Traveling system, traveling method, and traveling program

Abstract

To provide a traveling system, a traveling method, and a traveling program capable of allowing a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel while suppressing processing loads and avoiding contact between the automatic traveling devices.SOLUTION: A traveling system 10 includes: a generation processing portion 113 that generates a section traveling route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a traveling route from a current position to a target position of a first automatic traveling device 2 so that the section traveling route of the first automatic traveling device 2 does not overlap with a section traveling route generated in another second automatic traveling device 2; and a setting processing portion 112 that sets a first tag included in the section traveling route generated with respect to the first automatic traveling device 2 and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag to a prohibition point for prohibiting traveling of the second automatic traveling device 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving system, a driving method, and a driving program for driving an automatic driving device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a traveling system that causes an automatic traveling device (AGV, traveling vehicle, etc.) to travel based on the detection result obtained by detecting a plurality of tags placed on a floor surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-341939 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional driving system, a driving route from a start point to a destination is set in advance, and the automatic driving device drives according to the set driving route, or when an obstacle is detected, the automatic driving device drives an avoidance route to avoid the obstacle. Here, when multiple automatic driving devices drive in the same area, the driving route from the start point to the destination of each automatic driving device must be set in advance so that the automatic driving devices do not interfere with each other, which increases the processing load. In addition, if the driving routes of each automatic driving device are close to each other, there is a possibility that the automatic driving devices will come into contact with each other.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving system, a driving method, and a driving program that are capable of driving multiple automated driving devices while reducing the processing load and avoiding contact between the automated driving devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A traveling system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface. The traveling system includes a generation processing unit and a setting processing unit. The generation processing unit generates a section traveling route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a traveling route from a current position of a first automatic traveling device to a destination position such that the section traveling route of the first automatic traveling device does not overlap with the section traveling route generated for another second automatic traveling device. The setting processing unit sets a first tag included in the section traveling route generated for the first automatic traveling device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as a prohibited point that prohibits traveling of the second automatic traveling device.

[0007] A driving method according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for driving each of a plurality of automated driving devices based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface. In the driving method, one or more processors execute the following: generating a section driving route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a driving route from a current position of a first automated driving device to a destination position such that the section driving route of the first automated driving device does not overlap with the section driving route generated for another, second automated driving device; and setting a first tag included in the section driving route generated for the first automated driving device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automated driving device from driving.

[0008] A travel program according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing each of a plurality of automated driving devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface. The travel program is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the following: generating a section travel route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a travel route from a current position of a first automated driving device to a destination position such that the section travel route of the first automated driving device does not overlap with the section travel route generated for another, second automated driving device; and setting a first tag included in the section travel route generated for the first automated driving device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automated driving device from traveling. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a driving system, a driving method, and a driving program that are capable of driving multiple automated driving devices while reducing the processing load and avoiding contact between the automated driving devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a traveling system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a facility to which the traveling system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of tags arranged in a facility to which the traveling system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the traveling system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of order information used in the traveling system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of transport information used in the traveling system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of map data used in the traveling system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of driving of the automatic driving device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of map data corresponding to the AGV 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of map data corresponding to the AGV 2 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of map data corresponding to the AGV 3 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a driving process executed in the driving system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a section driving route of the automated driving device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting prohibited points (travel prohibited tags) according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of map data corresponding to the AGV 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of map data corresponding to the AGV 2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of map data corresponding to the AGV 3 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a driving process executed in a driving system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining the length of a section travel route of an automated driving device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining the length of a section travel route of an automated driving device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of map data used in the traveling system according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a driving process executed in a driving system according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure. Note that the following embodiments are examples of the present disclosure and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] First Embodiment [Running System 10] 1, a traveling system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a management server 1 and an automatic traveling device 2 (AGV, also called an unmanned transport vehicle). The management server 1 and the automatic traveling device 2 can communicate with each other via a communication network N1 such as a wireless LAN.

[0013] The traveling system 10 according to the first embodiment is a traveling system capable of guiding the first automatic traveling device 2 by a tag method (first guidance method) that detects and guides a plurality of tags (code tags) arranged on the floor surface, and guiding the second automatic traveling device 2 by a second guidance method (line guide method, guideless method, etc.) different from the tag method. In the tag method, the automatic traveling device 2 travels along a preset traveling route while detecting a two-dimensional code (or a marker, etc.) arranged (attached) on the floor surface. In the line guide method, the automatic traveling device 2 detects a linear guide member (e.g., a magnetic tape) arranged (attached) on the floor surface, and detects an RFID tag (or a two-dimensional code, a marker, etc.) arranged (attached) on the floor surface to control traveling (changing direction, stopping, etc.) while traveling along a preset traveling route. In the guideless method, the automatic traveling device 2 travels along a preset traveling route based on its own position estimated based on measurement data of the surrounding environment.

[0014] The traveling system 10 includes at least an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by a tag system, an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by a line guide system, or an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by a guideless system. In this embodiment, the traveling system 10 includes an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by a tag system, an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by a line guide system, and an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by a guideless system.

[0015] In addition, for example, the traveling system 10 is set with a plurality of paths along which the automatic traveling device 2 can travel, and the automatic traveling device 2 is caused to travel a path among the plurality of paths as a travel route, and transports the transport object from a storage position to a destination position. The traveling system 10 is applied to facilities such as factories and warehouses that store goods (transport objects). For example, when the traveling system 10 receives a product order from a customer (customer terminal), it outputs a travel instruction (transport request) to the automatic traveling device 2. When the automatic traveling device 2 receives the travel instruction, it moves to the storage position (storage shelf) of the product, picks up the product, and transports the product to a delivery location. The customer can use an information processing device (customer terminal) such as a personal computer or a smartphone to access a WEB site (order page) operated by an order server (not shown) to place an order for the product.

[0016] The order server can receive orders for the product from each of a plurality of customer terminals, and aggregates the received order information and outputs it to the management server 1. The management server 1 manages the operation of each of a plurality of automatic driving devices 2, and outputs driving instructions to each automatic driving device 2 based on the order information. Based on the driving instructions, the automatic driving device 2 autonomously drives along a preset driving route, picks up the product included in the order information from a storage shelf, and transports it to a shipping location.

[0017] Furthermore, the automatic driving device 2 is equipped with, for example, multiple containers (storage units), and by storing customer-ordered products in each container, it is possible to transport multiple customers' products together in one picking run (running from a waiting location to a shipping location by circulating around each shelf). For example, when the automatic driving device 2 is equipped with two containers, the automatic driving device 2 is able to transport the ordered products of two customers together. The management server 1 outputs the driving instructions corresponding to the order information of one or more customers to each automatic driving device 2.

[0018] Fig. 2 shows an example of a facility W1 to which the traveling system 10 is applied. In the facility W1 shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of storage shelves (storage positions) for storing products (transportation targets) are arranged. Fig. 2 shows 16 storage shelves T1 to T16 as an example. In each of the storage shelves T1 to T16, a position (picking position p1 to p16) is set where the automatic traveling device 2 picks up the product.

[0019] Additionally, waiting locations for the automatic traveling devices 2 are set in the facility W1. For example, waiting location P1 where the AGV1 (automatic traveling device 2) waits, waiting location P2 where the AGV2 (automatic traveling device 2) waits, and waiting location P3 where the AGV3 (automatic traveling device 2) waits are set in the facility W1. Each automatic traveling device 2 waits at a predetermined waiting location when it has not received a travel instruction from the management server 1.

[0020] Each automated driving device 2 moves from a waiting location to a storage shelf where the ordered items are stored when it receives a driving instruction from the management server 1. For example, when the AGV1 receives a driving instruction from the management server 1, which includes an item on storage shelf T1 in the order information, it moves to a picking position p1 corresponding to storage shelf T1 according to a preset driving route, and when it picks up the ordered item at the picking position p1 or receives the ordered item from a worker in charge of picking work, it moves to a shipping location according to the preset driving route.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows an example of the arrangement of tags arranged on the floor surface of the travelable area of ​​the automatic traveling device 2 in the facility W1. The tags include a tag (hereinafter referred to as a code tag Tg) used in a tag system (first induction system) in which the automatic traveling device 2 travels while detecting a two-dimensional code, and a tag (hereinafter referred to as an RFID tag Rf) used in a line guide system (second induction system) in which the automatic traveling device 2 travels while detecting a line-shaped guide member and an RFID. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of code tags Tg are arranged at a predetermined interval. In addition, a magnetic tape Lg, which is a guide member, is arranged on the floor surface in the travelable area of ​​the automatic traveling device 2 traveling by the line guide system, and a plurality of RFID tags Rf are arranged on the magnetic tape Lg at a predetermined interval. In addition, each RFID tag Rf is arranged in the vicinity of the code tag Tg, and is arranged so that one RFID tag Rf corresponds to one code tag Tg. The area where the code tag Tg is arranged corresponds to the area where the automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the tag system can travel, and the area where the magnetic tape Lg is arranged corresponds to the area where the automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the line guide system can travel. Also, the area where the code tag Tg is arranged also corresponds to the area where the automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the guideless system can travel.

[0022] In the facility W1, for example, an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the tag method travels along a travel route while detecting a code tag Tg, and an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the line guide method travels along a travel route while detecting a magnetic tape Lg and an RFID tag Rf. Also, an automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the guideless method travels along a travel route while estimating its own position in a travelable area where the code tag Tg, the magnetic tape Lg, and the RFID tag Rf are arranged.

[0023] In this embodiment, the traveling system 10 corresponds to the traveling system according to the present disclosure, but the traveling system according to the present disclosure may be configured by the management server 1 alone, or may include one or more components of the management server 1 and the automatic traveling device 2. This configuration is similar to each of the embodiments described below.

[0024] [Management Server 1] 1, the management server 1 is a server including a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation display unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The management server 1 is not limited to a single computer, and may be a computer system in which multiple computers work in cooperation. Various processes executed by the management server 1 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

[0025] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface that connects the management server 1 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection, and performs data communication with one or more automatic driving devices 2 via the communication network N1 in accordance with a specified communication protocol.

[0026] The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, that displays various information, and an operation unit, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel, that accepts operations.

[0027] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various information. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores data such as product information D1, order information D2, transport information D3, and map data D4. The product information D1 includes information about products stored in the facility W1. The order information D2 includes information about customer orders. The transport information D3 includes information about product storage locations for customer orders. The map data D4 includes placement information of tags (code tags Tg, RFID tags Rf) placed on the floor surface of the facility W1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the product information D1, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the order information D2, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the transport information D3, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the map data D4.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, product information D1 includes, for each product, information such as the corresponding "product ID," "product name," and "shelf ID." The product ID is identification information of the product, and the product name is the name of the product. The shelf ID is identification information of the storage shelf where the product is stored. In this embodiment, for example, "T1" indicating storage shelf T1, "T2" indicating storage shelf T2, "T3" indicating storage shelf T3, and so on are registered as the shelf ID.

[0029] The product information D1 is stored in advance in the storage unit 12 by, for example, a registration operation by a manager of the facility W1. In addition, the manager can update the product information D1 as necessary.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, order information D2 includes information such as the corresponding "unit order ID," "customer ID," "ordered item," "quantity," and "order date and time" for each order. The unit order ID is identification information for one order, and the customer ID is identification information for the customer who ordered the item. The ordered item is the name of the item ordered by the customer, and the quantity is the number of ordered items. The order date and time is information on the date and time when the order was received from the customer.

[0031] The order information D2 is registered by the control unit 11 every time the management server 1 (or the order server) receives an order from a customer.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 6, the transport information D3 includes information such as a corresponding "set order ID," "unit order ID," and "shelf ID" for each set order that combines unit orders. The set order ID is identification information for a set order that combines unit orders. The control unit 11 generates a set order by combining unit orders based on information such as the storage location of the product, the current location of the automatic driving device 2, and operation rules.

[0033] The transport information D3 is included in the travel instructions sent to the automatic driving device 2. For example, when the AGV1 receives a travel instruction including the transport information D3 for "SET1", the AGV1 moves to the position of the shelf ID "T3" included in the transport information D3. Then, the AGV1 picks up each of the products with the unit order IDs "O1", "O2", "O3", and "O4" from the storage shelf T3.

[0034] The control unit 11 generates the delivery information D3 (see FIG. 6) by referring to the product information D1 (see FIG. 4).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, the map data D4 includes information such as a corresponding "tag ID", "tag type", "position coordinates", and "virtual tag ID" for each tag placed in the travelable area of ​​the automatic traveling device 2. The tag ID is identification information of the tag (code tag Tg, RFID tag Rf). The tag type is information indicating the type of tag, and is information indicating a two-dimensional code or RFID. The code tag Tg corresponds to a two-dimensional code tag, and the RFID tag Rf corresponds to an RFID tag. The position coordinates are information indicating the position of the tag in the travelable area, and are, for example, information on the X coordinate and the Y coordinate when the travelable area is an XY plane. In FIG. 7, the X coordinate and the Y coordinate are represented by "P···" for convenience. The virtual tag ID is information indicating the tag ID of the code tag Tg corresponding to the RFID tag Rf. Each RFID tag Rf is placed in the vicinity of the code tag Tg, and is placed so that one RFID tag Rf corresponds to one code tag Tg. A code tag Tg corresponding to one RFID tag Rf is referred to as a virtual tag. In a travelable area where the code tag Tg is placed, it is possible to identify the position in the travelable area by the position coordinates of the code tag Tg. The map data D4 is an example of map data of the present disclosure. The control unit 11 generates and registers the map data D4 when a tag is placed on the floor surface of the facility W1.

[0036] In another embodiment, some or all of the product information D1, order information D2, transport information D3, and map data D4 may be stored in another server accessible from the management server 1 via the communication network N1. In this case, the control unit 11 of the management server 1 may acquire the information from the other server and execute various processes such as a travel process (see FIG. 12) described later.

[0037] The storage unit 12 also stores control programs such as a driving program for causing the control unit 11 to execute a driving process (see FIG. 12) described below. For example, the driving program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the management server 1 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0038] The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management server 1 by executing, with the CPU, various control programs that are stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0039] However, conventional driving systems are designed as systems that control the driving of automatic driving devices using the same guidance method, and are not intended to control the driving of automatic driving devices using different guidance methods. For this reason, for example, when trying to control the driving of multiple automatic driving devices using different guidance methods in the same area, a problem occurs in which safety and driving efficiency are reduced. In response to this, the management server 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration that can control the driving of multiple automatic driving devices using different guidance methods, as shown below.

[0040] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a registration processing unit 111, a setting processing unit 112, a generation processing unit 113, and an output processing unit 114. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the driving program with the CPU. Also, some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The driving program may be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

[0041] The control unit 11 accepts a transport request (picking order) for a product (transport target) corresponding to the automatic driving device 2. Specifically, the control unit 11 accepts order information D2 (see FIG. 5) corresponding to orders from multiple customers. For example, the control unit 11 accepts order information D2 (see FIG. 5) including customer orders of CUSTOM1 and CUSTOM2.

[0042] Furthermore, when the control unit 11 receives the order information D2, it generates the transport information D3. For example, when the control unit 11 receives the order information D2 (see FIG. 5) including four orders (unit orders) of a customer for CUSTOM1 and CUSTOM2, it refers to the product information D1 (see FIG. 4) and generates the transport information D3 (see FIG. 6) for "SET1". For example, the control unit 11 aggregates, among the multiple products included in the order information D2, multiple products stored in the same area into one order (set order) and generates the transport information D3. Furthermore, the control unit 11 generates the transport information D3 assigned to each of the multiple containers mounted on the automatic driving device 2.

[0043] The registration processing unit 111 registers map data D4 including the placement information of multiple tags. For example, when tags (code tag Tg, RFID tag Rf) are placed in a drivable area in the facility W1, the registration processing unit 111 generates map data D4 (see FIG. 7) including the position coordinates (X coordinate and Y coordinate) of each tag and the type of each tag (two-dimensional code or RFID) in response to a registration operation by the user, and registers the map data D4 in the storage unit 12.

[0044] Here, the automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the tag system is called "AGV1", the automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the guideless system is called "AGV2", and the automatic traveling device 2 that travels by the line guide system is called "AGV3". As shown in Fig. 8, the AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3 travel within the same area of ​​the facility W1.

[0045] The setting processing unit 112 sets placement information of a plurality of virtual tags (control points) in the travelable area of ​​the automatic traveling device 2 (AGV2, AGV3) in the map data D4. Specifically, the setting processing unit 112 sets placement information of a virtual tag (code tag Tg) in the RFID tag Rf of the AGV3. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the setting processing unit 112 associates the tag ID (virtual tag ID) of the code tag Tg with each RFID tag Rf and registers it, thereby associating the position coordinates of the code tag Tg. In addition, the setting processing unit 112 sets placement information of a virtual tag (code tag Tg) in the travelable area of ​​the AGV2. For example, the setting processing unit 112 associates the tag ID of the code tag Tg with the position coordinates of the travelable area of ​​the AGV2 and registers it, thereby associating the position coordinates of the code tag Tg.

[0046] The generation processing unit 113 generates a driving route for each automatic driving device 2. For example, when the generation processing unit 113 sets a driving start position and a destination position for each automatic driving device 2, the generation processing unit 113 generates a driving route from the driving start position to the destination position. The generation processing unit 113 performs an operation simulation for all automatic driving devices 2, and generates a driving route that minimizes the total transport time for all automatic driving devices 2.

[0047] For example, the generation processing unit 113 observes the driving status (current position, driving speed, reserved driving route, predicted arrival time on the reserved driving route) of each automatic driving device 2. Each automatic driving device 2 transmits information such as the current position, driving speed, and transportation status to the management server 1 in real time. Next, the generation processing unit 113 performs an operation simulation in parallel for all automatic driving devices 2, and generates a driving route that minimizes the total transportation time of all automatic driving devices 2.

[0048] Here, the generation processing unit 113 generates a travel route for AGV1 to travel by sequentially following the code tag Tg, a travel route for AGV2 to travel by sequentially following the virtual tag (code tag Tg), and a travel route for AGV3 to travel by sequentially following the virtual tag (RFID tag Rf) so that AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3 do not interfere with each other.

[0049] For example, when AGV1 is at any of the positions of multiple code tags Tg and AGV2 and AGV3 are at any of the positions of multiple virtual tags, the generation processing unit 113 determines whether AGV1 will interfere with AGV2 and AGV3. The generation processing unit 113 can grasp the current position of AGV2 based on the position coordinates of the code tag Tg associated with AGV2, and can grasp the current position of AGV3 based on the position coordinates (see FIG. 7) of the code tag Tg (or RFID tag Rf) associated with AGV3.

[0050] The generation processing unit 113 also generates a section travel route of a predetermined length constituting a part of the entire travel route from the current position of the AGV1 to the destination position so as not to overlap with the section travel route of the AGV2 and the section travel route of the AGV3. The generation processing unit 113 also generates section travel routes of the AGV2 and AGV3 by setting virtual tags (code tag Tg, RFID tag Rf) included in a predetermined range where interference may occur from the code tag Tg corresponding to the section travel route of the AGV1 as prohibited points that prohibit the travel of the AGV2 and AGV3. The method of setting the prohibited points will be described later in <Second embodiment>.

[0051] Moreover, while the AGV1 is traveling along the section travel route, the generation processing unit 113 repeatedly executes a process of generating the next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route. Similarly, while the AGV2 is traveling along the section travel route, the generation processing unit 113 repeatedly executes a process of generating the next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, and while the AGV3 is traveling along the section travel route, the generation processing unit 113 repeatedly executes a process of generating the next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route.

[0052] When the generation processing unit 113 generates a driving route (section driving route) for each automatic driving device 2, it generates map data in which tag placement information corresponding to the driving route is set. Here, the generation processing unit 113 generates map data M1 corresponding to AGV1, map data M2 corresponding to AGV2, and map data M3 corresponding to AGV3.

[0053] An example of the map data M1 is shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9, the generation processing unit 113 generates map data M1 of a section travel route including the tag ID "0004" (position coordinate "P004") and the tag ID "0005" (position coordinate "P005") of the code tag Tg for the AGV1.

[0054] An example of the map data M2 is shown in Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 10, the generation processing unit 113 generates map data M2 of a section travel route including the tag ID "0006" (position coordinate "P006") and the tag ID "0007" (position coordinate "P007") of the code tag Tg corresponding to the virtual tag for the AGV 2. In this manner, the generation processing unit 113 sets the position information (position coordinates) of the code tag Tg for the AGV 2 that travels in a guideless manner without using the code tag Tg. That is, the AGV 2 travels along the section travel route set by the position information of the code tag Tg by using the code tag Tg as a virtual tag.

[0055] FIG. 11 shows an example of the map data M3. As shown in FIG. 11, the generation processing unit 113 generates map data M3 of a section travel route including the tag ID "0001" (position coordinate "P001") and the tag ID "0002" (position coordinate "P002") of the code tag Tg corresponding to the virtual tag for the AGV 3. In this way, the generation processing unit 113 sets the position information (position coordinates) of the code tag Tg for the AGV 3 that travels by a line guide method without using the code tag Tg. That is, the AGV 3 travels on the section travel route set by the position information of the code tag Tg by using the code tag Tg as a virtual tag. Note that the virtual tag corresponding to the AGV 3 may be an RFID tag Rf. In this case, the generation processing unit 113 may set the position coordinates of the RFID tag Rf (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the code tag Tg in the map data M3.

[0056] As described above, the generation processing unit 113 generates section travel routes using the position coordinates of a common code tag Tg for a plurality of automatic traveling devices 2 (AGV1, AGV2, AGV3) having different travel methods.

[0057] The output processing unit 114 outputs driving instructions including driving route information including the entire driving route and the section driving routes to each automatic driving device 2. Specifically, the output processing unit 114 outputs identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV1, outputs identification information of multiple virtual tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV2, and outputs identification information of multiple virtual tags (code tags Tg or RFID tags Rf) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV3.

[0058] For example, the output processing unit 114 outputs map data M1 (see FIG. 9) to the AGV1, map data M2 (see FIG. 10) to the AGV2, and map data M3 (see FIG. 11) to the AGV3.

[0059] When the AGV1 acquires the map data M1, it travels along the section travel route based on the position coordinates (P004, P005, etc.) corresponding to the tag (code tag Tg) included in the map data M1. When the AGV2 acquires the map data M2, it travels along the section travel route based on the position coordinates (P006, P007, etc.) corresponding to the tag (code tag Tg) included in the map data M2. When the AGV3 acquires the map data M3, it travels along the section travel route based on the position coordinates (P001, P002, etc.) corresponding to the tag (code tag Tg) included in the map data M3. The AGV3 may also travel along the section travel route based on the position coordinates (P101, P102, etc.) (see FIG. 7) of the RFID tag Rf corresponding to the code tag Tg included in the map data M3.

[0060] [Driving process according to the first embodiment] Hereinafter, the traveling process executed in the traveling system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Specifically, in this embodiment, the traveling process is executed by the control unit 11 of the management server 1. Furthermore, the control unit 11 is capable of executing multiple traveling processes in parallel in response to multiple transport requests to multiple automatic traveling devices 2. When the control unit 11 causes the automatic traveling device 2 to start a transport operation in response to a transport request, it starts executing the traveling process shown in Fig. 12.

[0061] The present disclosure can be understood as a disclosure of a driving method that executes one or more steps included in the driving process. One or more steps included in the driving process described here may be omitted as appropriate. The steps in the driving process may be executed in a different order as long as the same action and effect is achieved. Furthermore, although an example is described here in which the control unit 11 executes each step in the driving process, another embodiment can be a driving method in which one or more processors execute each step in the driving process in a distributed manner.

[0062] First, in step S1, the control unit 11 registers map data D4 including the placement information of multiple tags. For example, when tags (code tags Tg, RFID tags Rf) are placed in a drivable area in a facility W1, the control unit 11 generates map data D4 (see FIG. 7) including the position coordinates (X coordinate and Y coordinate) of each tag and the type of each tag (two-dimensional code or RFID) in response to a registration operation by the user, and registers the map data D4 in the storage unit 12.

[0063] Next, in step S2, the control unit 11 sets placement information of virtual tags. Specifically, the control unit 11 sets placement information of multiple virtual tags (control points) in the travelable areas of AGV2 and AGV3 in the map data D4. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the control unit 11 associates the tag ID of the code tag Tg with each RFID tag Rf and registers it, thereby associating the position coordinates of the code tag Tg. The control unit 11 also associates the tag ID of the code tag Tg with the position coordinates of the travelable area of ​​AGV2 and registers it, thereby associating the position coordinates of the code tag Tg with the position coordinates of the travelable area of ​​AGV2.

[0064] In this way, the control unit 11 sets the placement information (position coordinates) of the code tag Tg in the placement information of the automatic driving device 2 that runs by a driving method other than the tag method (guideless method, line guide method, etc.). This makes it possible to control the running of the automatic driving device 2 that runs by a driving method other than the tag method using the placement information of the code tag Tg. Therefore, for the automatic driving device 2 that runs by a driving method other than the tag method, the code tag Tg functions as a virtual tag used in driving control.

[0065] Next, in step S3, the control unit 11 generates driving routes for each automatic driving device 2. For example, the control unit 11 determines whether or not AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3 interfere with each other based on the position coordinates of the code tags Tg corresponding to AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3, respectively, and generates section driving routes so that the AGVs do not interfere with each other. Here, the control unit 11 generates a section driving route for making AGV1 travel by sequentially tracing the code tags Tg, a section driving route for making AGV2 travel by sequentially tracing the virtual tags (code tags Tg), and a section driving route for making AGV3 travel by sequentially tracing the virtual tags (RFID tags Rf).

[0066] Next, in step S4, the control unit 11 generates map data for each automatic driving device 2. Here, the control unit 11 generates map data M1 (see FIG. 9) corresponding to AGV1, map data M2 (see FIG. 10) corresponding to AGV2, and map data M3 (see FIG. 11) corresponding to AGV3. For example, the control unit 11 sets, in the map data M2 corresponding to AGV2, position information (position coordinates) of the code tag Tg on the section driving route along which the AGV2 will next travel. Also, the control unit 11 sets, in the map data M3 corresponding to AGV3, position information (position coordinates) of the code tag Tg (or RFID tag Rf) on the section driving route along which the AGV3 will next travel.

[0067] Next, in step S5, the control unit 11 outputs a driving instruction to each automatic driving device 2. Specifically, the control unit 11 outputs a driving instruction including driving route information including an entire driving route and a section driving route to each automatic driving device 2. The control unit 11 also outputs map data M1 (see FIG. 9) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV1, outputs map data M2 (see FIG. 10) including identification information of multiple virtual tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV2, and outputs map data M3 (see FIG. 11) including identification information of multiple virtual tags (code tags Tg or RFID tags Rf) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV3.

[0068] When AGV1 acquires the travel instructions including map data M1, it travels along the section travel route based on position coordinates (P004, P005, etc.) corresponding to the tag (code tag Tg) included in map data M1. When AGV2 acquires the travel instructions including map data M2, it travels along the section travel route based on position coordinates (P006, P007, etc.) corresponding to the tag (code tag Tg) included in map data M2. When AGV3 acquires the travel instructions including map data M3, it travels along the section travel route based on position coordinates (P001, P002, etc.) corresponding to the tag (code tag Tg) included in map data M3.

[0069] Next, in step S6, the control unit 11 determines whether each automatic driving device 2 has finished traveling along the travel route. For example, the control unit 11 determines that each AGV has finished traveling when the traveling process corresponding to the transport request is completed. When each AGV has finished traveling along the travel route, the control unit 11 ends the traveling process (S6: Yes).

[0070] The control unit 11 repeats the processes of steps S3 to S5 until each AGV finishes traveling along the travel route (S6: No). For example, while the AGV1 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes a process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, while the AGV2 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes a process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, while the AGV3 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes the process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route. The control unit 11 repeatedly executes the above process for each AGV until each AGV reaches the destination position. Each time each AGV receives map data from the management server 1, it generates a section travel route corresponding to the map data.

[0071] As described above, the traveling system 10 according to the first embodiment is a traveling system that guides the first automatic traveling device 2 by a first guidance method (tag method) that detects and guides a plurality of tags (code tags Tg) arranged on a floor surface, and guides the second automatic traveling device 2 by a second guidance method (guideless method, line guide method) different from the first guidance method. In addition, the traveling system 10 registers map data D4 (see FIG. 7) including the arrangement information of a plurality of tags, and sets the arrangement information of a plurality of control points (virtual tags) in the travelable area of ​​the second automatic traveling device 2 in the map data D4. In addition, the traveling system 10 generates a first traveling route that causes the first automatic traveling device 2 to travel by sequentially following the tags, and a second traveling route that causes the second automatic traveling device 2 to travel by sequentially following the control points, so that the first automatic traveling device 2 and the second automatic traveling device 2 do not interfere with each other.

[0072] According to the above configuration, it becomes possible to control the traveling of a plurality of automatic driving devices 2 with different guidance methods within the same area.

[0073] <Second embodiment> Hereinafter, a traveling system 10 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Note that in the second embodiment, the description of the same configuration as that described in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0074] Incidentally, in a conventional traveling system, a traveling route from a start point to a destination is set in advance, and the automatic traveling device travels according to the set traveling route, or when an obstacle is detected, the automatic traveling device travels along an avoidance route to avoid the obstacle. Here, when multiple automatic traveling devices travel in the same area, the traveling route from the start point to the destination of each automatic traveling device must be set in advance so that the automatic traveling devices do not interfere with each other, which increases the processing load. In addition, if the traveling routes of each automatic traveling device are close to each other, there is a possibility that the automatic traveling devices will come into contact with each other. In contrast, the traveling system 10 according to the second embodiment has a configuration that allows multiple automatic traveling devices to travel while suppressing the processing load and avoiding contact between the automatic traveling devices, as shown below.

[0075] The travel system 10 according to the second embodiment is a travel system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices 2 to travel based on the detection result of detecting a plurality of tags (code tags Tg) placed on the floor surface. That is, the travel system 10 controls the travel of a plurality of tag-based automatic traveling devices 2.

[0076] Specifically, the generation processing unit 113 generates a section travel route for each automatic driving device 2. For example, the generation processing unit 113 generates a section travel route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of the entire travel route from the current position of the first automatic driving device 2 to the destination position, such that the section travel route of the first automatic driving device 2 does not overlap with the section travel route generated for another second automatic driving device 2. Note that a method for determining the length of the section travel route corresponding to each automatic driving device 2 will be described later in <Third embodiment>.

[0077] The generation processing unit 113 generates a section travel route on the entire travel route, the section travel route length being determined from the section start position. In Fig. 13, "r1" indicates the section travel route set for AGV1, "r2" indicates the section travel route set for AGV2, and "r3" indicates the section travel route set for AGV3.

[0078] Here, for example, when multiple automated driving devices 2 travel along section travel routes close to each other, there is a possibility that the automated driving devices 2 may come into contact with each other.

[0079] Therefore, the setting processing unit 112 sets a first tag included in the section travel route generated for the first automatic traveling device 2 and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic traveling device 2 from traveling. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the setting processing unit 112 sets a plurality of code tags Tg1 included in the section travel route r1 generated for the AGV1 and a plurality of code tags Tg2 arranged within a predetermined range from each of the plurality of code tags Tg1 as prohibited points that prohibit the traveling of other AGVs. Similarly, the setting processing unit 112 sets prohibited points that prohibit the traveling of other AGVs for each of AGV2 and AGV3.

[0080] In addition, the setting processing unit 112 sets the first tag and the second tag arranged within a predetermined range according to the external size of the first automatic traveling device 2 as the prohibited points. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the AGV2 has a larger external size than other AGVs. In this case, if other AGVs travel near the AGV2, there is a high possibility that they will come into contact with each other. Therefore, the setting processing unit 112 sets a plurality of code tags Tg1 included in the section travel route r2 generated for the AGV2 and a plurality of code tags Tg2 arranged within a predetermined range (a range surrounded by a dotted frame) according to the external size of the AGV2 from each of the plurality of code tags Tg1 as prohibited points that prohibit the travel of other AGVs. The setting processing unit 112 widens the predetermined range as the external size of the automatic traveling device 2 becomes larger. That is, the setting processing unit 112 sets a larger number of prohibited points as the external size of the automatic traveling device 2 becomes larger.

[0081] In this manner, the generation processing unit 113 specifies a plurality of first tags and generates a route connecting the plurality of first tags as a section travel route of the automatic driving device 2. In addition, the setting processing unit 112 sets the plurality of first tags and the plurality of second tags arranged within a predetermined range from each of the plurality of first tags as prohibited points.

[0082] The range formed by the multiple prohibition points becomes a no-entry area that prohibits other AGVs from entering. In the example shown in Fig. 14, a no-entry area A1 is set for AGV1, a no-entry area A2 is set for AGV2, and a no-entry area A3 is set for AGV3.

[0083] The output processing unit 114 outputs identification information of a plurality of first tags corresponding to the section travel route and a plurality of second tags arranged within a predetermined range from each of the plurality of first tags to each of the plurality of automatic traveling devices 2. Specifically, the output processing unit 114 outputs map data M11 (see FIG. 15) including identification information of a plurality of first tags (code tags Tg corresponding to the section travel route) and second tags (code tags Tg2 corresponding to the prohibited points (travel prohibited tags)) corresponding to the section travel route to the AGV1, outputs map data M12 (see FIG. 16) including identification information of a plurality of first tags (code tags Tg corresponding to the section travel route) and second tags (code tags Tg2 corresponding to the prohibited points (travel prohibited tags)) corresponding to the section travel route to the AGV2, and outputs map data M13 (see FIG. 17) including identification information of a plurality of first tags (code tags Tg1 corresponding to the section travel route) and second tags (code tags Tg2 corresponding to the prohibited points (travel prohibited tags)) corresponding to the section travel route to the AGV3.

[0084] When AGV1 acquires map data M11, it travels along the section travel route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the first tag included in map data M11. When AGV2 acquires map data M12, it travels along the section travel route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the first tag included in map data M12. When AGV3 acquires map data M13, it travels along the section travel route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M13.

[0085] As described above, for multiple automatic driving devices 2 (AGV1, AGV2, AGV3) that travel using the tag system, the control unit 11 sets the first tag corresponding to the section driving route and the second tag located within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the driving of other automatic driving devices 2, and causes each automatic driving device 2 to travel according to the section driving route corresponding to the first tag.

[0086] [Driving process according to the second embodiment] Hereinafter, the driving process executed in the driving system 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0087] First, in step S11, the control unit 11 registers map data D4 including the placement information of multiple tags. For example, when tags (code tags Tg) are placed in a drivable area in a facility W1, the control unit 11 generates map data including the position coordinates (X coordinate and Y coordinate) of each tag in response to a registration operation by the user, and registers the map data in the storage unit 12.

[0088] Next, in step S12, the control unit 11 generates a travel route for each automatic driving device 2. For example, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3 interfere with each other based on the position coordinates of the code tags Tg corresponding to each of the AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3, and generates a section travel route so that the AGVs do not interfere with each other. For example, the control unit 11 generates a section travel route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of the entire travel route from the current position of the AGV1 to the destination position, so that the section travel route of the AGV1 does not overlap with the section travel route generated for the AGV2 and the section travel route generated for the AGV3.

[0089] Next, in step S13, the control unit 11 sets prohibited points (travel prohibition tags) that prohibit the travel of other automatic driving devices 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the control unit 11 sets a plurality of code tags Tg1 included in the section travel route r1 generated for the AGV1 and a plurality of code tags Tg2 arranged within a predetermined range from each of the plurality of code tags Tg1 as prohibited points that prohibit the travel of other AGVs.

[0090] Furthermore, the control unit 11 sets, as prohibited points, a first tag corresponding to the section travel route of the automatic traveling device 2 and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range according to the external size of the automatic traveling device 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the control unit 11 sets, as prohibited points that prohibit the travel of other AGVs, a plurality of code tags Tg1 included in the section travel route r2 generated for the AGV 2 and a plurality of code tags Tg2 arranged within a predetermined range from each of the plurality of code tags Tg1 according to the external size.

[0091] Next, in step S14, the control unit 11 generates map data for each automatic driving device 2. Here, the control unit 11 generates map data M11 (see FIG. 15) corresponding to the AGV1, map data M12 (see FIG. 16) corresponding to the AGV2, and map data M13 (see FIG. 17) corresponding to the AGV3.

[0092] Next, in step S15, the control unit 11 outputs a driving instruction to each automatic driving device 2. Specifically, the control unit 11 outputs a driving instruction including driving route information including an entire driving route and a section driving route to each automatic driving device 2. The control unit 11 also outputs map data M11 (see FIG. 15) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV1, outputs map data M12 (see FIG. 16) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV2, and outputs map data M13 (see FIG. 17) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV3.

[0093] When AGV1 receives the driving instructions including map data M11, it travels along the section driving route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M11. When AGV2 receives the driving instructions including map data M12, it travels along the section driving route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M12. When AGV3 receives the driving instructions including map data M13, it travels along the section driving route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M13.

[0094] Next, in step S16, the control unit 11 determines whether each automatic driving device 2 has finished traveling along the travel route. For example, the control unit 11 determines that each AGV has finished traveling when the traveling process corresponding to the transport request is completed. When each AGV has finished traveling along the travel route, the control unit 11 ends the traveling process (S16: Yes).

[0095] The control unit 11 repeats the processes of steps S12 to S15 until each AGV finishes traveling along the travel route (S16: No). For example, while the AGV1 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes a process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, while the AGV2 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes a process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, while the AGV3 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes the process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route. The control unit 11 repeatedly executes the above process for each AGV until each AGV reaches the destination position. Each time each AGV receives map data from the management server 1, it generates a section travel route corresponding to the map data.

[0096] As described above, the traveling system 10 according to the second embodiment is a traveling system that causes each of the multiple automatic traveling devices 2 to travel based on the detection result of detecting multiple tags arranged on the floor surface. In addition, the traveling system 10 generates a section traveling route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of the traveling route from the current position of the first automatic traveling device 2 to the destination position so that the section traveling route of the first automatic traveling device 2 does not overlap with the section traveling route generated for another second automatic traveling device 2, and sets a first tag included in the section traveling route generated for the first automatic traveling device 2 and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic traveling device 2 from traveling. In addition, the traveling system 10 sets a first tag included in the section traveling route of the first automatic traveling device 2 and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range according to the external size of the first automatic traveling device 2 as prohibited points.

[0097] According to the above configuration, when multiple automatic driving devices 2 travel in the same area, a section driving route of a predetermined length is generated for each automatic driving device 2 so that the automatic driving devices do not interfere with each other, so that the processing load can be reduced compared to a conventional configuration in which an entire driving route from the start point to the destination of each automatic driving device is generated and updated. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, a prohibited point that prohibits the driving of other automatic driving devices 2 is set according to the driving route (section driving route) of the automatic driving device 2, so that when the driving routes of the automatic driving devices 2 are close to each other, contact between the automatic driving devices can be avoided.

[0098] <Third embodiment> Hereinafter, a traveling system 10 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Note that in the third embodiment, the description of the same configuration as that described in the first and second embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0099] By the way, in the conventional traveling system, a travel route from a start point to a destination is set in advance, and the automatic traveling device travels according to the set travel route, or when an obstacle is detected, the automatic traveling device travels along an avoidance route to avoid the obstacle. Here, when multiple automatic traveling devices travel in the same area, the travel route from the start point to the destination of each automatic traveling device is set in advance so that the automatic traveling devices do not interfere with each other. In addition, when the travel route of the first automatic traveling device is set, for example, the travel route is set as a no-entry area that prohibits the entry of other automatic traveling devices. In the above conventional method, for example, when the entire travel route from the start point corresponding to the first automatic traveling device to the destination is set as a no-entry area, the travelable area of ​​the other automatic traveling devices becomes narrow, and a problem occurs in which the travel efficiency of the entire plurality of automatic traveling devices decreases. In contrast, the traveling system 10 according to the third embodiment has a configuration that can improve the travel efficiency of the entire plurality of automatic traveling devices, as shown below.

[0100] The travel system 10 according to the third embodiment is a travel system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices 2 to travel based on the detection result of detecting a plurality of tags placed on a floor surface. That is, the travel system 10 controls the travel of a plurality of tag-based automatic traveling devices 2.

[0101] Moreover, the traveling system 10 according to the third embodiment has a configuration for determining the length of the section traveling route described in the second embodiment.

[0102] The generation processing unit 113 (an example of a determination processing unit of the present disclosure) determines the length of a first section driving route that constitutes part of a first overall driving route from the current position of the first automatic driving device 2 to a destination position, based on the positions of overlapping tags, among a plurality of first tags included in the first overall driving route, that overlap with a plurality of second tags included in a second section driving route set in the second automatic driving device 2.

[0103] Specifically, the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the first section travel route based on the total number of non-overlapping tags that do not overlap with the second tag and are located between the first tag corresponding to the current position of the first automatic driving device 2 and the first tag immediately preceding the overlapping tag. In addition, the generation processing unit 113 generates the first section travel route so that the first section travel route does not overlap with the second section travel route set in the second automatic driving device 2.

[0104] A specific example will be described with reference to the conceptual diagram of FIG. 19. In the example shown in FIG. 19, it is assumed that a section travel route from tag "6" to tag "10" is set for AGV1. The generation processing unit 113 determines the optimal length of the section travel route for the entire travel route from tag "24" to tag "4" for AGV2. For example, the tag "9" among the tags included in the entire travel route of AGV2 overlaps with the tag included in the section travel route of AGV1. That is, the tag "9" corresponds to a duplicate tag. In this case, the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the section travel route of AGV2 based on the total number of non-duplicate tags immediately before the duplicate tag "9". Here, the tags "19" and "14" immediately before the duplicate tag "9" correspond to non-duplicate tags. For this reason, the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the section travel route of AGV2 (the length of two tags) based on the positions of the two tags.

[0105] When multiple automated driving devices 2 are included in the same area (here, facility W1), the generation processing unit 113 sequentially executes processing to determine the length of the section travel route for each of the multiple automated driving devices 2. For example, after determining the length of the section travel route of AGV1, the generation processing unit 113 next determines the length of the section travel route of AGV2 based on the section travel route of AGV1, and then determines the length of the section travel route of AGV3 based on the section travel route of AGV1 and the section travel route of AGV2.

[0106] Here, the generation processing unit 113 may execute the process of determining the length of the section travel route for each of the multiple automated driving devices 2 in order according to the priority.

[0107] For example, the generation processing unit 113 executes a process of determining the length of the section driving route in descending order of the external size of the automatic driving device 2. That is, the generation processing unit 113 determines the order of the automatic driving devices 2 for which the length of the section driving route is to be determined based on the priority of the external size. This allows, for example, the section driving route of a large automatic driving device 2 having a large external size to be set longer, so that the large automatic driving device 2 can be given priority in driving.

[0108] As another embodiment, the generation processing unit 113 may execute a process of determining the length of the section travel path in the order in which travel instructions (transportation requests) are output to each of the multiple automatic traveling devices 2. For example, when transport requests are output in the order of AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3, the generation processing unit 113 first determines the length of the section travel path of AGV1, then determines the length of the section travel path of AGV2 based on the section travel path of AGV1, and finally determines the length of the section travel path of AGV3 based on the section travel path of AGV1 and the section travel path of AGV2. This allows, for example, the section travel path of the automatic traveling device 2 to which the transport request is output first to be set longer, so that the automatic traveling device 2 can be given priority in traveling.

[0109] When the generation processing unit 113 generates a section driving route for the first automatic driving device 2, the setting processing unit 112 sets the section driving route set for the first automatic driving device 2 as a no-entry area that prohibits entry of other automatic driving devices 2.

[0110] In addition, the setting processing unit 112 sets the no-entry area according to the external size of the automatic driving device 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 20, when the external size of the AGV 2 is large, the setting processing unit 112 sets tags located within a predetermined range from tags included in the section driving route as no-entry tags, thereby setting the no-entry area E1.

[0111] When a no-entry area E1 is set, the generation processing unit 113 generates section travel routes for other automatic driving devices 2 based on non-duplicate tags at positions that do not overlap with tags included in the no-entry area. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the section travel route for AGV3 based on the total number of non-duplicate tags immediately before the duplicate tag "18". Here, the tag "17" immediately before the duplicate tag "18" corresponds to a non-duplicate tag. For this reason, the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the section travel route for AGV3 (the length of one tag) based on the position of one tag.

[0112] When the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the first section travel route of the first automatic driving device 2, it sets the first section travel route as the travel route along which the first automatic driving device 2 should travel next.

[0113] The driving process executed in the driving system 10 according to the third embodiment is similar to the driving process executed in the driving system 10 according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 18), except for the process of determining the length of the section driving route.

[0114] In the driving process executed in the driving system 10 according to the third embodiment, the control unit 11, in the process of generating a driving route (section driving route) (corresponding to step S12 in FIG. 18), determines the length of the first section driving route based on the total number of non-overlapping tags that do not overlap with the second tag and are located between the first tag corresponding to the current position of the first automatic driving device 2 and the first tag immediately preceding the overlapping tag. The control unit 11 determines the length of the section driving route for each of the multiple automatic driving devices 2 in turn.

[0115] As described above, the traveling system 10 according to the third embodiment is a traveling system that causes each of the multiple automatic traveling devices 2 to travel based on the detection result of detecting multiple tags arranged on the floor surface. In addition, the traveling system 10 determines the length of a first section traveling route that constitutes a part of a first overall traveling route from the current position of the first automatic traveling device 2 to a destination position based on the positions of overlapping tags that overlap multiple second tags included in a second section traveling route set in the second automatic traveling device 2 among multiple first tags included in the first overall traveling route, and sets the first section traveling route of the determined length as the traveling route on which the first automatic traveling device 2 should travel next.

[0116] According to the above configuration, a section driving route of an appropriate length can be generated for each automated driving device 2, so that it is possible to improve the driving efficiency of the entire multiple automated driving devices.

[0117] The traveling system 10 according to the third embodiment may include a guideless type automatic traveling device 2 and a line guide type automatic traveling device 2. In this case, the control unit 11 determines the length of the section traveling route of each automatic traveling device 2 based on the position of the code tag Tg corresponding to the virtual tag.

[0118] As another embodiment, the generation processing unit 113 may determine the length of the section travel route based on information on a portion of the entire travel route that is within a predetermined judgment length from the section start position. For example, the generation processing unit 113 may employ any one of the first to fifth determination methods described below. Furthermore, the generation processing unit 113 may combine the above-mentioned determination method with any one of the first to fifth determination methods described below.

[0119] (1st determination method) In the first determination method, the positions of specific intersections at which multiple passages intersect and at which multiple automated driving devices 2 are likely to intersect are registered in advance. If the specific intersection does not exist within the determined length from the section start position in the entire driving route, the generation processing unit 113 sets a first length as the section driving route length, and if the specific intersection exists within the determined length from the section start position, sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section driving route length.

[0120] (Second determination method) In the second determination method, high-speed travel passages along which the automated driving device 2 travels at high speeds and low-speed travel passages along which the automated driving device 2 travels at low speeds are registered in advance among a plurality of passages. Then, the generation processing unit 113 sets a first length as the section travel route length when the low-speed travel passage is not included in a portion of the entire travel route within the determined length from the section start position, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section travel route length when the low-speed travel passage is included in a portion of the entire travel route within the determined length from the section start position.

[0121] (3rd determination method) In the third determination method, high-speed driving areas in which the automated driving device 2 is driven at high speeds and low-speed driving areas in which the automated driving device 2 is driven at low speeds are registered in advance. Then, when a portion of the entire driving route within the determination length from the section start position is not included in the low-speed driving area, the generation processing unit 113 sets a first length as the section driving route length, and when a portion within the determination length from the section start position is included in the low-speed driving area, the generation processing unit 113 sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section driving route length.

[0122] (4th determination method) In the fourth determination method, when there is no right / left turn point within the determined length from the section start position in the overall driving route, the generation processing unit 113 sets a first length as the section driving route length, and when the right / left turn point is present within the determined length from the section start position, the generation processing unit 113 sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section driving route length.

[0123] (5th determination method) In the fifth determination method, the generation processing unit 113 determines a high-density area where the probability of an intersection occurring is higher than a threshold value based on the current positions of all automatic driving devices 2. Then, when a portion of the entire driving route within the determined length from the section start position is not included in the high-density area, the generation processing unit 113 sets a first length as the section driving route length, and when a portion within the determined length from the section start position is included in the high-density area, the generation processing unit 113 sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section driving route length.

[0124] The generation processing unit 113 may determine the length of the section travel route (section travel route length) by any of the above methods.

[0125] <Fourth embodiment> Hereinafter, a traveling system 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Note that in the fourth embodiment, the description of the same configuration as that described in the first, second, and third embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0126] In the conventional traveling system, when multiple automatic traveling devices travel in the same area, for example, a specific automatic traveling device may temporarily stop on the travel route. In this case, if the automatic traveling device stops at an arbitrary position, a problem occurs in that it interferes with the travel of the other automatic traveling devices. In response to this, the traveling system 10 according to the fourth embodiment has a configuration that can appropriately set the stop position when stopping the automatic traveling device so as not to interfere with the travel of each automatic traveling device, as shown below.

[0127] The travel system 10 according to the fourth embodiment is a travel system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices 2 to travel based on the detection result of detecting a plurality of tags (code tags Tg) placed on a floor surface. That is, the travel system 10 controls the travel of a plurality of tag-based automatic traveling devices 2.

[0128] As in the second embodiment, the generation processing unit 113 generates a section driving route of a predetermined length that constitutes part of the entire driving route from the current position of the first automatic driving device 2 to the destination position, such that the section driving route of the first automatic driving device 2 does not overlap with the section driving route generated for another second automatic driving device 2.

[0129] The setting processing unit 112 sets, for each of the multiple tags, control information indicating whether to permit or prohibit the automatic driving device 2 from stopping at the tag. Specifically, the setting processing unit 112 sets, for the tag, control information indicating whether to permit or prohibit stopping, based on the result of the determination as to whether the automatic driving device 2 will interfere with the traveling of other automatic driving devices 2 when it stops at a specific tag.

[0130] For example, the setting processing unit 112 registers map data D5 including control information for multiple tags. An example of the map data D5 is shown in Fig. 21. As shown in Fig. 21, the setting processing unit 112 registers, for each tag, the type of AGV that can be stopped (is allowed to be stopped) at that tag. The type of AGV registered in the map data D5 is an example of the control information.

[0131] For example, the setting processing unit 112 allows a small AGV with a small external size to stop with all tags, and allows a large AGV with a large external size to stop with only some of the tags. The external sizes are not limited to two types, and may be three or more types.

[0132] In this way, the setting processing unit 112 sets the control information in accordance with the external size of the automatic driving device 2.

[0133] Furthermore, the setting processing unit 112 sets the control information so that the distance between tags at which the automatic traveling device 2 can stop is wider than a reference value that is larger than the external size of the automatic traveling device 2. The reference value is a value obtained by adding a predetermined margin to the external size of the automatic traveling device 2. By adding the margin, for example, when large AGVs stop next to each other, it is possible to reliably prevent them from coming into contact with each other.

[0134] Furthermore, the setting processing unit 112 sets the control information so that the larger the external size of the automatic traveling device 2, the wider the interval between tags at which the automatic traveling device 2 can stop. For example, when multiple large AGVs are operated in the facility W1, the setting processing unit 112 sets tags at which the AGVs can stop so that the interval between the tags at which the AGVs can stop is wider.

[0135] The setting processing unit 112 also sets the control information so that the interval between tags at which an automatic traveling device 2 of a first external size (e.g., large size) can stop is wider than the interval between tags at which an automatic traveling device 2 of a second external size (e.g., small size) smaller than the first external size can stop. For example, the setting processing unit 112 sets the control information for a first group of tags among the multiple tags, which allows the automatic traveling device 2 of the second external size (small size) to stop and prohibits the automatic traveling device 2 of the first external size (large size) from stopping. The setting processing unit 112 also sets the control information for a second group of tags among the multiple tags, which allows the automatic traveling device 2 of the second external size (small size) to stop and allows the automatic traveling device 2 of the first external size (large size) to stop. In this way, the setting processing unit 112 sets the control information for each tag so that the number of tags at which an automatic traveling device 2 of a small size can stop increases and the number of tags at which an automatic traveling device 2 of a large size can stop decreases. For example, the setting processing unit 112 may allow all tags placed in the facility W1 to stop the small-sized autonomous driving device 2, and may allow some of all the tags to stop the large-sized autonomous driving device 2.

[0136] In this manner, the setting processing unit 112 sets the control information for each of the multiple tags placed in the facility W1.

[0137] The generation processing unit 113 generates the section travel route based on the control information. For example, the generation processing unit 113 determines the length of the section travel route so that the tag of the end position of the section travel route does not match a tag (stop prohibition tag) at which the automatic traveling device 2 is prohibited from stopping. Specifically, when the tag of the end position of the section travel route matches a stop prohibition tag, the generation processing unit 113 shortens the length of the section travel route to a position where the tag of the end position of the section travel route matches a stop permission tag. This makes it possible to avoid the automatic traveling device 2 traveling the section travel route and stopping at the stop prohibition tag.

[0138] [Driving process according to the fourth embodiment] Hereinafter, the driving process executed in the driving system 10 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0139] First, in step S31, the control unit 11 registers map data D4 including the placement information of multiple tags. For example, when tags (code tags Tg) are placed in a drivable area in a facility W1, the control unit 11 generates map data including the position coordinates (X coordinate and Y coordinate) of each tag in response to a registration operation by the user, and registers the map data in the storage unit 12.

[0140] Next, in step S32, the control unit 11 sets control information for the tag. Specifically, the control unit 11 sets control information indicating whether to permit or prohibit stopping at a specific tag based on a determination result of whether the automatic traveling device 2 will interfere with the traveling of other automatic traveling devices 2 when stopped at the specific tag. For example, as shown in Fig. 21, the control unit 11 registers the type of AGV that can stop (is permitted to stop) at the tag for each tag placed in the facility W1.

[0141] Next, in step S33, the control unit 11 generates a travel route for each automatic driving device 2. For example, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3 interfere with each other based on the position coordinates of the code tags Tg corresponding to each of the AGV1, AGV2, and AGV3, and generates a section travel route so that the AGVs do not interfere with each other. For example, the control unit 11 generates a section travel route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of the entire travel route from the current position of the AGV1 to the destination position, so that the section travel route of the AGV1 does not overlap with the section travel route generated for the AGV2 and the section travel route generated for the AGV3.

[0142] Furthermore, the control unit 11 determines the length of the section travel route so that the tag at the end position of the section travel route does not match a tag (stop prohibition tag) that prohibits the automatic traveling device 2 from stopping. Specifically, when the tag at the end position of the section travel route matches the stop prohibition tag, the control unit 11 shortens the length of the section travel route to a position where the tag at the end position of the section travel route matches the stop permission tag. In this way, the control unit 11 generates the section travel route so that the AGVs do not interfere with each other and the tag at the end position of the section travel route does not match the stop prohibition tag. Note that the control unit 11 may determine the length of the section travel route by adding processing of the configuration shown in the third embodiment described above to the processing of step S33.

[0143] Next, in step S34, the control unit 11 generates map data for each automatic driving device 2. Here, the control unit 11 may execute the process of setting prohibited points (travel prohibited tags) shown in the above-mentioned second embodiment. In this case, the control unit 11 generates map data M11 (see FIG. 15) corresponding to the AGV1, map data M12 (see FIG. 16) corresponding to the AGV2, and map data M13 (see FIG. 17) corresponding to the AGV3.

[0144] Next, in step S35, the control unit 11 outputs a driving instruction to each automatic driving device 2. Specifically, the control unit 11 outputs a driving instruction including driving route information including an entire driving route and a section driving route to each automatic driving device 2. The control unit 11 also outputs map data M11 (see FIG. 15) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV1, outputs map data M12 (see FIG. 16) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV2, and outputs map data M13 (see FIG. 17) including identification information of multiple tags (code tags Tg) corresponding to the section driving routes to the AGV3.

[0145] When AGV1 receives the driving instructions including map data M11, it travels along the section driving route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M11. When AGV2 receives the driving instructions including map data M12, it travels along the section driving route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M12. When AGV3 receives the driving instructions including map data M13, it travels along the section driving route based on the position coordinates corresponding to the tag included in map data M13.

[0146] Next, in step S36, the control unit 11 determines whether each automatic driving device 2 has finished traveling along the travel route. For example, the control unit 11 determines that each AGV has finished traveling when the traveling process corresponding to the transport request is completed. When each AGV has finished traveling along the travel route, the control unit 11 ends the traveling process (S36: Yes).

[0147] The control unit 11 repeats the processes of steps S33 to S35 until each AGV finishes traveling along the travel route (S36: No). For example, while the AGV1 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes a process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, while the AGV2 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes a process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route, while the AGV3 is traveling along the section travel route, the control unit 11 repeatedly executes the process of generating a next section travel route by setting the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route. The control unit 11 repeatedly executes the above process for each AGV until each AGV reaches the destination position. Each time each AGV receives map data from the management server 1, it generates a section travel route corresponding to the map data.

[0148] As described above, the traveling system 10 according to the fourth embodiment is a traveling system that causes each of the multiple automatic traveling devices 2 to travel based on the detection result of detecting multiple tags arranged on the floor surface. In addition, the traveling system 10 generates a section traveling route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of the traveling route from the current position of the automatic traveling device 2 to the destination position so that the section traveling route of the automatic traveling device 2 does not overlap with the section traveling route set for another automatic traveling device 2, and sets control information for each of the multiple tags indicating whether the automatic traveling device 2 is permitted or prohibited from stopping at the tag. In addition, the traveling system 10 sets the control information in accordance with the external size of the automatic traveling device 2.

[0149] According to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately set the stopping position when stopping the automatic driving device 2 so as not to interfere with the traveling of each automatic driving device 2. As a result, when multiple automatic driving devices 2 are traveling in the same area, even if a specific automatic driving device 2 temporarily stops on the traveling route, it is possible to prevent the traveling of the other automatic driving devices 2 from being interfered with.

[0150] The traveling system 10 according to the fourth embodiment may include a guideless type automatic traveling device 2 and a line guide type automatic traveling device 2. In this case, the control unit 11 sets the control information for the virtual tag.

[0151] Furthermore, the traveling system 10 according to the present disclosure may be in a form that combines at least two or more of the above-described first to fourth embodiments.

[0152] [Disclosure Note 1] Below, an outline of the disclosure extracted from the above-mentioned first embodiment will be described. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following notes can be selected and combined as desired.

[0153] <Appendix 1> A traveling system that guides a first automatic traveling device by a first guidance method that detects a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface and guides a second automatic traveling device by a second guidance method different from the first guidance method, a registration processing unit that registers map data including arrangement information of the plurality of tags; a setting processing unit that sets arrangement information of a plurality of control points in a travelable area of ​​the second automated driving device in the map data; a generation processing unit that generates a first driving route for causing the first automatic traveling device to travel by sequentially tracing the tags and a second driving route for causing the second automatic traveling device to travel by sequentially tracing the control points so that the first automatic traveling device and the second automatic traveling device do not interfere with each other; A driving system comprising:

[0154] <Appendix 2> the generation processing unit determines whether or not the first automatic driving device and the second automatic driving device interfere with each other when the first automatic driving device is located at any of the positions of the plurality of tags and the second automatic driving device is located at any of the positions of the plurality of control points; 2. A driving system according to claim 1.

[0155] <Appendix 3> The generation processing unit generates the first driving route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a driving route from a current position of the first automatic driving device to a destination position so as not to overlap with the second driving route of the second automatic driving device. 3. A driving system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0156] <Appendix 4> the generation processing unit generates the second driving route by setting the control points included in a predetermined range where the interference may occur from the tag corresponding to the first driving route as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic driving device from traveling. 4. A running system as described in appendix 3.

[0157] <Appendix 5> The generation processing unit includes: While the first automated driving device is traveling along the first driving route, a process of generating a next first driving route is repeatedly performed by setting an end position of the first driving route as a start position of the next first driving route; While the second automatic traveling device is traveling along the second traveling route, a process of generating a next second traveling route is repeatedly performed by setting an end position of the second traveling route as a start position of the next second traveling route. 5. A driving system according to claim 3 or 4.

[0158] <Appendix 6> an output processing unit that outputs identification information of the plurality of tags corresponding to the first driving route to the first automatic driving device, and outputs identification information of the plurality of control points corresponding to the second driving route to the second automatic driving device; A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 5.

[0159] <Appendix 7> The second guidance method is at least one of a guidance method for guiding the second automatic traveling device by causing the second automatic traveling device to travel along a guide member based on a detection result of detecting a linear guide member arranged along a route on a floor surface, and a guidance method for guiding the second automatic traveling device based on a self-position estimated based on measurement data of the surrounding environment. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 6.

[0160] [Disclosure Note 2] The following is an outline of the disclosure extracted from the above-described second embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be arbitrarily combined by selecting them.

[0161] <Appendix 1> A traveling system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface, a generation processing unit that generates a section travel route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a travel route from a current position of a first automatic traveling device to a destination position, such that the section travel route of the first automatic traveling device does not overlap with the section travel route generated for another second automatic traveling device; a setting processing unit that sets a first tag included in the section travel route generated for the first automatic driving device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic driving device from traveling; A driving system comprising:

[0162] <Appendix 2> the setting processing unit sets the first tag corresponding to the section travel route of the first automatic traveling device and the second tag arranged in the predetermined range according to an external size of the first automatic traveling device to the prohibited points. 2. A driving system according to claim 1.

[0163] <Appendix 3> The setting processing unit widens the predetermined range as the external size of the first automatic traveling device becomes larger. 2. A running system as described in appendix 2.

[0164] <Appendix 4> the generation processing unit specifies a plurality of the first tags and generates a route connecting the plurality of the first tags as the section travel route of the first automated driving device; the setting processing unit sets the plurality of first tags and the plurality of second tags arranged within the predetermined range from each of the plurality of first tags as the prohibited points. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 3.

[0165] <Appendix 5> and an output processing unit that outputs, to each of the plurality of automated driving devices, identification information of the plurality of first tags corresponding to the section driving route and the plurality of second tags arranged within the predetermined range from each of the plurality of first tags. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 4.

[0166] <Appendix 6> the generation processing unit repeatedly executes a process of generating the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the first automated driving device is traveling on the first section travel route. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 5.

[0167] [Disclosure Note 3] The following is an outline of the disclosure extracted from the above-described third embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be arbitrarily combined by selecting them.

[0168] <Appendix 1> A traveling system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface, a determination processing unit that determines a length of a first section travel route constituting a part of a first travel route from a current position of a first automatic traveling device to a destination position based on positions of overlapping tags that overlap with a plurality of second tags included in a second section travel route set in a second automatic traveling device, among a plurality of first tags included in the first travel route; a generation processing unit that sets the first section travel route having the length determined by the determination processing unit as a travel route on which the first automated driving device should travel next; A driving system comprising:

[0169] <Appendix 2> the determination processing unit determines a length of the first section travel route based on a total number of non-overlapping tags that do not overlap with the second tag and are located between the first tag corresponding to the current position of the first automatic traveling device and the first tag immediately before the overlapping tag; 2. A driving system according to claim 1.

[0170] <Appendix 3> the generation processing unit generates the first section travel route such that the first section travel route does not overlap with a second section travel route set in the second automatic driving device. 3. A driving system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0171] <Appendix 4> the determination processing unit sequentially executes a process of determining a length of a section travel route for each of the plurality of automated driving devices. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 3.

[0172] <Appendix 5> the determination processing unit executes a process of determining the length of the section travel route for each of the plurality of automated driving devices in an order according to priority. 5. A running system as described in appended claim 4.

[0173] <Appendix 6> the determination processing unit executes a process of determining a length of the section travel route in descending order of external size of the automated driving device. 6. A driving system as described in appended claim 5.

[0174] <Appendix 7> the determination processing unit executes a process of determining a length of the section travel route in the order in which travel instructions are output to each of the plurality of automated driving devices. 7. A driving system according to claim 5 or 6.

[0175] <Appendix 8> A setting processing unit is further provided that sets the first section travel route set for the first automatic driving device to an entry prohibited area that prohibits entry of other automatic driving devices. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 7.

[0176] [Disclosure Note 4] The following will provide an outline of the disclosure extracted from the above-described fourth embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be selected and combined as desired.

[0177] <Appendix 1> A traveling system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface, a generation processing unit that generates a section driving route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a driving route from a current position of the automatic traveling device to a destination position, such that the section driving route of the automatic traveling device does not overlap with the section driving route set for another automatic traveling device; a setting processing unit that sets, in each of the plurality of tags, control information indicating whether the automatic driving device is permitted or prohibited from stopping at the tag; A driving system comprising:

[0178] <Appendix 2> the setting processing unit sets the control information in accordance with an external size of the automatic driving device. 2. A driving system according to claim 1.

[0179] <Appendix 3> the setting processing unit sets the control information so that a distance between the tags at which the automatic traveling device can stop is wider than a reference value that is larger than an outer size of the automatic traveling device. 2. A driving system as described in appendix 2.

[0180] <Appendix 4> the setting processing unit sets the control information such that the larger the external size of the automatic traveling device is, the wider the interval between the tags at which the automatic traveling device can be stopped is. 4. A driving system according to claim 2 or 3.

[0181] <Appendix 5> the setting processing unit sets the control information so that an interval between the tags at which the automatic traveling device of a first external size can stop is wider than an interval between the tags at which the automatic traveling device of a second external size smaller than the first external size can stop. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 2 to 4.

[0182] <Appendix 6> The setting processing unit: Set the control information for permitting the automatic traveling device of the second external size to stop and prohibiting the automatic traveling device of the first external size from stopping in a first group of tags among the plurality of tags; and setting the control information for permitting the automatic traveling device of the second external size to stop and permitting the automatic traveling device of the first external size to stop in a second group of tags among the plurality of tags. 6. A driving system as described in appended claim 5.

[0183] <Appendix 7> the setting processing unit sets the control information for each of the plurality of tags. A traveling system according to any one of appendix 1 to 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0184] 1: Management Server 2: Automatic driving device 10: Driving system 11: Control section 12: Storage section 13: Operation display section 14: Communications Department 111: Registration processing unit 112: Setting processing section 113: Generation processing unit 114: Output processing section A1: No entry area A2: No entry area A3: No entry area D1: Product Information D2: Order Information D3: Delivery information D4: Map data D5: Map data E1: No entry area M1: Map data M11: Map data M12: Map data M13: Map data M2: Map data M3: Map data Lg: Magnetic tape Rf: RFID tag Tg :Code tag Tg1 : Code tag Tg2 : Code tag r1: Section driving route r2: Section driving route

Claims

1. A traveling system that causes each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface, a generation processing unit that generates a section travel route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a travel route from a current position of a first automatic traveling device to a destination position, such that the section travel route of the first automatic traveling device does not overlap with the section travel route generated for another second automatic traveling device; a setting processing unit that sets a first tag included in the section travel route generated for the first automatic driving device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic driving device from traveling; A driving system comprising:

2. the setting processing unit sets the first tag corresponding to the section travel route of the first automatic traveling device and the second tag arranged in the predetermined range according to an outer size of the first automatic traveling device as the prohibited points. A running system according to claim 1.

3. The setting processing unit widens the predetermined range as the external size of the first automatic traveling device becomes larger. A running system according to claim 2.

4. the generation processing unit specifies a plurality of the first tags and generates a route connecting the plurality of the first tags as the section travel route of the first automated driving device; the setting processing unit sets a plurality of the first tags and a plurality of the second tags arranged within the predetermined range from each of the plurality of the first tags as the prohibited points. A running system according to claim 1.

5. an output processing unit that outputs, to each of the plurality of automated driving devices, identification information of the plurality of first tags corresponding to the section driving route and the plurality of second tags arranged within the predetermined range from each of the plurality of first tags; A running system according to claim 1.

6. the generation processing unit repeatedly executes a process of generating the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the first automated driving device is traveling on the first section travel route. A traveling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method for causing each of a plurality of automatic traveling devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface, comprising the steps of: generating a section travel route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a travel route from a current position of a first automatic traveling device to a destination position, such that the section travel route of the first automatic traveling device does not overlap with the section travel route generated for another second automatic traveling device; setting a first tag included in the section travel route generated for the first automatic driving device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic driving device from traveling; The method is executed by one or more processors.

8. A driving program for causing each of a plurality of automatic driving devices to travel based on a detection result of detecting a plurality of tags arranged on a floor surface, generating a section travel route of a predetermined length constituting a part of a travel route from a current position of a first automatic traveling device to a destination position, such that the section travel route of the first automatic traveling device does not overlap with the section travel route generated for another second automatic traveling device; setting a first tag included in the section travel route generated for the first automatic driving device and a second tag arranged within a predetermined range from the first tag as prohibited points that prohibit the second automatic driving device from traveling; A running program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.

Images