Operation management device and operation management system

Abstract

To prevent travel congestion and travel inability of an autonomous travel robot when managing an operation of the autonomous travel robot.SOLUTION: When an AMR 80 reaches a first registered position P1 specified in a task, an operation management server 90 causes the AMR 80 that has reached the first registered position P1 to travel to a waiting position. When any of the AMRs 80 is located at a second registered position P2 which is the next destination after the first registered position P1, the AMR 80 is made to wait at the waiting position by not sending a command to the AMR 80 waiting in the waiting position to make it travel to the second registered position P2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for managing the operation of an autonomous mobile robot. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an autonomous robot capable of autonomous driving using map information and external sensors. Also known is a driving management device that manages the driving of the autonomous robot. The driving management device is capable of communicating with a plurality of autonomous robots via a network, and transmits to each autonomous robot a destination of the autonomous robot, a task execution instruction indicating an operation to be performed by the autonomous robot, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a driving management system that includes a device capable of managing the driving of a plurality of autonomous robots. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-175875 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the operation management device manages the operation of multiple autonomous robots, one of the autonomous robots may become an obstacle to the operation of the other autonomous robots. For example, when multiple autonomous robots are traveling on a narrow road, the autonomous robots cannot travel on the road at the same time, which may cause congestion or inability to travel.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to prevent traffic congestion and inability to travel of autonomous robots in the operation management of autonomous robots. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The operation management device disclosed in this embodiment for solving the above problem includes a communication interface and is capable of communicating with a plurality of autonomous robots via the communication interface. The operation management device includes a command value control unit that transmits an execution command to the autonomous robot via the communication interface to execute a task included in operation plan information, and a progress management unit that receives a notification indicating the execution status of the task from the autonomous robot and manages state information including the current position of the autonomous robot and the progress status of the task according to the received notification. When the command value control unit determines according to the state information that one of the autonomous robots has reached a first registered position specified in the task, it transmits a command to the autonomous robot that has reached the first registered position to run to a waiting position associated with the first registered position. When any of the multiple autonomous running robots is located at a second registered position specified in the task as the next destination after the first registered position, the command value control unit does not send a command to the autonomous running robot waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered position, and when any of the multiple autonomous running robots is not located at the second registered position, the command value control unit sends a command to the autonomous running robot waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered position.

[0007] In the above configuration, when the autonomous traveling robot reaches the first registered position specified in the task, the autonomous traveling robot that has reached the first registered position is made to travel to the waiting position. Then, when any of the autonomous traveling robots is located at the second registered position, which is the next destination of the first registered position, the autonomous traveling robot is made to wait by not sending a command to the autonomous traveling robot that has been made to wait at the waiting position to make it travel to the second registered position. On the other hand, when any of the autonomous traveling robots is not located at the second registered position, a command to make it travel to the second registered position is sent to the autonomous traveling robot that has been made to wait at the waiting position. As a result, when the operation management device manages the operation of multiple autonomous traveling robots, the multiple autonomous traveling robots will not travel from the first registered position specified in the task to the second registered position at the same time, and it is possible to suppress traffic congestion and inability to travel of the autonomous traveling robots.

[0008] There are a plurality of waiting positions, and the operation management device includes a waiting position management unit that monitors whether or not an autonomous traveling robot is waiting at the plurality of waiting positions. The command value control unit transmits a command to the autonomous traveling robot that has reached the first registered position according to a monitoring result by the waiting position management unit to drive to one of the plurality of waiting positions at which no autonomous traveling robot is waiting, sets a transmission order indicating an order in which to transmit commands to drive to the second registered position to the autonomous traveling robots that have been made to wait at the waiting positions according to the order in which they arrived at the first registered position, and when it is determined that any of the autonomous traveling robots among the plurality of autonomous traveling robots is not at the second registered position, transmits commands to the plurality of autonomous traveling robots that have been made to wait at the waiting positions according to the transmission order to drive to the second registered position. In the above configuration, even in a scene where multiple autonomous mobile robots are traveling toward the first registered position, the autonomous mobile robots can be made to wait at each waiting position. Then, according to a determined transmission order, the autonomous mobile robots that have been made to wait at each waiting position can be made to travel from the waiting position toward the second registered position. This makes it possible to prevent the autonomous mobile robots from getting stuck or being unable to travel, even in a scene where multiple autonomous mobile robots are traveling toward the first registered position at the same time.

[0009] The progress management unit manages information indicating the progress of the current task in the autonomous driving robot as status information, and the command value control unit changes the transmission order set for the multiple autonomous driving robots waiting at the waiting positions in accordance with the information indicating the progress of the current task, and sends a command to the autonomous driving robots waiting at the waiting positions to drive to the second registered position in accordance with the changed transmission order. With the above configuration, the order in which the autonomous mobile robot travels from the standby position to the second registered position can be flexibly changed depending on the progress of the current task in the autonomous mobile robot.

[0010] The command value control unit determines whether or not any of the autonomous running robots among the plurality of autonomous running robots is located at the second registered position, according to the state information. In the above configuration, the operation management device can use the status information used for operation management of the autonomous mobile robot to determine whether or not the autonomous mobile robot is located at the second registered position.

[0011] When the command value control unit determines based on the status information that any of the multiple autonomous running robots has reached a first registered position, if any autonomous running robot other than the autonomous running robot that has arrived at the first registered position is not waiting at a waiting position and is not located at the second registered position, the command value control unit sends a command to cause the autonomous running robot that has arrived at the first registered position to drive to the second registered position without moving it to the waiting position. In the above configuration, when the autonomous robot has arrived at the first registered position and there is no need for it to travel to a waiting position, the autonomous robot can be allowed to travel directly to the second registered position, thereby reducing unnecessary delays in operation management.

[0012] The present invention can also be applied as a traffic management system including a traffic management device and a plurality of autonomous mobile robots. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, in a plurality of autonomous mobile robots whose operations are managed by an operation management device, congestion of the autonomous mobile robots or inability to travel can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a traffic management system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an autonomous mobile robot. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a fleet management server and a PC. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of operation plan information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation route of an autonomous mobile robot. [Figure 6] 1 is a timing chart illustrating operation management. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining each piece of information stored in a memory. [Figure 8] 1 is a timing chart illustrating operation management. [Figure 9] 9 is a flowchart illustrating the process executed in S30 of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first registration position. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 17] 1 is a timing chart illustrating traffic management. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating operational management of an autonomous driving robot. [Figure 20] 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of a track on which a first registered position and a second registered position are defined. FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of a track on which a first registered position and a second registered position are defined. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] (First embodiment) The traffic control system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The traffic control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a system that provides a predetermined service by managing the operation of a plurality of autonomous mobile robots 80. Examples of services that can be provided by the traffic control system 100 include delivery services such as parcel delivery services, take-out services, and garbage collection services. Hereinafter, the autonomous mobile robot 80 will also be referred to as AMR 80.

[0016] The traffic management system 100 mainly includes a traffic management server 90, a PC 93, and a plurality of AMRs 80, and each device is connected via a communication interface. The traffic management server 90, the PC 93, and the AMRs 80 are communicatively connected via a network (including the Internet, etc.). The network is composed of a wired network 91 and a wireless AP 92, and as a whole, constitutes a wireless communication network such as 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Although three AMRs 80A, 80B, and 80C are illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of AMRs 80 whose operations are managed by the traffic management system 100 is not limited to three. The PC 93 may be a desktop or laptop device, or a portable device such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone. The number of PCs 93 is not limited to one, and a plurality of PCs may be connected to the network.

[0017] First, the configuration of the AMR 80 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the AMR 80 mainly includes a controller 10, an external sensor 11, a traveling unit 12, a user IF 13, a communication IF 14, a memory 15, and an internal sensor 16. Each part constituting the AMR 80 is accommodated inside a housing (not shown). Note that IF is an abbreviation for interface.

[0018] The external sensor 11 is, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), and emits near-infrared light or visible light to the surroundings and captures the reflected light with an optical sensor to obtain scan data including relative coordinates of objects around the device. The scan data includes two-dimensional coordinates of measurement points on surrounding objects in a correlated state with information indicating the emission direction of the external sensor 11. In addition, if the external sensor 11 is configured to emit light in a three-dimensional direction, the scan data may include three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement points. The controller 10 can determine the relative distance from the device to surrounding objects based on each measurement information included in the scan data, and the shape of the object based on the positional relationship of multiple measurement points. The external sensor 11 may be a radar sensor, a camera, or a combination of these, in addition to LiDAR.

[0019] The traveling unit 12 is a part that enables the AMR 80 to travel, and includes a set of wheels, a motor, and a motor driver. A differential two-wheel drive is used as the driving method for the traveling unit 12. In the differential two-wheel drive, the motor driver is driven according to a command speed input from the controller 10, and the driving force is distributed to the motor, so that the wheels can move in a straight line or turn. Note that the traveling unit 12 is not limited to having two wheels, and may have two or more wheels. Furthermore, the driving method is not limited to the differential two-wheel type, and other methods such as an omnidirectional type may be used, and the traveling unit 12 may include crawlers, etc.

[0020] The internal sensor 16 is a sensor that detects the speed and angular velocity of the AMR 80 from the rotation angle of the wheels of the running unit 12, and calculates odometry information from the detected speed and angular velocity. The odometry information includes the amount of movement and direction of the running unit 12 in a predetermined cycle.

[0021] The user IF 13 functions as an interface between the controller 10 and an operator. The user IF 13 includes, for example, operation keys and a touch panel, and can display instructions to the controller 10 according to operations by the operator, and text and icons according to instructions from the controller 10. In this embodiment, the user IF 13 is attached to the upper front side of the housing so that the display surface faces forward.

[0022] The communication IF 14 connects the AMR 80 to a network, enabling wireless communication with the fleet management server 90 and the PC 93 .

[0023] The controller 10 includes a CPU (not shown) and an internal memory such as a volatile memory. The CPU executes a program stored in the memory 15, so that the controller 10 also functions as a command receiving unit 20, an information transmitting unit 21, a task execution control unit 23, and a status monitoring unit 25. Note that some of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be realized by hardware included in the controller 10. Note that the details of each unit 20 to 25 will be described later.

[0024] Map information MP is stored in memory 15. The map information MP is two-dimensional data, and stores point clouds indicating roads, walls, stairs, and other objects in association with the absolute coordinates of the point clouds. The map information MP may store, in association with each point cloud, tag information for identifying the type of object, a driving speed that AMR 80 should maintain, destination information in association with the location of the destination, and the like.

[0025] The memory 15 also stores AMR information D11. The AMR information D11 is information indicating the state of the AMR 80 during the period in which the service is provided, and is accumulated and stored at a predetermined cycle according to the monitoring results by the state monitoring unit 25, as described below. The AMR information D11 includes information indicating, for example, the current position (absolute coordinates) and attitude (θ) of the AMR 80, the progress of the task, and state information (normal, abnormal). The "state information" also includes information indicating the communication state (communication possible, interrupted) of communication via the communication IF 14. In this embodiment, the AMR information is an example of state information.

[0026] Next, the configuration of the fleet management server 90 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the fleet management server 90 is a server device, and includes a memory 70, a controller 72, and a communication IF 73. In this embodiment, the fleet management server 90 will be described as one server device, but this is not limiting, and the fleet management server 90 may be configured as a whole by a plurality of server devices executing individual functions. Furthermore, the fleet management server 90 may be configured as a cloud server or the like.

[0027] The communication IF 73, like the communication IF 14 of the AMR 80, connects the fleet management server 90 to the network.

[0028] The controller 72 has a CPU, RAM, ROM, and other memories (not shown). The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM, so that the controller 72 functions as a command value control unit 75, a progress management unit 76, and a standby position management unit 77. The details of each of the units 75, 76, and 77 will be described later.

[0029] The memory 70 stores various information such as operation plan information D1, operation management information D2, destination information D3, waiting position information D4, waiting position usage status information D5, and registered position usage status information D6. The operation plan information D1 is information indicating a specific operation plan to be executed by the AMR 80 in order to provide a service. As described later, a plurality of tasks are registered in the operation plan information D1 according to the execution order. Each task is composed of information specifying the destination of the AMR 80 and information specifying an operation at the destination. The information specifying the destination is information regarding a destination ID for identifying the destination on the map information MP, absolute coordinates, the direction of the AMR 80, and the name of the destination. The information specifying the operation at the destination is information indicating, for example, waiting at the destination, operations such as opening and closing the luggage compartment when collecting or unloading, and operations for handing over luggage to a recipient or a delivery destination. In addition to this, each task may include information regarding the travel speed and travel route of the AMR 80.

[0030] In this embodiment, since the operation management system 100 provides a delivery service, a task for driving the AMR 80 to a specified destination and a task for delivering an item at the destination are registered in the operation plan information D1. For example, when a task specifies driving to a destination, the task execution control unit 23 controls the driving of the traveling unit 12 while referring to the map information MP to cause the AMR 80 to autonomously drive to the destination.

[0031] The operation management information D2 is information for managing the operation status of each AMR 80 while the service is being provided. In this embodiment, the operation management information D2 is configured as a database that accumulates information indicated by AMR information D11 transmitted from each AMR 80 at a predetermined cycle. For example, when the operation management system 100 manages the operation of three AMRs 80, the memory 70 stores operation plan information D1 and operation management information D2 corresponding to each AMR 80. The destination information D3, waiting position information D4, waiting position usage status information D5, and registered position usage status information D6 will be described later.

[0032] Next, the configuration of the PC 93 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the PC 93 includes a controller 60, an operation unit 61, a display unit 62, and a communication IF 63. The controller 60 includes a CPU and a memory (not shown). A traffic management application program 64 is stored in the memory of the controller 60. Hereinafter, the traffic management application program will also be referred to as a "traffic management application."

[0033] The controller 60 can perform an operation plan creation process and an operation status display process by executing the operation management application 64. In the operation plan creation process, operation plan information D1 including specific tasks to be executed by the AMR 80 is created. In the operation status display process, various information is displayed on the display unit 62, which is a display device, during execution of the service. Specifically, in the operation status display process, the current position of each AMR 80, the task execution status, and even the state of the AMR 80 can be displayed on the display unit 62 using the operation management information D2 accumulated and stored by the operation management server 90. The operator can check the progress of the operation plan and the operation status of each AMR 80 from the information displayed on the display unit 62.

[0034] Next, the operation plan creation process executed by the controller 60 of the PC 93 will be described in detail. In the following, the controller 60 that executes a program may be described simply by the program name. For example, the description "the operation management application 64" may mean "the controller 60 that executes the operation management application 64". Here, the operation plan information D1 shown in FIG. 4 is created by the operation plan creation process. FIG. 5 is an example of a task executed by the operation plan information D1 shown in FIG. 4, and shows an operation management area included in the map information MP. In this embodiment, as an example, the map information MP is composed of information about each of the floors F1, F2, F3, and F4. In addition, each floor can be traveled by elevator. Among them, the initial position Ps is a charging spot for the AMR 80.

[0035] First, the operator operates the PC 93 to start the operation management application 64. The operation management application 64 displays an operation screen on the display unit 62. The operation screen is a screen that accepts input of tasks that can be included in the operation plan information D1 in response to the operation of the operation unit 61 by the operator. Note that in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the operator operates the PC 93 to register all tasks included in the operation plan information D1. Alternatively, instead of registering all tasks using the PC 93, for example, a task related to information specifying an operation at a destination may be registered based on an instruction from another system related to the operation management system 100, different from the PC 93.

[0036] The operation management application 64 creates operation plan information D1 shown in FIG. 4 by receiving input of each task by the operator. In the operation plan information D1, a plurality of tasks are registered according to the execution order. Specifically, the operation plan information D1 is composed of N tasks (N is a natural number). In the operation plan information D1, task Tsk1 is information indicating that the AMR 80 is caused to travel to destination A. Task Tsk2 is information indicating that the AMR 80 is caused to travel from destination A to destination B. Task Tsk3 is information indicating that the AMR 80 is caused to travel from destination B to destination C. Task TskN is information indicating that the AMR 80 is caused to travel to an initial position Ps.

[0037] When the operation management application 64 determines that input of all tasks Tsk has been completed in response to an operation by an operator, it creates and stores operation plan information D1 including each of the tasks Tsk1 to TskN. In addition, the controller 60 of the PC 93 transmits the created operation plan information D1 to the operation management server 90 via the communication IF 63. When the controller 72 of the operation management server 90 receives the operation plan information D1, it stores the operation plan information D1 in the memory 70.

[0038] Next, the operation management of the AMRs 80A, 80B, and 80C executed by the operation management system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this example, the operation management of three AMRs 80A, 80B, and 80C will be described as an example. The three AMRs 80A, 80B, and 80C will be described as an example of traveling toward the same destination specified in the task, but the destinations may be different. Here, the AMR 80A will be described as traveling from the initial position Ps on the first floor shown in FIG. 5 toward an elevator (one of the second registered positions P2, which will be described later), which is the destination specified in the task. Although the description will be omitted, it is assumed that the operation management server 90 also instructs the AMRs 80B and 80C to execute the task by referring to the operation management information D2 corresponding to each AMR 80.

[0039] First, when an operator performs an operation for starting the execution of the registered operation plan information D1 on the operation management application 64 of the PC 93, the operation management application 64 transmits an execution instruction for the registered operation plan information D1 to the operation management server 90. When the operation management server 90 receives the execution instruction for the operation plan information D1, in step 10 (hereinafter, "step" is also written as "S"), the command value control unit 75 executes a command value generation process for generating a task execution command. The task execution command is a command for operating the AMR 80A according to the contents of the task included in the operation plan information D1. The command value control unit 75 determines the task to be executed by referring to the operation plan information D1 and the operation management information D2 stored in the memory 70, and generates a task execution command corresponding to the task. The task execution command includes information indicating the contents of the task and a task ID for identifying the task to be instructed to be executed. Furthermore, when the task indicates that the AMR 80A travels to a destination registered in the map information MP, the information indicating the contents of the task includes a destination ID that is information for identifying the destination. Here, it is assumed that a task execution command for executing a task Tsk1 is created in the operation plan information D1 shown in FIG.

[0040] In S11, the command value control unit 75 transmits the task execution command created in S10 to the AMR 80A via the communication IF 73. Upon receiving the task execution command, the command receiving unit 20 of the AMR 80A transmits the task execution command to the task execution control unit 23. In S20, the task execution control unit 23 interprets the task execution command and controls the driving of the traveling unit 12 toward the destination specified by the destination ID according to the content specified by the task execution command (here, the content of task Tsk1). As a result, the AMR 80A starts autonomous traveling from the initial position Ps toward the destination A specified by the task.

[0041] In S21, the status monitoring unit 25 monitors the status of its own device, and stores the monitoring result, AMR information D11, in the memory 15. In S22, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the AMR information D11 stored in the memory 15 to the fleet management server 90 via the communication IF 14.

[0042] In the fleet management server 90, when the AMR information D11 is received, in S12, the progress management unit 76 updates the fleet management information D2 corresponding to the AMR 80A stored in the memory 70 using the received AMR information D11.

[0043] In S13, the progress management unit 76 of the traffic management server 90 transmits the updated traffic management information D2 to the PC 93. The traffic management application 64 of the PC 93 displays the operational status of the AMR 80A on the display unit 62 by an operational status display process using the traffic management information D2. Note that the series of processes of S21, S22, S12, and S13 are repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle by regular communication from the point in time when the AMR 80A becomes able to communicate with the traffic management server 90 via the network, but in this embodiment, the subsequent description is omitted for convenience of explanation.

[0044] When the status monitoring unit 25 determines in S23 that the currently executing task is completed, in S24, it stores the AMR information D11 in the memory 15 as status monitoring. The AMR information D11 stored in S23 includes the current position of the AMR 80A (in this example, "destination A" specified in task Tsk1), the orientation of the AMR 80A at destination A, and information indicating that the execution of task Tsk1 has been completed.

[0045] In S25, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the AMR information D11 stored by the status monitoring in S24 to the fleet management server 90 together with a completion notification indicating that the task has been completed. The task completion notification transmitted in S25 is information for causing the fleet management server 90 to transmit the next task in accordance with the execution order indicated in the operation plan information D1 to the AMR 80. When the fleet management server 90 receives the AMR information D11 together with the task completion notification, in S14 the progress management unit 76 updates the fleet management information D2 stored in the memory 70.

[0046] In S15, the progress management unit 76 determines whether the completed task specified in the AMR information D11 is the last task, i.e., task TskN. Here, since the completed task indicated in the AMR information D11 is not task TskN (S15: NO), the progress management unit 76 proceeds to S16.

[0047] In S16, the command value control unit 75 judges whether the AMR 80A has arrived at the first registered position P1 registered in the destination information D3. Specifically, the command value control unit 75 judges whether the destination ID specifying the current position of the AMR 80A specified by the operation management information D2 updated in S14 matches the destination ID of the first registered position P1 registered in the destination information D3. FIG. 7 shows the destination information D3, the waiting position information D4, the waiting position usage status information D5, and the registered position usage status information D6 stored in the memory 70. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the destination information D3 registers information on a predetermined first registered position P1 among the destinations specified in the task. Specifically, the destination information D3 registers registered values ​​corresponding to the items "destination ID", "destination name", and "coordinates, direction". In the item "destination ID", a destination ID specifying the first registered position P1 on the map information MP is registered as a registered value. In the item "destination name", a name that specifies the first registered position P1 on the map information MP is registered as a registered value. In the item "coordinates, direction", the coordinates of the first registered position P1 on the map information MP and the "direction" specified in the AMR 80 at this first registered position P1 are registered as registered values.

[0048] In S16, the command value control unit 75 judges whether the AMR 80A has reached the first registered position P1 registered in the destination information D3. Here, the command value control unit 75 judges that the AMR 80A has not arrived at the first registered position P1 (S16: NO), proceeds to S17, and generates a task execution command corresponding to the next task, similar to the command value generation process in S10 already described. In S18, the command value control unit 75 transmits the task execution command generated in S17 to the AMR 80A. When the AMR 80A receives the task execution command, the task execution control unit 23 interprets the received task execution command in S26 and executes the task (task Tsk2 in this example). Thereafter, in S27, the task execution control unit 23 judges the completion of the task in the same way as in S23, and performs status monitoring in S28 in the same way as in S24. Then, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the AMR information D11 to the fleet management server 90 in S29.

[0049] Thereafter, the processes in S14 to S18 and the processes in S26 to S29 already described are repeated between the fleet management server 90 and the AMR 80A, thereby continuing the fleet management of the AMR 80A.

[0050] Assume that the AMR80A continues autonomous driving according to the task, and the AMR80A arrives at a destination (i.e., the first registered position P1) that matches the registered value of the item "destination ID" of the destination information D3. In this case, the state monitoring unit 25 of the AMR80A stores the AMR information D11 (including the fact that the current position of the AMR80A is the first registered position P1) in the memory 15 by the process in S24 already described. The information transmission unit 21 transmits the AMR information D11 stored in the memory 15 to the fleet management server 90 by the process in S25 already described. In the fleet management server 90, when the AMR information D11 is received, the progress management unit 76 updates the fleet management information D2 corresponding to the AMR80A stored in the memory 70 by using the received AMR information D11 in S14 already described. Thereafter, in S16, the command value control unit 75 determines that the AMR 80A has arrived at the first registered position P1 (S16: YES), and proceeds to S30 shown in FIG. 8, where it executes a standby position monitoring process for the AMR 80A.

[0051] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the standby position monitoring process executed by the standby position management unit 77 in S30. FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining the first registered position P1 specified by the destination ID "1". The first registered position P1 is a position that is registered in advance according to the characteristics of the second registered position P2 (in this example, an elevator) that is specified in the task as the next destination of the first registered position P1 among the destinations specified in the task. The second registered position P2 is a position that is assumed to cause traffic congestion or delays in the AMR 80 when multiple AMRs 80 run, and is a road that cannot run parallel to the AMR 80 at once, such as a narrow road, a dead end, or an alternating passage, in addition to the elevator shown as an example. In addition, the first registered position P1 is preferably a position that has a wider road width than the second registered position P2 and does not cause traffic congestion or delays in the AMR 80 even if multiple AMRs 80 run parallel to the AMR 80 at once.

[0052] In S40 of FIG. 9, the standby position management unit 77 refers to the standby position information D4 stored in the memory 70 to identify a standby position associated with the first registered position P1 where the AMR 80A is currently located. First, the standby positions will be described. In FIG. 10, the first registered position P1 identified by the destination ID "1" is associated with three standby positions (positions identified by standby position IDs "Pw1", "Pw2", and "Pw3" described later). For convenience, when distinguishing between standby positions, the standby position ID corresponding to the standby position is added to the end of the standby position. Note that the standby positions are positions on the map information MP that are different from the destinations specified in each task of the operation plan information D1. In this example, the three standby positions Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3 are arranged along the direction of extension of the straight path toward the elevator, which is the route, between the first registered position P1 and the elevator, which is the second registered position P2 specified in the task.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 7(b), the waiting position information D4 has registered values ​​related to the waiting position associated with the first registered position P1. Specifically, the waiting position information D4 has items such as "first registered position to which the waiting position is associated", "waiting position ID", "name", "priority", and "coordinates, direction". In the item "first registered position to which the waiting position is associated", the destination ID of the first registered position P1 registered in the destination information D3 is registered as a registered value. In the item "waiting position ID", the waiting position ID that identifies the waiting position on the map information MP is registered as a registered value. In the item "name", the name that identifies the waiting position on the map information MP is registered as a registered value. In the item "coordinates, direction", the coordinates on the map information MP and the direction specified by the AMR80 at the waiting position are registered as registered values. The item "priority" will be described later.

[0054] In S40, the standby position management unit 77 identifies a row in which a destination ID corresponding to the current position is registered among the rows identified in the item "first registered position associated with standby position" in the standby position information D4. Then, the registered value (standby position ID) of the item "standby position ID" in the identified row is obtained. In this example, the AMR80A is currently located at the first registered position P1 identified by the destination ID "1" in the destination information D3, and "Pw1", "Pw2", and "Pw3" are registered in the standby position information D4 as the registered values ​​of the item "standby position ID" corresponding to this destination ID "1".

[0055] In S41, the standby position management unit 77 refers to the standby position usage status information D5, and identifies a position where the AMR80A can be placed on standby among the standby positions identified in S40. As shown in FIG. 7(c), the standby position usage status information D5 has registered values ​​for the items "standby position ID" and "usage status". The item "standby position ID" is the standby position ID registered in the item "standby position ID" in the standby position information D4 already described. The item "usage status" has registered values ​​indicating the usage status at the standby position identified by the standby position ID. Specifically, if the registered value "empty" is registered in the item "usage status", it indicates that the AMR80 is not on standby at the standby position identified by the registered value of the item "standby position ID" corresponding to this item "usage status". On the other hand, if the registered value "in use" is registered in the item "usage status", it indicates that the AMR80 is on standby at the standby position identified by the registered value of the item "standby position ID" corresponding to this item "usage status". The standby position management unit 77 refers to the standby position usage status information D5 and identifies a standby position ID for which the registration value "vacant" is registered in the item "usage status" among the standby positions identified in S40. Then, the standby position management unit 77 identifies, in the standby position usage status information D5, a standby position corresponding to a standby position ID for which the registration value indicating the highest priority is registered in the item "priority" among the identified standby position IDs, as a position for making the AMR80A wait.

[0056] In the item "Priority", a priority among multiple waiting positions associated with one first registered position P1 is registered as a registered value. Specifically, the smaller the registered value, the higher the priority. For example, the three waiting position IDs "Pw1", "Pw2", and "Pw3" associated with the first registered position P1 identified by the destination ID "1" all have the registered value "Vacant" registered in the corresponding item "Usage status". Therefore, in accordance with the registered value "1" of the item "Priority" registered in the item "Priority", waiting position Pw1 is identified as the position where AMR80A is to wait.

[0057] In S42, the standby position management unit 77 updates the registered value of the item "usage status" corresponding to the standby position identified in S41 in the standby position usage status information D5 from "vacant" to "in use". In S43, the standby position management unit 77 sets the transmission order stored in the memory 70 according to the order in which the AMR 80 arrived at the first registered position P1. The transmission order is information indicating the order in which a task command value for starting travel to the second registered position P2 is transmitted to the AMR 80 waiting at the standby position in S37 of FIG. 8, which will be described later. Here, the transmission order for the AMR 80A is set to "1", which is the earliest order.

[0058] The waiting position management unit 77 may determine the transmission order in consideration of the progress of the task of the AMR80A stored in the operation management information D2 in S43. For example, when the progress of the task of the AMR80A indicates that the transport of the baggage has been completed, if another AMR80 that has not yet completed the transport of the baggage is waiting at the waiting position, the transmission order of the AMR80A may be set later than that of the AMR80. In addition, when the AMR information D11 transmitted from the AMR80 indicates an abnormality such as a breakdown, the waiting position management unit 77 may determine the transmission order of the AMR80 indicating the abnormality to be later than the transmission order of the other AMR80 not indicating the abnormality.

[0059] 8, in S31, the command value control unit 75 executes a command value generation process to generate a command value for causing the AMR80A to travel to the standby position identified in S30. Specifically, the command value control unit 75 generates a command value for causing the AMR80A to travel to the identified standby position by using each registered value in the item "coordinates, orientation" of the standby position information D4 corresponding to the standby position identified in S41.

[0060] In S32, the command value control unit 75 transmits a command value to the AMR 80A to cause the AMR 80A to travel to the identified waiting position. When the task execution control unit 23 of the AMR 80A receives the command value, in S50, the task execution control unit 23 interprets the received command value and starts traveling to the waiting position Pw1. As a result, the AMR 80A travels toward the waiting position Pw1, as shown in FIG.

[0061] When the status monitoring unit 25 of the AMR 80A determines that the AMR 80A has arrived at the waiting position in S51, the status monitoring unit 25 stores AMR information in the memory 70 according to the monitoring result of the AMR 80A in S52. The information transmission unit 21 transmits the AMR information to the fleet management server 90 together with a completion notification indicating that the AMR 80A has arrived at the waiting position in S53.

[0062] In the traffic management server 90, when a completion notification indicating arrival at the waiting position Pw1 is received from the AMR 80A, the command value control unit 75 updates the traffic management information D2 stored in the memory 70 in S33. Specifically, the command value control unit 75 stores the coordinates of the waiting position Pw1, which is the current position, and the orientation in the traffic management information D2 corresponding to the AMR 80A.

[0063] In S34, the command value control unit 75 refers to the operation plan information D1 to identify the second registered position P2, which is the next destination specified in the task. In S35, the command value control unit 75 interprets the task command to travel to the identified second registered position P2 and determines whether there is another AMR 80 traveling there. In this example, the next second registered position P2 specified in the task is an elevator. Specifically, the command value control unit 75 refers to the registered position usage status information D6 stored in the memory 70 to determine the availability of the identified second registered position P2. In the registered position usage status information D6 shown in FIG. 7(d), registered values ​​corresponding to the items "destination ID" and "usage status" are registered. In the item "destination ID", a destination ID that identifies the second registered position P2 on the map information MP is registered as a registered value. In the item "usage status", the usage status of the second registered position P2 identified by the destination ID is registered as a registered value. If the registration value "unused" is registered in the item "usage status", this indicates that no other AMR80 is located at the second registered position P2 specified by the registration value of the item "destination ID" corresponding to this item "usage status". On the other hand, if the registration value "in use" is registered in the item "usage status", this indicates that another AMR80 is located at the second registered position P2 specified by the registration value of the item "destination ID" corresponding to this item "usage status". Note that the registered position usage status information D6 may include an item whose registered value is the destination ID of the first registered position specified in the task.

[0064] Here, in the registered position usage status information D6, the registered value "vacant" is registered in the item "usage status" corresponding to the identified second registered position P2 (S35: NO), and the command value control unit 75 proceeds to S37. In S37, the command value control unit 75 generates a task execution command for causing the AMR 80A to travel to the second registered position P2 (elevator in this example) specified in the task, according to the transmission order stored in the memory 70. The transmission order corresponding to the AMR 80A is set to "1", which indicates that it is the earliest transmission order.

[0065] The command value control unit 75 transmits the generated task execution command to the AMR 80A in S38. Upon receiving the task execution command, the AMR 80A interprets the received task execution command as already described, and starts autonomous traveling from the waiting position Pw1 toward the elevator, as shown in FIG.

[0066] In S39, the standby position management unit 77 updates the transmission order stored in the memory 70. In this example, in order to cause the AMR80A to travel from the standby position Pw1 to the second registered position P2, the transmission order specified for the AMR80A is changed from "1" to "0" and the AMR80A is excluded from targets managed by the transmission order. In addition, in the standby position usage status information D5, the registered value of the item "usage status" corresponding to the standby position Pw identified in S42 as the position where the AMR80A is to be waited is updated from "in use" to "vacant."

[0067] By transmitting the task execution command in S38, the AMR 80A starts traveling toward the elevator (second registered position P2) specified in the task, and the command value control unit 75 returns to S14 in Fig. 6. That is, the operation of the AMR 80A is managed by the traffic management server 90 in accordance with the process for specifying the task, which has already been described and is shown in Fig. 6.

[0068] Next, a scene will be described in which AMR80B autonomously travels toward a first registered position P1 specified in a task while AMR80A is located in an elevator, as shown in Fig. 13. Note that in this example, it is assumed that no other AMR80 is waiting at waiting positions Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3 associated with the first registered position P1.

[0069] In the standby position monitoring process executed in S30 of FIG. 8, the standby position management unit 77 identifies a standby position associated with the current position of the AMR80B (i.e., the first registered position P1) from the standby position information D4 in S40. The standby position management unit 77 identifies a position at which the AMR80B can be made to wait among the standby positions identified in S40, by referring to the standby position usage status information D5 stored in the memory 70 in S41. In this example, the three standby positions Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3 associated with the first registered position P1 specified by the destination ID "1" all have a registered value of "usage status" of "vacant", so the standby position Pw1, which has the highest registered value of the item "priority", is identified as the position at which the AMR80B is made to wait.

[0070] In S42, the standby position management unit 77 updates the standby position usage status information D5. In this example, the standby position management unit 77 changes the registered value of the item "usage status" corresponding to the standby position Pw1 identified in S41 from "vacant" to "in use." In S43, the standby position management unit 77 sets a transmission order corresponding to the AMR80B and stores it in the memory 70.

[0071] In S31 of Fig. 8, the command value control unit 75 generates a command value for causing the AMR80B to travel to the identified waiting position Pw1. In S32, the command value control unit 75 transmits a command value for causing the AMR80B to travel to the identified waiting position Pw1 to the AMR80B. Upon receiving the command value, in S50, the AMR80B interprets the received command value and autonomously travels to the waiting position Pw1. The processes of S51 to S53 have already been described.

[0072] When the command value control unit 75 of the traffic management server 90 receives a completion notification from the AMR 80B indicating that the AMR 80B has arrived at the waiting position, the command value control unit 75 updates the traffic management information D2 stored in the memory 70 in S33. In S34, the command value control unit 75 refers to the traffic plan information D1 to identify the second registered position P2, which is the next destination specified in the task. In S35, the command value control unit 75 refers to the registered position usage status information D6 stored in the memory 70 to determine the availability of the identified second registered position P2. In this example, as shown in FIG. 13, since the AMR 80A is located at the elevator (second registered position P2), in the registered position usage status information D6, "in use" is registered in the item "usage status" corresponding to the destination ID that identifies the elevator (S35: YES). Therefore, in S36, the command value control unit 75 transmits a command value to the AMR 80B to make the AMR 80B wait at the waiting position.

[0073] When the AMR80B receives the command value transmitted in S36, as shown in FIG. 14, the AMR80B travels to the standby position Pw1 designated by the command value and waits at the standby position Pw1. In addition, during the period during which the AMR80B waits at the standby position Pw, the AMR80B transmits the AMR information D11 to the fleet management server 90 by the periodic transmission in S21 and S22, as already described. The fleet management server 90 updates the fleet management information D2 using the received AMR information D11 during the standby period of the AMR80B. In addition, the command value transmitted in S36 may be, for example, a command value for causing the AMR80B to wait at the standby position in a state in which the AMR80B is changed to a sleep mode that reduces power consumption. In addition, the command value control unit 75 may not transmit a command value to the AMR80B during the period during which the AMR80B waits. In this case, the process of S36 is omitted.

[0074] Next, a scene will be described in which the AMR 80A is located in an elevator (second registered position P2) and the AMR 80C is autonomously traveling toward the first registered position P1 specified in the task, as shown in Fig. 15. In this example, it is assumed that the AMR 80B is waiting at a waiting position Pw1 associated with the first registered position P1.

[0075] As already described, in S40 of FIG. 9, the standby position management unit 77 of the traffic management server 90 specifies a standby position according to the current first registered position P1 of the AMR80C. In S41, the standby position management unit 77 refers to the standby position usage status information D5 stored in the memory 70 to specify a position where the AMR80C can be made to wait among the standby positions specified in S40. In this example, among the standby positions specified by the registered values ​​"Pw1", "Pw2", and "Pw3" of the item "standby position" associated with the first registered position P1 specified by the destination ID "1", the AMR80B is waiting at the standby position Pw1, and only the standby positions Pw2 and Pw3 have "vacant" registered in the item "usage status". Therefore, the standby position management unit 77 specifies the standby position Pw2, which has the highest priority ("2" in this example) among the standby positions Pw2 and Pw3, as a position where the AMR80C is to wait.

[0076] In S42, the standby position management unit 77 updates the registered value of the item “usage status” corresponding to the identified standby position in the standby position usage status information D5 from “vacant” to “in use.” In S43, the standby position management unit 77 sets the transmission order corresponding to AMR80C to “2” according to the order in which the AMRs 80 waiting at the standby positions arrived at the first registered position P1, and stores this in the memory 70.

[0077] Returning to Fig. 8, in S31, the command value control unit 75 generates a command value for causing the AMR80C to travel to the identified waiting position Pw2. In S32, the command value control unit 75 transmits the command value for causing the AMR80C to travel to the identified waiting position Pw2 to the AMR80C. Upon receiving the command value, in S50, the AMR80C interprets the received command value and causes the AMR80C to travel to the waiting position Pw2 as shown in Fig. 16. The processes of S51 to S53 have already been described.

[0078] When the command value control unit 75 of the traffic management server 90 receives the AMR information indicating arrival at the waiting position from the AMR 80C, the command value control unit 75 updates the traffic management information D2 stored in the memory 70 in S33 of FIG. 8. In S34, the command value control unit 75 refers to the operation plan information D1 to identify the second registered position P2, which is the next destination specified in the task. In S35, the command value control unit 75 refers to the registered position usage status information D6 stored in the memory 70 to determine the availability of the identified second registered position P2. In this example, since the AMR 80A is located in the elevator, in the registered position usage status information D6, "in use" is registered in the item "usage status" corresponding to the destination ID that identifies the elevator. Therefore, the command value control unit 75 proceeds to S36 and transmits a command value to the AMR 80C to make it wait at the waiting position Pw2.

[0079] As already described, in this example, while the AMR 80A is located in the elevator, the AMR 80C continues to wait at the waiting position Pw2. As a result, the AMR 80B waits at the waiting position Pw1, and the AMR 80C waits at the waiting position Pw2.

[0080] It is assumed that the elevator reaches floor F2, and the AMR 80A transmits a completion notification indicating the completion of disembarking from the elevator specified in the task to the traffic management server 90. Note that the traffic control for the AMR 80A has already been described with reference to Fig. 6. In this example, it is assumed that the AMR 80B is waiting at the waiting position Pw1, and the AMR 80C is waiting at the waiting position Pw2.

[0081] When the AMR 80A determines that disembarking from the elevator is complete, the information transmission unit 21 transmits a completion notification indicating the completion of disembarking and AMR information including the current location to the traffic management server 90. When the standby position management unit 77 of the traffic management server 90 receives the completion notification indicating disembarking from the AMR 80A, the process proceeds to S60 in Fig. 17, and updates the value corresponding to the AMR 80A in the registered position usage status information D6 stored in the memory 70. Specifically, the standby position management unit 77 changes the registered value of the item "usage status" corresponding to the destination ID of the second registered position P2 where the AMR 80A disembarked from "in use" to "vacant" in the registered position usage status information D6. The waiting position management unit 77 may change the registered value of the item "Usage status" of the registered position usage status information D6 from "In use" to "Vacant" in S60, provided that it has received both a completion notification from AMR80A, as already described, indicating completion of boarding the elevator at S25 (i.e., arrival at the second registered position P2), and a completion notification indicating completion of disembarking from the elevator at S25.

[0082] In addition, the task execution control unit 23 of the AMR 80A may determine whether or not the passenger has disembarked from the elevator by the following method, in addition to determining whether or not the passenger has disembarked from the elevator by the designated task. Specifically, the task execution control unit 23 may determine whether or not the passenger has disembarked from the elevator when the preregistered elevator characteristic information cannot be detected by the external sensor 11 while the elevator is traveling toward the elevator entrance / exit, and transmit a completion notification indicating the completion of the elevator disembarking to the traffic management server 90. In addition, instead of receiving a notification indicating the completion of the elevator disembarking from the AMR 80A, the command value control unit 75 of the traffic management server 90 may start the process of S60 when it determines that the position of the AMR 80A has started to move away from the preregistered elevator coordinates in the periodic communication (S21, S22) described in FIG. 6.

[0083] In S61, the command value control unit 75 refers to the transmission order stored in the memory 70, and identifies, among the AMRs 80 waiting at the waiting position Pw, the AMR 80 to be caused to run toward the second registered position P2. In this example, the transmission order "1" is the AMR 80B waiting at the waiting position Pw1, so the waiting position management unit 77 identifies the AMR 80B as the AMR 80 to be caused to run toward the elevator.

[0084] The command value control unit 75 generates a command value for causing the identified AMR80B to travel from the standby position Pw toward the elevator (second registered position P2) in S62. The command value control unit 75 transmits the generated command value to the AMR80B in S63. Upon receiving the command value, the AMR80B interprets the received command value in S70 and starts autonomous traveling from the standby position Pw1 toward the elevator, as shown in FIG.

[0085] When the status monitoring unit 25 of the AMR 80B determines that the AMR 80B has arrived at the elevator in S71, the status monitoring unit 25 stores the AMR information in the memory 70 according to the monitoring result in S72. In S73, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the AMR information together with a completion notification indicating arrival at the elevator to the traffic management server 90. As already described, after the AMR 80B has arrived at the elevator (second registered position P2), the traffic management server 90 controls the operation of the AMR 80B in accordance with the process shown in FIG.

[0086] In the traffic management server 90, when a completion notification indicating that the AMR80B has arrived at the elevator is received from the AMR80B, the progress management unit 76 updates the traffic management information D2 corresponding to the AMR80B stored in the memory 70 in S64. The waiting position management unit 77 updates the waiting position usage status information D5 stored in the memory 70 in S65. In this example, since the AMR80B has left the waiting position Pw1, the registered value of the item "usage status" corresponding to the destination ID corresponding to the waiting position Pw1 is changed from "in use" to "vacant". In addition, the waiting position management unit 77 updates the value corresponding to the AMR80B in the registered position usage status information D6 stored in the memory 70 in S66. Specifically, the waiting position management unit 77 changes the registered value of the item "usage status" corresponding to the destination ID of the second registered position P2 where the AMR80B has arrived from "vacant" to "in use" in the registered position usage status information D6.

[0087] In S67, the standby position management unit 77 changes the transmission order for the AMR 80 waiting at the standby position Pw. In S68, the command value control unit 75 generates a command value for the AMR 80 waiting at the standby position Pw to change the standby position to a position with a higher priority. Specifically, among the AMRs waiting at the standby positions, starting from the AMR 80 with the earliest transmission order, a new standby position is identified in which "empty" is registered in the item "usage status" of the standby position usage status information D5 and the highest priority is registered in the item "priority" of the standby position information D4. Then, a command value is generated to move the AMR 80 waiting at the standby position to the identified new standby position. In S69, the command value control unit 75 transmits the generated command value.

[0088] 19, the AMR80C that was waiting at the waiting position Pw2 moves to the waiting position Pw1, which has a higher priority than the waiting position Pw2. Although not described here, when the traffic management server 90 subsequently determines that the AMR80B has disembarked from the elevator, it also transmits a command value to the AMR80C waiting at the waiting position Pw1, causing the AMR80C to travel toward the elevator.

[0089] The present embodiment described above can provide the following advantages. When the AMR 80 reaches the first registered position P1 specified in the task, the traffic management server 90 drives the AMR 80 that has reached the first registered position P1 to a waiting position. If any of the AMR 80 is located at the second registered position P2, which is the next destination of the first registered position P1, the traffic management server 90 does not transmit a command to the AMR 80 that has been kept waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered position P2, thereby causing the AMR 80 to wait. On the other hand, if any of the AMR 80 is not located at the second registered position P2, the traffic management server 90 transmits a command to the AMR 80 that has been kept waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered position P2. In this way, when the traffic management server 90 manages the operation of multiple AMRs 80, the multiple AMRs 80 do not all travel at once from the first registered position P1 to the second registered position P2 specified in the task, and traffic congestion and inability to travel of the AMR 80 can be suppressed.

[0090] The standby position management unit 77 monitors whether the AMR 80 is waiting at a plurality of standby positions. The command value control unit 75 transmits a command to the AMR 80 that has arrived at the first registered position P1 to drive to one of the plurality of standby positions at which the AMR 80 is not waiting, according to the monitoring result by the standby position management unit 77, and sets a transmission order indicating the order in which commands to drive to the second registered position P2 are transmitted to the AMR 80 that has been made to wait at the standby position, according to the order in which the AMR 80 arrived at the first registered position P1. When the command value control unit 75 determines that any of the plurality of AMR 80 is not located at the second registered position P2, it transmits a command to the plurality of AMR 80 that has been made to wait at the standby position, according to the transmission order, to drive to the second registered position P2. Thereby, even in a scene in which the plurality of AMR 80 are traveling toward the first registered position P1, the AMR 80 can be made to wait at each standby position. Then, according to the determined transmission order, the AMR 80 that has been made to wait at each standby position can be made to travel toward the second registered position P2.

[0091] The command value control unit 75 changes the transmission order set for the multiple AMRs 80 waiting at the waiting positions according to the information indicating the progress of the current task stored in the operation management information D2, and transmits a command to the AMRs 80 waiting at the waiting positions to travel to the second registered position P2 according to the changed transmission order. For example, in FIG. 18, if the transmission order set for the AMR 80C is changed earlier than the transmission order set for the AMR 80B according to the information indicating the progress of the task, the command value control unit 75 transmits the generated command value to the AMR 80C in S63. The AMR 80C interprets the received command value in S70 and starts autonomous travel from the waiting position Pw2 toward the elevator. This makes it possible to flexibly change the order in which the AMRs travel from each waiting position to the second registered position P2 according to the progress of the current task in the AMR 80.

[0092] The command value control unit 75 determines whether any of the AMRs 80 is located at the second registered position P2, based on the current position of the AMR 80 stored in the traffic management information D2. This allows the traffic management server 90 to reuse the status information used for traffic management of the AMR 80.

[0093] (Modification of the first embodiment) In the above embodiment, the fleet management server 90 always drives the AMR 80 that arrives at the first registered position P1 to the waiting position. Alternatively, if the AMR 80 is not located at the second registered position P2 when the AMR 80 arrives at the first registered position P1, the fleet management server 90 may drive the AMR 80 that arrives at the first registered position P1 to the second registered position P2 without driving it to the waiting position.

[0094] In this case, before executing S30 in FIG. 8, the command value control unit 75 refers to the registered position usage status information D6. If no other AMR 80 is located at the second registered position P2, the command value control unit 75 proceeds to S37 and generates a task execution command for causing the AMR 80 that has arrived at the first registered position P1 to travel to the second registered position. In S38, the command value control unit 75 transmits the task execution command to the AMR 80, thereby causing the AMR 80 to travel to the second registered position P2 that is specified as the next destination of the first registered position P1. As a result, in a situation where the AMR 80 that has arrived at the first registered position P1 does not need to travel to a waiting position, the AMR 80 can be caused to travel directly to the second registered position P2, thereby suppressing unnecessary delays in the operation management of the AMR 80.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the command value control unit 75 of the traffic management server 90 refers to the registered position usage status information D6 in S35 of Fig. 8 to determine whether another AMR 80 is located in an elevator that is the second registered position P2. Alternatively, the command value control unit 75 may directly refer to the traffic management information D2 stored in the memory 70 in S35 to determine whether an AMR 80 is located in an elevator that is the second registered position P2 among the AMRs currently performing traffic management. In this case, if the destination ID, name, and coordinates corresponding to the elevator are stored as the current position of each AMR 80 accumulated in the traffic management information D2 in S35 (S35: YES), the command value control unit 75 may proceed to S36.

[0096] (Other embodiments) The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the following modifications are also possible. The first registered position P1 and the second registered position P2 registered on the map information MP may be arranged as follows according to the shape and type of the road. FIG. 20 shows an alternating passage in which the first registered position P1 and the second registered position P2 are registered on the map information MP as another example. The alternating passage shown in FIG. 20 is composed of a first wide road R1 and a second wide road R2, which are wide, and a narrow road R3, which is located between the first wide road R1 and the second wide road R2 and is narrower than the first and second wide roads. The first and second wide roads R1 and R2 are roads with a road width that allows multiple AMRs 80 to travel in parallel. In the alternating passage shown in FIG. 20, the first registered position P1 is determined on the first wide road R1, and the second registered position P2 is registered on the second wide road R2. Also, the waiting positions Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3 are located on the first wide road R1. Alternatively, the first registered position P1 may be determined on the second wide road R2, and the second registered position P2 may be determined on the first wide road R1. In this case, the waiting positions Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3 are located on the second wide road R1. Furthermore, in addition to the waiting positions being located on the first wide road R1, waiting positions may also be located on the second wide road R2.

[0097] As another example, FIG. 21 shows a dead end in which a first registered position P1 and a second registered position P2 are registered on the map information MP. The dead end shown in FIG. 21 is composed of a straight road R4 and a dead end road R5 that is connected only to the straight road R4. In the dead end shown in FIG. 21, the first registered position P1 is registered on the straight road R4, and the second registered position P2 is registered on the dead end road R5 on the map information MP. In addition, waiting positions Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3 are located on the straight road R4.

[0098] In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the priority of the waiting position associated with one first registered position P1 is set higher as the waiting position is closer to the elevator, which is the second registered position P2. Alternatively, the priority of the waiting position may be set higher as the waiting position is farther from the elevator. In this example, the waiting positions Pw3, Pw2, and Pw1 are registered in the order of higher priority in the item "priority" of the waiting position information D4. In addition, the arrangement of the multiple waiting positions associated with one first registered position P1 is not limited to an arrangement perpendicular to the opening of the elevator entrance / exit, which is the second registered position P2, as shown in FIG. 10. For example, three waiting positions Pw may be arranged parallel to the opening of the elevator entrance / exit. In this case, the priority of the three waiting positions may be appropriately set according to the usage state.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the operation control of three AMRs 80 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured to control the operation of three or more AMRs 80. Even in this case, the number of waiting positions associated with one first registered position P1 may be equal to the number of AMRs whose operations are managed by the fleet management server 90.

[0100] In the above embodiment, the fleet management server 90 determines whether the AMR 80 is located at the second registered location P2 from the registered location usage status information D6 defined according to the location of the AMR 80 stored in the fleet management information D2 in S35 of Fig. 8. Alternatively, if a sensor that detects the AMR 80 is disposed at the second registered location P2, the fleet management server 90 may determine in S35 whether the AMR 80 is located at the second registered location P2 in accordance with the output from the sensor.

[0101] In the above embodiment, the AMR 80 receives the operation plan information D1 transmitted from the operation management server 90 and stores it in the memory 15. Alternatively, when there is no change in the service content of the AMR 80, the operation plan information D1 may be stored in the memory 15 of the AMR 80 from the time of shipment from the factory.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the traffic management application program 64 is stored in the memory of the PC 93, but may be stored in a memory (not shown) of the traffic management server 90. In this case, the controller 72 of the traffic management server 90 executes the traffic management application program 64 to create the operation plan information D1 by the operation plan creation process and to display the operation status display process via the network.

[0103] In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to an autonomous robot, but it can also be applied to an autonomous vehicle, an unmanned transport vehicle, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 10: controller, 14: communication IF, 20: command receiving unit, 21: information transmitting unit, 23: task execution control unit, 25: state monitoring unit, 75: command value control unit, 76: progress management unit, 77: waiting position management unit, 80: autonomous driving robot, 90: operation management server

Claims

1. A traffic management device that includes a communication interface and is capable of communicating with a plurality of autonomous mobile robots via the communication interface, A command value control unit that transmits execution commands for executing a plurality of tasks included in operation plan information to the autonomous traveling robot via the communication interface; a progress management unit that receives a notification indicating the execution status of the task from the autonomous robot, and manages state information including a current position of the autonomous robot and a progress status of the task in response to the received notification; Equipped with The command value control unit is When it is determined according to the state information that any one of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots has reached a first registered position designated in the task, a command is sent to the autonomous mobile robot that has reached the first registered position to cause the autonomous mobile robot to travel to a waiting position associated with the first registered position; When any one of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots is located at a second registered position designated in the task as the next destination from the first registered position, a command to drive to the second registered position is not transmitted to the autonomous mobile robot that is waiting at the waiting position, An operation management device characterized in that, when any of the multiple autonomous driving robots is not located at the second registered location, a command is sent to the autonomous driving robot waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered location.

2. There are a plurality of waiting positions, a standby position management unit that monitors whether the autonomous mobile robot is waiting at a plurality of standby positions; The command value control unit is According to a monitoring result by the standby position management unit, a command is sent to the autonomous mobile robot that has reached the first registered position to cause the autonomous mobile robot to travel to one of the standby positions at which the autonomous mobile robot is not waiting; setting a transmission order indicating an order of transmitting commands to the autonomous mobile robots that are made to wait at the waiting positions, in accordance with an order of arrival at the first registered position, for driving the autonomous mobile robots to the second registered position; The operation management device of claim 1, characterized in that if it is determined that any of the multiple autonomous driving robots is not located at the second registered location, a command is sent to the multiple autonomous driving robots waiting at the waiting position in order to drive to the second registered location in accordance with the transmission order.

3. The progress management unit manages, as the state information, information indicating a progress status of a current task in the autonomous mobile robot; The command value control unit is changing the transmission order set for the plurality of autonomous mobile robots waiting at the waiting position in accordance with information indicating a progress status of the current task; The operation management device according to claim 2, characterized in that a command is sent to the autonomous mobile robot waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered position in accordance with the changed transmission order.

4. The command value control unit is An operation management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, which determines whether any of the plurality of autonomous robots is located at the second registered location depending on the status information.

5. The command value control unit is The operation management device of claim 1, characterized in that when it is determined that any of the multiple autonomous driving robots has reached the first registered position, if an autonomous driving robot other than the autonomous driving robot that arrived at the first registered position is not waiting at the waiting position and is not located at the second registered position, a command is sent to cause the autonomous driving robot that has arrived at the first registered position to drive to the second registered position without moving it to the waiting position.

6. A plurality of autonomous robots; A traffic management system including a traffic management device having a communication interface and capable of communicating with a plurality of the autonomous traveling robots via the communication interface, The operation management device includes: A command value control unit that transmits execution commands for executing a plurality of tasks included in operation plan information to the autonomous traveling robot via the communication interface; a progress management unit that receives a notification indicating the execution status of the task from the autonomous robot, and manages state information including a current position of the autonomous robot and a progress status of the task in response to the received notification; Equipped with The command value control unit is When it is determined according to the state information that any one of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots has reached a first registered position designated in the task, a command is sent to the autonomous mobile robot that has reached the first registered position to cause the autonomous mobile robot to travel to a waiting position associated with the first registered position; When any one of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots is located at a second registered position specified in the task as the next destination from the first registered position, a command to drive to the second registered position is not transmitted to the autonomous mobile robot that is waiting at the waiting position, An operation management system characterized in that, when any of the multiple autonomous driving robots is not located at the second registered position, a command is sent to the autonomous driving robot waiting at the waiting position to drive to the second registered position.

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