Guidance system, guidance method and program

Abstract

To achieve a goal for simplifying the device configuration of a guided body and allow the guided body to easily travel along a route.SOLUTION: A guiding zone 20 is a guide zone for guiding an unmanned carrier 10 so that the unmanned carrier 10 as the guided body moves along a predetermined route C0. The guiding zone 20 includes a plurality of sub-patterns 21 arranged in series along the route C0. Each of the plurality of sub-patterns 21 is formed in a shape which becomes shorter from one end side(-x direction side) to the other end side(+x direction side) in a direction orthogonal to the route C0.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a guidance strip, a group of guidance strips, a guidance system, a guidance method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in a factory, a commonly known method for guiding an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) to a desired stopping position involves placing a guide tape on the floor along the path from the start position of the AGV to the stopping position, and the AGV detects the guide tape and drives along the detected guide tape.

[0003] For example, a guidance control device for an unmanned guided vehicle is known in which two light-receiving element arrays that detect the brightness of the contour of the guide tape are attached to the unmanned guided vehicle so that the arrangement direction of the multiple light-receiving elements of each light-receiving element array forms a 45-degree angle with a center line perpendicular to the traveling direction, thereby increasing the detection sensitivity in the width direction of the guide tape (√2 times) (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-5913 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the guidance control device for the automated guided vehicle described in Patent Document 1 requires a light receiving element array in which multiple light receiving elements are arranged, which makes the device configuration of the automated guided vehicle complicated and expensive. In addition, the running control is performed by instantaneously detecting the contour in the width direction of the guide tape, which makes the running less smooth.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to simplify the device configuration of the guided object while allowing the guided object to easily travel along a route. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the induction band of the present invention is an induction band for guiding an individual to move along a predetermined path, and is characterized in that it has a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in a line along the path, and each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape such that its width along the path decreases from one end to the other end in a direction perpendicular to the path.

[0008] Moreover, the guidance system of the present invention is a guidance system in which a person to be guided moves along a specific guidance band by detecting the guidance band, the guidance band having a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in a line along a path, each of the plurality of sub-patterns being formed in a shape in which the width along the path decreases from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path, and the person to be guided having a sensor that detects the length of crossing time when the detection surface crosses at least one of the sub-patterns and a cut-out pattern without the sub-pattern, and a control means that controls the direction of travel of the person to be guided in accordance with the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the device configuration of the guided object can be simplified, and the guided object can easily travel along the route. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a guidance system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automatic guided vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an optical sensor. [Figure 4]1A is a plan view showing a route according to an embodiment and paths when turning left or right from the route, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing detection signals corresponding to the route in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing a first driving control process. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing three paths in a guidance band according to an embodiment and detection signals corresponding to each path. FIG. [Figure 7] (a) is a plan view showing the configuration of the guiding strip of the first modified example, (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the guiding strip of the first modified example, (c) is a plan view showing the configuration of the guiding strip of the first modified example, and (d) is a plan view showing the configuration of the stop pattern of the first modified example. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are plan views showing the configuration of a group of guiding bands according to a second modified example, respectively; [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automated guided vehicle according to a third modified example. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a second driving control process. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the configuration of an induction band according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automated guided vehicle according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a guide strip and an automated guided vehicle according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automated guided vehicle according to a fifth modified example. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which the right optical sensor detects a subpattern while an automated guided vehicle of a fifth modified example is traveling on a route, a state in which the left optical sensor detects a subpattern while the automated guided vehicle is traveling on a route, a state in which the left optical sensor detects a subpattern while the automated guided vehicle is traveling in a direction that turns right from the route, and a state in which the left optical sensor detects the subpattern while the automated guided vehicle is traveling in a direction that turns left from the route. [Figure 16]FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which an automated guided vehicle according to a fifth modified example travels along a route of a sub-pattern. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiment and first to fifth modified examples of the present invention will be described in detail in order with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the embodiment and first to fifth modified examples described below are subject to various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment and illustrated examples.

[0012] (Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. First, the device configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a guide system 1 of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an automatic guided vehicle 10. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of an optical sensor 14.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the guidance system 1 of this embodiment includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV) 10 as a guided object, and a guided belt 20. The guidance system 1 is installed, for example, in a factory. The automated guided vehicle 10 is, for example, a forklift, and is an electric vehicle that carries luggage and the like according to the work process in the factory and runs autonomously without a driver on a predetermined route (course) in the factory. The guided belt 20 is a guided belt placed, for example, on the floor surface in the factory, and is a guide unit for guiding the automated guided vehicle 10 to run on the route on the guided belt 20, and is made of, for example, a tape material.

[0014] The automated guided vehicle 10 is guided to travel on a path C0 as a predetermined path of the guide strip 20. The path C0 is a strip-shaped path extending in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should travel. The width (length in the x-axis direction) of the path C0 is the width from the end of the sub-pattern 21 of the guide strip 20, which will be described later, on the most negative x-direction side to the end of the sub-pattern 21 on the guide strip 20 on the most positive x-direction side. In FIG. 1, on the plane of the guide strip 20 (on the factory floor), the y-axis is taken in the direction along the linear path C0 of the guide strip 20, the positive direction of the y-axis is taken in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should travel, and the x-axis is taken in the direction perpendicular to the y-axis (left-handed system), and this is also true for other drawings of the guide strip.

[0015] The automated guided vehicle 10 has a housing 101, wheels 111, 112, 113, 114, and an optical sensor 14. The housing 101 is the body of the automated guided vehicle 10, and houses various components. The wheel 111 is a wheel (front wheel) provided on the left front (+y direction, +x direction side) of the housing 101 when the forward direction (+y direction) of the automated guided vehicle 10 is defined as the forward direction. The wheel 112 is a wheel (front wheel) provided on the right front (+y direction, -x direction side) of the housing 101. The wheel 113 is a wheel (rear wheel) provided on the left rear (-y direction, +x direction side) of the housing 101. The wheel 114 is a wheel (rear wheel) provided on the right rear (-y direction, -x direction side) of the housing 101.

[0016] The automated guided vehicle 10 is assumed to be, for example, a two-wheel drive vehicle in which the front wheels 111, 112 are driven wheels. The automated guided vehicle 10 is configured to steer left and right depending on the difference in rotation speed between the wheels 111, 112, and does not have a steering function for changing the angle of the wheels 111, 112 relative to the forward direction. However, the automated guided vehicle 10 is not limited to this configuration, and may be a four-wheel drive vehicle, for example.

[0017] The optical sensor 14 is, for example, an optical sensor that is disposed at the front (+y direction side) and at the center in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) of the housing 101 and optically detects the guiding strip 20. The optical sensor 14 is, for example, configured of a reflective photointerrupter, has a detection surface on the factory floor side, and detects whether the guiding strip 20 is located at the sub-pattern 21 or the stop pattern 31 of the guiding strip 20 (at this time, the detection signal is ON) or not (at this time, the detection signal is OFF) by emitting light to the floor side and receiving reflected light from the floor side. The automated guided vehicle 10 performs travel control such as steering (control of the traveling direction) based on the on-off time-dependent pattern of the detection signal detected by the optical sensor 14 (on-off time axis pattern).

[0018] The guidance strip 20 has a plurality of sub-patterns 21, a cut-out pattern 21N, and a stop pattern 31. The sub-pattern 21 has a shape in which the width (length) in the direction along the path C0 (+y direction) becomes shorter from one end (end side on the -x direction side) to the other end (end side on the +x direction side) in the direction perpendicular to the path C0 (x axis direction). More specifically, the sub-pattern 21 is a marker made of a light-reflective tape or the like and having a surface that reflects light. This marker has a triangular graphic pattern. The stop pattern 31, like the sub-pattern 21, also has a surface that reflects light. The cut-out pattern 21N is a portion of the guidance strip 20 where there is no sub-pattern 21 or stop pattern 31 and the factory floor surface is exposed. Each of the plurality of cut-out patterns 21N is arranged between each of the plurality of sub-patterns 21 in the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10.

[0019] Since the surfaces of the subpattern 21 and the stop pattern 31 of the guiding strip 20 reflect light, the detection signal is turned on when the optical sensor 14 detects the subpattern 21 or the stop pattern 31. Here, the cut-out pattern 21N has a surface that reflects light less well, unlike the subpattern 21 or the stop pattern 31. In other words, the subpattern 21 and the stop pattern 31 can be optically distinguished from the cut-out pattern 21N by the detection signal of the optical sensor 14. The multiple subpatterns 21 are arranged in a continuous manner along the path C0.

[0020] The stop pattern 31 is arranged at the final position of the travel of the path C0, and is a marker of a graphic pattern for stopping the automated guided vehicle 10, and is made of, for example, a tape material. The stop pattern 31 is, for example, a rectangle having a side 311 whose length in the y-axis direction is longer than the length of the side 211 on the -x side in the subpattern 21 where the path of the automated guided vehicle 10 is the longest, so that the stop pattern 31 can be identified as the subpattern 21 on which the automated guided vehicle 10 travels.

[0021] Here, one linear path of the path C0 is representatively represented as path C1. The path C1 of the automated guided vehicle 10 on the guided track 20 can be any position in the x-axis direction within the guided track 20. The path C1 is a linear path from the start position of the travel control to the stop pattern 31. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the automated guided vehicle 10 starts traveling from a start position in a factory, travels along the path C0 on a plurality of sub-patterns 21, and is stopped at the stop pattern 31, but the travel path of the automated guided vehicle 10 is not limited to the above.

[0022] For example, the travel route of the automated guided vehicle 10 may be configured to be placed on another travel target, such as outdoors. Furthermore, the travel route of the automated guided vehicle 10 is not limited to a simple route example of travel → stop, and may be, for example, a route indicated by a guide strip in which a stop pattern is additionally placed between two adjacent sub-patterns 21 as an intermediate position. The stop pattern placed as an intermediate position may be placed in a plurality of locations. In such a route example, the travel of the automated guided vehicle 10 is controlled as travel in the sub-pattern 21 → temporary stop in the stop pattern → ... → travel in the sub-pattern 21 → final stop in the stop pattern 31.

[0023] Next, the internal functional configuration of the automated guided vehicle 10 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. As shown in Figure 2, the automated guided vehicle 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 as a control means, an operation unit 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an optical sensor 14, a storage unit 15, drive control units 16L, 16R, and motors 17L, 17R. In the automated guided vehicle 10, each unit except for the motors 17L, 17R is connected via a bus 18.

[0024] The CPU 11 controls each part of the automated guided vehicle 10. The CPU 11 reads out a specified program from among various programs stored in the storage unit 15, loads it in the RAM 13, and executes various processes in cooperation with the loaded program.

[0025] The operation unit 12 receives various operation inputs from a user such as an operator, and outputs the operation signals to the CPU 11.

[0026] The RAM 13 is a volatile semiconductor memory from which information can be read and written, provides a work area for the CPU 11, and temporarily stores data and programs.

[0027] The optical sensor 14 is a reflective photointerrupter that detects the presence or absence of the guidance strip 20 and outputs a detection signal indicating the on / off state of the detected guidance strip 20 to the CPU 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical sensor 14 has a light-emitting unit 141, a light-receiving unit 142, and resistors 143 and 144.

[0028] The light-emitting unit 141 and the light-receiving unit 142 are arranged as a pair on the detection surface of the optical sensor 14. The light-emitting unit 141 is a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and is connected in series between a power supply unit and a ground unit via a resistor 143. A voltage is applied through the resistor 143 based on the power supply voltage to the light-emitting unit 141, causing the light-receiving unit 142 to emit light (ON). The light-receiving unit 142 is a light-receiving unit such as a phototransistor, and is connected in series between a power supply unit and a ground unit via a resistor 144. When the light-receiving unit 142 receives light emitted from the light-emitting unit 141 and reflected by the induction strip 20 on the factory floor, the voltage of the ON signal corresponding to the detection of the induction strip 20 is pulled up by the resistor 144, and is output to the CPU 11 as a detection signal for the induction strip 20.

[0029] The storage unit 15 is configured with a storage unit capable of reading and writing information, such as a flash memory, and stores various data and programs. In particular, the storage unit 15 stores a first driving control program P1 for executing a first driving control process described later.

[0030] The drive control unit 16L is a control circuit that controls the rotation speed and amount of rotation of the motor 17L by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) drive or the like under control of the CPU 11. The motor 17L is a motor that rotates a wheel 111 that is a left drive wheel of the automated guided vehicle 10. The drive control unit 16R is a control circuit that controls the rotation speed and amount of rotation of the motor 17R that is a right drive wheel of the automated guided vehicle 10 by PWM drive or the like under control of the CPU 11. The motor 17R is a motor that rotates a wheel 112 that is a right drive wheel of the automated guided vehicle 10.

[0031] Next, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4(a) to Fig. 6. Fig. 4(a) is a plan view showing a path C1 and paths C1L, C1R when the path C1 is turned to the left or right. Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing detection signals SC1, SC1L, SC1R corresponding to the paths C1, C1L, C1R. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the first travel control process. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing three paths C2, C3, C4 in the guiding strip 20a and detection signals SC2, SC3, SC4 corresponding to the paths C2, C3, C4.

[0032] First, an example of left and right steering control of the automated guided vehicle 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b). As shown in Fig. 4(a), when the automated guided vehicle 10 is to travel along a linear path C1 on a guided belt 20, the path when the automated guided vehicle 10 turns leftward (+x direction) from the path C1 is defined as a path C1L, and the path when the automated guided vehicle 10 turns rightward (-x direction) is defined as a path C1R. It is also assumed that the automated guided vehicle 10 travels at a predetermined speed (constant speed).

[0033] 4(b), the detection signals of the optical sensor 14 corresponding to the paths C1, C1L, and C1R are designated as detection signals SC1, SC1L, and SC1R, respectively. As indicated by the detection signals SC1, SC1L, and SC1R, the detection signals of the optical sensor 14 alternate over time between an ON state duration corresponding to the detection of the sub-pattern 21 and an OFF state duration corresponding to the detection of the cut-out pattern 21N. The ON state duration corresponds to the time it takes the automated guided vehicle 10 to cross the sub-pattern 21. The OFF state duration corresponds to the time it takes the automated guided vehicle 10 to cross the cut-out pattern 21N.

[0034] In the detection signal SC1 corresponding to the path C1, the first on-state duration T1 and the second on-state duration T2 are the same length along the time axis. The on-state duration T1 is the duration of the on-state from the rising time t11 corresponding to the detection start (on-state start) of the first sub-pattern 21 of the detection signal SC1 to the falling time t12 of the detection end (on-state end) of the first sub-pattern 21. The on-state duration T2 is the duration of the on-state from the rising time t21 corresponding to the detection start (on-state start) of the second sub-pattern 21 of the detection signal SC1 to the falling time t22 of the detection end (on-state end) of the second sub-pattern 21. Note that the first off-state duration T1N and the second off-state duration T2N are the same length. The off-state duration T1N is the duration of the off-state from time t12 of a falling edge corresponding to the end of detection of the first subpattern 21 (start of detection of the first hollow pattern 21N) to time t21 of a rising edge corresponding to the start of detection of the second subpattern 21 (end of detection of the first hollow pattern 21N). The on-state duration T2 is the duration of the off-state from time t22 of a falling edge corresponding to the end of detection of the second subpattern 21 (start of detection of the second hollow pattern 21N) to time t31 (not shown) of a rising edge of the start of detection of the third subpattern 21 (end of detection of the second hollow pattern 21N).

[0035] The detection signal SC1L corresponding to the path C1L has a second on-state duration T2 that is shorter than the first on-state duration T1 along the time axis (note that the second off-state duration T1N is longer than the first off-state duration T1N). The detection signal SC1R corresponding to the path C1R has a second on-state duration T2 that is longer than the first on-state duration T1 along the time axis (note that the second off-state duration T2N is shorter than the first off-state duration T1N).

[0036] Therefore, when the on-off time axis pattern of the detection signal SC1L is detected, the CPU 11 determines that the vehicle is traveling on a path C1L that turns leftward (+x direction) from the path C1, and controls the rotation speed of the motor 17L to be faster than the rotation speed of the motor 17R via the drive control units 16L and 16R, thereby steering to the right (-x direction) and moving the automated guided vehicle 10 in the +y direction in which it should move. Also, when the on-off time axis pattern of the detection signal SC1R is detected, the CPU 11 determines that the vehicle is traveling on a path C1R that turns rightward from the path C1, and controls the rotation speed of the motor 17R to be faster than the rotation speed of the motor 17L via the drive control units 16L and 16R, thereby steering to the left and moving the automated guided vehicle 10 in the +y direction in which it should move.

[0037] Next, the first travel control process executed by the CPU 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. As a premise, a guideway 20 is arranged in a factory, and the automated guided vehicle 10 travels from a start position set at an arbitrary position in the x-axis direction within the route C0 of the guideway 20 in Fig. 1. Here, the automated guided vehicle 10 accelerates from a stopped state at the start position to a predetermined speed, and travels at a constant speed while maintaining the predetermined speed. In addition, the time for this acceleration is assumed to be sufficiently short.

[0038] It is assumed that the automated guided vehicle 10 is placed in advance at a start position corresponding to a desired position in the x-axis direction, with the travel direction facing the +y direction. In the automated guided vehicle 10, for example, when a command to execute a first driving control process is input from a user (operator) via the operation unit 12, the CPU 11 executes the first driving control process according to the first driving control program P1 stored in the storage unit 15.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, first, the CPU 11 starts travel control by controlling the rotation of the motors 17L, 17R via the drive control units 16L, 16R so as to achieve a predetermined speed without steering, and obtains a detection signal including the duration of the on-state of the guiding strip 20 from the optical sensor 14 as the first detection signal (step ST1). Then, the CPU 11 increments the variable i by 1 (step ST2). The initial value of the variable i is set to 1. Then, the CPU 11 obtains a detection signal including the next duration of the on-state of the guiding strip 20 from the optical sensor 14 as the i-th detection signal (step ST3).

[0040] Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the stop pattern 31 has been detected based on whether or not the i-th detection signal acquired in step ST3 corresponds to the detection signal of the stop pattern 31 (step ST4). In step ST4, for example, when the on-state duration immediately before the detection signal is equal to or longer than the running time of the side 311 of the stop pattern 31, it is determined that the stop pattern 31 has been detected.

[0041] If the stop pattern 31 is not detected (step ST4; NO), the CPU 11 compares the on-state duration of the (i-1)th detection signal and the i-th detection signal acquired in step ST1 or ST3 (calculates the difference), and calculates the control amount (rotational speed, etc.) of the motors 17L, 17R from the comparison result (calculated difference) so as to move the automatic guided vehicle 10 in the direction it should travel (step ST5).

[0042] In step ST5, for example, when the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 is turning left or right, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the control amount of the motors 17L, 17R is calculated to steer the traveling direction to the +y direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should travel.

[0043] Then, the CPU 11 controls the rotation of the motors 17L, 17R via the drive control units 16L, 16R in accordance with the control amount calculated in step ST5 (step ST6), and proceeds to step ST2. Steps ST5 and ST6 allow the motors 17L, 17R to be controlled in a timely manner, such as by PWM drive, in response to the detection signal of the optical sensor 14. By repeating steps ST5 and ST6, the differential waveform (on-state duration) of the detection signal gradually converges. If the stop pattern 31 is detected (step ST4; YES), the CPU 11 stops the motors 17L, 17R via the drive control units 16L, 16R (step ST7), and ends the first driving control process.

[0044] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the guidance system 1 is a guidance system that detects a predetermined guidance band 20 and moves the automated guided vehicle 10 along the guidance band 20. The guidance band 20 includes a plurality of sub-patterns 21 arranged in a line along the path C0. Each of the plurality of sub-patterns 21 is formed in a shape (triangle shape) in which the width in the direction along the path C0 (y-axis direction) becomes shorter from one end side (-x direction) to the other end side (+x direction) in the direction perpendicular to the path C0 (x-axis direction). The automated guided vehicle 10 includes an optical sensor 14 that detects the length of the crossing time (on-state duration) when the detection surface crosses the sub-pattern 21, and a CPU 11 that controls the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 according to the length of the crossing time detected by the optical sensor 14 (on-off pattern over time).

[0045] Therefore, since no optical element array or camera is used, the device configuration of the automated guided vehicle 10 can be simplified, and since a detection signal in which the periodic changes in the on / off times are continuous over time is used, the automated guided vehicle 10 can be made to travel smoothly on the route C0 while avoiding derailment.

[0046] In addition, the optical sensor 14 detects the induction band 20 by emitting light and receiving reflected light. The induction strip 20 has a surface that reflects light, which allows the induction strip 20 to be detected inexpensively, quickly, and accurately.

[0047] Furthermore, the guideway 20 has a stop pattern 31 for stopping the automated guided vehicle 10. When the CPU 11 detects the stop pattern 31 in response to a detection signal detected by the optical sensor 14, it controls the automated guided vehicle 10 to stop. Therefore, the stop pattern 31 can reliably stop the automated guided vehicle 10.

[0048] Here, as shown in Fig. 6, consider a guidance band 20a in which the sub-pattern 21 and cut-out pattern 21N of the guidance band 20 are replaced with a sub-pattern 22 and cut-out pattern 22N. The sub-pattern 22 has the same configuration and arrangement as the sub-pattern 21, but is larger in size than the sub-pattern 21. The cut-out pattern 22N has the same configuration and arrangement as the cut-out pattern 21N, but is larger in size than the cut-out pattern 21N.

[0049] Here, the automated guided vehicle 10 travels through the paths C2, C3, and C4 within the path C0 of the guided strip 20a. The path C2 is a straight path in the direction (+y direction) along the path C0 of the guided strip 20a, which is the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should proceed, and is arranged so as to pass through the middle position of the line segment with the maximum length in the direction (x-axis direction) perpendicular to the direction (+y direction) along the path C0 of the guided strip 20a. The path C3 is a straight path in the +y direction arranged on the +x direction side of the path C2 (left side as viewed from the automated guided vehicle 10). The path C4 is a straight path in the +y direction arranged on the -x direction side of the path C1 (right side as viewed from the automated guided vehicle 10).

[0050] Here, since the automated guided vehicle 10 travels at a constant speed, the direction in which the paths C2 to C4 should proceed (+y direction) corresponds to the same direction as the time axis of the detection signal of the optical sensor 14. The detection signals SC2, SC3, and SC4 of the optical sensor 14 corresponding to the paths C2, C3, and C4, respectively, are illustrated in FIG. 6 with the time axis taken as the vertical axis.

[0051] When the optical sensor 14 of the automatic guided vehicle 10 passes through the sub-pattern 22 on the path C2, the detection signal SC2 is turned on, and similarly, when the cut-out pattern passes through, the optical sensor 14 is turned off. The paths C2 to C4 travel in the same direction, but the on-state duration during which the on-state of the detection signal SC2 corresponding to the path C3 is continuous is shorter than the on-state duration of the detection signal SC2 corresponding to the path C2, and the off-state duration during which the off-state of the detection signal SC3 is continuous is longer than the off-state duration of the detection signal SC2. The on-state duration of the detection signal SC4 corresponding to the path C4 is longer than the on-state duration of the detection signal SC2 corresponding to the path C2, and the off-state duration of the detection signal SC4 is shorter than the off-state duration of the detection signal SC2.

[0052] If the start positions of the travel control of each of the three automated guided vehicles 10 are spaced apart enough in the x-axis direction so that the three automated guided vehicles 10 do not collide on the path C0, the three automated guided vehicles 10 can run parallel to each other on the path C0 because the travel control can be performed independently using the time-dependent patterns of the detection signals of the optical sensor 14. Ideally, the three automated guided vehicles 10 run on the paths C2, C3, and C4, respectively.

[0053] In the above configuration, the CPU 11 controls the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 based on the length of the crossing time (on-state duration) when crossing the subpattern 21 detected by the optical sensor 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 11 may control the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 based on the length of the crossing time (at least one of the on-state duration and the off-state duration) when crossing at least one of the subpattern 21 and the cut-out pattern 21N detected by the optical sensor 14.

[0054] (First Modification) A first modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 7(a) to 7(d). Fig. 7(a) is a plan view showing the configuration of guiding strip 20A. Fig. 7(b) is a plan view showing the configuration of guiding strip 20B. Fig. 7(c) is a plan view showing the configuration of guiding strip 20C. Fig. 7(d) is a plan view showing the configuration of stop pattern 32.

[0055] In the above embodiment, a guidance strip 20 having a plurality of triangular subpatterns 21 and a stop pattern 31 has been described, but in this modified example, guidance strips 20A, 20B, and 20C having various subpatterns other than subpattern 21, and a stop pattern 32 different from stop pattern 31 will be described. Note that in the following description of guidance strips 20A-20C, although guidance strips 20A-20C have cut-out patterns and stop patterns, the description of which will be omitted.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 7(a), a configuration may be adopted in which a guidance band 20A is used instead of the guidance band 20 of the above embodiment. The guidance band 20A has a plurality of sub-patterns 23. The sub-patterns 23 are similar to the sub-patterns 21 of the above embodiment, but differ in shape and size. Specifically, the sub-patterns 23 have a triangular shape with a shorter width in the y-axis direction than the sub-patterns 21.

[0057] With this configuration, when a route is taken along the y-axis direction, the number of detections (number of on-state durations) of subpattern 23 during a given length of travel on that route is greater than the number of detections of subpattern 21. As a result, in the automated guided vehicle 10, the number of on-off turns of the detection signal of optical sensor 14 during a given time travel on the route increases, making it possible to accurately control the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 relative to the guide belt 20A.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 7(b), a guide band 20B may be used instead of the guide band 20 of the above embodiment. The guide band 20B has multiple sub-patterns 21 and 24. The sub-pattern 24 is similar to the sub-pattern 21 of the above embodiment, but is smaller in size. Each of the sub-patterns 24 is disposed between each of the multiple sub-patterns 21.

[0059] With this configuration, when a route is taken along the y-axis direction, the number of detections of subpatterns 21 and 24 during a given length of travel on that route is greater than the number of detections of only subpattern 21. As a result, in the automated guided vehicle 10, the number of times the detection signal of optical sensor 14 is turned on and off during a given time period while traveling on the route increases, making it possible to accurately control the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 relative to the guide strip 20B. However, the comparison of the on-state duration of the detection signal in step ST5 of the first travel control process in the above embodiment is performed separately for comparing subpatterns 21 with each other and for comparing subpatterns 24 with each other.

[0060] Also, as shown in FIG. 7(c), a guide strip 20C may be used instead of the guide strip 20 of the above embodiment. The guide strip 20C has a plurality of sub-patterns 25. The sub-patterns 25 have the same triangular shape and size as the sub-patterns 21 of the above embodiment, but further have a color that changes in a gradation according to the position in the x-axis direction. In other words, the position of the automatic guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction can be identified by detecting the color of the sub-pattern 25 through which the automatic guided vehicle 10 is passing.

[0061] Here, a sensor capable of detecting the guide strip 20C (sub-pattern 27) and its color is used as the optical sensor 14. For this reason, in the first travel control process of the above embodiment, in step ST5, the CPU 11 compares the on-state duration of the detection signals, and further acquires the color (detected color) in the detection signal of the optical sensor 14, and calculates the control amount of the motors 17L, 17R to make the automated guided vehicle 10 travel in the direction to which it should travel, based on the comparison result of the detection signals and the position information in the x-axis direction corresponding to the detected color. Since the detected color is used in addition to the comparison result of the detection signals, the travel direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 is controlled more accurately.

[0062] 7(d), a configuration may be adopted in which a stop pattern 32 is used instead of the stop pattern 31 of the above embodiment. The stop pattern 32 has a plurality of strip-shaped portions 321. The plurality of strip-shaped portions 321 have a surface that reflects light, are strip-shaped portions that extend in the x-axis direction perpendicular to the path, and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the y-axis direction.

[0063] In the first driving control process, in step ST4, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the stop pattern 32 has been detected, based on the detection signal of the optical sensor 14 acquired in step ST3.

[0064] As described above, according to this modification, the guide strip 20B has, as a plurality of sub-patterns, a plurality of sub-patterns 21 arranged in series along the route, and a plurality of sub-patterns 23 arranged between the plurality of sub-patterns 21 and smaller than the sub-patterns 21. Therefore, the number of times that the detection signal of the optical sensor 14 is turned on and off in a given period of time increases, so that the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 relative to the guide strip 20B can be accurately controlled.

[0065] Furthermore, in the guide strip 20C, the sub-pattern 25 changes color along a direction (x-axis direction) perpendicular to the path (y-axis direction). The optical sensor 14 is capable of detecting the color of the sub-pattern 25. The CPU 11 acquires position information of the automated guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction according to the color detected by the optical sensor 14. Therefore, the position information of the automated guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction can be used to more accurately control the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 relative to the guide strip 20C.

[0066] (Second Modification) A second modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a) and Fig. 8(b). Fig. 8(a) is a plan view showing the configuration of induction band group G1. Fig. 8(b) is a plan view showing the configuration of induction band group G2.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the guidance band 20 having a plurality of triangular sub-patterns 21 and stop patterns 31 arranged in a row in the y-axis direction was described, but in this modified example, guidance band groups G1 and G2 having a plurality of guidance bands having sub-patterns arranged in the y-axis direction are described. Note that in the following description of each guidance band of guidance band groups G1 and G2, each guidance band has a cut-out pattern and a stop pattern, but the description thereof will be omitted.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 8(a), a configuration may be adopted in which a guidance band group G1 is used instead of the guidance band 20 of the above embodiment. The guidance band group G1 has guidance bands 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3. The guidance band 20D1 has a plurality of sub-patterns 25. The guidance band 20D2 has a plurality of sub-patterns 26. The guidance band 20D1 has a plurality of sub-patterns 27. The sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27 have a triangular shape similar to the sub-pattern 21 of the above embodiment, but furthermore, each of the sub-patterns is different in color from each other.

[0069] In the guidance strip 20D1, the sub-patterns 25 are arranged in a row along the path C01. The path C01 is a belt-shaped path extending in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should travel (+y direction). In the guidance strip 20D2, the sub-patterns 26 are arranged in a row along the path C02. The path C02 is a belt-shaped path extending in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should travel (+y direction). In the guidance strip 20D3, the sub-patterns 27 are arranged in a row along the path C03. The path C03 is a belt-shaped path extending in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 10 should travel (+y direction). The paths C01, C02, and C03 are arranged in parallel at different positions in the x-axis direction. In other words, the guidance band group G1 is composed of guidance band 20D1 (guidance band corresponding to route C01) consisting of multiple sub-patterns 25, guidance band 20D2 (guidance band corresponding to route C02) consisting of multiple sub-patterns 26, and guidance band 20D3 (guidance band corresponding to route C03) consisting of multiple sub-patterns 27 arranged in parallel.

[0070] Here, a sensor capable of detecting the guide strips 20D1, 20D2, 20D3 (sub-patterns 25, 26, 27) and their colors is used as the optical sensor 14 of the automatic guided vehicle 10. In the first travel control process of the above embodiment, in step ST5, the CPU 11 compares the on-state durations of the detection signals of the optical sensors 14 acquired in step ST3, and further acquires the color (detected color) in the detection signals of the optical sensors 14, and calculates the control amount of the motors 17L, 17R to make the automatic guided vehicle 10 travel in the direction to travel on the route C01, C02, or C03 based on the comparison result of the detection signals and the detected color. Since the detected color is used in addition to the comparison result of the detection signals, the travel direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 is accurately controlled. In particular, since each of the three automated guided vehicles 10 can travel independently on the respective routes (route C01, C02 or C03) of the guided belts 20D1, 20D2, 20D3, the three automated guided vehicles 10 can travel in parallel.

[0071] Also, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a configuration may be adopted in which a guidance band group G2 is used instead of the guidance band 20 of the above embodiment. The guidance band group G2 has guidance bands 20E1, 20E2, and 20E3. The guidance band 20E1 has multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27, respectively. In the guidance band 20E1, the multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27 are arranged in a line along the path C01 so as to be connected in a predetermined color order arrangement pattern. In the guidance band 20E2, the multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27 are arranged in a line along the path C02 so as to be connected in a predetermined color order arrangement pattern different from the guidance band 20E1. In the guidance band 20E3, the multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27 are arranged in a line along the path C03 so as to be connected in a predetermined color order arrangement pattern different from the guidance bands 20E1 and 20E2. In other words, the guidance band group G2 is composed of a guidance band 20E1 (guidance band corresponding to path C01) in which multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, 27 are arranged in a first repeating order arrangement pattern, a guidance band 20E2 (guidance band corresponding to path C02) in which multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, 27 are arranged in a second repeating order arrangement pattern, and a guidance band 20E3 (guidance band corresponding to path C03) in which multiple sub-patterns 25, 26, 27 are arranged in a third repeating order arrangement pattern, arranged in parallel.

[0072] Here, too, a sensor capable of detecting the guide strip 20E (sub-patterns 25, 26, 27) and its color (detection color) is used as the optical sensor 14. For this reason, in the first travel control process, in step ST5, the CPU 11 compares the on-state durations of the detection signals of the optical sensor 14 acquired in step ST3, and further acquires the array pattern of the detection colors from the detection signals of the optical sensor 14, and calculates the control amount of the motors 17L, 17R so as to make the automatic guided vehicle 10 travel in the direction to travel on the route C01, C02, or C03 based on the comparison result of the detection signals and the array pattern of the detection colors. Since the array pattern of the detection colors is used in addition to the comparison result of the detection signals, the control of the travel direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 is made more accurate. In particular, since each of the three automatic guided vehicles 10 can be made to travel independently on the respective routes (routes C01, C02, or C03) of the guide strips 20E1, 20E2, and 20E3, the three automatic guided vehicles 10 can be made to travel in parallel.

[0073] As described above, according to this modification, the guide band groups G1 and G2 are guide band groups for allowing a plurality of automated guided vehicles 10 to run in parallel. The guide band group G1 includes guide bands 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3. The guide bands 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3 extend along the y-axis and are arranged in parallel at different positions in the x-axis direction. Each of the guide bands 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3 has a plurality of sub-patterns 25, 26, or 27 that are given the same color and arranged along the route C01, C02, or C03. The colors of the sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27 of the guides 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3 are different from each other. The optical sensor 14 can detect the colors of the sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27. The CPU 11 acquires position information of the automated guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction according to the detection color detected by the optical sensor 14. Therefore, by using position information of the automatic guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction, the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 with respect to the guide belts 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3 can be controlled more accurately.

[0074] The guidance strip group G2 also includes guidance strips 20E1, 20E2, and 20E3. The guidance strips 20E1, 20E2, and 20E3 extend along the y-axis and are arranged in parallel at different positions in the x-axis direction. Each of the guidance strips 20E1, 20E2, and 20E3 has a plurality of sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27 arranged along the route C01, C02, or C03, with colors of a predetermined arrangement pattern. The arrangement patterns of the guides 20D1, 20D2, and 20D3 are different from each other. The optical sensor 14 can detect the colors of the sub-patterns 25, 26, and 27. The CPU 11 acquires the position information of the automatic guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction according to the arrangement pattern of the detection colors detected by the optical sensor 14. Therefore, by using the position information of the automatic guided vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction, the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 with respect to the guide belts 20E1, 20E2, and 20E3 can be controlled more accurately.

[0075] (Third Modification) A third modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automated guided vehicle 10A. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing a second travel control process.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the automated guided vehicle 10 is configured to control the direction of travel so as to travel along a strip-shaped path C0 based on a comparison result of the on-state duration of the previous and current detection signals of the optical sensor 14. In this modification, reference signal information, which is a time-dependent pattern of on-off of the detection signal, is set in advance in the automated guided vehicle 10A, and the direction of travel is controlled so as to travel along a linear path C1 based on a comparison result of the detection signal of the optical sensor 14 and the reference signal information.

[0077] The device configuration of this embodiment is an automated guided vehicle 10A shown in Fig. 9. However, in the automated guided vehicle 10A, the same parts as those in the automated guided vehicle 10 of the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0078] In this modification, an example will be described in which an automated guided vehicle 10A shown in Fig. 9 controls travel along a route C2, C3, or C4 of a guided strip 20a shown in Fig. 6. The guided strip 20a has a plurality of sub-patterns 22, a cut-out pattern 22N, and a stop pattern 31. As shown in Fig. 9, the automated guided vehicle 10A includes a CPU 11, an operation unit 12, a RAM 13, an optical sensor 14, a storage unit 15, drive control units 16L, 16R, and motors 17L, 17R.

[0079] The storage unit 15 stores a second driving control program P2 for executing a second driving control process described later, and reference signal information 40. The reference signal information 40 is information corresponding to a time-dependent pattern of the on-state duration and the off-state duration of the detection signal of the optical sensor 14 when the automated guided vehicle 10A travels on a predetermined linear route (route C2, C3, C4) of the guided strip 20a in Fig. 9, and is information serving as a reference for the travel of the automated guided vehicle 10 on the route of the guided strip 20a.

[0080] Next, the operation of the automatic guided vehicle 10A will be described with reference to Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 6, it is assumed that the automatic guided vehicle 10A travels along routes C2, C3, and C4 on the guided belt 20a.

[0081] 6, it is possible to identify which of the routes C2, C3, and C4 the automated guided vehicle 10A is traveling on, based on the on-off patterns of the detection signals SC2 to SC4 over time. Therefore, for example, three automated guided vehicles 10A can be independently controlled to travel on the routes C2 to C4 using the time axis patterns of the detection signals of the optical sensor 14, so that the three automated guided vehicles 10A can travel in parallel on the routes C2 to C4.

[0082] Next, the second travel control process executed by the automated guided vehicle 10A will be described with reference to FIG. 10. As a premise, a guide strip 20a is arranged in a factory, and the automated guided vehicle 10A travels on one of the routes C2, C3, and C4 in FIG. 6. The routes C2, C3, and C4 are all linear routes on the guide strip 20a on which a plurality of sub-patterns 22 of the guide strip 20 are arranged, and a stop pattern 31 is arranged at the end. For this reason, the reference signal information 40 includes reference signal information of the route C2, the route C3, and the route C4.

[0083] It is assumed that the automated guided vehicle 10A is placed in advance at a start position on the route along which the automated guided vehicle 10A will travel, with its travel direction facing the +y direction. In the automated guided vehicle 10A, for example, when a command to execute the second driving control process is input from a user (operator) via the operation unit 12, the CPU 11 executes the second driving control process according to the second driving control program P2 stored in the storage unit 15.

[0084] 10, first, the CPU 11 accepts input of initial setting information via the operation unit 12 (step ST11). The initial setting information includes identification information (route C2, C3, or C4) of a designated route along which the automated guided vehicle 10A is to travel, and travel start instruction information for starting and executing travel of the automated guided vehicle 10A.

[0085] Then, the CPU 11 reads and acquires the reference signal information of the specified route (route C2, C3 or C4) from the reference signal information 40 stored in the memory unit 15, in accordance with the identification information of the specified route among the initial setting information input in step ST11, and starts driving control by controlling the rotation of the motors 17L, 17R via the drive control units 16L, 16R so as to achieve a predetermined speed and without steering (step ST12).

[0086] Then, the CPU 11 acquires a detection signal of the guiding strip 20 from the optical sensor 14 (step ST13). Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the stop pattern 31 has been detected based on whether or not the detection signal acquired in step ST13 corresponds to a detection signal of the stop pattern 31 (step ST14). In step ST14, for example, when the on-state duration immediately before the detection signal is equal to or longer than the length of the stop pattern 31 in the y-axis direction, it is determined that the stop pattern 31 has been detected.

[0087] If the stop pattern 31 is not detected (step ST14; NO), the CPU 11 compares the reference signal information of the designated route acquired in step ST12 with the detection signal acquired in step ST13 (calculates the difference), and calculates the control amount (rotational speed, etc.) of the motors 17L, 17R from the comparison result (calculated difference) so as to cause the unmanned guided vehicle 10A to travel along the designated route (step ST15).

[0088] In step ST15, for example, when the automated guided vehicle 10A is traveling on a route different from the designated route, the control amounts of the motors 17L, 17R are calculated for steering the automated guided vehicle 10A to move to the designated route as shown in Fig. 6. Also, when the automated guided vehicle 10A is on a route that curves left or right from the designated route as shown in Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b), the control amounts of the motors 17L, 17R are calculated for steering the automated guided vehicle 10A to return to the designated route.

[0089] Then, the CPU 11 controls the rotation of the motors 17L, 17R via the drive control units 16L, 16R in accordance with the control amount calculated in step ST15 (step ST16), and proceeds to step ST13. By repeating steps ST15 and ST16, the differential waveform between the detection signal and the reference signal waveform gradually converges. If the stop pattern 31 is detected (step ST14; YES), the CPU 11 controls the motors 17L, 17R to stop via the drive control units 16L, 16R (step ST17), and ends the second driving control process.

[0090] As described above, according to this modification, the CPU 11 compares the reference signal information, which is a time-dependent pattern of the crossing time (on-state duration) that is the reference for the travel of the automated guided vehicle 10A on the linear route of the guide strip 20a, with the detection signal detected by the optical sensor 14, and controls the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10A based on the comparison result. Therefore, by pre-registering the reference signal information of the route to be traveled, accurate travel control of the automated guided vehicle 10A on the route can be performed, and application to multiple routes is possible using multiple reference signal information. Furthermore, even if the automated guided vehicle 10A deviates from the route (runs off the tracks), it can easily return to the route if it is on the guide strip 20a. Furthermore, since multiple routes can be taken on one guide strip 20a (one sub-pattern 22), even if a route that cannot be traveled on the guide strip 20a occurs due to a change in the layout of the factory premises or a change in the baggage storage area, it is possible to eliminate the need to replace the guide strip 20a by traveling on a route other than the route that cannot be traveled.

[0091] In this modified example, the reference signal information 40 is configured to be set in advance, but is not limited to this. For example, when the arrangement pattern of a plurality of sub-patterns of the guide strip is similar in the extension direction, the reference signal information corresponding to the sub-pattern may be configured to use the detection signal (on-state duration, off-state duration) of the optical sensor 14 when the automated guided vehicle first passes through the sub-pattern in the second travel control process as the reference signal information for the detection signal corresponding to the sub-pattern that is passed later.

[0092] (Fourth Modification) A fourth modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11 to Fig. 13. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the configuration of a guideway 20F. Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an automated guided vehicle 10B. Fig. 13 is a plan view showing a guideway 20G and an automated guided vehicle 10B.

[0093] In the above embodiment, a guide strip 20 that follows a straight, strip-shaped path C0 is described. In this modified example, however, a guide strip 20F, 20G that follows a curved, strip-shaped path C0 and an unmanned guided vehicle 10C that is suitable for the guide strip 20F, 20G are described.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 11, the guidance strip 20F of this modified example has a plurality of sub-patterns 21. In the guidance strip 20F, the plurality of sub-patterns 21 are arranged along a band-shaped path C0 whose direction of travel is curved. Here, consider a curved path C5, one of the curved paths C0. For example, in the sub-pattern 21, the path C5 passes through the midpoint of the length between two ends of the maximum length in the direction perpendicular to the path C5, and the plurality of sub-patterns 21 are arranged so that the distances of the sub-patterns 21 on the path C5 are equal and the distances of the cut-out patterns on the path C5 are also equal.

[0095] When the automated guided vehicle 10 travels along the route C5, the on-state durations corresponding to the detection of each sub-pattern 21 of the detection signal from the optical sensor 14 are the same, and similarly, the off-state durations corresponding to the detection of each cut-out pattern are the same. Therefore, similar to the guided strip 20, the first travel control process can be executed in the automated guided vehicle 10 on the guided strip 20F to perform travel control for traveling along the curved, strip-shaped route C0.

[0096] However, when the automated guided vehicle 10 travels along the path C0, an inner wheel difference may occur, in which the trajectories of the front wheels (e.g., wheel 111) on the inside of a curve in the path C0 of the casing 101 and the rear wheels (e.g., wheel 113) on the inside of the curve are different. The longer the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) of the casing 101, the larger the inner wheel difference becomes.

[0097] Therefore, as another example of this modified example, an unmanned guided vehicle 10B shown in Figures 12 and 13 is used instead of the unmanned guided vehicle 10. However, for the unmanned guided vehicle 10B, the same parts as those of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0098] 12, the automated guided vehicle 10B includes a CPU 11, an operation unit 12, a RAM 13, optical sensors 14 and 14E, a storage unit 15, a drive control unit 16F, a steering control unit 16S, and motors 17F and 17S. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, the automated guided vehicle 10B includes wheels 111B, 112B, 113B, and 114B in addition to the optical sensors 14 and 14E within the housing 101.

[0099] Like the optical sensor 14 in the above embodiment, the optical sensor 14 is provided on the front side in the forward direction of the housing 101. The optical sensor 14E has a similar configuration to the optical sensor 14, but is provided at the center of the housing 101 in the left-right direction and on the rear side in the forward direction.

[0100] The drive control unit 16F is a control circuit that controls the rotation speed and rotation amount of the motor 17F under control of the CPU 11. The motor 17F is a motor that axially rotates the wheels 111B and 112B that are driving wheels serving as the front wheels of the automatic guided vehicle 10B.

[0101] Wheel 111B is a wheel (front wheel) provided on the front left side of housing 101 with respect to the forward direction of housing 101. Wheel 112B is a wheel (front wheel) provided on the front right side of housing 101. Wheels 111B and 112B are connected via a drive shaft and serve as drive wheels that are rotated and driven by motor 17F. Wheel 113B is a wheel (rear wheel) provided on the rear left side of housing 101. Wheel 114B is a wheel (rear wheel) provided on the rear right side of housing 101.

[0102] The steering control unit 16S is a control circuit that controls the rotation speed and rotation amount of the motor 17S to control the steering angle of the wheels 111B to 114B under the control of the CPU 11. The motor 17S is a steering motor that rotates so as to change the steering angle of the wheels 111B, 112B, 113B, and 114B based on the forward direction of the casing 101.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 13, consider a case where an automated guided vehicle 10B travels along a route C5 within a route C0 on a guide strip 20G. The guide strip 20G has a plurality of sub-patterns 21, similar to the guide strip 20F. In the guide strip 20G, the plurality of sub-patterns 21 are arranged on a curved, strip-shaped route C0, similar to the guide strip 20F. However, in FIG. 13, the sub-patterns 21 are illustrated in white to make the drawing easier to see. Note that the guide strip 20G also has a stop pattern 31 at the end position of the route C5.

[0104] The CPU 11 of the automated guided vehicle 10B executes the first travel control process in the same manner as the automated guided vehicle 10. However, in step ST3, the CPU 11 acquires a detection signal of the optical sensor 14E in addition to the detection signal of the optical sensor 14. In step ST5, the CPU 11 compares the on-state durations of the detection signals of the optical sensor 14, and further calculates the control amounts of the motors 17F, 17S in the automated guided vehicle 10B so as to reduce the inner wheel difference between the wheels 111B, 113B according to the comparison result and the detection signals of the optical sensors 14, 14E.

[0105] In step ST6, the CPU 11 controls the drive control unit 16F and the steering control unit 16S according to the control amount of the motors 17F, 17S calculated in step ST5. In addition to the comparison result of the detection signals, the detection signals of the optical sensors 14, 14E are used, so that the automated guided vehicle 10B is accurately steered and the running control is performed to reduce the inner wheel difference.

[0106] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the automatic guided vehicle 10B starts traveling, the optical sensor 14 passes through the second sub-pattern 21, the detection of the on-state duration of the optical sensor 14 ends, it is found that the on-state duration is longer than the last detection, and a rightward deviation is detected. Then, in steps ST5 and ST6, steering control is performed to tilt the front wheels (wheels 111B, 112B) to the left. Then, when the optical sensor 14E passes through the second sub-pattern 21, the detection of the on-state duration of the optical sensor 14E ends, and the optical sensor 14E makes a large turn because an inner wheel difference occurs, resulting in a longer on-state duration than the on-state duration detected by the optical sensor 14. In step ST5, the magnitude of the inner wheel difference is calculated based on the magnitude of the time difference of the on-state duration, and the tilt angle of the rear wheels (wheels 113B, 114B) for minimizing the inner wheel difference toward the next detection cycle (step ST3) is set, and the trajectory is corrected in step ST6.

[0107] According to this modification, the path C0 in the direction to travel is curved (curved strip shape). The sub-patterns 21 are arranged so that the crossing time (on-state duration) on the path C0 is the same. Therefore, the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10B on the curved path C0 can be controlled.

[0108] Furthermore, the automated guided vehicle 10B has optical sensors 14, 14E arranged at different positions along the traveling direction. The CPU 11 controls the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10B so as to reduce the inner wheel difference of the automated guided vehicle 10B according to the time-dependent pattern of the length of the crossing time (on-state duration) detected by the optical sensors 14, 14E. This makes it possible to reduce the inner wheel difference when the automated guided vehicle 10B is traveling on the curved route C0, shorten the start correction time, and cope with wheel slippage and steep curve tracing while traveling, making it difficult for the automated guided vehicle 10B to deviate from the route C0. Furthermore, according to this modified example, it is possible to form the guided belt 20 in a loop shape, and to configure the automated guided vehicle 10 to continue traveling around the same route while repeatedly driving and stopping at predetermined positions.

[0109] (Fifth Modification) A fifth modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 14 to 16. Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automated guided vehicle 10C of this modified example. Fig. 15 is a plan view showing a state a in which the right optical sensor 14R detects the sub-pattern 21 while the automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling on the path C1, a state b in which the left optical sensor 14L detects the sub-pattern 21 while the automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling on the path C1, a state c in which the left optical sensor 14L detects the sub-pattern 21 while the automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling in a direction turning right from the path C1, and a state d in which the left optical sensor 14L detects the sub-pattern 21 while the automated guided vehicle 10A is traveling in a direction turning left from the path C1. Fig. 16 is a plan view showing a state in which an automated guided vehicle 10D of this modified example travels on the path C1 of the sub-pattern 21.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the automatic guided vehicle 10 is equipped with one optical sensor 14, but in this modified example, automatic guided vehicles 10C and 10D are equipped with optical sensor 14 and further optical sensors 14L and 14R.

[0111] First, an automated guided vehicle 10C of this modified example will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. However, for the automated guided vehicle 10C (and each part of the automated guided vehicle 10D described later), the same parts as those of the automated guided vehicle 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 14, the automated guided vehicle 10C of this modified example has, as its internal functional configuration, a CPU 11, an operation unit 12, a RAM 13, optical sensors 14, 14L, and 14R, a memory unit 15, drive control units 16L and 16R, and motors 17L and 17R.

[0113] As shown in the diagram of state a in Fig. 15 where the optical sensor 14R detects the sub-pattern 21 of the guide strip 20 while the automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling on the path C1, the optical sensor 14L has the same configuration as the optical sensor 14, but is disposed on the left side (+x direction side) of the optical sensor 14 with respect to the forward direction of the automated guided vehicle 10C. The optical sensor 14R has the same configuration as the optical sensor 14, but is disposed on the right side (-x direction side) of the optical sensor 14. In this way, the optical sensors 14L, 14, and 14R are arranged in a line at equal intervals on a line in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) of the housing 101.

[0114] As shown in state a of Fig. 15, the automated guided vehicle 10C travels from the -y direction to the +y direction on the path C1 arranged on the subpattern 21 of the guide strip 20. Then, as shown in state a, of the optical sensors 14L and 14R, the optical sensor 14R first detects the side 212 of the subpattern 21, and an ON rising edge occurs in the detection signal. The time of this ON rising edge is set to time t0. The side 212 is the hypotenuse of the subpattern 21 on the entry side (-y direction side) of the automated guided vehicle 10C.

[0115] As shown in the diagram of state b in Fig. 15 where the optical sensor 14L detects the sub-pattern 21 while the automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling on the path C1, the optical sensor 14L detects the side 212 of the sub-pattern 21 in the automated guided vehicle 10C traveling on the path C1, and an ON rising edge occurs in the detection signal. The time when this ON rising edge occurs is set to time t1. The difference time between time t1 and time t0, Δt0=t1-t0, is calculated.

[0116] Similarly to state a in FIG. 15, consider a state in which optical sensor 14R detects side 212 of subpattern 21 while automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling in a direction turning right from path C1, and an ON rising edge occurs in the detection signal. The time at which this ON rising edge occurs is also time t0. Then, state c is reached in which optical sensor 14L detects side 212 of subpattern 21 while automated guided vehicle 10C in FIG. 15 is traveling in a direction turning right from path C1, and an ON rising edge occurs in the detection signal. The time at which this ON rising edge occurs is time t1R. A time difference ΔtR between time t1R and time t0 is calculated, ΔtR=t1R-t0<Δt0.

[0117] Similarly to state a in FIG. 15, consider a state in which optical sensor 14R detects side 212 of subpattern 21 while automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling in a direction turning left from path C1, and an ON rising edge occurs in the detection signal. The time at which this ON rising edge occurs is also time t0. Then, state d is reached in which optical sensor 14L detects side 212 of subpattern 21 while automated guided vehicle 10C in FIG. 15 is traveling in a direction turning left from path C1, and an ON rising edge occurs in the detection signal. The time at which this ON rising edge occurs is time t1L. A differential time ΔtL between time t1L and time t0 is calculated, ΔtL=t1L-t0>Δt0.

[0118] The difference times Δt0, ΔtL, and ΔtR have a relationship of ΔtR<Δt0<ΔtL. That is, by acquiring the start time of the on-state duration from the detection signals of the optical sensors 14L and 14R, it is possible to determine, from the difference times, whether the automated guided vehicle 10C is traveling on the path C1, whether it is traveling in a direction turning right from the path C1 and the degree of the right turn, and whether it is traveling in a direction turning left from the path C1 and the degree of the left turn. Δt0 is assumed to be measured in advance and stored in the memory unit 15, for example.

[0119] The CPU 11 of the automatic guided vehicle 10C executes the first travel control process in the same manner as the automatic guided vehicle 10. However, in step ST3, the CPU 11 acquires the detection signals of the optical sensors 14L and 14R in addition to the detection signal of the optical sensor 14. In step ST5, the CPU 11 compares the detection signals of the optical sensor 14, acquires Δt0 from the storage unit 15, calculates the difference time of the ON rising edge of the detection signals of the optical sensors 14L and 14R, and calculates the control amount of the motors 17L and 17R to make the automatic guided vehicle 10C travel in the direction to travel, according to the comparison result of the detection signals, the difference time and the comparison result of Δt0. Since the difference time of the ON rising edge of the detection signals is used in addition to the comparison result of the detection signals, the automatic guided vehicle 10C is steered more accurately.

[0120] As described above, according to this modification, the automated guided vehicle 10C has the optical sensors 14L and 14R arranged at different positions in the direction (x-axis direction) perpendicular to the traveling direction (y-axis direction). The CPU 11 controls the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10C according to the difference time between the start time (rise time) of the crossing time (on-state duration) detected by the optical sensor 14L and the start time (rise time) of the crossing time (on-state duration) detected by the optical sensor 14R. This allows the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10C to be accurately controlled. In particular, the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10A is controlled by combining the comparison result of the detection signal of the optical sensor 14 and the difference time of the optical sensors 14L and 14R, so that the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10C can be more accurately controlled and false detection due to the factory floor surface, tire slip, etc. can be reduced.

[0121] As shown in Fig. 16, an automatic guided vehicle 10D may be used instead of the automatic guided vehicle 10C. The device configuration of the automatic guided vehicle 10D is the same as that of the automatic guided vehicle 10C, but the positions of the optical sensors 14L and 14R are different. In the automatic guided vehicle 10C, the optical sensors 14L, 14, and 14R are arranged at equal intervals on a line (x-axis direction) perpendicular to the forward direction, but in the automatic guided vehicle 10D, the optical sensors 14L, 14, and 14R are arranged at equal intervals on a line 140.

[0122] Here, line 140 is a line segment parallel to side 212. For this reason, when automatic guided vehicle 10D is traveling on path C1, time t1 based on the ON rising edge of the detection signal of optical sensor 14L and time t0 based on the ON rising edge of the detection signal of optical sensor 14R are the same time, and the differential time Δt0 = t1 - t0 = 0, making it easy to determine that automatic guided vehicle 10D is traveling on path C1.

[0123] In the above description, an example in which the storage unit 15 is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention has been disclosed, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As other computer-readable media, portable recording media such as CD-ROMs can be applied. In addition, carrier waves can also be applied to the present invention as a medium for providing data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0124] The above-described embodiment and modifications are merely examples of the guidance band, guidance band group, guidance system, guidance method, and program according to the present invention, and are not limited thereto. For example, at least two of the above-described embodiment and the first to fourth modifications may be appropriately combined.

[0125] Furthermore, the guidance system in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example may be configured to be combined with a camera visible light communication system. The camera visible light communication system is, for example, a system in which a camera is installed on an automated guided vehicle, and the camera photographs a plurality of light sources that are provided in advance in a three-dimensional space such as a factory and have their position information set, performs image analysis, and acquires (measures) the position information of the automated guided vehicle relative to the plurality of light sources from the analysis result. Each of the plurality of light sources emits light of a plurality of colors in a different predetermined (order) pattern, so that the ID of each light source can be identified by analyzing the predetermined pattern of the photographed light.

[0126] In addition, as another configuration, the camera visible light communication system installs a light source on an automated guided vehicle, and installs multiple cameras that have been set up in advance in a three-dimensional space such as a factory and have their position information set, and captures the three-dimensional space including the automated guided vehicle with the multiple cameras, analyzes the images, and obtains (locates) the position information of the automated guided vehicle corresponding to the light source position from the analysis results.

[0127] In a guidance system that combines a camera and visible light communication system, the position information of a guide strip set up in a three-dimensional space, such as a factory, is set in advance, and if an unmanned guided vehicle of the above embodiment and modified example deviates from the guide strip that includes the route due to wheel slippage or the like while traveling along a route, the position information of the unmanned guided vehicle can be obtained through positioning by the camera visible light communication system, and the unmanned guided vehicle can be returned to the guide strip and route based on the position information.

[0128] In the above embodiment and modified example, the automated guided vehicle detects the guide using an optical sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a magnetic sensor may be used instead of an optical sensor to detect the guide band, and the guide band may be made of a magnetic material such as a magnetic tape.

[0129] Alternatively, a capacitance-type proximity sensor may be used instead of an optical sensor to detect the induction band, and the induction band may be made of a predetermined material that can be detected by capacitance. The capacitance-type proximity sensor is a non-contact type sensor that uses an electric field, and detects the presence or absence of an object by a change in capacitance. The object may be a conductor such as metal, or a dielectric such as water, oil, glass, plastic, or paper. Therefore, the predetermined material of the induction band as the object may be a conductor such as metal, or a dielectric such as plastic.

[0130] In addition, a distance measuring sensor may be used instead of an optical sensor to detect the guidance strip, and the guidance strip may be configured to have a three-dimensional structure. The distance measuring sensor is a sensor that measures the distance to an exposed surface (the surface of the sub-pattern or cut-out pattern of the guidance strip) in the downward direction perpendicular to the xy plane. For example, the stop pattern of the guidance strip may be configured by arranging multiple protrusions on a flat plate.

[0131] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are set forth below. The claim numbers in the appended claims are the same as those in the claims originally attached to this application. [Additional Notes] <Claim 1> An induction band for guiding a guided object so that the guided object moves along a predetermined path, a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in series along the path; Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path becomes shorter from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path. An induction zone characterized by: <Claim 2> The induced device detects the induction band by emitting light and receiving reflected light; The induction band has a surface that reflects the light. 2. The induction band according to claim 1 . <Claim 3> Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is colored in a predetermined order and arranged along the path. 3. The induction band according to claim 1 or 2. <Claim 4> The sub-pattern changes color along a direction perpendicular to the path. 3. The induction band according to claim 1 or 2. <Claim 5> The induction band has a stop pattern for stopping the induction target. 3. The induction band according to claim 1 or 2. <Claim 6> the path is curvilinear; the plurality of sub-patterns are arranged so that the crossing times of the guided object on the path are the same; 3. The induction band according to claim 1 or 2. <Claim 7> A group of induction bands for causing a plurality of the induction targets to run in parallel, A plurality of induction bands according to claim 1 or 2 are provided, The plurality of induction bands are arranged in parallel. A group of induction bands characterized by: <Claim 8> Each of the plurality of induction bands includes a plurality of the sub-patterns that are assigned the same color and arranged along the path; The colors of the sub-patterns of the derivatives are different from each other; 8. The induction band group according to claim 7 . <Claim 9> Each of the plurality of induction bands includes a plurality of sub-patterns arranged along the path and colored in a predetermined sequence of an arrangement pattern; The sequence patterns of the derivatives are different from each other. 8. The induction band group according to claim 7 . <Claim 10> A guidance system in which a guided person moves along a predetermined guidance band by detecting the predetermined guidance band, The induction band is A plurality of sub-patterns are arranged in series along a path, Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path decreases from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path, The derivative is a sensor that detects a length of time when a detection surface crosses at least one of the sub-pattern and a cut-out pattern having no sub-pattern; a control means for controlling a traveling direction of the guided object in accordance with the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor; Equipped with A guidance system comprising: <Claim 11> the control means compares reference signal information, which is a time-dependent pattern of crossing time serving as a reference for the travel of the guided person on the route of the guidance strip, with the detection signal detected by the sensor, and controls the traveling direction of the guided person based on the comparison result. 11. The guidance system according to claim 10. <Claim 12> The sensor is an optical sensor that detects the induction band by emitting light and receiving reflected light, The induction band has a surface that reflects the light. 12. Guidance system according to claim 10 or 11. <Claim 13> The sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor arranged at different positions in a direction intersecting the traveling direction, the control means controls a traveling direction of the guided object based on a difference time between a start time of the crossing time detected by the first sensor and a start time of the crossing time detected by the second sensor. 12. Guidance system according to claim 10 or 11. <Claim 14> Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is arranged along the path with a color of a predetermined sequence of an arrangement pattern assigned thereto; the sensor is capable of detecting a color of the sub-pattern; The control means acquires position information of the guided object according to the color detected by the sensor. 12. Guidance system according to claim 10 or 11. <Claim 15> the sub-pattern changes color along a direction perpendicular to the path, the sensor is capable of detecting a color of the sub-pattern; The control means acquires position information of the guided object according to the color detected by the sensor. 12. Guidance system according to claim 10 or 11. <Claim 16> The induction band has a stop pattern for stopping the induction target, The control means controls the induction target to stop when the stopping pattern is detected in response to a detection signal detected by the sensor. 12. Guidance system according to claim 10 or 11. <Claim 17> the path is curvilinear; The sensor includes a third sensor and a fourth sensor arranged at different positions along the traveling direction, the control means controls a traveling direction of the guided vehicle so as to reduce an inner wheel difference of the guided vehicle in accordance with a length of the crossing time detected by the third sensor and the fourth sensor. 12. Guidance system according to claim 10 or 11. <Claim 18> A guidance method implemented by a guidance system that includes a guidance strip having a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in series along a predetermined path, and a guided object having a sensor that detects a length of time required for the guided object to cross at least one of the sub-patterns and a cut-out pattern having no sub-patterns, and in which the guided object moves along the guidance strip, comprising: a control process for controlling a traveling direction of the guided object based on the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor, Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path becomes shorter from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path. The induction method according to claim 1, <Claim 19> a guidance strip having a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in a line along a predetermined path, and a guided object having a sensor for detecting a length of time required for the guided object to cross at least one of the sub-patterns and a cut-out pattern having no sub-patterns, and a guidance system in which the guided object moves along the guidance strip, a control means for controlling a traveling direction of the guided object based on the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor; Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path becomes shorter from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path. A program characterized by: [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] 1 Guidance System 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D Automated guided vehicle 101 Case 111,112,113,114,111B,112B,113B,114B Wheel 11 CPU 12 Control section 13 RAM 14, 14L, 14R, 14E Optical sensor 141 Light emitting part 142 Light receiving part 143,144 Resistance 15 Storage section 16L, 16R, 16F Drive control unit 16S Steering control unit 17L, 17R, 17F, 17S Motor 18 Bus G1, G2 induction zone group 20, 20a, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D1, 20D2, 20D3, 20E1, 20E2, 20E3, 20F, 20G Induction band 21,22,23,24,25,26,27 Subpatterns 21N, 22N Punching pattern 211,212 sides 31,32 Stop pattern 311 sides 321 Belt C0, C01, C02, C03, C1, C1L, C1R, C2, C3, C4, C5 route

Claims

1. A guidance system that detects a predetermined induction band and causes a guided person to move along the induction band, The induction band is A plurality of sub-patterns are arranged in series along a path, Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path decreases from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path, The derivative is a sensor that detects a length of time when a detection surface crosses at least one of the sub-pattern and a cut-out pattern having no sub-pattern; a control means for controlling a traveling direction of the guided object in accordance with the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor; Equipped with A guidance system comprising:

2. The control means compares reference signal information, which is a time-dependent pattern of crossing time serving as a reference for the travel of the guided vehicle on the route of the guidance band, with the detection signal detected by the sensor, and controls the traveling direction of the guided vehicle based on the comparison result.

2. The guidance system according to claim 1 .

3. The sensor is an optical sensor that detects the induction band by emitting light and receiving reflected light, The induction band has a surface that reflects the light.

3. The guidance system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The sensor has a first sensor and a second sensor arranged at different positions in a direction intersecting the traveling direction, the control means controls a traveling direction of the guided object based on a difference time between a start time of the crossing time detected by the first sensor and a start time of the crossing time detected by the second sensor.

3. The guidance system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is colored in a predetermined order according to an arrangement pattern and arranged along the path; the sensor is capable of detecting a color of the sub-pattern; The control means acquires position information of the guided object according to the color detected by the sensor.

3. The guidance system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The sub-pattern changes color along a direction perpendicular to the path, the sensor is capable of detecting a color of the sub-pattern; The control means acquires position information of the guided object according to the color detected by the sensor.

3. The guidance system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The induction band has a stop pattern for stopping the induction target, The control means controls the induction target to stop when the stopping pattern is detected in response to a detection signal detected by the sensor.

3. The guidance system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The path is curved, the sensor includes a third sensor and a fourth sensor arranged at different positions along the traveling direction, the control means controls a traveling direction of the guided vehicle so as to reduce an inner wheel difference of the guided vehicle in accordance with a length of the crossing time detected by the third sensor and the fourth sensor.

3. The guidance system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. A guidance method performed by a guidance system comprising: a guidance band having a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in series along a predetermined path; and a guided object having a sensor for detecting a length of time required for the guided object to cross at least one of the sub-patterns and a cut-out pattern having no sub-patterns, the guidance system comprising: a control process for controlling a traveling direction of the guided object based on the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor, Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path becomes shorter from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path. The induction method according to claim 1,

10. A guidance system comprising: an induction band having a plurality of sub-patterns arranged in a line along a predetermined path; and a guided object having a sensor for detecting the length of time it takes to cross at least one of said sub-patterns and a cut-out pattern having no said sub-patterns; and a guidance system in which the guided object moves along the induction band, comprising: a control means for controlling a traveling direction of the guided object based on the length of the crossing time detected by the sensor; Each of the plurality of sub-patterns is formed in a shape in which a width in a direction along the path becomes shorter from one end side to the other end side in a direction perpendicular to the path. A program characterized by:

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