Cargo handling system

Abstract

To provide a cargo handing system that can reduce cost.SOLUTION: A cargo handling system 100 includes: a monitoring part 40 that monitors at least one of a loading space 22 of a conveyance vehicle 20 stopped in a stop area E1 and the periphery of the loading space 22; and a determination part 61 that determines a state of the loading space 22 and a state of the periphery of the loading space 22 based on information acquired by the monitoring part 40. Here, the monitoring part 40 is provided at a position different from an industrial vehicle 1 at a work site 110, and has an image acquisition part 41 that acquires an image. In this way, the monitoring part 40 can acquire the image from the image acquisition part 41 provided not at the industrial vehicle 1 but at an equipment side. Therefore, the determination part 61 can determine the state of the loading space 22 and the state of the periphery of the loading space 22 based on the image acquired by the image acquisition part 41 of the equipment side. Therefore, in the cargo handling system 100, it is not necessary to provide each industrial vehicle 1 with a high-performance monitoring part for the determination part 61 to perform a determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cargo handling system. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional loading and unloading system is the loading and unloading system described in Patent Document 1. This conventional loading and unloading system is a system in which an industrial vehicle such as a forklift performs loading and unloading work on a transport vehicle. The loading and unloading system has a device for measuring distance as a ground device. The loading and unloading system measures the distance of a pallet on a loading platform, and transmits a loading and unloading command to the industrial vehicle based on the distance information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-195215 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional loading and unloading system, the ground equipment is equipped with a distance measuring unit that measures distance. However, there are cases where the situation of the transport vehicle and its surroundings cannot be fully grasped by distance alone. In such cases, it is necessary for on-site workers to make various judgments. Alternatively, there is a problem in that it is necessary to provide each industrial vehicle with a high-performance detection device, which increases costs.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a loading and unloading system that can reduce costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A loading and unloading system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a loading and unloading system in which an industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading work on a transport vehicle, and includes an industrial vehicle, a work area having a stopping area where the transport vehicle is stopped and in which the industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading work, a monitoring unit that monitors at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle stopped in the stopping area and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform, a judgment unit that judges the condition of the loading platform and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform based on information acquired by the monitoring unit, and a command unit that sends commands to the industrial vehicle based on the judgment result of the judgment unit, wherein the monitoring unit is provided at a position in the work area different from the industrial vehicle, and has an image acquisition unit that acquires images of at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle and the surrounding area of ​​the loading platform.

[0007] This loading and unloading system includes a monitoring unit that monitors at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle parked in the parking area and the surroundings of the loading platform, and a determination unit that determines the state of the loading platform and the surroundings of the loading platform based on information acquired by the monitoring unit. Here, the monitoring unit is provided at a position different from the industrial vehicle in the work site, and has an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle and the surroundings of the loading platform. In this way, the monitoring unit can acquire images from an image acquisition unit provided on the equipment side, not on the industrial vehicle. Therefore, the determination unit can determine the state of the loading platform and the surroundings of the loading platform based on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit on the equipment side. Therefore, in the loading and unloading system, it is not necessary to provide each industrial vehicle with a high-performance monitoring unit for the determination unit to make a determination. As a result, costs can be reduced.

[0008] The determination unit may perform the determination using artificial intelligence. In this case, the determination unit can determine the state of the platform of the transport vehicle and the state of the surroundings of the transport vehicle in more detail based on the obtained image.

[0009] When the determination unit determines that there is a person around the loading platform, the command unit may transmit a stop command to the industrial vehicle. In this case, it is possible to improve safety when there is a person around the loading platform.

[0010] The monitoring unit may further include a distance measuring unit that measures the distance to the object. In this case, the monitoring unit can determine the state of the platform of the transport vehicle and the state of the surroundings of the transport vehicle from both the image and the distance to the object. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, a loading and unloading system that can reduce costs can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an industrial vehicle having a cargo handling system according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a cargo handling system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of a cargo handling system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the block configuration of the cargo handling system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an image showing the state when the judgment unit makes a judgment using artificial intelligence. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 13]FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an industrial vehicle 1 according to the present disclosure. The industrial vehicle 1 is a vehicle that loads and unloads cargo W from a transport vehicle. A forklift is used as the industrial vehicle 1. There is no particular limitation on the type of forklift, and it may be either a reach type or a counter type. As shown in FIG. 1, the industrial vehicle 1 includes a traveling device 2, a loading device 3 that is disposed in front of the traveling device 2 and has a fork 13, and a traveling control unit that controls the traveling of the industrial vehicle 1.

[0014] The traveling device 2 has a vehicle body 4, front wheels 5 which are a pair of drive wheels arranged at the front of the vehicle body 4, and rear wheels 6 which are a pair of steering wheels arranged at the rear of the vehicle body 4. The vehicle body 4 is provided with a cab 7 which is formed by a frame including a head guard. Inside the cab 7, a lift operation lever used to operate the lift cylinder 14, a tilt operation lever used to operate the tilt cylinder 15, a steering wheel for steering the industrial vehicle 1, and the like are arranged. In addition, the traveling device 2 has a traveling motor which rotates the front wheels 5, and a steering motor which steers the rear wheels 6 by rotating the handle shaft of the industrial vehicle 1. In the industrial vehicle 1, the traveling motor rotates the front wheels 5, and the steering motor steers the rear wheels 6, thereby realizing traveling by the traveling device 2.

[0015] The cargo handling device 3 has a mast 11 attached to the front of the vehicle body 4, a pair of forks 13 attached to the mast 11 via lift brackets 12 and holding cargo W, a lift cylinder 14 for raising and lowering the forks 13, and a tilt cylinder 15 for tilting the mast 11. The forks 13 are attached so as to protrude forward from the lift brackets 12.

[0016] Next, the configuration of the loading / unloading system 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the loading / unloading system 100. Fig. 3 is a front view of the loading / unloading system 100. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the loading / unloading system 100. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the loading / unloading system 100 includes the above-mentioned industrial vehicle 1, a transport vehicle 20, a work site 110, ground equipment 70, and a server 60. The loading / unloading system 100 is a system that allows the industrial vehicle 1 to perform loading / unloading work on the transport vehicle 20.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 4, the industrial vehicle 1 includes a control unit 30, a reading unit 31, and an input unit 32. The control unit 30 is a device that controls the entire industrial vehicle 1. The control unit 30 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input / output interface, and the like. The control unit 30 includes a calculation unit 33 that performs various calculations, and a communication unit 34 that performs communication. The communication unit 34 can communicate with the ground equipment 70 and the server 60. The reading unit 31 is a device that can read various information. The reading unit 31 can read the identification information from the identification information assignment units 27 and 28 described below. The reading unit 31 may include an image acquisition unit such as a camera, a REID reader that reads a REID tag, and the like. There is no particular limitation on the position of the reading unit 31 on the industrial vehicle 1, and it is sufficient to provide the reading unit 31 at a position where the identification information assignment units 27 and 28 can be read. The input unit 32 is a device that can input various information to the industrial vehicle 1. The input unit 32 includes various switches, a touch panel, and the like.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, the transport vehicle 20 has a running section 21 and a loading platform 22 on which luggage W is loaded. In this embodiment, a truck is used as the transport vehicle 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the loading platform 22 has a floor section 23, a ceiling section 24, and a pair of wings 26. The pair of wings 26 open and close the sides of the loading platform 22. The wings 26 open and close using the ceiling section 24 as a hinge. A pallet PT on which luggage W is placed is placed on the floor section 23 of the loading platform 22.

[0019] The loading platform 22 is provided with an identification information providing unit 27 that provides identification information for identifying the transport vehicle 20. The pallet PT is provided with an identification information providing unit 28 that provides identification information for identifying the baggage W placed on the pallet PT. For example, a medium that can be read based on an image may be adopted as the identification information providing units 27, 28. For example, a QR code (registered trademark), a barcode, or the like may be adopted as the identification information providing units 27, 28. Alternatively, a medium that can be read by a reading device may be adopted as the identification information providing units 27, 28. For example, an RFID tag or the like may be adopted as the medium that can be read by the reading device. The identification information providing units 27, 28 are read by a reading unit 31 (see FIG. 4) provided in the industrial vehicle 1.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the work site 110 includes a stopping area E1, a waiting area E2, and a home position E3. This is an area where the transport vehicle 20 stops. The industrial vehicle 1 performs the task of unloading the baggage W loaded on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 stopped in the stopping area E1. The waiting area E2 is an area where the transport vehicle 20 waits. In the waiting area E2, the transport vehicle 20 waits until the stopping area E1 becomes available for stopping. The home position E3 is an area where the industrial vehicle 1 waits when it is not performing loading and unloading work.

[0021] The ground equipment 70 is equipment provided in a position different from the industrial vehicle 1 and the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110. The ground equipment 70 is not mounted on the industrial vehicle 1 and the transport vehicle 20, but is provided as a device on the equipment side. The ground equipment 70 includes a monitoring unit 40 and a control unit 50.

[0022] The monitoring unit 40 is a device that monitors at least one of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 stopped in the stopping area E1 and the surroundings of the loading platform 22. The monitoring unit 40 has an image acquisition unit 41 that acquires an image of at least one of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 and the surroundings of the loading platform 22, and a distance measurement unit 42 that measures the distance to an object. The monitoring unit 40 has a monitoring area DE. The monitoring area DE includes the stopping area E1, the waiting area E2, and the home position E3. In this embodiment, the loading system 100 has a pair of monitoring units 40. One monitoring unit 40 monitors one side of the transport vehicle 20. The other monitoring unit 40 monitors the other side of the transport vehicle 20. The position of the monitoring unit 40 is not particularly limited, but is provided at a position spaced upward from the ground so that the entire side of the transport vehicle 20 and the surroundings of the transport vehicle 20 can be monitored, as shown in FIG. 3. The image acquisition unit 41 is a device that acquires an image within the monitoring area DE. The image acquisition unit 41 is configured, for example, by a camera. The distance measurement unit 42 is a device that measures the distance to an object present in the monitoring area DE. The distance measurement unit 42 is configured, for example, by a 3D lidar or the like.

[0023] The control unit 50 is a device that controls the entire ground equipment 70. The control unit 50 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input / output interface, etc. The control unit 50 may be placed in a position in the work site 110 that does not interfere with loading and unloading operations. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 50 includes a calculation unit 51 that performs various calculations, and a communication unit 52 that performs communication. The communication unit 52 can communicate with the industrial vehicle 1 and a server 60.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the ground equipment 70 includes a display unit 43 and a terminal 44. The display unit 43 is a device that receives display information from the control unit 50 and displays it at the work site 110. A monitor, a touch panel, or the like can be used as the display unit 43. The display unit 43 may be provided at the position of the control unit 50 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), or may be provided at any position in the work site 110. The display unit 43 can visually display information such as whether or not loading and unloading work can be started, whether or not it has been temporarily stopped, and whether or not work has been completed. The terminal 44 is a device that allows a worker to input information at the work site 110. The terminal 44 transmits the input information to the control unit 50. A dedicated operation terminal, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like can be used as the terminal 44. The terminal 44 can receive button operations to indicate an intention to start or resume automatic driving.

[0025] The server 60 performs various information processing in the cargo handling system 100 and accumulates various information. The server 60 may be provided in the work site 110 or outside the work site 110. A cloud server or the like may be used as the server 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the server 60 includes a determination unit 61 and a command unit 62. The determination unit 61 determines the state of the loading platform 22 and the state around the loading platform 22 based on the information acquired by the monitoring unit 40. The determination unit 61 also performs the determination using artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence learns based on data that links past monitoring information of the monitoring unit 40 with the state corresponding to the data. For example, the artificial intelligence learns from image data acquired by the monitoring unit 40. As a result, the determination unit 61 and the command unit 62 transmit commands to the industrial vehicle 1 based on the determination result of the determination unit 61. However, there is no particular limitation as to where the determination unit 61 and the command unit 62 are provided within the cargo handling system 100 , and they may be provided in the control unit 50 or in ground equipment 70 separate from the control unit 50 .

[0026] The determination unit 61 performs a determination related to the loading and unloading work. Specifically, the determination unit 61 determines the presence or absence of the transport vehicle 20 in the stopping area E1 and the waiting area E2. The determination unit 61 determines the position of the transport vehicle 20 in each of the areas E1 and E2. The determination unit 61 determines the open / closed state of the wing 26 of the transport vehicle 20. The determination unit 61 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle on the loading platform 22. The determination unit 61 determines the platform height of the transport vehicle 20. In the following description, the determination of the state related to the transport vehicle 20 may be referred to as "determination of the state of the transport vehicle 20". The determination unit 61 also determines the presence or absence of an obstacle (a person such as a worker) around the transport vehicle 20. The determination unit 61 may perform these determination contents using both image data and distance data, but may also perform the determination only from image data using artificial intelligence or the like. The command unit 62 instructs the industrial vehicle 1 on the work contents of the loading and unloading work based on these determination results. The command unit 62 issues instructions regarding the placement of luggage, the loading and unloading order, the number of luggage, etc. Furthermore, if the determination unit 61 determines that there is a person around the loading platform 22, the command unit 62 transmits a stop command to the industrial vehicle 1. The determination unit 61 also determines information regarding the work status of the loading and unloading work. For example, the determination unit 61 determines whether loading and unloading work can be started and whether loading and unloading work has been completed.

[0027] The determination unit 61 may determine the destination based on the identification information of the pallet PT. The command unit 62 instructs the location where the luggage W is to be placed. The determination unit 61 also determines the shape of the pallet PT based on the pallet hole size included in the identification information, and the command unit 62 instructs the optimal fork width. The server 60 may manage how many luggage W is loaded on which transport vehicle 20 based on the identification information of the transport vehicle 20 and the identification information of the pallet PT. The determination unit 61 may determine which transport vehicle 20 is stopped based on the identification information of the transport vehicle 20 in the stopping area E1, and determine the luggage W from the managed information. Then, the command unit 62 instructs the unloading destination and automatically drives the vehicle. The command unit 62 also instructs the designated pallet load, the placement location, the stacking order, and the number of items to automatically drive the vehicle.

[0028] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the determination unit 61 determines the number of pallets on the loading platform 22 using a known technique based on image data of the loading platform 22 from the monitoring unit 40 using learned artificial intelligence. The command unit 62 transmits the number determination result to the industrial vehicle. This allows the industrial vehicle 1 performing automatic driving to determine the amount of work to be loaded and unloaded. Furthermore, if pallets PT are stacked, the determination unit 61 may determine which of the upper and lower pallets PT is to be loaded and unloaded. Note that by using a technique for determining the pallet PT using artificial intelligence, the determination unit 61 may determine the presence or absence of a person, the presence or absence of a transport vehicle 20, the position of the transport vehicle 20, the platform height, and the like based on the image data.

[0029] Next, an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 13. In this flowchart, the work contents of "truck (transport vehicle 20), person", "industrial vehicle", "ground equipment", and "server" are described in parallel. First, with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 10, the processing contents when the industrial vehicle 1 loads and unloads baggage W from the transport vehicle 20 by automatic driving will be described.

[0030] In a state where the process shown in FIG. 6 is started, the transport vehicle 20 is parked at the waiting area E2 (step S10). Also, the industrial vehicle 1 is waiting at the home position E3 (step S100). The monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S200). The determination unit 61 of the server 60 determines whether the transport vehicle 20 is present in the stopping area E1 (step S400). If it is determined that the transport vehicle 20 is present, the determination unit 61 repeats step S400 again. If it is determined that the transport vehicle 20 is not present, the command unit 62 issues a display command to the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 (step S410). The display unit 43 displays to the driver of the transport vehicle 20 that it is possible to move to the stopping area E1 (step S210). If it is determined that the transport vehicle 20 is present in the stopping area E1 in step S400, the display unit 43 may display that it is not possible to move to the stopping area E1. The transfer vehicle 20 moves to the stopping area E1 at any timing after the display (step S20).

[0031] The monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S220). The judgment unit 61 judges whether the position of the transfer vehicle 20 in the stopping area E1 is OK or not (step S420). If it is judged to be NG, the judgment unit 61 repeats step S420 again. If it is judged to be OK, the command unit 62 issues a display command to the display unit 43 (step S430). The display unit 43 displays to the driver of the transfer vehicle 20 that the position of the transfer vehicle 20 in the stopping area E1 is OK (step S230). Note that, if it is judged in step S420 that the position is NG, the display unit 43 may display that the position is NG. After the display, the transfer vehicle 20 completes stopping (step S30).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 7, the monitoring unit 40 reads the identification information of the identification information assigning unit 27 of the transportation vehicle 20 and transmits the read result to the server 60 (step S240). The determination unit 61 identifies the transportation vehicle 20 based on the read result (step S440). The transportation vehicle 20 opens the wing 26 at any timing after stopping (step S40). The monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S250). The determination unit 61 determines whether the wing 26 of the transportation vehicle 20 is open or not (step S450). If it is determined that it is closed, the determination unit 61 repeats step S450 again. If it is determined that it is open, the command unit 62 issues a display command to the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 (step S460). The display unit 43 displays to the driver of the transportation vehicle 20 that the wing 26 is open (step S260). If the position is determined to be NG in step S450, the display unit 43 may display that the wing 26 is closed.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 8, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result (step S250). The determination unit 61 determines various conditions related to the determination of the state of the transport vehicle 20 and determines whether the determination is possible (step S470). Obstacles such as people move away from the periphery of the transport vehicle 20 at any timing after the wings 26 open (step S50). If the determination is not possible, the determination unit 61 repeats step S470 until the determination is possible. The monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S280). The determination unit 61 determines whether there is an obstacle around the transport vehicle 20 and whether there is a possibility of a load collapse (step S480). If it is determined that there is an obstacle or a load collapse is possible, the command unit 62 issues a display command to the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 (step S490). The display unit 43 displays to the driver of the transport vehicle 20 whether there is an obstacle or a load collapse is possible (step S290). After the display of step S290, step S480 may be repeated to wait for the obstacle to move away and for the possibility of the load shifting to disappear. If it is determined in step S480 that there is neither an obstacle nor a possibility of the load shifting, step S490 is omitted.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 9, the industrial vehicle 1 judges whether or not it is in a state where it can be automatically driven (step S110). If it is not in a state where it can be automatically driven, step S110 is repeated. If it is in a state where it can be automatically driven, the industrial vehicle 1 notifies the server 60 of that effect (step S120). On the other hand, the judgment unit 61 judges whether or not the industrial vehicle 1 can be automatically driven (step S500). If it is determined that automatic driving is not possible, the judgment unit 61 repeats step S500. After receiving the notification in step S120, the judgment unit 61 judges that automatic driving is possible in step S500. At this time, the command unit 62 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 and the ground equipment 70 that automatic driving is possible (step S510). Also, in step S510, the command unit 62 transmits command data necessary for automatic driving to the industrial vehicle 1. After receiving the notification, the industrial vehicle 1 goes into a standby state for automatic driving (step S130). The ground equipment 70 prepares to start automatic operation by displaying a button "Start automatic operation" on the terminal and starting to accept pressing of the button (step S300). At any timing after this process, the worker presses the button (step S70). The ground equipment 70 determines whether or not the button has been pressed (step S310). If it is determined that the button has not been pressed, the ground equipment 70 repeats step S310. If it is determined that the button has been pressed, the ground equipment 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that the button has been pressed (step S320).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 10, the industrial vehicle 1 starts automatic driving based on the command data received in step S510 (step S140). The industrial vehicle 1 reads the identification information of the identification information assigning unit 28 provided on the pallet PT and transmits it to the server 60 (step S150). The determining unit 61 identifies pallet information such as the shipper, cargo type, weight, destination, and pallet hole size based on the identification information (step S520). The command unit 62 determines the loading / unloading position and fork width and transmits them to the industrial vehicle 1 (step S530). The industrial vehicle 1 performs loading / unloading work based on the information received in step S530 (step S160). This ends the processing shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 10.

[0036] Next, referring to FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, a process of temporarily stopping the transport vehicle 20 when an obstacle is detected around the transport vehicle 20 or when there is a possibility of cargo collapse during the automatic operation of the industrial vehicle 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S330). The determination unit 61 determines whether there is an obstacle around the transport vehicle 20 and whether there is a possibility of cargo collapse (step S540). If it is determined that there is no obstacle and there is no possibility of cargo collapse, the process of FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 ends, and step S330 is repeated again. If it is determined that there is an obstacle and there is a possibility of cargo collapse, the command unit 62 issues a display command to the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 (step S550). The display unit 43 displays to the work vehicle whether there is an obstacle or there is a possibility of cargo collapse (step S340). The command unit 62 also issues a command to temporarily stop the industrial vehicle 1 (step S560). At any time during this time, the work vehicle removes the obstacle (step S80).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 12, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S330). The determination unit 61 determines whether or not the obstacles around the transport vehicle 20 have disappeared and there is no longer a possibility of cargo collapse (step S570). If it is determined that there are obstacles and there is a possibility of cargo collapse, the determination unit 61 repeats step S570. If it is determined that there are obstacles and there is no longer a possibility of cargo collapse, the command unit 62 issues a display command to the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 (step S580). The display unit 43 displays to the work vehicle that there are no obstacles and there is no longer a possibility of cargo collapse (step S360).

[0038] As shown in FIG. 13, the judgment unit 61 judges whether the industrial vehicle 1 is capable of automatic driving (step S590). If it is judged that automatic driving is not possible, the judgment unit 61 repeats step S590. If it is judged that automatic driving is possible, the command unit 62 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 and the ground equipment 70 that automatic driving is possible (step S600). Also, in step S600, the command unit 62 transmits command data required for automatic driving to the industrial vehicle 1. After receiving the notification, the industrial vehicle 1 becomes in a standby state for automatic driving (step S170). The ground equipment 70 prepares to start automatic driving by displaying a button "Start automatic driving" on the terminal and starting to accept pressing of the button (step S370). At any timing after the process, the worker presses the button (step S90). The ground equipment 70 judges whether the button has been pressed (step S380). If it is judged that the button has not been pressed, the ground equipment 70 repeats step S380. When it is determined that the button has been pressed, the ground equipment 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that the button has been pressed (step S390). The industrial vehicle 1 resumes automatic driving based on the command data received in step S600 (step S180). This ends the processing shown in Figs. 11 to 13.

[0039] Next, the operation and effect of the cargo handling system 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0040] The loading system 100 includes a monitoring unit 40 that monitors at least one of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 parked in the parking area E1 and the surroundings of the loading platform 22, and a determination unit 61 that determines the state of the loading platform 22 and the surroundings of the loading platform 22 based on information acquired by the monitoring unit 40. Here, the monitoring unit 40 has an image acquisition unit 41 that is provided at a position different from the industrial vehicle 1 in the work site 110 and acquires images. In this way, the monitoring unit 40 can acquire images not from the industrial vehicle 1 but from the image acquisition unit 41 provided on the equipment side. Therefore, the determination unit 61 can determine the state of the loading platform 22 and the surroundings of the loading platform 22 based on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 41 on the equipment side. Therefore, in the loading system 100, it is not necessary to provide each industrial vehicle 1 with a high-performance monitoring unit for the determination unit 61 to make a determination. As a result, costs can be reduced.

[0041] For example, if two industrial vehicles 1 are each equipped with a monitoring unit (camera and LIDAR) for high-performance judgment, it will be necessary to install them in three directions, so "3 sets x 2 vehicles = 6 sets (approximately 900,000 yen)" will be required. On the other hand, if the monitoring unit 40 is installed on the equipment side other than the industrial vehicle 1, it can be reduced to 2 sets (approximately 300,000 yen). Also, there will be no need to install a PC (approximately 200,000 yen) for high-performance judgment in each industrial vehicle 1. This will result in a total cost reduction of approximately 800,000 yen.

[0042] The determination unit 61 may perform the determination using artificial intelligence. In this case, the determination unit 61 can determine the state of the platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 and the state around the transport vehicle 20 in more detail based on the obtained image.

[0043] When the determination unit 61 determines that there is a person around the loading platform 22, the command unit 62 may transmit a stop command to the industrial vehicle 1. In this case, safety when there is a person around the loading platform 22 can be improved.

[0044] The monitoring unit 40 may further include a distance measuring unit 42 that measures the distance to the object. In this case, the monitoring unit 40 can determine the state of the platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 and the state of the surroundings of the transport vehicle 20 from both the image and the distance to the object.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0046] For example, the examples shown in Figures 2 and 3 are merely examples of the configuration of the work site and the loading and unloading system, and may be modified as appropriate. Also, the flowcharts shown in Figures 6 to 13 are merely examples of the processing, and may be modified as appropriate.

[0047] The gist of this disclosure is as follows: [1] to [5]. [1] A loading and unloading system in which an industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading work on a transport vehicle, The industrial vehicle; a work area having a stopping area where the transport vehicle stops and where the industrial vehicle performs the loading and unloading work; a monitoring unit that monitors at least one of a loading platform of the transport vehicle stopped in the stopping area and a periphery of the loading platform; a determination unit that determines a state of the loading platform and a state around the loading platform based on information acquired by the monitoring unit; a command unit that transmits a command to the industrial vehicle based on a determination result of the determination unit, The monitoring unit is provided at a position in the work site different from the industrial vehicle, and has an image acquisition unit that acquires images. [2] A loading and unloading system as described in [1], wherein the judgment unit makes a judgment using artificial intelligence. [3] A loading and unloading system as described in [1] or [2], wherein when the judgment unit determines that there is a person around the loading platform, the command unit sends a stop command to the industrial vehicle. [4] The cargo handling system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the monitoring unit further includes a distance measuring unit that measures a distance to an object. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...industrial vehicle, 20...transport vehicle, 40...monitoring unit, 41...image acquisition unit, 42...distance measurement unit, 61...judgment unit, 62...command unit, 100...loading system.

Claims

1. A loading and unloading system in which an industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading work on a transport vehicle, The industrial vehicle; a work area having a stopping area where the transport vehicle stops and where the industrial vehicle performs the loading and unloading work; a monitoring unit that monitors at least one of a loading platform of the transport vehicle parked in the stopping area and a periphery of the loading platform; a determination unit that determines a state of the loading platform and a state around the loading platform based on information acquired by the monitoring unit; a command unit that transmits a command to the industrial vehicle based on a determination result of the determination unit, The monitoring unit is provided at a position in the work site different from the industrial vehicle, and has an image acquisition unit that acquires images of at least one of the loading platform of the transport vehicle and the surroundings of the loading platform.

2. The cargo handling system according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit makes the determination using artificial intelligence.

3. The cargo handling system according to claim 1 , wherein the command unit transmits a stop command to the industrial vehicle when the determination unit determines that a person is present around the cargo bed.

4. The cargo handling system according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring unit further comprises a distance measuring unit that measures a distance to an object.

Images