Moving body, transport system, control device, method for transport object, and program

Abstract

The invention provides a moving body, a conveyance system, a control device, a conveyance method of a conveyance object, and a program. The moving body according to an embodiment conveys the conveyance object disposed in a plurality of designated areas. The moving body has a moving mechanism, a detection unit, and a determination unit. The moving mechanism is capable of moving the moving body along a transport path of the transport object. The detection unit is capable of detecting surrounding information. The determination unit is capable of acquiring a detection result of the detection unit. When the moving body moves in the vicinity of the designated area on the conveyance path, the determination unit determines the presence or absence of the conveyance object in the designated area on the basis of the detection result of the detection unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a movable body, a conveying system, a control device, a conveying method for an object, and a program. Background Art

[0002] To address labor shortages at logistics and distribution sites, there's a demand to automate tasks previously performed by humans by introducing robots. Autonomous mobile robots have been proposed as robots for automating tasks previously performed by humans. For example, mobile robots introduced into logistics and distribution sites carry objects placed in designated areas. In this case, to determine whether there are objects in the designated area, detection devices such as cameras must be located near the designated area. Therefore, when the layout of the designated area where objects are placed is changed, the position of the detection devices that detect the objects must also be changed, and changing the layout can be time-consuming.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-131392 Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a movable body, a conveying system, a control device, a conveying method for conveying an object, and a program that can determine the presence or absence of a conveyed object.

[0005] A mobile body according to an embodiment transports objects placed in multiple designated areas. The mobile body includes a moving mechanism, a detection unit, and a determination unit. The moving mechanism is capable of moving the mobile body along a transport path for the objects. The detection unit is capable of detecting surrounding information. The determination unit is capable of obtaining detection results from the detection unit. When the mobile body moves near the designated areas on the transport path, the determination unit determines the presence or absence of the objects in the designated areas based on the detection results from the detection unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of the transport system according to this embodiment.

[0007] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the detection operation of the conveying object by the movable body included in the conveying system.

[0008] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the transported object information held by the transport system.

[0009] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing a method for conveying an object using this conveying system.

[0010] Marking Description

[0011] 1…Transportation system, 100…Moving body, 10…Moving mechanism, 20…Detection unit, 30…Control unit, 31…Motion control unit, 32…Sensor control unit, 33…Sensor processing unit, 34…Determination unit, 35…Motion processing unit, 200…Transported object storage unit, 40…Transported object information, TR…Transportation path, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6…Designated area, T1, T3, T6…Transported object, S1…Transported object determination process, S4…Transported object determination process, S5…Transported object registration process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Hereinafter, the mobile body, conveying system, control device, conveying method of conveyed objects and program of the embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, the structures having the same or similar functions are marked with the same symbols. And, the repeated description of these structures is sometimes omitted. In addition, "based on XX" mentioned in this application means "at least based on XX", and also includes the case where it is based on other elements in addition to XX. In addition, "based on XX" is not limited to the case where XX is used directly, but also includes the case where it is based on elements that have been calculated and processed on XX. "XX" is an arbitrary element (for example, arbitrary information).

[0013] Reference Figures 1 to 4 , an implementation method is described. Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of the conveying system 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 1 and 2 are diagrams showing the detection operation of the transported object by the mobile body 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0014] The conveying system 1 includes a movable body 100 and a conveyed object storage unit 200 .

[0015] The moving body 100 includes a moving mechanism 10, a detection unit 20, and a control unit 30. Figure 2 As shown, the moving object 100 is an autonomous mobile robot that can move along the transport path TR in the travel direction FD. The moving object 100 is, for example, an unmanned guided vehicle such as an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) or an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) used in a logistics warehouse.

[0016] The moving mechanism 10 is a drive mechanism capable of moving the moving body 100 along the transport path TR. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 10 is a four-wheel drive mechanism having four wheels. These four wheels are in contact with the ground surface of the transport path TR and are rotated by an electric motor or the like, thereby moving the moving body 100 in the travel direction FD. The moving mechanism 10 may have three or fewer wheels or five or more wheels, or may be a drive mechanism such as a crawler track.

[0017] The moving object 100 can be any one that can move along the transport path TR and can be a multi-legged robot or a flying object such as a drone. The moving mechanism 10 can be a multi-legged mechanism that can move the moving object 100 or a propeller that generates propulsion by rotating an electric motor or the like.

[0018] A designated area for placing an object to be transported by the movable body 100 is arranged around the transport path TR along which the movable body 100 moves. The movable body 100 is a transport robot that transports the object placed in the designated area.

[0019] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , in the present embodiment, six designated areas arranged along the transport path TR are provided around the transport path TR.

[0020] The six designated areas are referred to as a first designated area R1, a second designated area R2, a third designated area R3, a fourth designated area R4, a fifth designated area R5, and a sixth designated area R6 in order of approach to the moving object 100 moving in the travel direction FD.

[0021] The number of designated areas provided around the transport path TR may be five or less, or may be seven or more. In addition, the designated areas may be provided on both sides of the transport path TR.

[0022] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, objects are placed in the first designated area R1, the third designated area R3, and the sixth designated area R6. The objects placed in the first designated area R1 are referred to as first objects T1. The objects placed in the third designated area R3 are referred to as third objects T3. The objects placed in the sixth designated area R6 are referred to as sixth objects T6.

[0023] For example, when conveying the first conveyed object T1, the movable body 100 moves on the conveyance path TR and moves to the vicinity of the first designated region R1. The movable body 100 that has reached the vicinity of the first designated region R1 holds the first conveyed object T1.

[0024] The movable body 100 moves on the conveyance path TR while holding the first conveyed object T1 , and conveys the first conveyed object T1 .

[0025] The transported object transported by the mobile body 100 is, for example, a pallet storing or packing mail, cargo, etc. shipped from a logistics warehouse where the transport system 1 is installed.

[0026] The transported object is, for example, a wheeled pallet having a plurality of wheels. A coupling mechanism for coupling the transported object to the transported object is provided on the mobile body 100 or the transported object.

[0027] The transported object connected to the mobile body 100 via the connection mechanism is pulled by the mobile body 100 , moves together with the mobile body 100 while rotating the wheels, and is transported by the mobile body 100 .

[0028] The mobile body 100 may also include, for example, a workbench on which a transported object is placed and a robot device that holds the transported object and places it on the workbench. In this case, the mobile body 100 uses the robot device to move the transported object from a designated area to the workbench, and transports the transported object by moving while placing the transported object on the workbench.

[0029] The detection unit 20 is a sensor capable of detecting surrounding information. In this embodiment, the detection unit 20 is a one-dimensional horizontal scanning LRF (Laser Range Finder). The detection unit 20 is provided on the traveling direction FD side (front) of the moving object 100.

[0030] The detection unit 20 can be a two-dimensional scanning LRF, or other optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, etc. Furthermore, the placement of the detection unit 20 is not limited to the front of the mobile body 100; it can also be placed at the rear, left, or right side. Furthermore, the vertical height at which the detection unit 20 is placed is not limited.

[0031] The control unit 30 is a control device capable of controlling a part or the entirety of the conveying system 1. In the present embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided in the moving body 100 and controls the operation of the moving body 100.

[0032] The control unit 30 is, for example, a device (computer) capable of executing programs that includes a processor, a memory, and a storage unit. The various functions of the control unit 30 are implemented by executing programs stored in a program memory through one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). However, all or part of these functions may also be implemented by hardware (e.g., a circuit unit; circuit) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration; large-scale integrated circuit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a PLD (Programmable Logic Device). In addition, all or part of the above functions may also be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The storage unit is implemented by flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory; read-only memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory; read-write memory).

[0033] The control unit 30 includes a movement control unit 31 , a sensor control unit 32 , a sensor processing unit 33 , a determination unit 34 , and a movement processing unit 35 .

[0034] The movement control unit 31 controls the movement of the moving object 100 by using the travel path and obstacle information. The movement control unit 31 controls the movement mechanism 10 to control the movement of the moving object 100.

[0035] The movement control unit 31 calculates the movement control value by, for example, a dynamic window approach, an elastic band method, etc. The movement control unit 31 may also calculate the movement control value by other methods.

[0036] The movement control unit 31 may also update the current position of the moving object 100. In addition, the movement control unit 31 may also perform controls other than these.

[0037] The sensor control unit 32 controls the detection unit 20 and instructs the detection unit 20 to start or end the measurement of the surrounding environment. In addition, the sensor control unit 32 obtains the detection result of the detection unit 20 from the detection unit 20.

[0038] The sensor processing unit 33 obtains the detection result of the detection unit 20 from the sensor control unit 32 and processes the detection result of the detection unit 20. For example, the sensor processing unit 33 removes noise from the detection result of the detection unit 20.

[0039] The sensor processing unit 33 applies, for example, a median filter to remove noise from the detection result of the detection unit 20. The sensor processing unit 33 may also perform processing other than noise removal on the detection result of the detection unit 20.

[0040] Here, the detection operation of the detection unit 20 will be described.

[0041] Figure 2 The illustrated movable body 100 moves along the travel direction FD on the conveyance path TR in order to convey, for example, a sixth conveyed object T6 placed on the sixth designated region R6.

[0042] At this time, the detection unit 20 detects the transported object placed in a designated area near the moving body 100. For example, Figure 2 As shown in FIG, the detection unit 20 has a semicircular detection range RD that is convex toward the traveling direction FD. The detection range RD may not be semicircular.

[0043] The detection range RD is, for example, a region having a predetermined area that extends in a predetermined direction from the detection unit 20. The detection unit 20 detects the conveyed objects that are within the detection range RD.

[0044] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, the first transported object T1 is present in the detection range RD. Figure 2 The illustrated detection unit 20 detects the first transported object T1 placed on the first designated region R1.

[0045] The detection unit 20 may be capable of detecting the conveyed object when at least a portion of the conveyed object is present in the detection range RD.

[0046] Figure 2 The illustrated moving body 100 moves in the traveling direction FD after detecting the first transported object T1 and detects the third transported object T3 placed in the third designated region R3.

[0047] That is, the mobile body 100 detects the first transported object T1 and the third transported object T3 before reaching the sixth designated region R6 where the sixth transported object T6 to be transported is placed.

[0048] The determination unit 34 acquires the detection result of the detection unit 20 from the sensor processing unit 33. The information acquired by the determination unit 34 from the sensor processing unit 33 is information on which the sensor processing unit 33 has subjected processing such as noise removal.

[0049] The determination unit 34 also acquires information such as coordinates of a designated area where the object is located (designated area information). The determination unit 34 may acquire the designated area information from a storage unit within the control unit 30 or from outside the control unit 30.

[0050] The determination unit 34 determines the presence or absence of conveyed objects in the designated area based on the detection result of the detection unit 20. For example, the determination unit 34 converts the detection result of the detection unit 20 obtained from the sensor processing unit 33 into information on the same coordinates as the designated area information.

[0051] The determination unit 34 determines the presence or absence of the conveyed object in the designated area based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 converted into the coordinates of the designated area information.

[0052] For example, the detection unit 20 detects the object as a point group. The determination unit 34 converts the detection result of the detection unit 20 into information in the sensor (detection unit 20) coordinate system based on the distance between the points detected by the detection unit 20 and the angular resolution of the detection unit 20.

[0053] The determination unit 34 converts the detection result of the detection unit 20 , which has been converted into information in the sensor coordinate system, from the sensor coordinate system to information in the coordinate system of the designated area using the coordinate conversion value of the coordinate system of the designated area.

[0054] The determination unit 34 may also convert the detection results of the detection unit 20 into the coordinates of the designated area information using other methods. The determination unit 34 may also obtain the position of the mobile object 100 from the movement control unit 31 and use the position of the mobile object 100 to convert the detection results of the detection unit 20 into the coordinates of the designated area.

[0055] The determination unit 34 determines the presence or absence of the conveyed object in the designated area based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 converted into the coordinates of the designated area information and the coordinates of the designated area.

[0056] For example, if a predetermined number or more of the point data in the detection results of the detection unit 20 are present at the coordinates of the designated area, the determination unit 34 determines that an object is present in the designated area. Alternatively, if the predetermined number of point data is present at the coordinates of the designated area, the determination unit 34 determines that an object is not present in the designated area.

[0057] At this time, the determination unit 34 may match the point cloud obtained from the sensor processing unit 33 with the shape of the assumed object, and determine that the object exists in the designated area when the matching result has a score greater than a predetermined value.

[0058] Even if a predetermined number or more of point data exist in the coordinates of the designated area, if the matching result score is less than a predetermined value, the determination unit 34 may determine that no object is present in the designated area. The determination unit 34 may also use other methods to determine the presence or absence of an object in the designated area.

[0059] The movement processing unit 35 will be described later.

[0060] The transported object storage unit 200 is provided outside the mobile body 100, for example, in a computer equipped with a processor such as a CPU, a memory, a recording medium such as a hard disk, a communication device, an input / output device, etc. The transported object storage unit 200 is, for example, a recording medium of a computer.

[0061] The transported object storage unit 200 may be installed in a server computer disposed in a logistics warehouse or a data center, or may be installed in a cloud server, etc. The transported object storage unit 200 is connected to the moving object 100 via a wired or wireless connection so as to be communicable therewith.

[0062] The transported object storage unit 200 includes transported object information 40 . Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of the transported object information 40 .

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, the transported object information 40 is a table in which a designated area, the presence or absence of transported objects in the designated area, and the detection time of the transported objects in the designated area are associated with each other.

[0064] After determining the presence or absence of an object in the designated area, the determination unit 34 updates the object information 40. For example, if the presence or absence of an object determined based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 differs from the presence or absence of an object in the object information 40, the determination unit 34 updates the object information 40 to the determination result based on the detection result of the detection unit 20.

[0065] Even if the presence or absence of the conveyed object determined based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 is the same as the presence or absence of the conveyed object included in the conveyed object information 40, when the detection time of the detection unit 20 detecting the conveyed object is different from the detection time included in the conveyed object information 40, the determination unit 34 can also update the detection time included in the conveyed object information 40 to the detection time of the detection unit 20.

[0066] The movement processing unit 35 obtains the transported object information 40 and determines the movement operation of the mobile body 100 based on the transported object information 40. For example, the movement processing unit 35 determines the transported object to be transported based on the transported object information 40 and outputs an instruction to the movement control unit 31 for transporting the determined transported object.

[0067] The movement processing unit 35 outputs, for example, the coordinates of a designated area where the objects to be transported are located and a movement path (transport path) to the designated area where the objects to be transported are located to the movement control unit 31. The movement processing unit 35 may also output information other than the coordinates and the movement path to the movement control unit 31.

[0068] The movement processing unit 35 determines the priority of the transported objects to be transported based on the transported object information 40, for example, and determines the transported objects to be transported based on the determined priority.

[0069] For example, the movement processing unit 35 determines the transported object with the earliest detection time included in the transported object information 40 as the transported object scheduled to be transported next.

[0070] The movement processing unit 35 may also determine the objects to be transported based on their weight, shape, or location in a designated area. For example, the movement processing unit 35 may determine an object in a designated area close to the current position of the mobile body 100 as the next object to be transported, or may exclude objects in a designated area far from the current position of the mobile body 100 from the candidates for the objects to be transported.

[0071] After determining the transported object scheduled for transport, the movement processing unit 35 may update the transported object information 40. For example, the movement processing unit 35 may add information indicating that the transported object is scheduled for transport to the transported object information 40.

[0072] The transport system 1 preferably includes a plurality of moving bodies 100. The plurality of moving bodies 100 are connected to the transport object storage unit 200 by wire or wirelessly, and move independently of each other to transport the transport object.

[0073] For example, when a predetermined moving object 100 among the plurality of moving objects 100 is designated as a first moving object and a moving object 100 different from the first moving object is designated as a second moving object, the first and second moving objects efficiently convey different objects.

[0074] For example, the first moving body movement processing unit 35 selects the first transported object T1 as the scheduled transported object. The first moving body movement processing unit 35 updates the transported object information 40 and adds information indicating that the first transported object T1 is the scheduled transported object.

[0075] The movement processing unit 35 of the second moving body determines the object to be transported by the second moving body from the objects excluding the first object T1 to be transported by the first moving body. This prevents multiple moving bodies 100 from determining the same object as the object to be transported.

[0076] Next, a method of conveying an object using the conveying system 1 will be described. Figure 4 1 is a flowchart showing a method of conveying an object by the conveying system 1 .

[0077] (Step S1)

[0078] The transport system 1 first performs step S1 (transport object determination process). In step S1, the transport processing unit 35 determines the transport object to be transported. The transport processing unit 35 determines the transport object to be transported based on, for example, Figure 3 In the illustrated transported object information 40 , the sixth transported object T6 having the earliest detection time is determined as the transported object scheduled to be transported.

[0079] At this time, the movement processing unit 35 may update the transported object information 40 and add information indicating that the transported object scheduled to be transported is the sixth transported object T6 to the transported object information 40 .

[0080] In the following description, a method for conveying an object will be described in the case where the object scheduled to be conveyed determined in step S1 is the sixth object T6.

[0081] (Step S2)

[0082] Next, the transport system 1 performs step S2 (movement process). In step S2, the transport processing unit 35 outputs an instruction to transport the sixth transported object T6 to the transport control unit 31. For example, the transport processing unit 35 outputs a transport path for the mobile body 100 to move to the sixth designated area R6 to the transport control unit 31.

[0083] The movement control unit 31 controls the movement mechanism 10 based on the transport path obtained from the movement processing unit 35. The moving body 100 is moved by the movement mechanism 10. Figure 2 The transport path TR shown in FIG. 1 is shown and moves in the travel direction FD toward the sixth transported object T6.

[0084] The movement control unit 31 may obtain from the movement processing unit 35 a transport route from the current position of the mobile body 100 to the sixth designated area R6 and a transport route from the sixth designated area R6 to the destination for transporting the sixth transported object T6 .

[0085] (Step S3)

[0086] Next, the transport system 1 performs step S3 (self-position determination step). In step S3, the transport system 1 determines whether the movable body 100 is moving near a designated area.

[0087] Here, the movement control unit 31 estimates its own position based on pre-created map information of the surrounding environment and sensor measurement results. Furthermore, the movement control unit 31 compares the map information with the sensor measurement results and identifies any measurement results that differ from the map information as obstacles. Therefore, the movement control unit 31 controls the movement mechanism 10 so that the moving object 100 avoids the obstacle.

[0088] The movement control unit 31 may estimate its own position based on the detection results of the detection unit 20 or may estimate its own position based on the detection results of other sensors.

[0089] The transport system 1 determines whether the moving object 100 is moving near a designated area based on map information and the result of its own position estimation.

[0090] When determining that the movable body 100 is not moving in the vicinity of the designated area, the transport system 1 returns to step S2 and continues the movement of the movable body 100 .

[0091] When the transport system 1 determines that the movable body 100 is moving near the designated area, the process proceeds to step S4 .

[0092] (Step S4)

[0093] If it is determined in step S3 that the moving object 100 is moving near the designated area, the transport system 1 executes step S4 (object determination step). In step S4, the transport system 1 determines whether an object is placed in the designated area near the moving object 100.

[0094] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the moving object 100 moving toward the sixth designated area R6 travels in the vicinity of the first designated area R1.

[0095] In step S4 , the sensor control unit 32 obtains the detection result of the detection unit 20 and outputs the detection result of the detection unit 20 to the sensor processing unit 33 .

[0096] At this time, the sensor control unit 32 may output an instruction to start measuring the surrounding environment to the detection unit 20. In this case, the detection unit 20 starts measuring the surrounding environment based on the instruction received from the sensor control unit 32 and outputs the detection result to the sensor control unit 32.

[0097] The sensor processing unit 33 performs processing such as noise removal on the detection result of the detection unit 20 acquired from the sensor control unit 32 , and outputs the processed detection result of the detection unit 20 to the determination unit 34 .

[0098] The determination unit 34 determines whether or not a conveyed object is placed in a designated area near the moving object 100 based on the processed detection result of the detection unit 20 obtained from the sensor processing unit 33. Figure 2 In the illustrated example, the determination unit 34 determines whether the first transported object T1 is placed in the first designated region R1.

[0099] At this time, the determination unit 34 may determine the presence or absence of the conveyed object based on the information obtained from the sensor processing unit 33 and the own position information of the movable body 100 obtained from the movement control unit 31 .

[0100] (Step S5)

[0101] Next, the conveyance system 1 executes step S5 (conveyed object registration process). In step S5, the determination unit 34 updates the conveyed object information 40 based on the determination result determined in step S4.

[0102] In the present embodiment, the transported object information 40 is stored in a transported object storage unit 200 provided outside the mobile object 100 .

[0103] If the determination unit 34 determines in step S4 that the first transported object T1 is placed in the first designated area R1, it communicates with the transported object storage unit 200 and stores the first transported object T1 in the first designated area R1. Figure 3 The presence or absence of conveyed objects in the designated region "R1" in the conveyed object information 40 is updated to "yes".

[0104] Furthermore, the determination unit 34 updates the detection time of the first transported object T1 detected in the first designated area R1 in the transported object information 40. The detection time of the transported object included in the transported object information 40 may be the time when the detection unit 20 detected the corresponding transported object, or the time when the determination unit 34 determined the presence or absence of the transported object.

[0105] Alternatively, the determination unit 34 may update the transported object information 40 only when the information included in the transported object information 40 and the determination result of the determination unit 34 are different from each other.

[0106] For example, by updating the transported object information 40 only when the information on the presence of the transported object included in the transported object information 40 and the determination result of the determination unit 34 differs from each other, it can be known that the transported object has been placed in the predetermined designated area for a long time.

[0107] (Step S6)

[0108] Next, the transport system 1 performs step S6 (travel completion determination). In step S6, the transport system 1 determines whether the travel of the movable body 100 is completed.

[0109] exist Figure 2In the example of the mobile object 100, the mobile object 100 is traveling near the first designated area R1 and has not yet completed holding and transporting the sixth transported object T6. In this case, the transport system 1 determines that the travel of the mobile object 100 has not yet ended and returns to step S2 to continue the travel of the mobile object 100.

[0110] The conveying system 1 may make the determination in step S6 based on the result of its own position estimation, or may make the determination in step S6 based on the detection result of a sensor capable of detecting the conveying status of the conveyed object.

[0111] When the object to be conveyed is the sixth object T6, the conveying system 1 repeatedly performs the processes from step S2 to step S6 until the conveyance of the sixth object T6 is completed.

[0112] For example, when the mobile body 100 moves from the vicinity of the first designated area R1 in the travel direction FD and travels near the second designated area R2, it determines based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 whether a transported object (second transported object) is placed in the second designated area R2, and updates the transported object information 40 based on the determination result.

[0113] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, since no objects are placed in the second designated region R2, the determination unit 34 updates the object presence in the second designated region R2 in the object information 40 to "no" and updates the detection time.

[0114] Similarly, when the mobile body 100 moves from the vicinity of the second designated area R2 in the travel direction FD and travels near the third designated area R3, it is determined based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 whether the third transported object T3 is placed in the third designated area R3, and the transported object information 40 is updated based on the determination result.

[0115] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, the third transported object T3 is placed in the third designated region R3. Therefore, the determination unit 34 updates the presence of the transported object in the third designated region R3 in the transported object information 40 to "Present" and updates the detection time.

[0116] Similarly, the transport system 1 determines the presence or absence of transported objects in the fourth designated region R4 and the fifth designated region R5 based on the detection results of the detection unit 20 , and updates the transported object information 40 based on the determination results.

[0117] Similarly, the conveyance system 1 may determine the presence of the sixth conveyed object T6 as the scheduled conveyed object based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 and update the conveyed object information 40 based on the determination result.

[0118] For example, if an operator moves the sixth transported object T6 from the sixth designated area R6 to another location, the sixth transported object T6 may not be located in the sixth designated area R6. Furthermore, if the transport system 1 includes multiple moving bodies 100, the sixth transported object T6 may be transported by another moving body 100.

[0119] In this case, the mobile body 100 determines, based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 , that the sixth transported object T6 to be transported is not arranged in the sixth designated region R6 .

[0120] If it is determined that the sixth object T6 scheduled for conveyance is not located in the sixth designated region R6, the conveyance system 1 updates the object information 40 and determines the object scheduled for conveyance again based on the object information 40. That is, the conveyance system 1 performs the object determination step of step S1.

[0121] Even when the transported object scheduled to be conveyed is not placed in the designated area, it is possible to quickly transition to the next transport operation by re-determining the transported object scheduled to be conveyed.

[0122] When the sixth object T6 to be transported is placed in the sixth designated area R6, the transport system 1 performs steps S4 and S5 on the sixth object T6 to hold and transport the sixth object T6 to the transport destination.

[0123] The transport system 1 completes the transport of the sixth object T6 that was scheduled to be transported, and determines in step S6 that the travel of the movable body 100 has ended, thereby terminating the transport of the object by the movable body 100 .

[0124] When conveying multiple objects continuously, the conveying system 1 may return to step S1 to determine the next object to be conveyed and perform the operations from step S2 onwards. For example, the conveying system 1 repeats the conveying of the object, the measurement of the surrounding environment by the detection unit 20, and the determination of the presence of the object by the determination unit 34 until the predetermined operation end time is reached.

[0125] According to the conveying system 1 of this embodiment, the mobile body 100 is a mobile body that conveys conveyed objects arranged in multiple designated areas, and is equipped with a moving mechanism 10 that can move the mobile body 100 along the conveying path TR of the conveyed objects, a detection unit 20 that can detect surrounding information, and a determination unit 34 that can obtain the detection results of the detection unit 20.

[0126] When the movable body 100 moves near a designated area on the transport path TR, the determination unit 34 determines the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 .

[0127] As a result, it is possible to provide a mobile body 100 capable of determining the presence of a transported object, a transport system 1, a control device (e.g., a control unit 30) for controlling the mobile body 100, a method for transporting a transported object using the mobile body 100, and a program for controlling the mobile body 100.

[0128] By determining the presence of the object in the designated area based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 of the mobile body 100 transporting the object, it is unnecessary to install a detection device such as a camera for detecting the object in the designated area near the designated area.

[0129] Therefore, when changing the layout of the designated area where the objects are placed, there is no need to move the installation position of the detection device or adjust the detection range, so the layout of the designated area can be easily changed.

[0130] In the above embodiment, the control unit 30 for controlling the mobile object 100 is provided on the mobile object 100, but may also be provided outside the mobile object 100. For example, part or all of the structure of the control unit for controlling the mobile object may be provided on a computer having the transported object storage unit 200, etc., so as to be capable of communicating with the mobile object.

[0131] In the above embodiment, the object storage unit 200 containing the object information 40 is located outside the mobile body 100. However, this storage unit may also be located within the control unit of the mobile body. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which multiple mobile bodies each have an object storage unit, and the object information stored in the multiple mobile bodies may be synchronized with each other.

[0132] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area can be determined based on the detection result of the detection unit 20 included in the mobile object 100 .

[0133] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments may be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope or gist of the invention, and are also included within the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A mobile body for transporting objects arranged in a plurality of designated areas, comprising: a moving mechanism capable of moving the moving body along a conveying path of the conveyed object; a detection unit capable of detecting surrounding information; and The determination unit is capable of obtaining the detection result of the detection unit, When the movable body moves near the designated area on the transport path, the determination unit determines the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area based on a detection result of the detection unit.

2. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein The determination unit updates the transported object information including the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area based on the determination result of the determination unit.

3. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein: The determination unit updates the transported object information when the determination result is different from information included in the transported object information.

4. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein: The movable body includes a movement processing unit that acquires the transported object information and determines the transported object to be transported based on the transported object information.

5. The moving object according to claim 4, wherein The movement processing unit updates the object information based on the object scheduled to be conveyed when conveyance of the object scheduled to be conveyed is started.

6. The moving object according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: When the object scheduled to be conveyed is not placed in the designated area, the determination unit updates the object information, and the movement processing unit re-determines the object scheduled to be conveyed based on the object information.

7. A transport system comprising: A mobile body having a detection unit capable of detecting surrounding information and transporting objects arranged in a plurality of designated areas along a transport path; a control device for controlling the moving body; and a transport object storage unit, provided outside the mobile body, having transport object information including the presence or absence of the transport object in the designated area; The control device is: When the movable body moves near the designated area on the transport path, the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area is determined based on the detection result of the detection unit. The transported object information is updated based on the determination result.

8. The transport system according to claim 7, wherein: The control device determines the transported object to be transported based on the transported object information.

9. The transport system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: A plurality of the above-mentioned moving bodies are provided.

10. A control device for controlling a moving body having a detection unit capable of detecting surrounding information and for conveying objects arranged in a plurality of designated areas along a conveyance path, wherein: When the movable body moves near the designated area on the transport path, the control device determines the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area based on the detection result of the detection unit.

11. The control device according to claim 10, wherein: Based on the result of determining whether the transported object is in the designated area, transported object information including the presence or absence of the transported object is updated.

12. The control device according to claim 11, wherein: The transported object to be transported is determined based on the transported object information.

13. A method for transporting an object, wherein the object is transported by a movable body having a detection unit capable of detecting surrounding information and transporting the object disposed in a plurality of designated areas along a transport path, the method comprising: a conveyed object determining step of determining the presence or absence of the conveyed object in the designated area based on a detection result of the detection unit when the movable body moves near the designated area on the conveying path; and The transported object registration step updates the transported object information including the presence or absence of the transported object based on the determination result of the transported object determination step.

14. The method for conveying an object according to claim 13, wherein: The method includes a transport object determination step of determining the transport object to be transported based on the transport object information.

15. A program for controlling a mobile body having a detection unit capable of detecting surrounding information and for conveying objects arranged in a plurality of designated areas along a conveyance path, wherein: When the movable body moves near the designated area on the transport path, the presence or absence of the transported object in the designated area is determined based on the detection result of the detection unit. Based on the determination result, the transported object information including the presence or absence of the transported object is updated.

16. The program according to claim 15, wherein The transported object to be transported is determined based on the transported object information.

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