed at the front end of the picking arm 376.

[0320] The arm is a part installed on the local vehicle 52B and performs the operations of receiving the cargo basket 56 from the picking arm 376 and transferring the cargo basket 56 to the high-speed vehicle 52A. This arm, for example, has the same picking arm 62 and transfer arm 64 as those in the first embodiment. An arm sensor group 74 is installed at the front ends of the picking arm 62 and the transfer arm 64.

[0321] The control unit 142 controls the picking arm 376 based on the information detected by the vehicle body sensor group 72 and the information detected by the arm sensor group 74 to adjust the orientation of the cargo basket 56 during the transfer of the cargo basket 56 from the picking arm 376 to the picking arm 62.

[0322] The control unit 142 can also control the pick-up arm 376 so that the picking arm 62 can grasp the handle 57 of the basket 56 when the basket 56 is being transferred.

[0323] Hereinafter, an example of the operation when the basket 56 is being transferred in the eighth embodiment will be described.

[0324] At Figure 28 In this state, the local cart 52B receives a pick-up instruction for the basket 56 and is moving toward the position where the basket 56 is to be transferred to the storage unit 54. When the control unit 142 of the storage unit robot 375 receives a transfer instruction for the basket 56, it acquires information such as the position and / or speed status of the local cart 52B from the information acquisition unit 140 (refer to Figure 5 ). And the control unit 142 controls the pick-up arm 376 to hold a part of the basket 56 to be transferred (for example, the handle 57). At this time, the storage unit robot 375 moves within the storage unit 54, so that even if the orientations of the baskets 56 in the storage unit 54 are various, the control unit 142 of the storage unit robot 375 can appropriately pick up the target basket 56 based on the information from the information acquisition unit 140.

[0325] It should be noted that in the case where the storage unit robot 375 is a structure fixed to the storage unit 54, for example, it may also be the following structure: a conveyor for circulating and transporting the basket 56 is provided in the storage unit 54, and the fixed storage unit robot 375 picks up the target basket 56 transported by this conveyor. This fixed storage unit robot 375 can rotate freely about a vertical axis, for example. In addition, in addition to the fixed storage unit robot 375, a robot for moving the target basket 56 to a position where the storage unit robot 375 can pick it up may also be configured. As this robot, a self-propelled robot or a crane-type robot, etc. can be adopted.

[0326] At Figure 29 In this state, the local cart 52B reaches the transfer position of the basket 56 and transfers the basket 56. In coordination with this timing, the control unit 142 of the storage unit robot 375 adjusts the orientation of the basket 56 and controls the pick-up arm 376 to hand it over to the picking arm 62 of the local cart 52B. It should be noted that in the case where the basket 56 is provided with a handle 57, the control unit 142 of the storage unit robot 375 controls the pick-up arm 376 so that the picking arm 62 can easily grasp this handle 57. The picking arm 62 receives the basket 56 from the pick-up arm 376. The subsequent operations are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0327] The control unit 142 of the storage unit robot 375 can deliver the baskets in accordance with the information from the information acquisition unit 140, at intervals corresponding to the local cart 52B moving on the local lane 60.

[0328] In this way, according to the present embodiment, the transfer of the basket 56 from the storage unit robot 375 to the local cart 52B becomes smooth. In addition, after transferring the basket 56 to the local cart 52B, another basket 56 can be picked up and transferred to the local cart 52B. In this way, the transfer of the basket 56 from the storage unit 54 to the local cart 52B can be carried out sequentially.

[0329] (Embodiment of the information processing device 14 of the cart robot 52)

[0330] Figure 6 An example of the hardware configuration of the computer 1200 that functions as the information processing device 14 is schematically shown. The program installed in the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "units" of the device according to the above embodiment, or cause the computer 1200 to execute operations related to the device according to the above embodiment or the one or more "units", and / or can cause the computer 1200 to execute the process according to the above embodiment or a stage of the process. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described in this specification.

[0331] The computer 1200 according to the above embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216 that are interconnected via a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive can be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, etc. The storage device 1224 can be a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, etc. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0332] The CPU 1212 operates in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires the image data generated by the CPU 1212 from a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or within itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0333] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 within the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to the IC card.

[0334] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program executed by the computer 1200 at startup, etc., and / or a program dependent on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 can also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0335] The program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, the RAM 1214, or the ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200 and enables cooperation between the programs and the aforementioned various types of hardware resources. The device or method may be configured by operating or processing information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0336] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 can execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and command the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM, or the IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes the received data received from the network to the reception buffer provided on the recording medium, etc.

[0337] In addition, the CPU 1212 can cause all or a necessary part of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the DVD drive (DVD-ROM), the IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. Next, the CPU 1212 can write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0338] Various types of information such as programs, data, tables, and databases can be stored in a recording medium to undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 can perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 1214 and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The various types of processing include various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branches, unconditional branches, retrieval / replacement of information, etc., which are described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs. In addition, the CPU 1212 can retrieve information in files, databases, etc. within the recording medium. For example, in the case where a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 can retrieve an entry that matches the condition specifying the attribute value of the first attribute from the plurality of entries and read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, thereby obtaining the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0339] The programs or software modules described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing a program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0340] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the above-described embodiments can represent stages of a process of performing operations or "parts" of a device having the function of performing operations. Specific stages and "parts" can be implemented by dedicated circuits, programmable circuits supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or processors supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuits can include digital and / or analog hardware circuits and can also include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuits can include, for example, reconfigurable hardware circuits such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and storage elements.

[0341] A computer-readable storage medium can include any tangible device that can store instructions executable by an appropriate device. As a result, a computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored in the tangible device has a product including the instructions that can be executed to generate units for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. As examples of computer-readable storage media, it can include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. As more specific examples of computer-readable storage media, it can include floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0342] Computer-readable instructions can include any one of assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or object code described in any combination of one or more programming languages, the one or more programming languages including object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, etc. and traditional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0343] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus locally or via a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, etc., causing the processor or programmable circuitry of the general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to execute the computer-readable instructions to generate units for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of the processor include a computer processor, a processing unit, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, a controller, a microcontroller, etc.

[0344] As described above, the technology of the present disclosure has been described using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art should be aware that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. As can be seen from the claims, embodiments with such changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0345] It should be noted that the execution order of each process such as actions, sequences, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is not particularly specified as "before...", "earlier than...", etc., or as long as the output of the previous process is not used in the subsequent process, it can be implemented in any order. Regarding the action flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if it is described using "first", "then", etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it must be implemented in that order.

[0346] In this specification, "A and / or B" is synonymous with "at least one of A and B". That is, "A and / or B" means that it can be only A, only B, or a combination of A and B. Additionally, in this specification, when using "and / or" to combine more than three items, the same understanding method as for "A and / or B" also applies.

[0347] All documents, patent applications, and technical standards described in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually described by reference.

[0348] The entire disclosures of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-168243, filed on October 20, 2022, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-180272, filed on November 10, 2022, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-183406, filed on November 16, 2022, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-186437, filed on November 22, 2022, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-193779, filed on December 2, 2022, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-194433, filed on December 5, 2022, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-12295, filed on January 30, 2023 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A picking system, wherein, the picking system picks up a basket containing goods by a first cart robot moving at a relatively low speed along a local lane, and processes the operation of transferring to a second cart robot moving at a relatively high speed along a high-speed lane under the monitoring of a body sensor group installed on the bodies of the first cart robot and the second cart robot respectively; the picking system includes: a picking arm installed on the first cart robot to pick up the basket; a transfer arm installed on the first cart robot to convey the basket to the second cart robot; a receiving arm installed on the second cart robot to receive the basket from the transfer arm; an arm sensor group installed at the front end of at least one of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm; and a compensation control unit that compensates for the dead angles of the body sensor group generated along with the movement of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm based on the information detected by the arm sensor group.

2. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein, the arm sensor group is installed at the front end of any one of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm having a multi-axis arm structure.

3. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein, the arm sensor group is installed inside the joint of the wrist structure of any one of the picking arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm having a multi-axis arm structure.

4. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein, the picking system has a step structure part provided between the local lane and the high-speed lane, and transfers to the second cart robot through a transfer path that can move the basket released from the first cart robot via a drop using at least the direction of the gravitational force.

5. The picking system according to claim 4, wherein, relatively, the local lane is at a high position, the high-speed lane is at a low position, the transfer path is an inclined part connecting the local lane and the high-speed lane, the basket released from the first cart robot slides down from the inclined part and moves to the capture position of the second cart robot.

6. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein, the picking system includes: a serpentine arm camera installed on the body, and having an arm part and a photographing part installed at the front end of the arm part, and the arm part can respectively adjust the connection angles of a plurality of link parts connected through respective joint parts by an adjustment mechanism part; and a dead angle determination unit that determines whether there is a dead angle area of the body sensor group generated during the execution of the series of operations by the cart robot, and the picking system controls the adjustment mechanism part based on the determination result of the dead angle determination unit, adjusts the connection angles of the link parts, and compensates for the dead angle area by using the photographing part for photographing.

7. The picking system according to claim 6, wherein, A pick-up arm for picking up the basket and a transfer arm for conveying the basket to the second cart robot are installed on the first cart robot, and a receiving arm for receiving the basket from the transfer arm is installed on the second cart robot. The snake-arm camera is installed on at least one of the first cart robot and the second cart robot in a manner separate from the working arm group constituting the pick-up arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm.

8. The picking system according to claim 6, wherein, A pick-up arm for picking up the basket and a transfer arm for conveying the basket to the second cart robot are installed on the first cart robot, and a receiving arm for receiving the basket from the transfer arm is installed on the second cart robot. The working arm groups constituting the pick-up arm, the transfer arm, and the receiving arm respectively have the functions of the snake-arm camera.

9. The picking system according to claim 8, wherein, The photographing unit of the snake-arm camera is installed inside the joint of the wrist structure of the working arm group.

10. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein, The picking system has a charging operation control unit. When the operation is a series of normal operations, the charging operation control unit controls the charging operation that is performed as an operation different from the series of normal operations, and the charging operation is used to charge the battery serving as the power source of the first cart robot or the second cart robot. During the charging operation, the monitoring by the vehicle body sensor group and the arm sensor group continues.

11. The picking system according to claim 10, wherein, The charging operation is an operation in which, during the process of traveling along the local lane, instead of the basket, the first cart robot loads a charging pack capable of charging the power source and charges the battery of the first cart robot, or is an operation of handing over the charging pack to the second cart robot to charge the battery of the second cart robot and returning it after charging. The charging operation is executed in parallel with the series of normal operations.

12. The picking system according to claim 10, wherein, The charging operation is an operation of introducing the first cart robot and the second cart robot that need to be charged into the charging station via a charging lane that is respectively connected to the local lane and the high-speed lane through a turnout, and after charging at the charging station, sending them out to the local lane and the high-speed lane via the charging lane. The charging operation is executed in parallel with the series of normal operations.

13. A picking system, wherein, The picking system uses cart robots to carry the objects to be carried containing goods, The picking system has: A normal operation processing control unit that processes normal operations, where the normal operations are to pick up the object to be transported by the arm of a first cart robot moving at a relatively low speed along a local lane, and to transport the object to be transported from the pick-up position to the out position through a handover operation of handing it over to the arm of a second cart robot moving at a relatively high speed along a high-speed lane. A special operation processing control unit that processes special operations when a transportation method classified as special transportation relative to the transportation of the normal operations is selected.

14. The picking system according to claim 13, wherein, The transportation method classified as the special transportation is a transportation method targeting objects to be transported that are particularly urgent or require priority processing. The special operation processing control unit moves a third cart robot dedicated to this special transportation along a dedicated direct lane, picks up the object to be transported by the arm of the third cart robot, and directly transports it from the pick-up position to the destination position.

15. The picking system according to claim 13, wherein, The object to be transported is a special-shaped object to be transported that is difficult to handle in the normal operations, or a large amount of objects to be transported exceeding the unit transportation volume of the first cart robot and the second cart robot. The special operation processing control unit uses a fourth cart robot dedicated to special transportation and executes transportation control according to the control of the normal operation processing control unit.

16. The picking system according to claim 13, wherein, The picking system executes the normal operation or the special operation under the monitoring of a body sensor group installed on the body of the cart robot and an arm sensor group installed on the front end of the arm.

17. A picking system, wherein, The picking system picks up a basket containing goods by a first cart robot moving at a relatively low speed along a local lane, and processes the operation of handing it over to a second cart robot moving at a relatively high speed along a high-speed lane under the monitoring of a body sensor group installed on the bodies of the first cart robot and the second cart robot respectively. The picking system has: An arm part installed on the first cart robot, which executes the picking up and the handover of the basket. An arm sensor group installed on the front end of the arm part. And A position control unit that controls the position of the second cart robot during the handover of the basket based on the information detected by the body sensor group and the information detected by the arm sensor group.

18. The picking system according to claim 17, wherein, The position control unit also predicts the position of the first cart robot and the movement of the arm part based on the information detected by the arm sensor group, and controls the position of the second cart robot during the handover of the basket.

19. A storage unit robot, wherein, The storage robot is arranged in the storage part of the basket containing goods, and is used to pick up the basket and hand it over to the trolley robot moving along the lane under the monitoring of the vehicle body sensor group. The storage robot has: A picking arm that picks up the basket in the storage part; An arm sensor group installed at the front end of the picking arm; And A control unit that controls the picking arm based on the information detected by the vehicle body sensor group and the information detected by the arm sensor group, so as to adjust the orientation of the basket when the picking arm hands over the basket to the trolley robot.

20. The storage robot according to claim 19, wherein, The control unit controls the picking arm so that the trolley robot can grasp the handle of the basket during the handover of the basket.

21. The storage robot according to claim 19, wherein, The control unit controls the picking arm to hand over the basket at intervals of the trolley robot moving on the lane.

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