Goods handling system

Abstract

A goods handling system (100) comprises an industrial vehicle (1), a work site (110) in which the industrial vehicle (1) performs a goods handling operation and which has a stopping area (E1) in which the transport vehicle (20) stops, a monitoring unit (40) that monitors at least one of a loading platform (22) and a surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22), a determination unit (61) that determines a state of the loading platform (22) and a state of the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22) based on information obtained by the monitoring unit (40); and an instruction unit (62) that transmits an instruction to the industrial vehicle (1) based on a result of the determination by the determination unit (61).The monitoring unit (40) comprises an image acquisition unit at a position different from the industrial vehicle (1) at the work site (110), wherein the image acquisition unit (41) acquires an image of at least one from the loading platform (22) of the transport vehicle (20) and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a goods handling system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 2021-195215 A discloses an example of a conventional goods handling system. In this conventional goods handling system, an industrial vehicle, such as a forklift, performs a goods handling operation to a transport vehicle. The goods handling system includes a distance measuring device as a ground device. The goods handling system measures a distance to a pallet on a loading platform and transmits instructions related to goods handling to the industrial vehicle based on the distance information.

[0003] In the conventional cargo handling system described above, the ground support equipment includes a distance measuring unit that measures distance. However, based on distance alone, the conditions of the transport vehicle and its surrounding area may not be sufficiently captured. In this case, an on-site operator must make various determinations. Alternatively, a high-performance detection device must be provided on each industrial vehicle, increasing the cost of the cargo handling system.

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is directed to providing a cargo handling system that reduces the cost of the cargo handling system. SUMMARY

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a goods handling system is provided in which an industrial vehicle performs a goods handling operation to a transport vehicle.The goods handling system includes the industrial vehicle, a work site where the industrial vehicle performs a goods handling operation, the work site having a stop area where the transport vehicle stops, a monitoring unit configured to monitor at least one of a loading platform and a surrounding area of ​​the loading platform when the transport vehicle stops at the stop area, a determination unit configured to determine a state of the loading platform and a state of the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform based on information acquired by the monitoring unit, and an instruction unit configured to transmit an instruction to the industrial vehicle based on a result of a determination by the determination unit.The monitoring unit includes an image acquisition unit at a position different from the industrial vehicle in the work site, the image acquisition unit acquiring an image of at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform.

[0006] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0007] The invention, together with objects and attendant advantages, can best be understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments together with the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view illustrating an example of an industrial vehicle of a cargo handling system according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating an example of the cargo handling system; Fig. 3 is a front view illustrating an example of the cargo handling system; Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the cargo handling system; Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a determination unit makes a determination using artificial intelligence; Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; Fig. 12 a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cargo handling system; and Fig. 13 a flowchart showing the example of processing of the cargo handling system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Fig. Fig. 1 is a side view illustrating an example of an industrial vehicle 1 according to the present invention. The industrial vehicle 1 is a vehicle that performs loading and unloading of cargo W from a transport vehicle. A forklift is used as the industrial vehicle 1. The forklift is not limited to any specific type, and may be a reach truck type or a counterweight type. As shown in Fig. 1, the industrial vehicle 1 includes a traveling device 2, a cargo handling device 3 arranged in front of the traveling device 2 and having forks 3, and a traveling control unit that controls traveling of the industrial vehicle 1.

[0009] The traveling device 2 includes a vehicle body 4, front wheels 5, which are a pair of drive wheels arranged at the front of the vehicle body 4, and rear wheels 6, which are a pair of steered wheels arranged at the rear of the vehicle body 4. The vehicle body 4 includes an operator's cab 7 formed of a frame including a deflector. A lift operating lever used to operate a lift cylinder 14, a tilt operating lever used to operate a tilt cylinder 15, a steering wheel for steering the industrial vehicle 1, and the like are provided in the operator's cab 7. In addition, the traveling device 2 includes a travel motor that rotates the front wheels 5 and a steering motor that rotates the rear wheels 6 by rotating a steering shaft of the industrial vehicle 1.The traveling device 2 causes the traveling motor to rotate the front wheels 5 and the steering motor to steer the rear wheels 6, thereby causing the industrial vehicle 1 to travel.

[0010] The cargo handling device 3 includes a mast 11 mounted at the front of the vehicle body 4, a pair of forks 13 mounted on the mast 11 via a fork carriage 12 and holding a cargo W, the lifting cylinder 14 for moving the forks 13 up and down, and the tilting cylinder 15 for tilting the mast 11. The forks 13 are mounted on the fork carriage 12 so as to protrude forward from the fork carriage 12.

[0011] Next, the configuration of the cargo handling system 100 will be described with reference to the Fig. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the cargo handling system 100. Fig. 3 shows a front view of the cargo handling system 100. Fig. 4 shows a block diagram of the cargo handling system 100. As shown in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the cargo handling system 100 includes the above-mentioned industrial vehicle 1, a transport vehicle 20, a work site 110, a ground equipment 70, and a server 60. The cargo handling system 100 is a system in which the industrial vehicle 1 performs a cargo handling operation to the transport vehicle 20.

[0012] As it is in Fig. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the industrial vehicle 1 includes a control unit 30, a reading unit 31, and an input unit 32. The control unit 30 is a device that controls the entire industrial vehicle 1. The control unit 30 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, input / output interfaces, and the like. The control unit 30 includes a calculation unit 33 that performs various calculations and a communication unit 34 that performs communication. The communication unit 34 communicates with the ground equipment 70 and the server 60. The reading unit 31 is a device capable of reading various types of information. The reading unit 31 reads identification information from identification information providing units 27, 28, which will be described below.The reading unit 31 may include an image acquisition unit such as a camera, an RFID reader that reads an RFID tag, and the like. A position of the reading unit 31 in the industrial vehicle 1 is not limited to any specific position as long as the identification information providing units 27, 28 can be read by the reading unit 31. The input unit 32 is a device to which various types of information can be input into the industrial vehicle 1. The input unit 32 includes various switches, a touch panel, and the like.

[0013] As it is in Fig. 2, the transport vehicle 20 comprises the traveling unit 21 and a loading platform 22 onto which cargo W is loaded. In the present embodiment, a truck is used as the transport vehicle 2. As shown in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 3, the loading platform 22 includes a floor portion 23, a ceiling portion 24, and a pair of wings 26. The pair of wings 26 open and close side portions of the loading platform 22. The wings 26 open and close using the ceiling portion 24 as a hinge. Pallets PT on which the cargo W is placed are loaded onto the floor portion 23 of the loading platform 22.

[0014] The identification information providing unit 27, which provides identification information for identifying the transport vehicle 20, is provided in the loading platform 22. The identification information providing unit 28, which provides identification information for identifying the cargo W on each pallet PT, is provided in the corresponding pallet PT. For example, a medium that can be read based on an image can be used as the identification information providing units 27, 28. For example, the identification information providing units 27, 28 can each be a QR code (registered trademark), a bar code, or the like. Alternatively, the identification information providing units 27, 28 can be a medium that can be read by a reading device.For example, an RFID tag or the like can be used as the medium that can be read by a reading device. The identification information providing units 27, 28 are read by the reading unit 31 (see ). Fig. 4) provided at the industrial vehicle 1.

[0015] As it is in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 2, the work site includes a stop area E1, a waiting room E2, and a home position E3. The stop area E1 is an area where the transport vehicle 20 stops. The industrial vehicle 1 performs unloading of the cargo W loaded on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 stopped in the stop area E1. The waiting room E2 is an area where the transport vehicle 20 waits. At the waiting room E2, the transport vehicle 20 waits until the stop area E1 becomes available for stopping. The home position E3 is an area where the industrial vehicle 1 waits when the industrial vehicle 1 is not performing the cargo handling operation.

[0016] The ground device 70 is a device provided at a position different from the industrial vehicle 1 and the transport vehicle 2 in the work site 110. That is, the ground device 70 is not attached to the industrial vehicle 1 or the transport vehicle 2, but is provided as a device on the facility side. The ground device 70 includes monitoring units 40 and a control unit 50.

[0017] The monitoring units 40 each monitor at least one of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20, which has stopped at the stop area E1, and a surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22, which has stopped at the stop area E1. The monitoring units 40 each include an image acquisition unit 41 that acquires an image of at least one of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22, and a distance measuring unit 42 that measures the distance to a target object. The monitoring unit 40 has a monitoring area DE. The monitoring area DE includes the stop area E1, the waiting area E2, and the starting position E3. In the present embodiment, the goods handling system 100 includes a pair of monitoring units 40. One of the monitoring units 40 monitors one side of the transport vehicle 20.The other of the monitoring units 40 monitors the other side of the transport vehicle 20. Although positions of the monitoring units 40 are not limited to any specific positions, the monitoring units 40 are arranged at positions spaced above the ground to completely monitor the sides of the transport vehicle 20 and the surroundings of the transport vehicle 20, as shown in FIG. Fig. 3. The image acquisition unit 41 is a device that acquires an image within the monitoring area DE. The image acquisition unit 41 is, for example, a camera. The distance measuring unit 42 is a device that measures a distance to a target object present in the monitoring area DE. The distance measuring unit 42 is, for example, a 3D LIDAR or the like.

[0018] The control unit 50 is a device that controls the entire ground support equipment 70. The control unit 50 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, input / output interfaces, and the like. The control unit 50 can be arranged at any position in the work site 110 that does not interfere with the cargo handling operation. As shown in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, the control unit 50 includes a calculation unit 51 that performs various calculations and a communication unit 52 that performs communication. The communication unit 52 can communicate with the industrial vehicle 1 and the server 60.

[0019] As it is in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, the ground support device 70 includes a display unit 43 and a terminal 44. The display unit 43 is a device that receives display information from the control unit 50 to display such display information in the work site 110. The display unit 43 may be a monitor, a touch panel, or the like. The display unit 43 only needs to be provided at the position of the control unit 50 (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3), or merely needs to be provided at any position in the work site 110. The display unit 43 displays information such as whether a goods handling operation can be started, a temporary stop of the goods handling operation, or a termination of the goods handling operation. The terminal 44 is a device on which an operator can input information in the work site 110. The terminal 44 transmits input information to the control unit 50. The terminal 44 may be a dedicated operation terminal, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like. The terminal 44 can accept key operations to indicate an intention to start an automated operation or an intention to resume the automated operation.

[0020] The server 60 performs various types of information processing in the cargo handling system 100 and stores various types of information. The server 60 may be provided at the work site 110 or may be provided outside the work site 110. The server 60 may be a cloud server or the like. As shown in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, the server 60 includes a determination unit 61 and an instruction unit 62. The determination unit 61 determines a state of the loading platform 22 and a state of the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22 based on the information acquired by the monitoring units 40. The determination unit 61 makes a determination using artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence is trained based on data in which previous monitoring information from the monitoring unit 40 is linked to a state corresponding to the past monitoring information. For example, the artificial intelligence is trained from image data acquired by the monitoring units 40. The instruction unit 62 transmits an instruction to the industrial vehicle 1 based on a result of the determination by the determination unit 61.There is no specific limitation on where the determination unit 61 and the instruction unit 62 are provided in the cargo handling system 100, and the determination unit 61 and the instruction unit 62 may be provided in the control unit 50 or in the ground equipment 70 other than the control unit 50.

[0021] The determination unit 61 concerns a determination related to the goods handling operation. Specifically, the determination unit 61 determines whether or not the transport vehicle 20 is present in the stop area E1 and the waiting room E2. The determination unit 61 determines the position of the transport vehicle 20 in each of the areas E1 and E2. The determination unit 61 determines whether or not the wings 26 of the transport vehicle 20 are open or closed. The determination unit 61 determines whether or not an obstacle is present on the loading platform 22. The determination unit 61 determines a height of the loading platform of the transport vehicle 20. In the following description, the determination related to a state of the transport vehicle 20 may be referred to as a "determination of the state of the transport vehicle 20."In addition, the determination unit 61 determines whether or not an obstacle (a person such as an operator) is present in the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20. For these determination contents, the determination unit 61 may make a determination using both the image data and the distance data, but may be configured to make a determination from only the image data using artificial intelligence or the like. Based on these determination results, the instruction unit 62 issues an instruction for the cargo handling operation to the industrial vehicle 1. The instruction unit 62 issues an instruction regarding positions where cargoes are placed, an order of loading and unloading, the number of cargoes, and the like.Furthermore, when the determination unit 61 determines that a person is present in the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22, the instruction unit 62 transmits a stop instruction to the industrial vehicle 1. The determination unit 61 also determines information related to a status of the cargo handling operation. For example, the determination unit 61 determines whether the cargo handling operation can be started or not and whether the cargo handling operation has been completed or not.

[0022] The determination unit 61 can determine a destination based on the identification information of the pallets PT. The instruction unit 62 issues an instruction for a location where the cargo W is to be placed. The determination unit 61 determines a shape of the pallet PT based on the sizes of pallet holes included in the identification information, and the instruction unit 62 issues an instruction indicating an optimal distance between the forks. The server 60 can manage information regarding which and how many cargo W are loaded onto which transport vehicle 2 based on the identification information of the transport vehicle 20 and the identification information of the pallets PT.The determination unit 61 can determine which transport vehicle 20 stops at the stop area E1 based on the identification information of the transport vehicle 20, and can identify the cargo W from the information managed by the server 60. Then, the instruction unit 62 issues an instruction for a discharge destination to cause the industrial vehicle 1 to execute the automated operation. The instruction unit 62 also issues an instruction regarding a specific pallet, a loading location, a loading order, and the number of pallets to cause the industrial vehicle 1 to execute the automated operation.

[0023] For example, it determines how it is in Fig. 5, the determination unit 61 determines the number of pallets on the loading platform 22 from image data of the loading platform 22 sent from the monitoring unit 40, by a known technique using trained artificial intelligence. The instruction unit 62 transmits the number of pallets determined by the determination unit 61 to the industrial vehicle 1. This enables the industrial vehicle 1 performing the automated operation to determine an operation amount for loading and unloading. Furthermore, when the pallets PT are stacked vertically, the determination unit 61 can determine whether an upper pallet PT or a lower pallet PT is to be loaded or unloaded.In addition, using a pallet PT determination technique using artificial intelligence, the determination unit 61 can determine the presence or absence of a person, the presence or absence of the transport vehicle 20, the position of the transport vehicle 20, the height of the loading platform, and the like based on the image data.

[0024] Next, an example of processing performed by the cargo handling system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 6 to 13. In the flowchart, operations corresponding to "TRUCK (transport vehicle 20) / PASSENGERS," "INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE," "GROUND EQUIPMENT," and "SERVER" are listed in parallel. First, details of processing when the cargo W is loaded and unloaded from the transport vehicle 20 by the automated operation of the industrial vehicle will be described with reference to Fig. 6 to 10 described.

[0025] When starting a processing in Fig. 6, the transport vehicle 20 stops at the waiting area E2 (step S10). The industrial vehicle 1 is on standby at the home position E3 (step S100). The monitoring unit 40 of the ground support equipment 70 transmits a monitoring result to the server 60 (step S200). The determination unit 61 of the server 60 determines whether or not the transport vehicle 20 is present in the stop area E1 (step S400). If the determination unit 61 determines that the transport vehicle 20 is present, the determination unit 61 executes step S400 again. If the determination unit 61 determines that the transport vehicle 20 is not present, the instruction unit 62 outputs a display instruction to the display unit 43 of the ground support equipment 70 (step S410). The display unit 43 displays information for a driver of the transport vehicle 20 indicating that the transport vehicle 20 can move to the stop area E1 (step S210).If the determination unit 61 determines in step S400 that the transport vehicle 20 is in the stop area E1, the display unit 43 may display information indicating that the transport vehicle 20 cannot move to the stop area E1. The transport vehicle 20 moves to the stop area E1 at any time after the information is displayed (step S20).

[0026] The monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S220). The determination unit 61 determines whether the position of the transport vehicle 20 is adequate in the stop area E1 (step S420). If the determination unit 61 determines that the position of the transport vehicle 20 is not adequate, the determination unit 61 executes step S420 again. If the determination unit 61 determines that the position of the transport vehicle 20 is adequate, the instruction unit 62 outputs a display instruction to the display unit 43 (step S430). The display unit 43 displays information to the driver of the transport vehicle 20 indicating that the position of the transport vehicle 20 is adequate in the stop area E1 (step S230).If the determination unit 61 determines in step S420 that the position of the transport vehicle 20 is not adequate, the display unit 43 may display information indicating that the position of the transport vehicle 20 is not adequate. After the information indicating that the position of the transport vehicle 20 is adequate in the stop area E1 is displayed, the stopping of the transport vehicle 20 is completed (step S30).

[0027] As it is in Fig. As shown in Fig. 7, the monitoring unit 40 reads identification information of the identification information providing unit 27 of the transport vehicle 20 and transmits a reading result to the server 60 (step S240). The determination unit 61 identifies the transport vehicle 20 based on the reading result (step S440). The transport vehicle 20 opens the wings 26 at an arbitrary time after the transport vehicle 20 stops (step S40). The monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S250). The determination unit 61 determines whether the wings 26 of the transport vehicle 20 are open or not (step S450). If the determination unit 61 determines that the wings 26 are closed, the determination unit 61 executes step S450 again.If the determination unit 61 determines that the wings 26 are open, the instruction unit 62 outputs a display instruction to the display unit 43 of the ground support device 70 (step S460). The display unit 43 displays information indicating that the wings 26 are open to the driver of the transport vehicle 20 (step S260). If the determination unit 61 determines that the wings 26 are closed in step S450, the display unit 43 may display information indicating that the wings 26 are closed.

[0028] As it is in Fig. 8, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the result of the monitoring (step S270). The determination unit 61 makes a determination about various conditions related to the determination of the state of the transport vehicle 20 and whether or not the state of the transport vehicle 20 can be determined (step S470). An obstacle, such as a person, may move away from the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 at any time after the wings 26 are opened (step S50). If the determination unit 61 determines that the state of the transport vehicle 20 cannot be determined, the determination unit 61 repeats step S470 until the state of the transport vehicle 20 can be determined. The monitoring unit 40 transmits the result of the monitoring to the server 60 (step S280).The determination unit 61 determines whether or not an obstacle exists in the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 and whether or not there is a possibility of cargo displacement (step S480). If the determination unit 61 determines that an obstacle exists or there is a possibility of cargo displacement, the instruction unit 62 outputs a display instruction to the display unit 43 of the ground support equipment 70 (step S490). The display unit 43 displays information to the driver of the transport vehicle 20 indicating that an obstacle exists or there is a possibility of cargo displacement (step S290). After the display in step S290, waiting may be performed until the obstacle moves away and there is no longer a possibility of cargo displacement by executing step S480 again.It should be noted that step S490 is omitted when the determination unit 61 determines in step S480 that there is no obstacle and there is no possibility of cargo displacement.

[0029] As it is in Fig. 9, the industrial vehicle 1 determines whether or not the industrial vehicle 1 itself is in an automated operable state in which the industrial vehicle 1 can perform the automated operation (step S110). If the industrial vehicle 1 is not in the automated operable state, step S110 is executed again. If the industrial vehicle 1 is in the automated operable state, the industrial vehicle 1 notifies the server 60 thereof (step S120). Meanwhile, the determination unit 61 determines whether or not the industrial vehicle 1 can perform the automated operation (step S500). If the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1 cannot perform the automated operation, the determination unit 61 executes step S500 again.After receiving a notification in step S120, the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1 can perform the automated operation in step S500. At this time, the instruction unit 62 issues a notification indicating that the automated operation can be performed to the industrial vehicle 1 and the ground support equipment 70 (step S510). In addition, the instruction unit 62 transmits instruction data necessary for the automated operation to the industrial vehicle 1 in step S510. After receiving the notification, the industrial vehicle 1 enters a standby state for the automated operation (step S130).An obstacle may move away from the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 at any time after the display unit 43 displays information indicating that an obstacle is present or there is a possibility of cargo displacement after the wings 26 are opened (step S60). The ground support unit 70 prepares to start automated operation by displaying a "Start Automated Operation" button on the terminal 44 and begins accepting button presses (step S300). The operator presses the button at any time after this processing (step S70). The ground support unit 70 determines whether the button has been pressed or not (step S310). If the ground support unit 70 determines that the button has not been pressed, the ground support unit 70 executes step S310 again.When the ground device 70 determines that the button has been pressed, the ground device 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that the button has been pressed (step S320).

[0030] As it is in Fig. 10, the industrial vehicle 1 starts the automated operation based on the instruction data received in step S510 (step S140). The industrial vehicle 1 reads the identification information from the identification information providing unit 28 provided in the pallet PT and transmits the identification information to the server 60 (step S150). The determination unit 61 specifies pallet information such as a sender, a type of cargo, a weight of the cargo, a destination, and sizes of the pallet holes based on the identification information (step S520). The determination unit 61 determines the loading and unloading positions and the distance between the forks, and the instruction unit 62 transmits such information to the industrial vehicle 1 (step S530).The industrial vehicle 1 performs the cargo handling operation based on the information received in step S530 (step S160). Accordingly, the processing included in the . Fig. 6 to 10 is shown.

[0031] Hereinafter, processing for temporarily stopping the automated operation of the industrial vehicle 1 during the automated operation when an obstacle enters the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 and when there is a possibility of cargo displacement will be described with reference to Fig. 11 to 13. As described in Fig. 11, monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to server 60 (step S330). Determination unit 61 determines whether or not an obstacle exists in the surrounding area of ​​transport vehicle 20 and whether or not there is a possibility of cargo displacement (step S540). If determination unit 61 determines that no obstacle exists and there is no possibility of cargo displacement, the processing included in Fig. 11 to 13, wherein step S330 is executed again. If the determination unit 61 determines that an obstacle exists and / or there is a possibility of cargo displacement, the instruction unit 62 issues a display instruction to the display unit 43 of the ground support equipment 70 (step S550). The display unit 43 displays information to an operator indicating that an obstacle exists and / or there is a possibility of cargo displacement (step S340). Furthermore, the instruction unit 62 issues an instruction to the industrial vehicle 1 to temporarily stop (step S560). At any time during this period, the operator removes the obstacle (step S80).

[0032] As it is in Fig. 12, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S350). The determination unit 61 determines whether or not an obstacle is no longer present in the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 and whether or not there is no longer any possibility of cargo displacement (step S570). If the determination unit 61 determines that an obstacle is present and / or that there is a possibility of cargo displacement, the determination unit 61 executes step S570 again. If the determination unit 61 determines that an obstacle is no longer present and / or there is no longer any possibility of cargo displacement, the instruction unit 62 issues a display instruction to the display unit 43 of the ground support equipment 70 (step S580).The display unit 43 displays information to the operator indicating that an obstacle no longer exists and / or there is no longer any possibility of cargo displacement (step S360).

[0033] As it is in Fig. As shown in Fig. 13, the determination unit 61 determines whether the industrial vehicle 1 can perform the automated operation or not (step S590). If the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1 cannot perform the automated operation, the determination unit 61 executes step S590 again. If the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1 can perform the automated operation, the instruction unit 62 issues a notification indicating that the automated operation can be performed to the industrial vehicle 1 and the ground equipment 70 (step S600). In addition, the instruction unit 62 transmits instruction data required for the automated operation to the industrial vehicle 1 in step S600. After receiving the notification, the industrial vehicle 1 enters a standby state for the automated operation (step S170).The ground equipment 70 prepares to start automated operation by displaying a "Start Automated Operation" button on the terminal device 44 and starting to accept button presses (step S370). The operator presses the button at any time after this processing (step S90). The ground equipment 70 determines whether the button has been pressed or not (step S380). If the ground equipment 70 determines that the button has not been pressed, the ground equipment 70 executes step S380 again. If the ground equipment 70 determines that the button has been pressed, the ground equipment 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that the button has been pressed (step S390). The industrial vehicle 1 resumes automated operation based on the instruction data received in step S600 (step S180). Accordingly, the processing detailed in FIGS. Fig. 11 to 13.

[0034] Next, the operation and effects of the cargo handling system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0035] The cargo handling system 100 includes the monitoring unit 40 that monitors at least one of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 that has stopped at the stop area E1 and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22, and the determination unit 61 that determines the states of the loading platform 22 and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22 based on information acquired by the monitoring unit 40. Here, the monitoring unit 40 is provided at the position in the work site 110 that is different from the industrial vehicle 1, and includes the image acquisition unit 41 that acquires images. In this way, the monitoring unit 40 can acquire images not from the industrial vehicle 1 but from the image acquisition unit 41 provided on the ground equipment side.Consequently, the determination unit 61 can determine the state of the loading platform 22 and the state of the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22 based on the image obtained by the image acquisition unit 41 on the ground equipment side. In the cargo handling system 100, a high-performance monitoring unit for the determination unit 61 for making a determination on each of the industrial vehicles 1 is not required. As a result, costs can be reduced.

[0036] For example, in a case where a monitoring unit (camera and LIDAR) for high-performance determination is to be provided for each of two industrial vehicles 1, the industrial vehicles 1 each need to include three monitoring units for three directions, requiring six monitoring units and a cost of approximately 900,000 yen. In contrast, in a case where the monitoring unit 40 is installed on the ground support side, unlike the industrial vehicles 1, two devices are required, which costs approximately 300,000 yen. In addition, a PC (costing approximately 200,000 yen) for performing high-performance determination does not need to be installed in each of the industrial vehicles 1. As a result, a total cost of approximately 800,000 yen can be reduced.

[0037] The determination unit 61 makes the determination using artificial intelligence. In this case, the determination unit 61 can determine the state of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 and the state of the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 in more detail based on the acquired image.

[0038] Furthermore, when the determination unit 61 determines that a person is present in the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22, the instruction unit 62 may transmit a stop instruction to the industrial vehicle 1. In this case, safety can be increased when a person is present in the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform 22.

[0039] The monitoring unit 40 may further include a distance measuring unit 42 that measures the distance to the target object. In this case, the monitoring unit 40 can determine the state of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 and the state of the surrounding area of ​​the transport vehicle 20 from both the image and the distance to the target object.

[0040] The present invention is not limited by the embodiment described above.

[0041] For example, the configuration of the goods handling system, which includes the work site, is Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is an example, and may be modified as appropriate. The flowcharts shown in the Fig. 6 to 13 are also merely an example and may be changed as appropriate.

[0042] The idea of ​​the present invention is described below under [1] to [4].

[0043] [1] A cargo handling system in which an industrial vehicle performs a cargo handling operation on a transport vehicle, the cargo handling system comprising: the industrial vehicle; a work site in which the industrial vehicle carries out a goods handling operation, the work site having a stop area in which the transport vehicle stops; a monitoring unit configured to monitor at least one of a loading platform of the transport vehicle and a surrounding area of ​​the loading platform when the transport vehicle stops at the stop area; a determination unit configured to determine a state of the loading platform and a state of the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform based on information obtained by the monitoring unit; and an instruction unit configured to transmit an instruction to the industrial vehicle based on a result of the determination by the determination unit, wherein the monitoring unit comprises an image acquisition unit at a position different from the industrial vehicle in the work site, wherein the image acquisition unit acquires an image of at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform.

[0044] [2] The cargo handling system according to [1], wherein the destination unit makes a determination using artificial intelligence.

[0045] [3] The goods handling system according to [1] or [2], wherein the instruction unit transmits a stop instruction to the industrial vehicle when the determination unit determines that a person is present in the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform.

[0046] [4] The cargo handling system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the monitoring unit further comprises a distance measuring unit that measures a distance to a target object. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2021 - 195 215 A

[0002]

Claims

[1] A goods handling system (100) in which an industrial vehicle (1) performs a goods handling operation on a transport vehicle (20), the goods handling system (100) comprising: the industrial vehicle (1); a work location (110) in which the industrial vehicle (1) carries out a goods handling operation, the work location (110) having a stop area (E1) in which the transport vehicle (20) stops; a monitoring unit (40) configured to monitor at least one of a loading platform (22) of the transport vehicle (20) and a surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22) when the transport vehicle (20) stops at the stop area (E1); a determination unit (61) configured to determine a state of the loading platform (22) and a state of the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22) based on information obtained by the monitoring unit (40); and an instruction unit (62) configured to transmit an instruction to the industrial vehicle (1) based on a result of the determination by the determination unit (61), wherein the monitoring unit (40) comprises an image acquisition unit (41) at a position different from the industrial vehicle (1) in the work site (110), wherein the image acquisition unit (41) acquires an image of at least one of the loading platform (22) of the transport vehicle (20) and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22). [2] The cargo handling system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit (61) makes a determination using artificial intelligence. [3] The goods handling system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the instruction unit (62) transmits a stop instruction to the industrial vehicle (1) when the determination unit (61) determines that a person is present in the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform (22). [4] The cargo handling system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the monitoring unit (40) further comprises a distance measuring unit (42) that measures a distance to a target object.

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