Cargo handling system

Abstract

To provide a cargo handling system capable of saving manpower while performing a cost reduction.SOLUTION: A cargo handling system 100 comprises a monitoring part 40 installed in a different position from an industrial vehicle 1 in a workshop 110 and to monitor the state of the workshop 110. Therefore, it can be possible to monitor the state of the workshop 110 without installing the monitoring part with an excessive performance in each industrial vehicle 1. The cargo handling system 100 comprises reading parts 31, 45 to read an identification information assignment part 28. Therefore, the reading parts 31,45 can read the identification information identifying at least one of a cargo W and a pallet PT. The industrial vehicle 1 also carries out the work based on the identification information read by the reading parts 31, 45. Therefore, the industrial vehicle 1 can carry out the work without the need for the identification of the pallet PT by a worker.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

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 cargo handling system, there are cases where the ground equipment alone is unable to fully grasp what cargo handling work should be performed. In such cases, on-site workers are required to make various judgments. Alternatively, there is a problem in that high-performance detection equipment must be installed on each industrial vehicle, 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 labor while reducing 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 site where the industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading work, a monitoring unit provided in a position in the work site different from the industrial vehicle and monitoring the condition of the work site, a pallet on which cargo is placed, an identification information assigning unit provided on the pallet and assigning identification information to identify at least one of the cargo and the pallet, and a reading unit that reads the identification information assigning unit, and the industrial vehicle performs work based on the identification information read by the reading unit.

[0007] This loading and unloading system includes a monitoring unit that is provided at a position in the work site different from the industrial vehicle and monitors the status of the work site. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the status of the work site without providing a monitoring unit with excessive performance in each industrial vehicle. Here, the pallet is provided with an identification information assigning unit that assigns identification information for identifying at least one of the luggage and the pallet. The loading and unloading system also includes a reading unit that reads the identification information assigning unit. Therefore, the reading unit can read the identification information for identifying at least one of the luggage and the pallet. Furthermore, the industrial vehicle performs work based on the identification information read by the reading unit. Therefore, the industrial vehicle can perform work without the need for a worker to identify the pallet. As described above, it is possible to reduce the labor required in the loading and unloading system while reducing costs.

[0008] The identification information assigning unit may include identification information for identifying the pallet, and the industrial vehicle may perform one of unloading and loading operations based on the fork width and loading position of the industrial vehicle determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring result by the monitoring unit. In this case, the industrial vehicle can adjust the fork width and move to the loading position without depending on the judgment of the worker.

[0009] The industrial vehicle may automatically adjust the fork width if the determined fork width is different from the current fork width. In this case, the industrial vehicle can adjust the fork width without depending on adjustment by the operator.

[0010] The loading and unloading system may further include a notification unit that notifies information at the work site, and when it is determined that there is a load on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, the notification unit may notify that the load can be unloaded. In this case, the loading and unloading system can easily determine the content of the loading and unloading work according to the status of the loading platform of the transport vehicle.

[0011] The loading and unloading system further includes an input unit that allows a worker at the work site to input information, a notification unit that notifies the worker at the work site of the information, and a command unit that transmits commands to the industrial vehicle, and when a loading command is input to the input unit even if the notification unit notifies that unloading is possible, the command unit may command at least one of the industrial vehicle and the other vehicle to detect a pallet provided with an identification information assigning unit that assigns identification information of the loading target from a storage location. In this case, even if the loading and unloading system automatically notifies the worker that the unloading operation is to be performed, the operation content can be changed to loading operation according to the intention of the worker at the work site.

[0012] The loading and unloading system further includes a notification unit that notifies information at the work site and a command unit that sends commands to the industrial vehicle. When it is determined that there is no cargo on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, the notification unit notifies that loading is possible, and the command unit commands at least one of the industrial vehicle and the other vehicle to detect a pallet equipped with an identification information assignment unit that assigns identification information of the loading object from a storage location.

[0013] The monitoring unit may have at least one of an image acquisition unit that acquires an image and a distance measurement unit that measures the distance to an 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.

[0014] The identification information assigning unit may have at least one of a two-dimensional code and an RFID, in which case the identification information assigning unit can easily assign the identification information to the pallet. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a loading and unloading system that can reduce costs and manpower requirements. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [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] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring unit of the industrial vehicle. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the block configuration of the cargo handling system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an image showing the state when the judgment unit makes a judgment using artificial intelligence. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 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. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 16]FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the loading / unloading system 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. 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 schematic view of the industrial vehicle 1. Fig. 5 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.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, the industrial vehicle 1 includes a control unit 30, a reading unit 31, an input unit 32, and a monitoring unit 80. The control unit 30 is a device that controls the entire industrial vehicle 1. The control unit 30 is composed of 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. The image acquisition unit 81 of the monitoring unit 80 described below may be used as the image acquisition unit for the reading unit 31. 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 REID reader of the reading unit 31 may be provided at a location where the identification information assigning unit 28 of the pallet PT can be easily read, such as on the fork 13 (see FIG. 4). 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. The monitoring unit 80 will be described in detail later.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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 two-dimensional code 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 two-dimensional code. 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 at least one of the reading unit 31 (see FIG. 5) provided in the industrial vehicle 1 and the reading unit 45 of the ground equipment 70.

[0024] The identification information assigning unit 27 of the transport vehicle 20 may include, as the identification information, information on where the transport vehicle 20 came from, information on where it is going, information on the driver, etc. The identification information assigning unit 28 of the pallet PT may include information on the shipper, type, and weight of the luggage W, the pallet hole size of the pallet PT, information on where the luggage W and pallet PT came from, information on where they are going, etc.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the work site 110 includes a stopping area E1, a waiting area E2, a home position E3, and a relay position E4. The stopping area E1 is an area where the transport vehicle 20 stops. The industrial vehicle 1 performs unloading work to unload the baggage W loaded on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 stopped in the stopping area E1. The industrial vehicle 1 performs unloading work to unload the baggage W loaded on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 stopped in the stopping area E1. In addition, the industrial vehicle 1 performs loading work to load the baggage W onto the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 stopped in the stopping area E1. In the following description, when the term "loading work" is used, it is assumed that both work are applicable without distinguishing between "unloading work" and "loading work". 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 / unloading work.

[0026] The relay position E4 is a position that relays between the processes of the loading and unloading work. The next process is performed on the pallet PT and the luggage W placed at the relay position E4 in the previous process. Here, an unloading process is performed to unload the pallet PT and the luggage W from the transport vehicle 20. After the industrial vehicle 1A unloads the pallet PT and the luggage W from the transport vehicle 20, it places the pallet PT and the luggage W at the relay position E4. Another vehicle 1B performs a transport process to lift the pallet PT and the luggage W placed at the relay position E4 and transport them from the relay position E4 to a storage location. The vehicle 1B that performs the transport process may be an industrial vehicle such as a forklift, or may be another vehicle such as an AMR. The industrial vehicle 1A may also directly place the pallet PT at the relay position E4, or may hand over the pallet PT to the vehicle 1B such as an AMR waiting at the relay position E4. In this way, the relay position E4 relays the unloading process and the transport process. Once the industrial vehicle 1A performing the unloading process has placed the pallet PT and luggage W at the relay position E4, it may return to the task of unloading other pallets PT and luggage W, or may wait until the relay position E4 becomes available. If the previous pallet PT and luggage W are placed at the relay position E4, the industrial vehicle 1A performing the unloading process waits to place them at the relay position E4 until the pallet PT and luggage W are transported. If the vehicle 1B performing the transport process has a pallet PT and luggage W placed at the relay position E4, it lifts up and transports the pallet PT and luggage W. If the pallet PT and luggage W are not placed at the relay position E4, the vehicle 1B performing the transport process waits until they are placed there.

[0027] Furthermore, at the relay position E4, a loading process is executed in which the pallet PT and the luggage W are loaded onto the transport vehicle 20. When the transport process is executed in which another vehicle 1B places the pallet PT and the luggage W from the storage location at the relay position E4, the industrial vehicle 1A lifts the pallet PT and the luggage W at the relay position E4 and loads them onto the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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. 5, 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.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the ground equipment 70 includes a display unit 43, a terminal 44, and a reading unit 45. The display unit 43 is a device that receives display information from the control unit 50 and displays it in 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 FIG. 2 and FIG. 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 display unit 43 functions as a notification unit that notifies information in the work site 110. The terminal 44 is a device that allows a worker to input information in the work site 110. The terminal 44 transmits 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. Examples of buttons that the terminal 44 can accept include a "Start unloading" button for starting unloading, a "Start loading" button for starting loading, a "Loading" switch button for switching to loading, an "Unloading" switch button for switching to unloading, and a "Work complete" button for indicating that loading work is complete. The terminal 44 may be provided at the location of the control unit 50 (see Figs. 2 and 3), or may be provided anywhere in the work site 110.

[0031] The reading unit 45 is a device capable of reading various kinds of information. The reading unit 45 can read the identification information from the identification information assigning units 27, 28. The reading unit 45 may include an image acquiring unit such as a camera, a REID reader that reads a REID tag, and the like. An image acquiring unit 41 of the monitoring unit 40 described below may be used as the image acquiring unit for the reading unit 45. There is no particular limitation on the position of the reading unit 45 on the industrial vehicle 1, as long as it is located at a position where the identification information assigning units 27, 28 can be read. The REID reader of the reading unit 45 may be provided in a state where it can be carried around by a worker in the work site 110, for example.

[0032] Next, the monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 and the monitoring unit 80 of the industrial vehicle 1 will be described. The monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 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 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 as shown in FIG. 3, it 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. 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 within the monitoring area DE. The distance measurement unit 42 is configured, for example, by a 3D lidar.

[0033] Furthermore, the monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 may monitor the state of the relay position E4. The monitoring unit 40 may monitor whether or not a baggage W and a pallet PT are placed at the relay position E4. The monitoring unit 40 may also monitor whether or not an obstacle other than the baggage W and the pallet PT is present at the relay position E4. Examples of such an obstacle include a person such as a worker, and an object other than the pallet PT.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the monitoring unit 80 of the industrial vehicle 1 has an image acquisition unit 81 that acquires an image and a distance measurement unit 82 that measures the distance to an object. The monitoring unit 80 has a monitoring area DEa. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the monitoring unit 80 may be provided on the front side of the industrial vehicle 1. In this case, the monitoring area DEa is set toward the front of the industrial vehicle 1. Also, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the monitoring unit 80 may be provided on the side of the industrial vehicle 1. In this case, the monitoring area DEa is set toward the side of the industrial vehicle 1. Note that the configuration of the monitoring unit 80 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 4. The number and positions of the image acquisition unit 81 and the distance measurement unit 82 are not particularly limited, and one of them may be omitted. Also, the image acquisition unit 81 and the distance measurement unit 82 may face in different directions. For example, the distance measurement unit 82 may be provided on the rear of the industrial vehicle 1 to monitor an obstacle behind. In addition, the image acquisition unit 81 and the distance measurement unit 82 may be used differently depending on the target to be monitored. For example, the image acquisition unit 81 may detect the pallet PT, and the distance measurement unit 82 may detect an obstacle such as a person.

[0035] The monitoring unit 80 of the industrial vehicle 1 may monitor the state of the relay position E4. The monitoring unit 80 may monitor whether or not a package W and a pallet PT are placed at the relay position E4. The monitoring unit 80 may also monitor whether or not an obstacle other than the package W and the pallet PT is present at the relay position E4. As shown in FIG. 4(a), when the monitoring unit 80 is provided at the front of the industrial vehicle 1, the monitoring unit 80 can monitor the relay position E4 at the front. As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the monitoring unit 80 is provided at the side of the industrial vehicle 1, the monitoring unit 80 can monitor the relay position E4 at the side.

[0036] The relay position E4 may be monitored by both the monitoring unit 40 and the monitoring unit 80, or by either one of them. When the monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 monitors the relay position E4, the monitoring unit 80 of the industrial vehicle 1 may be omitted.

[0037] 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. 5, 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 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 .

[0038] 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.

[0039] The determination unit 61 may perform a determination regarding the loading and unloading work based on the identification information read by the reading unit 31, 45. The command unit 62 may transmit a command to the industrial vehicle 1A based on the identification information read by the reading unit 31, 45. The determination unit 61 may determine the fork width of the fork 13 of the industrial vehicle 1A and the loading position based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring results by the monitoring units 40, 80, and may determine whether to perform unloading work or loading work. The command unit 62 may command one of unloading work and loading work together with the fork width and loading position of the industrial vehicle 1A determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring results by the monitoring units 40, 80. As a result, the industrial vehicle 1 performs one of unloading work and loading work together with the fork width and loading position of the industrial vehicle 1A determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring results by the monitoring units 40, 80.

[0040] When the determination unit 61 determines that the baggage W is present on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110, the determination unit 61 may determine that unloading is possible. The command unit 62 may command the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 to display that unloading is possible. As a result, when it is determined that the baggage W is present on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110, the display unit 43 notifies that unloading is possible. Even if the display unit 43 notifies that unloading is possible, when a loading instruction is input to the terminal 44, the command unit 62 may command at least one of the industrial vehicle 1A and the other vehicle 1B to detect a pallet PT provided with an identification information assigning unit 28 that assigns identification information of the loading target from a storage location. Also, when the determination unit 61 determines that the baggage W is not present on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110, the determination unit 61 may determine that loading is possible. The command unit 62 may instruct the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70 to display that loading is possible. As a result, when it is determined that no luggage W is present on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110, the display unit 43 notifies that loading is possible. In addition, the command unit 62 may instruct at least one of the industrial vehicle 1A and the other vehicle 1B to detect, from a storage location, a pallet PT provided with an identification information assigning unit 28 that assigns identification information of the loading target.

[0041] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the command unit 62 commands the other vehicle 1B to detect the pallet PT on which the identification information assigning unit 28 of the loading object is provided from the storage location. For example, destination information can be given as the identification information of the loading object. For example, it is assumed that a pallet PT including the identification information of "destination A", "destination B", and "destination C" exists in the storage location. If the identification information of the loading object is "destination A", the other vehicle 1B detects the pallet PT having the identification information of "destination A". The other vehicle 1B places the pallet PT of "destination A" at the relay position E4. At this time, the industrial vehicle 1 may read the identification information of the relay position E4 with the reading unit 31, and perform the loading operation after confirming that the destination is "destination A" and is correct. In this way, the reading unit 31 can be used to double-check the destination of the pallet PT. The industrial vehicle 1 itself may detect the pallet PT on which the identification information assigning unit 28 of the loading object is provided in the storage location.

[0042] For example, 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.

[0043] Furthermore, the determination unit 61 may determine whether or not the next process can be executed based on the information acquired by the monitoring units 40 and 80. The determination unit 61 determines that the next process can be executed based on the arrival of the object at the relay position E4. When the pallet PT as the object reaches the relay position E4, the determination unit 61 determines that the vehicle 1B performing the transport process can execute the transport process next to the unloading process. At this time, the command unit 62 instructs the vehicle 1B to perform the transport process of transporting the pallet PT and the baggage W at the relay position E4, and causes the vehicle 1B to automatically drive. Note that the timing of executing the transport process next to the unloading process may be based on the industrial vehicle 1A reporting to the server 60 that the unloading has been completed. Furthermore, when the vehicle 1B such as an AMR as the object reaches the relay position E4, the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1A performing the unloading process can execute the next unloading process from the transport process. At this time, the command unit 62 instructs the industrial vehicle 1A to automatically perform an unloading process in which the pallet PT and the cargo W are unloaded from the transport vehicle 20 and handed over to a vehicle 1B such as an AMR at a relay position E4. In addition, when the pallet PT as an object has reached the relay position E4, the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1A can execute the loading process that follows the transport process.

[0044] The determination unit 61 may determine that the next process can be executed based on the fact that the object that was present at the relay position E4 has disappeared from the relay position E4. When the pallet PT as the object has disappeared from the relay position E4, the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1A performing the unloading process and the loading process can execute the next unloading process and the loading process of the transport process. When the obstacle as the object has disappeared from the relay position E4, the determination unit 61 determines that the industrial vehicle 1A can execute the next unloading process and the loading process of the transport process. At this time, the command unit 62 instructs the industrial vehicle 1A to perform the next unloading process and the loading process of unloading the next pallet PT and the baggage W from the transport vehicle 20, and causes the industrial vehicle 1A to automatically operate.

[0045] The determination unit 61 may determine the presence or absence of an object at the relay position E4 by analyzing image information and distance information from the monitoring unit 40, 80. In this case, the determination unit 61 may store position information of the relay position E4, etc. However, if the monitoring unit 40, 80 itself has a calculation unit, the monitoring unit 40, 80 itself can determine whether the object is a pallet PT or an obstacle and determine the presence or absence of the object. In this case, the monitoring unit 40, 80 may store position information of the relay position E4, etc. The monitoring unit 40, 80 may generate determination information indicating the content and presence or absence of the object and transmit it to the control unit 50, 30. In this case, the determination unit 61 of the server 60 can make a determination only by referring to the determination information, thereby reducing the load of calculation. In addition, when the monitoring units 40, 80 monitor the relay position E4 to determine whether or not the next process can be executed, instead of sending image information and distance information to the control units 50, 30 (and the server 60 beyond), they send only judgment information, thereby reducing the communication load.

[0046] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, 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.

[0047] Next, an example of the processing contents of the cargo handling system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 23. In this flowchart, the work contents of "transport vehicle, person", "industrial vehicle", "ground equipment", and "server" are described in parallel. First, with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 13, the processing contents when the industrial vehicle 1 (industrial vehicle 1A in Fig. 2) loads and unloads cargo W from the transport vehicle 20 performing cargo handling work (unloading work or loading work) performed by automatic driving will be described.

[0048] In a state where the process shown in FIG. 7 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).

[0049] 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).

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8, the reading unit 45 of the ground equipment 70 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 determining unit 61 specifies the transportation vehicle information related to the transportation vehicle 20 based on the read result (step S440). The command unit 62 commands the equipment in the system to output the transportation vehicle information (step S445). The transportation vehicle information may include, for example, information on "where it came from" and "destination". The command unit 62 outputs the transportation vehicle information to the worker or the driver by displaying the transportation vehicle information on the display unit 43 of the ground equipment 70. 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 determining unit 61 determines whether the wing 26 of the transportation vehicle 20 is open or not (step S450). If it is determined that the wing 26 is closed, the determination unit 61 repeats step S450 again. If it is determined that the wing 26 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 transport vehicle 20 that the wing 26 is open (step S260). Note that if it is determined that the position is NG in step S450, the display unit 43 may display to the effect that the wing 26 is closed.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 9, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result (step S270). 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). Here, the determination unit 61 determines the height of the loading platform 22 from the ground, the number and size of pallets on the loading platform 22, the presence and size of pallets at the relay position, the pallet position, the presence or absence of load collapse, etc. Obstacles such as people are evacuated from the periphery of the transport vehicle 20 at any timing after the wings 26 are opened (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 load collapse (step S480). Here, the determination unit 61 determines the presence of people, the presence of other forklifts, the presence of AMR, obstacles, the presence or absence of load collapse, etc. If it is determined that there is an obstacle or the possibility of cargo collapse, 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 that there is an obstacle or the possibility of cargo collapse (step S290). After the display of step S290, step S480 may be repeated to wait for the obstacle to move away and the possibility of cargo collapse to disappear. If it is determined in step S480 that there is neither an obstacle nor the possibility of cargo collapse, step S490 is omitted.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 10, the industrial vehicle 1 judges whether or not it is in a state where it can be automatically driven (step S102). If it is not in a state where it can be automatically driven, step S102 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 S104). Meanwhile, the determination unit 61 judges whether or not the industrial vehicle 1 can be automatically driven (step S500). After receiving the notification in step S104, the determination unit 61 judges that automatic driving is possible in step S500. At this time, the determination unit 61 notifies the ground equipment 70 of the result of the judgment as to whether automatic driving is possible (step S502). Note that, when the determination unit 61 judges that automatic driving is possible, it judges whether the industrial vehicle 1 will perform "unloading work" or "loading work". Here, the following explanation will be given assuming that it is judged that "unloading work" will be performed because a pallet PT exists on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20. However, when no pallet PT is present on the loading platform 22, the determination unit 61 may determine that a "loading operation" is to be performed.

[0053] The ground equipment 70 judges whether or not the industrial vehicle 1 is capable of automatic operation by referring to the judgment result notified in step S502 (step S300). If it is judged in step S300 that automatic operation is not possible, the cause of the error and measures to resolve the error are displayed on the display unit 43 (step S302). After displaying step S302, the server 60 repeats the process again from step S500. If it is judged in step S300 that automatic operation is possible, the ground equipment 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that automatic operation is possible (step S304). At this time, the ground equipment 70 transmits data necessary for unloading work to the industrial vehicle 1.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 11, when the industrial vehicle 1 receives the notification in step S304, the industrial vehicle 1 goes into a standby state for automatic operation (step S106). The ground equipment 70 displays a button "unloading work start" on the terminal and starts accepting pressing, thereby preparing to start automatic operation (step S306). The ground equipment 70 also displays "unloading work can be started" on the display unit 43 (step S308). At any timing after the processing, the worker confirms the display of "unloading work can be started" (step S60). Here, it is assumed that the work at the site is not unloading work but loading work. At this time, the worker intends to perform loading work rather than unloading work. Therefore, the worker operates the terminal 44 and presses a switch button to switch to "loading work" (step S62). When the button is pressed, the ground equipment 70 notifies the server 60 that the button has been pressed (step S310). The server 60 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that the automatic driving standby state will be cancelled due to the change in the loading and unloading operation (step S504). As a result, the industrial vehicle 1 cancels the automatic driving standby state (step S108).

[0055] As shown in FIG. 12, the server 60 accepts a change in the loading and unloading work from "unloading work" to "loading work" (step S506). The judgment unit 61 judges whether the industrial vehicle 1 is capable of automatic operation (step S508). The judgment unit 61 notifies the ground equipment 70 of the judgment result of whether automatic operation is possible (step S508). The ground equipment 70 judges whether the industrial vehicle 1 is capable of automatic operation by referring to the judgment result notified in step S508 (step S312). If it is judged in step S312 that automatic operation is not possible, the cause of the error and measures to eliminate the error are displayed on the display unit 43 (step S314). After displaying step S314, the server 60 repeats the process from step S508 again. If it is judged in step S312 that automatic operation is possible, the ground equipment 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that automatic operation is possible (step S316). At this time, the ground equipment 70 transmits data required for the loading operation to the industrial vehicle 1.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 13, when the industrial vehicle 1 receives the notification in step S316, the industrial vehicle 1 goes into a standby state for automatic operation (step S110). The ground equipment 70 displays a button "Start loading work" on the terminal and starts accepting pressing of the button, thereby preparing to start automatic operation (step S318). The ground equipment 70 also displays "Loading work can be started" on the display unit 43 (step S320). At any timing after the processing, the worker confirms the display of "Loading work can be started" (step S64). The worker operates the terminal 44 and presses the "Start loading work" button (step S66). When the button is pressed, the ground equipment 70 notifies the server 60 that the button has been pressed (step S332). The server 60 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 that loading work may be started (step S504). The ground equipment 70 notifies surrounding workers and the driver by displaying on the display unit 43 that automatic driving has started (step S324). With the above, the process before the industrial vehicle 1 starts automatic driving is completed.

[0057] Next, the processing contents of the loading / unloading system 100 during loading / unloading work will be described with reference to Figs. 14 to 20. Note that, in this case, the loading / unloading work is either unloading or loading. As shown in Fig. 14, the industrial vehicle 1 starts automatic loading / unloading operation (step S112). The industrial vehicle 1 moves to the front of the first pallet PT (step S116). The industrial vehicle 1 moves to the loading position instructed by the server 60. In the case of unloading work, the industrial vehicle 1 moves to the front of the first pallet PT on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20. In the case of loading work, the industrial vehicle 1 moves to the front of the relay position E4. Next, the industrial vehicle 1 reads the identification information of the identification information assigning unit 28 of the pallet PT with the reading unit 31, and transmits the identification information to the server 60 (step S118). The server 60 identifies the pallet information of the loading / unloading target by comparing the registered data on the cloud with the received identification information (step S514). The server 60 identifies the shipper, cargo type, pallet hole size, origin, and destination information of the pallet PT carrying the cargo W.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 15, the determination unit 61 of the server 60 determines whether the specified pallet information is successful (step S516). For example, the determination unit 61 compares the identification information of the transport vehicle 20 with the identification information of the pallet PT to determine whether the information on where it came from and the destination are correct. The determination unit 61 notifies the ground equipment 70 of the determination result (step S518). The ground equipment 70 determines whether loading is possible or not based on the determination result (step S326). If it is determined that loading is impossible, the ground equipment 70 displays the cause of the loading being impossible and measures to be taken on the display unit 43 (step S328). Next, the server 60 repeats the process from step S516 again. On the other hand, if it is determined that loading is possible in step S326, the ground equipment 70 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 of that effect (step S330). At this time, the ground equipment 70 receives fork width adjustment instruction information and the like from the command unit 62 of the server 60, and notifies the industrial vehicle 1 of the instruction information.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 16, the industrial vehicle 1 adjusts the fork width in accordance with the pallet hole size of the pallet PT (step S119). The industrial vehicle 1 may adjust the fork width based on the pallet hole size of the identification information of the pallet PT. Alternatively, the industrial vehicle 1 may adjust the fork width based on image analysis of the pallet hole size of the pallet PT by the monitoring unit 80. In this way, the industrial vehicle 1 may perform loading and unloading work based on the fork width of the industrial vehicle 1 determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring result by the monitoring unit 80. Note that the industrial vehicle 1 automatically adjusts the fork width when the determined fork width is different from the current fork width. The industrial vehicle 1 picks up the first pallet PT (step S120). Next, the industrial vehicle 1 places the load at the loading position (step S122). In the case of unloading, the industrial vehicle 1 places the load at the relay position E4. In the case of loading, the industrial vehicle 1 places the load on the loading platform 22. Once loading is complete, the industrial vehicle 1 waits with the forks removed from the pallet PT, and notifies the server 60 of completion (step S124). The command unit 62 of the server 60 commands other vehicles 1B, such as other forks or AMRs, to transport (step S520). As a result, the other vehicles 1B perform transport work (step S68). In the case of unloading work, the other vehicle 1B retrieves the first pallet PT from relay position E4. In the case of loading work, the other vehicle 1B places the second pallet PT at relay position E4.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 17, the monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S332). The determination unit 61 of the server 60 determines whether or not the second pallet PT can be unloaded (step S522). In the case of unloading, the next loading is possible when the first pallet PT is moved from the relay position E4. In the case of loading, the next loading is possible when the second pallet PT is placed at the relay position E4. If it is determined that it is not possible, the determination unit 61 repeats step S522. If it is determined that it is possible, the command unit 62 commands the industrial vehicle 1 to perform loading (step S524). The industrial vehicle 1 picks up the second pallet PT (step S126). Next, the industrial vehicle 1 places the load at the loading position (step S128). When the loading of the load is completed, the industrial vehicle 1 waits with the forks removed from the pallet PT, and notifies the server 60 of the completion (step S130).

[0061] As shown in FIG. 18, the monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S334). The determination unit 61 of the server 60 determines whether or not the last pallet PT can be handled (step S522). In the case of unloading work, the last loading is possible when the "planned number - 1" pallet PT is moved from the relay position E4. Alternatively, the last loading is possible when there are no more pallets on the loading platform 22. In the case of loading work, the last loading is possible when the last pallet PT is placed at the relay position E4. Alternatively, the last loading is possible when the number of pallets on the loading platform 22 becomes "planned number - 1". If it is determined that it is not possible, the determination unit 61 repeats step S526 again. If it is determined that it is possible, the command unit 62 commands the industrial vehicle 1 to carry out loading (step S527). The industrial vehicle 1 picks up the last pallet PT (step S132). Next, the industrial vehicle 1 places the load at the loading position (step S134). When the load placement is completed, the industrial vehicle 1 removes the forks from the pallet PT, waits at the home position, and notifies the server 60 of the completion (step S136).

[0062] As shown in FIG. 19, the monitoring unit 40 of the ground equipment 70 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S336). The determination unit 61 of the server 60 determines whether or not the loading and unloading work has been completed (step S528). The determination unit 61 of the server 60 notifies the ground equipment 70 of the determination result (step S530). The ground equipment 70 determines whether or not the loading and unloading work has been completed based on the determination result (step S338). If it is determined in step S338 that the loading and unloading work has not been completed, the cause of the error and measures to resolve the error are displayed on the display unit 43 (step S340). After displaying step S340, the server 60 repeats the process again from step S528.

[0063] In step S338, when it is determined that the loading and unloading work is completed, as shown in FIG. 20, the ground equipment 70 accepts the "Work Complete" button (step S342). The ground equipment 70 displays "Work Complete" on the display unit 43. At any timing after the process, the worker confirms the display of "Work Complete" (step S70). The worker operates the terminal 44 and presses the "Work Complete" button (step S72). When the button is pressed, the ground equipment 70 notifies the server 60 that the button has been pressed (step S346). The server 60 notifies the industrial vehicle 1 and the transport vehicle 20 that the work is completed and that the loading and unloading work will be terminated (step S532). As a result, the industrial vehicle 1 performs the automatic driving termination process (step S138). In addition, the driver of the transport vehicle 20 closes the wing 26 and moves out of the stopping area E1 (step S74).

[0064] Next, referring to FIG. 21 to FIG. 23, 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. 21, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S348). 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. 21 to FIG. 23 ends, and step S348 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 that there is an obstacle or that there is a possibility of cargo collapse (step S349). 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).

[0065] As shown in FIG. 22, the monitoring unit 40 transmits the monitoring result to the server 60 (step S350). 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).

[0066] As shown in FIG. 23, 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. 21 to 23.

[0067] Next, the operation and effect of the cargo handling system 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0068] The cargo handling system 100 includes a monitoring unit 40 that is provided at a position different from the industrial vehicles 1 in the work site 110 and monitors the state of the work site 110. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the state of the work site 110 without providing each industrial vehicle 1 with a monitoring unit with excessive performance. In this embodiment, the industrial vehicle 1 has a monitoring unit 80, but the monitoring unit 80 does not need to be high performance and high cost so that it can be operated automatically by itself, and a cost-reduced one can be used. Alternatively, it is possible to omit the monitoring unit 80 from the industrial vehicle 1. In the work site 110, since a plurality of industrial vehicles 1 perform work, if a high-performance monitoring unit is provided in each industrial vehicle 1, the number of monitoring units required is the same as the number of industrial vehicles 1. In this embodiment, a low-cost monitoring unit 80 can be adopted for the number of industrial vehicles 1, or the monitoring unit 80 can be omitted, so that the cost of the cargo handling system 100 as a whole can be significantly reduced. Here, the pallet PT is provided with an identification information providing unit 28 that provides identification information for identifying at least one of the baggage W and the pallet PT. The loading and unloading system 100 also includes reading units 31, 45 that read the identification information assigning unit 28. Therefore, the reading units 31, 45 can read identification information that identifies at least one of the luggage W and the pallet PT. The industrial vehicle 1 also performs work based on the identification information read by the reading units 31, 45. Therefore, the industrial vehicle 1 can perform work without the need for a worker to identify the pallet PT. As a result, the loading and unloading system 100 can reduce labor while reducing costs.

[0069] The identification information assigning unit 28 includes identification information for identifying the pallet PT, and the industrial vehicle 1 may perform one of unloading and loading operations based on the fork width and loading position of the industrial vehicle 1 determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring result by the monitoring unit 40. In this case, the industrial vehicle 1 can adjust the fork width and move to the loading position without depending on the judgment of the worker.

[0070] If the determined fork width is different from the current fork width, the industrial vehicle 1 may automatically adjust the fork width. In this case, the industrial vehicle 1 can adjust the fork width without depending on the adjustment by the worker.

[0071] The loading and unloading system 100 further includes a display unit 43 that notifies information in the work site 110, and when it is determined that a load W is present on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110, the display unit 43 may notify that the load can be unloaded. In this case, the loading and unloading system 100 can easily determine the contents of the loading and unloading work depending on the condition of the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20.

[0072] The cargo handling system 100 further includes a terminal 44 into which a worker can input information at the work site 110, and even if the display unit 43 notifies that unloading is possible, when a loading instruction is input to the terminal 44, the command unit 62 may command at least one of the industrial vehicle 1 and the other vehicle to detect, from a storage location, a pallet PT provided with an identification information assigning unit that assigns identification information of the loading target. In this case, even if the cargo handling system 100 automatically notifies that unloading work is to be performed, the work content can be changed to loading work according to the intention of the worker at the work site 110.

[0073] The loading and unloading system 100 further includes a display unit 43 that notifies information in the work site 110, and when it is determined that no cargo W is present on the loading platform 22 of the transport vehicle 20 in the work site 110, the display unit 43 notifies that loading is possible, and the command unit 62 may instruct at least one of the industrial vehicle 1 and the other vehicle to detect a pallet PT having an identification information assignment unit 28 that assigns identification information of the loading object from a storage location.

[0074] The monitoring unit 40 may have at least one of an image acquisition unit 41 that acquires an image and a distance measurement unit 42 that measures the distance to an 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.

[0075] The identification information assigning unit 28 may have at least one of a two-dimensional code and an RFID, in which case the identification information assigning unit 28 can easily assign the identification information to the pallet.

[0076] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0077] 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 7 to 23 are merely examples of the processing, and may be modified as appropriate.

[0078] The gist of this disclosure is as follows: [1] to [8] [Form 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 site where the industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading operations; a monitoring unit provided at a position in the workplace different from the industrial vehicle and monitoring a state of the workplace; A pallet on which the cargo is placed, an identification information assigning unit provided on the pallet and configured to assign identification information for identifying at least one of the cargo and the pallet; A reading unit that reads the identification information providing unit, A loading and unloading system in which the industrial vehicle performs work based on the identification information read by the reading unit. [Form 2] the identification information assigning unit includes the identification information for identifying the pallet, A loading and unloading system as described in claim 1, wherein the industrial vehicle performs one of unloading and loading operations based on the fork width and loading position of the industrial vehicle determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring results by the monitoring unit. [Form 3] A loading and unloading system according to claim 2, wherein the industrial vehicle automatically adjusts the fork width when the determined fork width differs from a current fork width. [Form 4] A notification unit that notifies information in the workplace, A loading and unloading system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein when it is determined that the luggage is present on the loading platform of a transport vehicle in the work site, the notification unit notifies that the luggage can be unloaded. [Form 5] an input unit into which a worker can input information at the workplace; A notification unit that notifies information in the workplace; A command unit that transmits a command to the industrial vehicle, A loading system as described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein even if the notification unit notifies that unloading is possible, if a loading instruction is input to the input unit, the command unit commands at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet, which is provided with the identification information assignment unit that assigns identification information of the loading object from a storage location. [Form 6] A notification unit that notifies information in the workplace; A command unit that transmits a command to the industrial vehicle, When it is determined that the luggage is not present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, the notification unit notifies that the luggage can be loaded; A loading and unloading system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the command unit commands at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet having the identification information assigning unit that assigns identification information of the loading object from a storage location. [Form 7] The cargo handling system according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the monitoring unit has at least one of an image acquisition unit that acquires an image and a distance measurement unit that measures a distance to an object. [Form 8] The cargo handling system according to any one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein the identification information providing unit has at least one of a two-dimensional code and an RFID. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1...industrial vehicle, 28...identification information assignment unit, 31, 45...reading unit, 40...monitoring unit, 41...image acquisition unit, 42...distance measurement unit, 43...display unit (notification unit), 44...terminal (input unit), 61...determination 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 site where the industrial vehicle performs loading and unloading operations; a monitoring unit provided at a position in the workplace different from the industrial vehicle and monitoring a state of the workplace; A pallet on which the cargo is placed, an identification information assigning unit provided on the pallet and configured to assign identification information for identifying at least one of the cargo and the pallet; A reading unit that reads the identification information providing unit, A loading and unloading system in which the industrial vehicle performs work based on the identification information read by the reading unit.

2. the identification information assigning unit includes the identification information for identifying the pallet, The loading and unloading system of claim 1, wherein the industrial vehicle performs one of unloading and loading operations based on the fork width and loading position of the industrial vehicle determined based on at least one of the identification information and the monitoring results by the monitoring unit.

3. 3. The cargo handling system according to claim 2, wherein the industrial vehicle automatically adjusts the fork width when the determined fork width differs from a current fork width.

4. A notification unit that notifies information in the workplace, 2. The loading and unloading system according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that the luggage is present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work area, the notification unit notifies that the luggage can be unloaded.

5. an input unit into which a worker can input information at the workplace; A notification unit that notifies information in the workplace; A command unit that transmits a command to the industrial vehicle, A loading system as described in claim 1, wherein, even if the notification unit notifies that unloading is possible, if a loading instruction is input to the input unit, the command unit instructs at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet on which the identification information assignment unit that assigns identification information of the loading object is provided from a storage location.

6. A notification unit that notifies information in the workplace; A command unit that transmits a command to the industrial vehicle, When it is determined that the luggage is not present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, the notification unit notifies that the luggage can be loaded; 2. The loading system according to claim 1, wherein the command unit commands at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet on which the identification information assigning unit that assigns identification information of the loading object from a storage location is provided.

7. 2. The cargo handling system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit has at least one of an image acquisition unit that acquires an image and a distance measurement unit that measures a distance to an object.

8. The cargo handling system according to claim 1 , wherein the identification information providing unit has at least one of a two-dimensional code and an RFID.

Images