Travel management system and transportation robot system

Abstract

To provide a travel management system for a transportation robot that can have a simple configuration by facilitating management of an attribute for travel route generation.SOLUTION: A transportation robot is travel-controlled to travel on a line to a next point according to attribute data of a point immediately preceding the next point for each point sequenced in travel order on an optimal route from a start point to a goal point, in which: the attribute data for each point indicated by each two-dimensional coordinate is stored in a point data file 22; and the attribute data includes a direction and a speed of the transportation robot. An optimal route is determined by comprehensively evaluating a length of a route, a required time, the number of passing points, and the number of turning points.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel path management system that generates travel paths for self-propelled transport robots such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) used in factories and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a travel route setting device described in Patent Document 1 exists as a device for setting a travel route for a self-propelled vehicle.

[0003] The travel route setting device in Patent Document 1 creates and displays a plan view from CAD data, automatically calculates a travel route by inputting the desired cleaning area, cleaning start position, and vehicle data, and converts the travel route data into data that can be used by the autonomous cleaning vehicle and outputs it.

[0004] On the other hand, in the work transfer system described in Patent Document 2, when determining the movement route of the transfer vehicle, the transfer time is calculated by adding up the total route time to the end of each route candidate and the total turning time and total waiting time so that the transfer vehicle will arrive at the destination in the shortest time. The work transfer system in Patent Document 2 is provided with a transfer route information data table that stores, for each transfer route, the length, the number of the branch device to which it is connected, and the speed, acceleration, and deceleration at which the transfer vehicle is transferred, and a branch device information table that records, for each branch device, the position coordinates, the number of the branch device, and the angular velocity, angular acceleration, angular deceleration of the turning part, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-212238 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-36117 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the work transport system described in Patent Document 2, the transport path information data table manages attributes of the transport path such as length and speed, and the branching device information table specifies attributes of the branching device such as angular velocity, so attributes must be managed for both the transport path and the branching device, making the management of attributes for generating travel routes complicated and preventing the system from being configured simply.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving management system that can have a simple configuration by facilitating management of attributes for generating driving routes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and firstly, a travel management system for managing the travel of a transport robot (1000), comprising: a point data storage unit (22) for storing attribute data including data on the orientation and travel speed of the transport robot for each point indicated by two-dimensional coordinates; a line data storage unit (24) for storing line data consisting of data indicating a pair of points for each line connecting the pair of points; a display unit (12) for displaying images; an input unit (10) for performing input operations; a communication unit (14) for communicating with the transport robot; and a control unit (16, 40) for controlling the operation of the travel management system, and in a state where a point data input screen (100-1) displaying a layout diagram showing an area in which the transport robot travels is displayed on the display unit on a point data input screen for inputting point data, by inputting an arbitrary position in the layout diagram and attribute data corresponding to the position by the input unit, the control unit stores the coordinate data of the two-dimensional coordinates corresponding to the input position and the attribute data as point data. The line data is stored in the data storage unit, and when a line data input screen (100-2) for inputting line data is displayed on the display unit, line data indicating a pair of points is input via the input unit, whereby the control unit stores the line data in the line data storage unit for each line, and when a start point, which is the starting position of the transport robot, and a goal point, which is the goal position of the transport robot, are specified from among the points stored in the point data storage unit, the control unit searches for route candidates that can reach the start point to the goal point by connecting lines based on the point data stored in the point data storage unit and the line data stored in the line data storage unit, and determines an optimal route from the multiple route candidates searched for in accordance with evaluation criteria for determining an optimal route, and the control unit controls the transport robot to travel via the communication unit so that the transport robot travels on the line to the next point for each point ordered in the travel order of the transport robot on the optimal route in accordance with the attribute data of the point immediately preceding the next point.

[0009] According to the driving management system of the first configuration, it is only necessary to assign attributes such as the speed and direction of the transport robot to each point on the driving route of the transport robot, and there is no need to assign attributes to each point and line, which makes it easy to manage the attributes for generating driving routes and allows the driving management system to have a simple configuration.Furthermore, if attribute data is stored for each point, the route can be determined by specifying the line between points and the start point and goal point, which makes it easy to perform operations for generating driving routes.

[0010] Secondly, in the first configuration, the evaluation criterion is the length of the route from the start point to the goal point, and the control unit determines the route candidate with the shortest route length as the optimal route among the multiple route candidates.

[0011] According to the second configuration, the route length is used as the evaluation criterion, and the shortest route candidate is determined to be the optimum route, so that the travel load of the transport robot can be reduced, such as by reducing the power consumption of the transport robot.

[0012] Thirdly, in the first configuration, the evaluation criterion is the time required from the start point to the finish point, and the control unit determines the route candidate with the shortest time required as the optimal route among the multiple route candidates.

[0013] According to the third configuration, the evaluation criterion is the required time, and the route candidate with the shortest required time is determined as the optimum route, so that the transported object can arrive earlier.

[0014] Fourthly, in the first configuration, the evaluation criterion is the number of points passed from the start point to the finish point, and the control unit determines the route candidate with the fewest number of points passed from among the multiple route candidates as the optimal route.

[0015] According to the fourth configuration, the evaluation criterion is the number of passing points, and the route candidate with the fewest number of passing points is determined to be the optimal route. This reduces the frequency of changes in driving conditions based on attribute data, such as changes in speed when passing through a point, and allows the transport robot to drive stably.

[0016] Fifthly, in the first configuration, when the point at which the orientation of the transport robot changes in each route in the route candidates is defined as a turning point, the evaluation criterion is the number of turning points existing between the start point and the goal point, and the control unit determines the route candidate with the fewest number of turning points as the optimal route among the multiple route candidates.

[0017] According to the fifth configuration, the evaluation criterion is the number of turning points, and the route candidate with the fewest number of turning points is determined to be the optimal route, thereby reducing the risk of the transported object becoming unstable when the transport robot turns.

[0018] Further, sixthly, in the first configuration, a dimension limit value data file (26) is provided that stores the limit dimension value in a plan view of the transport robot, and the control unit determines whether the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a plan view exceeds the limit dimension value stored in the dimension limit value data file, and if the longitudinal length exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates having a turning point from the optimum route.

[0019] According to the sixth configuration, if the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates that have turning points from the optimal route, thereby preventing the transported object from coming into contact with obstacles when the transport robot turns, and enabling the transported object to be transported safely.

[0020] In addition, in the above sixth configuration, the control unit may be characterized in that, by inputting data on the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view using the input unit, the control unit determines whether the input length exceeds the limit dimension value.

[0021] Seventhly, in the first configuration, multiple types of evaluation criteria are provided as evaluation criteria for determining the optimal route, and the control unit calculates evaluation points based on each evaluation criterion for each of the multiple route candidates, calculates overall points by weighting and adding the calculated evaluation points, and compares the overall points for each route candidate to determine the optimal route.

[0022] According to the seventh configuration, the optimal route is determined by comparing the overall points of each route candidate, making it possible to determine the overall optimal route based on multiple evaluation criteria. That is, the evaluation points are multiplied by a coefficient set for each evaluation criterion, and the values ​​are summed for all evaluation criteria to calculate weighted sums of the evaluation points, and the overall points of each route candidate are compared to determine the optimal route, making it possible to determine the overall optimal route based on multiple evaluation criteria.

[0023] Further, in an eighth aspect, in the seventh configuration, the multiple types of evaluation criteria are composed of any combination of the length of the route from the start point to the goal point, the time required from the start point to the goal point, the number of points passed from the start point to the goal point, and the number of turning points existing from the start point to the goal point, and the turning points are points at which the orientation of the transport robot changes on each route in the route candidates.

[0024] According to the eighth configuration, the optimal route is determined by comparing the overall points of each route candidate according to evaluation criteria consisting of any combination of the route length, required time, number of points, and number of turning points, so that the overall optimal route can be determined.

[0025] A ninth aspect is characterized in that, in the eighth configuration, the evaluation criteria include the number of turning points, and a dimension limit value data file (26) is provided that stores the limit dimension value in a planar view of the transport robot, and the control unit determines whether the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds the limit dimension value stored in the dimension limit value data file, and if the longitudinal length exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit sets the evaluation point for the number of turning points for a route candidate having a turning point to a value that excludes the route candidate from the optimal route.

[0026] According to the ninth configuration, if the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates having a turning point from the optimal route, thereby preventing the transported object from coming into contact with an obstacle when the transport robot turns, and enabling the transported object to be transported safely.

[0027] A tenth aspect is characterized in that, in the eighth configuration, the evaluation criteria include the number of turning points, and a dimension limit value data file (26) is provided that stores the limit dimension value of the transport robot in a planar view, and the control unit determines whether the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds the limit dimension value stored in the dimension limit value data file, and if the longitudinal length exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates having turning points from the optimum route.

[0028] According to the tenth configuration, if the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates having a turning point from the optimal route, thereby preventing the transported object from coming into contact with obstacles when the transport robot turns, and enabling the transported object to be transported safely.

[0029] In addition, in the above ninth and tenth configurations, the control unit may be characterized in that, by inputting data on the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view using the input unit, the control unit determines whether the input length exceeds the limit dimension value.

[0030] In addition, eleventh, in the first configuration, the attribute data includes information on waiting time at a point.

[0031] According to the 11th configuration, the attribute data includes information on the waiting time at a point, so by inputting the waiting time information at a point, the transport robot can be made to wait at that point for the time indicated by the waiting time information.

[0032] Further, a twelfth feature is that in any of the configurations 1 to 11 above, the control unit transmits route information, which is coordinate data of points ordered in the order in which the transport robot travels on the optimal route, and attribute data of each point to the transport robot via the communication unit.

[0033] According to the twelfth configuration, the control unit transmits route information of the optimum route and attribute data of each point to the transport robot, so that the transport robot can travel in accordance with the route information and attribute data of each point.

[0034] Further, a thirteenth aspect is characterized in that in any of the configurations 1 to 11 above, the control unit transmits to the transport robot via the communication unit, for each line between adjacent points in the points ordered in the order in which the transport robot travels on the optimal route, a pair of coordinate data consisting of coordinate data of the point that is the start point of the line and coordinate data of the point that is the end point of the line, and attribute data of the point that is the start point of the line.

[0035] According to the thirteenth configuration, the control unit transmits a pair of coordinate data for each line on the shortest route and attribute data of the point that is the starting point of the line, so that the transport robot can travel in accordance with the pair of coordinate data for each line and the attribute data of the point that is the starting point of the line.

[0036] Further, a fourteenth aspect is a transport robot system having a travel management system of the twelfth configuration and a transport robot (1000), characterized in that the transport robot receives route information and attribute data of each point from the travel management system via a communication unit and travels in accordance with the route information and attribute data of each point.

[0037] According to the fourteenth configuration, it is only necessary to assign attributes such as the speed and orientation of the transport robot to each point on the transport robot's travel route, and there is no need to assign attributes to each point and line, which makes it easy to manage the attributes for generating travel routes and simplifies the configuration of the travel management system.Furthermore, if attribute data is stored for each point, the route can be determined by specifying the line between points and the start point and goal point, which makes it easy to perform operations for generating travel routes.

[0038] In addition, the transport robot can be driven according to the route information of the optimum route sent from the driving management system and the attribute data of each point.

[0039] Further, a fifteenth aspect is a transport robot system having a travel management system of the thirteenth configuration and a transport robot (1000), characterized in that the transport robot receives route information and attribute data of each point from the travel management system via a communication unit and travels in accordance with the route information and attribute data of each point.

[0040] According to the fifteenth configuration, it is only necessary to assign attributes such as the speed and orientation of the transport robot to each point on the transport robot's travel route, and there is no need to assign attributes to each point and line, which makes it easy to manage the attributes for generating travel routes and simplifies the configuration of the travel management system.Furthermore, if attribute data is stored for each point, the route can be determined by specifying the line between points and the start point and goal point, which makes it easy to perform operations for generating travel routes.

[0041] In addition, the transport robot can be made to travel in accordance with a pair of coordinate data for each line and attribute data of the point that is the starting point of the line, which are transmitted from the travel management system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0042] According to the travel management system and transport robot system of the present invention, it is only necessary to assign attributes such as speed and direction of the transport robot to each point on the travel route of the transport robot, and there is no need to assign attributes to each point and line, which makes it easy to manage attributes for generating travel routes and simplifies the configuration of the travel management system.Furthermore, if attribute data is stored for each point, the route can be determined by specifying the line between points and the start point and goal point, which makes it easy to perform operations for generating travel routes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing a travel management system and a transport robot system including the travel management system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a point data file. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a line data file. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a dimension restriction data file. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a route candidate data file. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving management system, and is a flowchart illustrating the operation of registering point data and line data. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving management system, and is a flowchart illustrating the operation of determining an optimum route. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving management system, and is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for determining an optimum route. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving management system, and is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for calculating an evaluation value. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving management system, and is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for calculating an evaluation value when taking into consideration exceeding a dimensional limit value. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving management system, and is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for determining an optimal route when taking into consideration exceeding a dimensional limit value. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a point data input screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a point data input screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a point data input screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a line data input screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a line data input screen. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a line data input screen. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a start / goal input screen. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an optimum route display screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of evaluation criteria and evaluation results for each route candidate. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of travel of a transport robot. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the length and width of a transported object. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a start / goal input screen when taking into consideration exceeding the dimensional limit value. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an optimum route display screen when taking into consideration exceeding the dimensional limit value. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] In the present invention, the objective of providing a driving management system that can have a simple configuration by facilitating the management of attributes for generating driving routes is achieved as follows.

[0045] The transport robot running management system 5 according to the present invention manages the running of the transport robot 1000 (particularly, the running route management), and the running management system 5 and the transport robot 1000 constitute the transport robot system 1.

[0046] Here, the driving management system 5 is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, and has an input unit 10, a display unit 12, a communication unit 14, a CPU 16, a database 20, and a program storage unit 40.

[0047] Here, the input unit 10 is an input device for performing input operations, and the display unit 12 is a display device for displaying images; for example, images shown in Figs. 12 to 19, 23, and 24 are displayed on the display unit 12. The communication unit (transmitter / receiver) 14 is a communication device for communicating with the transport robot 1000. Furthermore, the CPU 16 performs various processes in accordance with programs stored in the program storage unit 40, and performs, for example, the processes shown in the flowcharts of Figs. 6 to 11. The CPU 16 and the program storage unit 40 constitute a control unit that controls the operation of the travel management system.

[0048] The database 20 is a data storage unit that stores various data files, and includes a point data file 22, a line data file 24, a dimension restriction data file 26, a route candidate data file 28, a drawing data file 30, etc.

[0049] The point data file (point data storage unit) 22 is configured as shown in Fig. 2, and stores coordinates (two-dimensional coordinates) in an image for creating a travel route and attribute data corresponding to the coordinates for each coordinate. The data in this point data file 22 is stored by performing an input operation on the input unit 10 with a point data input screen 100-1 shown in Figs. 12 to 14 displayed on the display unit 12.

[0050] The attribute data is driving data for driving the transport robot, and includes information on the point name, the direction of the transport robot, its speed (i.e., driving speed), and waiting time, and each attribute data is stored according to the input operation.

[0051] In FIG. 2, P1 to P6 represent point names, P0 and PY represent the direction of the transport robot, and V0.25, V0.5, etc. represent speed. Regarding the direction of the transport robot, PX represents rightward (rightward on the screen), PY represents upward (upward on the screen), NX represents leftward (leftward on the screen), and NY represents downward (downward on the screen). Furthermore, regarding speed, the number following V represents speed per second; for example, V0.25 means 0.25 m per second. Furthermore, regarding waiting time, the number following WT represents waiting time (in seconds); for example, WT10 means a waiting time of 10 seconds.

[0052] For example, in Figure 2, "P0·PX·V0.25" means that the transport robot is facing right at point P0 and moving at 0.25 m / s, "P1·PX·V0.5" means that the transport robot is facing right at point P1 and moving at 0.5 m / s, "P2·PY·V0.25" means that the transport robot is facing upward at point P2 and moving at 0.25 m / s, and "P3·PY·V0.5" means that the transport robot is facing upward at point P3 and moving at 0.5 m / s. "P4·PX·V0.25" means that the transport robot at point P4 is facing right and moving at a speed of 0.25 m per second, "P5·PX·V0.25·WT10" means that the transport robot at point P5 is facing right and moving at a speed of 0.25 m per second, and the standby time is 10 seconds, and "P6·PX·V0.25" means that the transport robot at point P6 is facing right and moving at a speed of 0.25 m per second.

[0053] The point data above means that a transport robot moving from a point indicated by the point data (hereinafter referred to as the point) will follow the attribute data corresponding to the point until it reaches the next point (i.e., a transport robot that has arrived at or departed from the point will follow the attribute data corresponding to the point until it reaches the next point; in other words, when traveling on a line from one point to the next point, it will follow the attribute data of the point immediately preceding the next point). This means that when moving from point P0 to another point (e.g., point P1), the transport robot will travel rightward at a speed of 0.25 m / s in accordance with the attribute data of point P0 while traveling on the line from point P0 to the other point. Note that when the point is designated as a goal, the speed in the attribute data is rewritten to V0.0 (i.e., the speed is 0), and the transport robot is controlled to stop.

[0054] Since the attribute data includes information on waiting time, by inputting the waiting time information at a point, the transport robot can be made to wait at that point for the time indicated by the waiting time information.

[0055] As described above, the point data file 22 stores point data with attribute data including data on the direction and running speed of the transport robot for each point indicated by two-dimensional coordinates.

[0056] The line data file (line data storage unit) 24 is configured as shown in Fig. 3, and stores data (line data) of the names of pairs of points for each line name. The data in this line data file 24 is stored by specifying the points at both ends of each line on the line data input screens shown in Figs. 15 to 17.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows an example in which a line L1 between points P0 and P1, a line L2 between points P1 and P2, a line L3 between points P2 and P3, a line L4 between points P3 and P6, a line L5 between points P2 and P4, a line L6 between points P4 and P6, a line L7 between points P1 and P5, and a line L8 between points P5 and P6 are stored.

[0058] In the example of FIG. 3, data (line data) of a pair of point names is provided for each line name, but instead of a pair of point names, coordinate data of a pair of points may be used as line data.

[0059] As described above, the line data file 24 stores line data consisting of data indicating a pair of points for each line connecting a pair of points.

[0060] 4, the dimension restriction data file (route restriction data storage unit) 26 contains data on the dimensional restrictions of the transported object, and the data stored in this dimension restriction data file 26 is used when performing operations (described later) that take into account the dimension (i.e., length or width) of the transported object. The dimension (restriction dimension) registered in the dimension restriction data file is the length at which the transport robot may come into contact with an obstacle (hatched area in layout drawing 102) when turning, and may be, for example, the width of the narrowest part of the transport path in layout drawing 102. In other words, if the length or width of the transported object exceeds the narrowest width of the transport path, it can be considered that the transport robot may come into contact with an obstacle when turning, so the restriction dimension is set to the narrowest width.

[0061] The route candidate data file (route candidate data storage unit) 28 is configured as shown in Fig. 5, and stores data of route candidates created when a starting point (start point) and a finishing point (finish point) are specified. In other words, the route candidate data file 28 stores routes that can be reached from the start point to the finish point. Note that the route candidate data is data indicating point names in the order of travel, but may also be data indicating point coordinates in the order of travel.

[0062] In addition, the drawing data file (drawing data storage unit) 30 stores data of drawings created by the CAD function in the drawing creation unit 50, and stores, for example, data of layout drawings displayed on the point data input screen 100-1, etc.

[0063] Next, the program memory unit 40 stores various programs for operating the driving management system 5, and as shown in Figure 1, it is provided with a transmission / reception processing unit 42, an input detection unit 44, a display processing unit 46, a data processing unit 48, a drawing creation unit 50, a route search unit 52, and a route determination unit 54.

[0064] Here, the transmission / reception processing unit 42 is a program that mainly controls the operation of the communication unit 14.

[0065] The input detection unit 44 is a program that mainly detects the content input through the input unit 10.

[0066] In addition, the display processing unit 46 is a program that mainly controls the operation of the display unit 12 and displays, for example, a point data input screen 100-1 (Figures 12 to 14), a line data input screen 100-2 (Figures 15 to 17), a start / goal input screen 100-3 (Figures 18 and 23), and an optimal route display screen 100-4 (Figures 19 and 24).

[0067] The data processing unit 48 is a program that performs various data processing operations, and stores data in the point data file 22, the line data file 24, etc., according to the input contents detected by the input detection unit 44, for example.

[0068] The drawing creation unit 50 is a program for creating drawings, and is mainly composed of a CAD program. The drawing creation unit 50 creates a layout drawing 102 to be displayed on the point data input screen 100-1, for example.

[0069] The route search unit 52 is a program that searches for a route from a start point to a goal point, and searches for routes that can reach the goal point from the start point as route candidates.

[0070] The route determination unit 54 also calculates an evaluation value for each route candidate based on an evaluation criterion, and determines a route in accordance with the calculated evaluation value, as will be described in detail later.

[0071] Next, specific operations of the driving management system 5 will be described based on the flowcharts of Figures 6 to 11. It is assumed that a layout drawing created by the drawing creation unit 50 is stored in the drawing data file 30. Note that the layout drawing does not have to be created by the drawing creation unit 50, but may be a layout drawing created externally and imported into the drawing data file 30.

[0072] First, a point data input screen 100-1 is displayed on the display unit 12 (S1 in Fig. 6). The point data input screen 100-1 is configured as shown in Fig. 12, and displays a layout drawing 102 and a point data input field 104. That is, the display processing unit 46 reads out and displays the layout drawing 102 from the drawing data file 30, and also displays the point data display field 104.

[0073] The hatched areas in the layout diagrams in FIGS. 12 to 18 and 20 to 23 indicate obstacles, that is, areas where the transport robot cannot travel, and the white areas inside the hatched areas are areas where the transport robot can travel.

[0074] When the point data input screen 100-1 is displayed, input the point data (S2 in FIG. 6). That is, when an arbitrary position (point position) within the drivable area is designated as a point by clicking or the like, an attribute data input field 103 is displayed, and by inputting attribute data into this attribute data input field 103, the coordinates and attribute data of the designated point position are displayed in the point data display field 104. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, by inputting the attribute data "P0·PX·V0.25" into the attribute data input field 103 displayed by clicking on the point position within the drivable area, the coordinates of the designated position "x0, y0" and the input attribute data are displayed in the point data display field 104.

[0075] As described above, the operation of specifying the point position and inputting the attribute data for that point is repeated (S2 and S3 in FIG. 6).

[0076] FIG. 14 shows the result of specifying the point positions P0 to P6 as points and inputting attribute data for each point position. The point position of coordinates "x0, y0" is specified and attribute data "P0·PX·V0.25" is input, the point position of coordinates "x1, y1" is specified and attribute data "P1·PX·V0.5" is input, and the position of coordinates "x2, y2" is specified and attribute data "P2·PY·V0.25" is input. The following example shows a point position at coordinates "x3,y3" being specified and attribute data "P3·PY·V0.5" being input; a point position at coordinates "x4,y4" being specified and attribute data "P4·PX·V0.25" being input; a point position at coordinates "x5,y5" being specified and attribute data "P5·PX·V0.25·WT10" being input; and a point position at coordinates "x6,y6" being specified and attribute data "P6·PX·V0.25" being input.

[0077] Then, when the specification of the point position and the input of the attribute data are completed, by clicking "Done", the input contents are registered in the point data file 22 (S4 in FIG. 6). The registration in the point data file 22 is performed by the CPU 16 as a control unit and the data processing unit 48. In this way, the coordinate data of the two-dimensional coordinates corresponding to the position in the layout drawing 102 and the attribute data are stored in the point data file 22.

[0078] Once the registration in the point data file 22 is complete, a line data input screen 100-2 is displayed on the display unit 12 (S5 in FIG. 6). The line data input screen 100-2 is configured as shown in FIG. 15, and displays a layout diagram 102 and a line data input field 106. In this line data input screen 100-2, the specified points P0 to P6 are displayed in the layout diagram 102.

[0079] Line data is input on this line data input screen 100-2 (S6 in FIG. 6). That is, by specifying a pair of displayed points to be connected, the point names of the specified pair of points are displayed in the line data input field 106, and the line name is also assigned and displayed.

[0080] For example, if point P0 and point P1 are designated to be connected, then points P0 and P1 are displayed in the line data input field, and a line name L1 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 16. Also, in the layout diagram 102, a straight line is displayed between point P0 and point P1. Note that if the straight line between the two points overlaps a hatched area (i.e., an obstacle), it cannot be input and is not displayed in the line data input field. As described above, the operation of inputting line data is repeated (S6 and S7 in FIG. 6). Note that line names are assigned in ascending order each time a pair of points is designated, such as L1, L2, L3, etc.

[0081] FIG. 17 shows the state after inputting line L1 between points P0 and P1, line L2 between points P1 and P2, line L3 between points P2 and P3, line L4 between points P3 and P6, line L5 between points P2 and P4, line L6 between points P4 and P6, line L7 between points P1 and P5, and line L8 between points P5 and P6.

[0082] 17, lines L1 to L8 are straight, lines L1 to L3 are aligned, lines L4, L5, and L7 are perpendicular to lines L1 to L3, and line L8 is parallel to the directions of lines L1 to L3. Line L6 is inclined relative to the directions of lines L1 to L3 and lines L4, L5, and L7.

[0083] Then, when the input of the line data is completed, by clicking "Done", the input contents are registered in the line data file 24 (S8 in FIG. 6). The registration in the line data file 24 is performed by the CPU 16 as a control unit and the data processing unit 48. In this way, the line data for each line is stored in the line data file 24.

[0084] The layout drawing data stored in the drawing data file 30, the point data file 22, and the line data file 24 are stored in a linked state. In other words, when point data and line data are input as described above for a plurality of different layout drawings, a plurality of point data files and a plurality of line data files will be created, and naturally, the layout drawing data and the corresponding point data file and line data file are registered in association with each other.

[0085] Next, the operation of specifying a start point and a finish point and determining a route from the start point to the finish point will be described.

[0086] By performing a predetermined operation using the input unit 10, a start / goal input screen 100-3 shown in Fig. 18 is displayed (S11 in Fig. 7). The start / goal input screen 100-3 displays a layout diagram 102 and a start / goal input field 108, and the layout diagram 102 displays each point and the lines between the points in accordance with the contents registered in the point data file 22 and the line data file 24, as shown in Fig. 18. The start / goal input field 108 also displays point names, allowing the start point and goal point to be specified.

[0087] Then, the start point and the goal point are input and specified (S12 in FIG. 7). That is, the start point and the goal point are input in the start / goal input field 108 as shown in FIG. 18. In FIG. 18, the start point is set to point P0 and the goal point is set to point P6.

[0088] After specifying the start point and the finish point, route candidate data is created by clicking "Search Route" (S13 in FIG. 7). The route candidate data is data indicating routes that can be reached from the start point to the finish point, and the route candidate data is created by searching for routes that can be reached from the start point to the finish point based on the contents registered in the line data file 24. The route candidate data is created by the route search unit 52 and CPU 16, which serve as the control unit.

[0089] The route candidate data created based on the points and the lines between the points shown in Fig. 18 is configured as shown in Fig. 5, and route candidate data for route A (P0 → P1 → P2 → P3 → P6), route candidate data for route B (P0 → P1 → P2 → P4 → P6), and route candidate data for route C (P0 → P1 → P5 → P6) are created. The created route candidate data is stored in route candidate data file 28.

[0090] When creating route candidate data, turning points are searched for, and the data on the turning points is stored in the route candidate data file 28 (see FIG. 5). That is, the point data file 22 stores data on the orientation (PX, PY, NX, NY) of the transport robot, and the points at which the orientation of the transport robot changes when traveling along the searched route are defined as turning points. For example, according to the point data file 22 shown in FIG. 2, the orientation of the transport robot changes from facing right (PX) at point P1 to facing upward (PY) at point P2, so on route A, the orientation of the transport robot changes at point P2, and point P2 becomes the turning point. Similarly, on route B, point P2 becomes the turning point, and the orientation of the transport robot changes from facing upward (PY) at point P2 to facing right (PX) at point P4, so point P4 also becomes the turning point.

[0091] Once the route candidate data has been created, an optimum route is determined (S14 in FIG. 7). The optimum route may be determined by an optimum route determination subroutine shown in FIG. 8 or an optimum route determination subroutine shown in FIG. 11. The optimum route determination subroutine shown in FIG. 11 shows a method for determining an optimum route when the dimensions of the transported object are taken into consideration. The optimum route determination in S14 is performed by the route determination unit 54 and CPU 16 as a control unit.

[0092] First, the optimum route determination method shown in Fig. 8 will be explained. First, evaluation criteria are specified (S141 in Fig. 8). The evaluation criteria are used to determine the optimum route, and include the route length (length from the start point to the goal point), the required time (time required from the start point to the goal point), the number of passing points (number of points passed from the start point to the goal point), and the number of turning points.

[0093] Once the evaluation criteria have been identified, an evaluation value for each route candidate is calculated for the evaluation criteria (S142 in FIG. 8). The identification of the evaluation criteria and the calculation of the evaluation values ​​are performed by the route determination unit 54 and the CPU 16 as control units, and the above-mentioned multiple evaluation criteria are provided in the route determination unit 54.

[0094] The subroutine for calculating the evaluation value can be either the case shown in FIG. 9 or the case shown in FIG. 10, but first the case shown in FIG. 9 will be explained.

[0095] That is, a route candidate is identified (S142-1 in FIG. 9), an evaluation value is calculated for the identified route candidate (S142-2 in FIG. 9), and if there are other route candidates, evaluation values ​​are calculated for those route candidates (S142-3, S142-1, S142-2 in FIG. 9).

[0096] In other words, if the evaluation criterion is route length, the route length is calculated for each route. In this case, the route length becomes the evaluation value. Here, if the lengths between points P0-P1, between points P1-P2, between points P2-P3, between points P3-P6, and between points P1-P5 are 30 m, and the length between points P2-P4 is 15 m, then the length of route A is 120 m, the length of route B is approximately 108.5 m, and the length of route C is 120 m.

[0097] If there are other evaluation criteria, one of the other evaluation criteria is identified and an evaluation value is calculated for each route in the same manner (S143, S141, S142 in FIG. 8).

[0098] In other words, when the calculation of the evaluation value for the length of the route is completed, there are other evaluation criteria (required time, number of passing points, number of turning points), so one of the other evaluation criteria is identified (S141 in Figure 8) and an evaluation value is calculated for each route, and similarly, evaluation criteria for each of the remaining evaluation criteria are calculated for each route.

[0099] Here, if the evaluation criterion is the required time, the speed on each line will depend on the speed of the point at the start of the line, so according to the point data file 22, the speed on line L1 (between P0 and P1) is 0.25 m per second, the speed on line L2 (between P1 and P2) is 0.5 m per second, the speed on line L3 (between P2 and P3) is 0.25 m per second, the speed on line L4 (between P3 and P6) is 0.5 m per second, and the speed on line L5 (between P2 and P4) is 0.25 m per second. So, line L6 (between P4 and P6) is 0.25 m / s, line L7 (between P1 and P5) is 0.5 m / s, line L7 (between P5 and P6) is 0.25 m / s, and the turning time at the turning point is 5 seconds. Taking into account waiting time, route A will take 6 minutes and 5 seconds, route B will take approximately 6 minutes and 24 seconds (approximately 6 minutes and 14 seconds + 10 seconds), and route C will take 7 minutes and 10 seconds. In other words, the calculated required time will be the evaluation value.

[0100] Furthermore, if the evaluation criterion is the number of passing points, the number of passing points is detected according to the route candidate data file 28, and is three for Route A, three for Route B, and two for Route C. In other words, the number of passing points is the evaluation value.

[0101] Furthermore, if the evaluation criterion is the number of turning points, they are detected according to the data of turning points stored in the route candidate data file 28, and the number will be 1 for Route A, 2 for Route B, and 0 for Route C. In other words, the number of passing points is the evaluation value.

[0102] After calculating the evaluation value for each route candidate for each evaluation criterion in this way, the evaluation values ​​are converted into evaluation points, weighted, and added together to calculate the total points (S144 in FIG. 8).

[0103] 20, the conversion to evaluation points is as follows: first place among three route candidates receives 10 points, second place receives 6 points, and third place receives 3 points, and in the event of a tie, the points are divided equally. Furthermore, the shorter the route length, the higher the evaluation, the shorter the required time, the higher the evaluation, the fewer the number of passing points because the driving conditions based on the attribute data change frequently, and the fewer the number of turning points for the transport robot, the higher the evaluation because turning may cause the loading state of the transported object placed on the transport robot to become unstable.

[0104] In other words, in terms of route length, Route B will receive 10 points, Route A and Route C will each receive 4 points; in terms of required time, the shorter the route, the higher the rating, so Route A will receive 10 points, Route B will receive 6 points, and Route C will receive 3 points; in terms of the number of passing points, Route C will receive 10 points, and Routes A and B will each receive 4 points; and in terms of the number of turning points, Route C will receive 10 points, Route A will receive 6 points, and Route B will receive 2 points.

[0105] For weighting, the coefficient decreases in the order of route length, required time, number of passing points, and number of turning points, for example, 0.4 for route length, 0.3 for required time, 0.2 for number of passing points, and 0.1 for number of turning points. In other words, the more important the evaluation criterion, the larger the coefficient.

[0106] Then, for each route candidate, the evaluation points are multiplied by a coefficient and the resulting values ​​are added together to calculate the overall points. In the above example, Route A would get 6.0 points, Route B would get 6.8 points, and Route C would get 5.2 points. In other words, the evaluation points are multiplied by the coefficient set for each evaluation criterion, and the values ​​are added together for all evaluation criteria to weight and add up the evaluation points to calculate the overall points.

[0107] After the total points are calculated, the optimum route is determined according to the calculated total points (S145 in FIG. 8). In the above example, route B has the highest total points, so route B is determined to be the optimum route.

[0108] If there are multiple route candidates with the highest total points, one possible method is to prioritize the evaluation criterion with the largest coefficient and select the optimal route according to that evaluation criterion. In other words, if there are multiple route candidates with the highest total points, the optimal route is determined according to the route length with the largest coefficient (i.e., the highest priority) (i.e., the route candidate with the shortest route length is the optimal route), and if the route lengths are the same, the optimal route is determined according to the required time, which has the next highest priority (i.e., the route candidate with the shortest required time is the optimal route).

[0109] Furthermore, if there are multiple route candidates with the highest total points, any one of the multiple route candidates may be selected. In this case, the selection may be made by the operator or automatically by the route determination unit 54.

[0110] In the above example, the higher the evaluation, the higher the evaluation point, but the higher the evaluation, the lower the evaluation point may be. In that case, the coefficient is made smaller the more important the evaluation criterion, and the route candidate with the smallest total point is determined to be the optimal route.

[0111] Once the optimum route has been determined, an optimum route display screen 100-4 shown in FIG. 19 is displayed. On the optimum route display screen 100-4, the optimum route of P0 → P1 → P2 → P4 → P6 is displayed in the layout diagram 102, and a route display field 110 is displayed. In this route display field 110, route candidates are displayed, and the total points of each route candidate and the determined optimum route are also displayed.

[0112] Furthermore, once the optimum route is determined, the transmission / reception processing unit 42 transmits data necessary for the transport robot 1000 to travel from the start point to the goal point via the communication unit 14 (S15 in FIG. 7). This data includes route information of the optimum route and point data (particularly, attribute data) of points on the optimum route.

[0113] In other words, the route information is coordinate data of points ordered in the travel order (or movement order) of the transport robot on the optimal route. If the optimal route is route B, the route information is configured by ordering the coordinate data of points on route B. In other words, the route information is information indicating that points P0 (x0, y0) → P1 (x1, y1) → P2 (x2, y2) → P4 (x4, y4) → P6 (x6, y6). Furthermore, if the optimal route is route B, attribute data for points P0, P1, P2, P4, and P6 is transmitted. The transmission and reception processing unit 42 and the CPU 16, which serve as the control unit, transmit the route information of the optimal route and the point data. In this manner, the route information, which is coordinate data of points ordered in the travel order of the transport robot 1000 on the optimal route, and the attribute data of each point are transmitted to the transport robot 1000.

[0114] The transport robot 1000 travels along the optimal route according to the data transmitted from the communication unit 14. When the transport robot travels, it travels according to the speed, orientation, and waiting time defined by the attribute data, and when traveling on a line from one point to the next point, it travels according to the attribute data of the point immediately preceding the next point.

[0115] 21, the orientation of the transport robot 1000 is such that it travels from point P0 to point P2 facing right, turns upward at point P2 and travels upward to point P4, then turns right at point P4 and travels right to point P6. That is, since the attribute data of points P0 and P1 indicate a rightward orientation (PX), it travels rightward from points P0 to P1 and from points P1 to P2, since the attribute data of point P2 indicates an upward orientation (PY), it travels upward from points P2 to P4, and since the attribute data of point P4 indicates a rightward orientation (PX), it travels rightward from point P4 to P4.

[0116] Regarding the travel speed, the attribute data for point P0 indicates a speed of 0.25 m per second, so the transport robot 1000 travels from point P0 to P1 at 0.25 m per second, the attribute data for point P1 indicates a speed of 0.5 m per second, so the transport robot 1000 travels from point P1 to P2 at 0.5 m per second, the attribute data for point P2 indicates a speed of 0.25 m per second, so the transport robot 1000 travels from point P2 to P4 at 0.25 m per second, and the attribute data for point P4 indicates a speed of 0.25 m per second, so the transport robot 1000 travels from point P4 to P6 at 0.25 m per second. Note that point P6 is the goal point, so the transport robot 1000 stops at point P6 regardless of the speed data in the attribute data.

[0117] Next, as another example of the evaluation value calculation subroutine, a method shown in Fig. 10 will be described. The method shown in Fig. 10 considers whether the dimensions of the transported object exceed a limit value.

[0118] That is, in S11 of Fig. 7, a start / goal input screen 100-3 is displayed as shown in Fig. 23. This start / goal input screen 100-3 displays a layout diagram 102, a start / goal input field 108, and a dimension input field 109, and allows the user to specify the start point and the goal point, as well as input the dimensions (length and width) of the transported object.

[0119] In S12 of FIG. 7, the start point and goal point are input, as well as the length and width of the transported object, and "Search for route" is clicked.

[0120] Then, the process moves from creating route candidate data (S13 in FIG. 7) to determining the optimal route (S14 in FIG. 7). In the route determination subroutine in FIG. 8, similarly to the above, evaluation criteria are identified (S141 in FIG. 8) and an evaluation value is calculated for each route candidate (S142 in FIG. 8). The subroutine for calculating the evaluation value is the subroutine shown in FIG. 10.

[0121] That is, it is determined whether the identified evaluation criterion is the number of turning points (S142-11 in FIG. 10), and if the evaluation criterion is not the number of turning points, the process proceeds to S142-18, and if the evaluation criterion is the number of turning points, it is determined whether the dimensions of the transported object exceed the limit values ​​(S142-12 in FIG. 10). The dimensions of the transported object are the length (total length) a1 and width (total width) a2 of the transported object in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 22. If at least one of the length a1 and width a2 exceeds the length stored in the dimension limit data file 26 in FIG. 4, a route candidate is identified (S142-13 in FIG. 10), and if the identified route candidate has a turning point, the evaluation value is set to a special value (-100 in the example of FIG. 20) (S142-13 to S142-15 in FIG. 10). Since the length (total length) is generally longer than the width (total width), it is sufficient to determine whether the longitudinal length exceeds the length stored in the dimensional restriction data file 26.

[0122] On the other hand, in S142-12, if the size of the transported object is equal to or smaller than the limit value or if there is no turning point in the route candidate, the evaluation value is set to the number of turning points, as in the case of FIG. 9 (S142-16 in FIG. 10).

[0123] Then, when the evaluation criterion is the number of turning points, the processes of S142-12 to S142-16 are performed for the remaining route candidates. In the example of Fig. 20, since turning points exist on route A and route B, if the dimensions of the transported object exceed the limit value, the evaluation value of the turning point becomes -100.

[0124] If the evaluation criterion is not the number of turning points, an evaluation value is calculated for each route candidate (S142-18 to S142-20 in FIG. 10) in the same way as in the case of FIG. 9. That is, the route candidates are identified and the evaluation values ​​are calculated for all route candidates.

[0125] Once the evaluation values ​​have been calculated for all evaluation criteria, they are converted into evaluation points in the same manner as above, but if a special value was assigned in S142-15 above, that special value is used as the evaluation point as is.

[0126] Therefore, in the example of Figure 20, if special values ​​are assigned to Route A and Route B, the total points for Route A will be -4.6 (= 4 x 0.4 + 10 x 0.3 + 4 x 0.2 - 100 x 0.1), and the total points for Route B will be -3.4 (= 10 x 0.4 + 6 x 0.3 + 4 x 0.2 - 100 x 0.1). The special value is a value that can sufficiently lower the total points, and the evaluation point assigned with the special value (i.e., -100) is a value that will exclude the route candidate from the optimal route. As a result, if the length of the transported object exceeds the limit and the route candidate has a turning point, the route candidate will be excluded from the optimal route by assigning the special value to the evaluation point. In other words, even if the evaluation points for the route length, required time, and number of passing points are all 10, adding the values ​​multiplied by each coefficient gives a total score of 9 for the three evaluation criteria, so by setting the evaluation point to the special value of -100, the total score becomes 9-100 x 0.1 = -1, and the route candidate is excluded from the optimal route. The total score for Route C is 5.2, just like in the above case.

[0127] As a result, route C has the highest overall points, and is therefore determined to be the optimal route.

[0128] Once the optimum route has been determined, an optimum route display screen 100-4 shown in FIG. 24 is displayed. On this optimum route display screen 100-4, the optimum route of P0 → P1 → P5 → P6 is displayed on the layout diagram 102, and a route display field 110 is displayed. In this route display field 110, route candidates are displayed, and the total points of each route candidate and the determined optimum route are also displayed.

[0129] Furthermore, once the optimum route has been determined, data necessary for traveling from the start point to the goal point is transmitted to the transport robot 1000 via the communication unit 14. This data includes route information of the optimum route (i.e., coordinate data of points ordered in the order of points P0 → P1 → P5 → P6) and point data of points on the optimum route (particularly, attribute data (i.e., attribute data for points P0, P1, P5, and P6)).

[0130] The transfer robot 1000 travels along the optimum route in accordance with the data transmitted from the communication unit 14. When the transfer robot 1000 travels, it follows the speed, direction, and standby time defined by the attribute data.

[0131] Next, the route determination subroutine shown in Fig. 11 will be described. That is, another method for determining the optimum route in S14 of Fig. 7 will be described. In this case, too, consideration is given to whether the dimensions of the transported object exceed the limit value.

[0132] That is, first, it is determined whether the dimensions of the transported object exceed the limit values ​​(S1401 in FIG. 11). The dimensions of the transported object are the length a1 and width a2 of the transported object, as shown in FIG. 22, and it is determined whether at least one of the length a1 and width a2 exceeds the length stored in the dimension limit data file 26 in FIG. 4.

[0133] If the dimensions of the transported object do not exceed the limit, the process proceeds to S1406. On the other hand, if the dimensions of the transported object exceed the limit, route candidates that have a turning point are excluded from the route candidates (S1402 to S1405). That is, a route candidate is identified (S1402 in FIG. 11), and it is determined whether the route candidate has a turning point (S1403). If a turning route is found, the route candidate is excluded from the route candidates (S1404). If a turning route is not found, the process proceeds to S1406. The above processing is performed for all route candidates (S1405, S1402, S1403, S1404 in FIG. 11).

[0134] Then, in S1406, the same process as in FIG. 8 is performed for the route candidates that have not been excluded. That is, an evaluation criterion is identified (S1406 in FIG. 11), and an evaluation value is calculated for each route candidate (S1407 in FIG. 11). The subroutine for calculating the evaluation value in S1407 follows the subroutine shown in FIG. 9. That is, in the example of FIG. 20, evaluation values ​​are calculated for the route length, the required time, the number of passing points, and the number of turning points. Note that since it has already been determined whether the transported object exceeds the dimensional limit value (S1401 to S1405 in FIG. 11), the subroutine in FIG. 10 is not applied.

[0135] If there are other evaluation criteria, one of the other evaluation criteria is identified and an evaluation value is calculated for each route in the same manner (S1408, S1406, S1407 in FIG. 11). After calculating the evaluation value for each evaluation criterion for each route candidate, the evaluation values ​​are converted into evaluation points, weighted, and added to calculate an overall point (S1409 in FIG. 11). Once the overall point is calculated, the optimal route is determined based on the calculated overall point (S1410 in FIG. 11).

[0136] When the subroutine of FIG. 11 is applied to FIG. 20, if the transported object exceeds the dimensional limit value, route A and route B are excluded from the route candidates (i.e., excluded from the optimal route), and route C is determined to be the optimal route. Once the optimal route is determined, an optimal route display screen 100-4 such as that shown in FIG. 24 is displayed, but since route A and route B are excluded from the route candidates, only route C is displayed in the route display field 110.

[0137] On the other hand, if the transported object does not exceed the dimensional limit value, then, as in the above, route A will have 6.0 points, route B will have 6.8 points, and route C will have 5.2 points, so route B will be determined to be the optimum route. In this case, an optimum route display screen 100-4 such as that shown in Fig. 24 is also displayed, but the display contents of the route display field 110 will be the contents shown in the route display field 110 of Fig. 19.

[0138] In the above description, point P0 is the start point and point P6 is the goal point, but other points may be used as the start point and goal point, for example, point P6 may be the start point and point P0 may be the goal point. Even in this case, the transfer robot moving from the point indicated by the point data (hereinafter referred to as the point) is controlled to travel in accordance with the attribute data corresponding to the point until it reaches the next point (i.e., when traveling on a line from one point to the next point, it is controlled to travel in accordance with the attribute data of the point (i.e., the point immediately preceding the next point)). When moving from point P6 to any of points P3, P4, and P5, the transfer robot follows the attribute data of point P6, so that it travels rightward at a speed of 0.25 m per second.

[0139] 2 indicates that a transport robot moving from a point indicated by the point data (hereinafter referred to as the point) follows the attribute data corresponding to the point until it reaches the next point. For example, when moving from point P1 to point P2 or from point P1 to point P5, the transport robot follows the attribute data of point P1 (speed: 0.5 m / s, direction of transport robot: rightward). However, if it is desired to change the speed or direction of the transport robot on line L7 from point P1 to point P5, for example, a new point can be set near point P1 on line L7 and the new speed and direction of the transport robot can be set in the attribute data of that point. Then, the new speed and direction of the transport robot will be applied from the new point to point P5.

[0140] In the above description, the data to be transmitted to the transport robot 1000, i.e., the data necessary for traveling from the start point to the goal point, includes route information of the optimal route and point data (particularly attribute data) of points on the optimal route. However, instead of point data, data may be converted into data for each line between points on the optimal route and transmitted to the transport robot 1000. That is, coordinate data of both ends of a line (a pair of coordinate data) and attribute data for the line are transmitted for each line. The attribute data for a line is attribute data for the point that is the start point of the line (the point on the front side in the traveling direction). Transmission of the pair of coordinate data for each line and the attribute data for the point that is the start point of the line is performed by the transmission / reception processing unit 42 and the CPU 16, which serve as a control unit.

[0141] For example, if the optimum route is route B as described above, the coordinates of both ends of each line and attribute data of each line are transmitted for lines L1, L2, L5, and L6, but for line L1, for example, the coordinate data of points P0 and P1 are transmitted, and attribute data of point P0, the starting point of line L1, is also transmitted as attribute data of line L1 (the data content is that the transport robot is facing right and its speed is 0.25 m / s).As a result, the transport robot 1000 that receives this data will travel between the starting point and the ending point of the line in accordance with the attribute data, and for line L1, it will travel between points P1 and P1 facing right at a speed of 0.25 m / s.

[0142] As described above, according to the driving management system 1, it is only necessary to assign attributes such as the speed and direction of the transport robot to each point on the driving route of the transport robot, and there is no need to assign attributes to each point and line. This makes it easy to manage the attributes used to generate driving routes, and allows the driving management system to have a simple configuration.

[0143] In particular, the speed and direction of the transport robot can be addressed by assigning attributes to the line, and in the work transport system of Patent Document 2 above, the speed of the transport vehicle is stored for each transport path, but in the present invention, attributes that can be assigned to each line are also assigned to each point, so that attributes are assigned only to points and managed collectively at the points, making attribute management easier, and there is no need to manage attributes for each point and file, allowing the system to have a simple configuration.

[0144] Furthermore, if attribute data is stored for each point, a route can be determined by specifying the line between points and the start and finish points, making it easy to perform operations for generating a driving route.

[0145] Furthermore, when determining a route from multiple route candidates, evaluation values ​​are calculated for each of multiple evaluation criteria, and the evaluation points converted from the evaluation values ​​are weighted and added to determine the optimal route, so that the overall optimal route can be determined based on multiple evaluation criteria.

[0146] Furthermore, when consideration is given to whether the dimensions of the transported object exceed the limit value, as in the subroutines shown in Figures 10 and 11, the transported object can be prevented from coming into contact with obstacles when the transport robot turns, and the transported object can be transported safely.

[0147] In the above explanation, the evaluation criteria are set as the route length, the required time, the number of passing points, and the number of turning points, and the optimal route is determined by weighting and adding up the evaluation points based on the evaluation values ​​of each evaluation criterion, but the optimal route may also be determined based on any one of the above evaluation criteria.

[0148] In this case, the optimum route is determined to be the route candidate with the shortest route length, the route candidate with the shortest required time, the route candidate with the fewest number of passing points, and the route candidate with the fewest number of turning points.

[0149] If the evaluation criterion is the route length and the route candidate with the shortest length is selected as the optimal route, the driving load of the transport robot can be reduced, such as by reducing the power consumption of the transport robot.If the evaluation criterion is the required time and the route candidate with the shortest required time is selected as the optimal route, the transported item can arrive earlier.If the evaluation criterion is the number of passing points and the route candidate with the fewest passing points is selected as the optimal route, the frequency of changes in driving conditions based on attribute data, such as changes in speed when passing through points, can be reduced, allowing for stable driving.Furthermore, by using the number of turning points as the evaluation criterion and selecting the route candidate with the fewest turning points as the optimal route, the risk of the transported item becoming unstable when the transport robot turns can be reduced.

[0150] Alternatively, an arbitrary combination of the four evaluation criteria of route length, required time, number of passing points, and number of turning points may be used.

[0151] Furthermore, the user may be allowed to select any combination of the four evaluation criteria, i.e., route length, required time, number of passing points, and number of turning points, and the optimum route may be determined by weighting and adding up evaluation points based on the evaluation values ​​of each evaluation criterion. For example, an evaluation criterion selection field may be displayed on the start / goal input screen 100-3, allowing the user to select any combination of evaluation criteria from multiple evaluation criteria, calculating evaluation values ​​according to the selected evaluation criteria, and calculating evaluation points based on the evaluation values, and then weighting and adding up the calculated evaluation points to determine the optimum route.

[0152] In addition, in the above explanation, it was explained that the start point and finish point are specified on the start / finish input screen, but the start point and finish point may also be specified by sending information about the start point and finish point from outside the driving management system 5 and receiving it via the communication unit 14. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1. Transport robot system 5 Driving management system 10 Input section 12 Display section 14 Communications Department 16 CPU 20 databases 22 point data files 24 Line Data File 26 Dimensional Restriction Data File 28 Route candidate data file 30 Drawing data files 40 Program memory section 42 Transmission and reception processing section 44 Input detection unit 46 Display processing section 48 Data Processing Unit 50 Drawing Creation Department 52 Route search section 54 Route determination unit 100-1 Point data input screen 100-2 Line data input screen 100-3 Start and goal entry screen 100-4 Optimal route display screen 102 Layout diagram 104 Point data input field 106 Line data input field 108 Start and finish line entry field 109 Dimension input field 110 Route display column

Claims

1. A running management system that manages the running of a transport robot (1000), a point data storage unit (22) for storing attribute data including data on the orientation and running speed of the transport robot for each point indicated by two-dimensional coordinates; a line data storage unit (24) for storing, for each line connecting a pair of points, line data consisting of data indicating the pair of points; a display unit (12) for displaying an image; an input unit (10) for performing input operations; a communication unit (14) for communicating with the transport robot; a control unit (16, 40) for controlling the operation of the driving management system; In a state where a point data input screen (100-1) for inputting point data is displayed on the display unit, which displays a layout diagram showing an area in which the transport robot travels, an arbitrary position in the layout diagram and attribute data corresponding to the position are input by the input unit, and the control unit stores the coordinate data of the two-dimensional coordinates corresponding to the input position and the attribute data in the point data storage unit, When a line data input screen (100-2) for inputting line data is displayed on the display unit, line data indicating a pair of points is input through the input unit, and the control unit stores the line data for each line in the line data storage unit, When a start point, which is the starting position of the transport robot, and a goal point, which is the goal position of the transport robot, are specified among the points stored in the point data storage unit, the control unit searches for route candidates that can reach the goal point from the start point by connecting lines based on the point data stored in the point data storage unit and the line data stored in the line data storage unit, and determines an optimal route from the multiple route candidates searched in accordance with an evaluation criterion for determining an optimal route; A driving management system characterized in that the control unit controls the driving of the transport robot via the communication unit so that the transport robot drives on the line to the next point at each point ordered in the driving order of the transport robot on the optimal route in accordance with the attribute data of the point immediately preceding the next point.

2. 2. The driving management system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation criterion is the length of the route from the start point to the finish point, and the control unit determines the route candidate with the shortest route length as the optimal route among the multiple route candidates.

3. 2. The driving management system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation criterion is the time required to travel from the start point to the finish point, and the control unit determines, from among the plurality of route candidates, the route candidate with the shortest time required as the optimal route.

4. 2. The driving management system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation criterion is the number of points passed from the start point to the finish point, and the control unit determines, among the multiple route candidates, the route candidate with the fewest number of points passed as the optimal route.

5. The driving management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a point in each route candidate where the orientation of the transport robot changes is defined as a turning point, the evaluation criterion is the number of turning points existing between the start point and the goal point, and the control unit determines, among the multiple route candidates, the route candidate with the fewest number of turning points as the optimal route.

6. a size limit data file (26) for storing size limit values ​​in a plan view of the transport robot is provided; The driving management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit determines whether the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds a limit dimension value stored in a dimension limit value data file, and if the longitudinal length exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates having a turning point from the optimal route.

7. Several types of evaluation criteria are established as evaluation criteria for determining the optimal route, The driving management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit calculates evaluation points based on each evaluation criterion for each of the multiple route candidates, calculates overall points by weighting and adding the calculated evaluation points, and compares the overall points for each route candidate to determine the optimal route.

8. The travel management system according to claim 7, wherein the multiple types of evaluation criteria are composed of any combination of the length of the route from the start point to the goal point, the time required from the start point to the goal point, the number of points passed from the start point to the goal point, and the number of turning points present from the start point to the goal point, and the turning points are points at which the orientation of the transport robot changes on each route in the route candidates.

9. The evaluation criteria include the number of turning points, and a size limit value data file (26) is provided that stores limit size values ​​in a plan view of the transport robot; The driving management system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit determines whether the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a planar view exceeds the limit dimension value stored in the dimension limit value data file, and if the longitudinal length exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit sets an evaluation point for the number of turning points for a route candidate that has a turning point to a value that excludes the route candidate from the optimal route.

10. The evaluation criteria include the number of turning points, and a size limit value data file (26) is provided that stores limit size values ​​in a plan view of the transport robot; 9. The driving management system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit determines whether the longitudinal length of the transport robot in a plan view exceeds a limit dimension value stored in a dimension limit value data file, and if the longitudinal length exceeds the limit dimension value, the control unit excludes route candidates having a turning point from the optimal route.

11. 2. The driving management system according to claim 1, wherein the attribute data includes information on waiting times at points.

12. A travel management system as described in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11, characterized in that the control unit transmits route information, which is coordinate data of points ordered in the order in which the transport robot travels on the optimal route, and attribute data of each point to the transport robot via the communication unit.

13. 12. A travel management system as described in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11, characterized in that the control unit transmits to the transport robot via the communication unit, for each line between adjacent points at points ordered in the order of travel of the transport robot on the optimal route, a pair of coordinate data consisting of coordinate data of a point that is the start point of the line and coordinate data of a point that is the end point of the line, and attribute data of the point that is the start point of the line.

14. A transport robot system comprising the travel management system according to claim 12 and a transport robot (1000), A transport robot system characterized in that a transport robot receives route information and attribute data of each point from a travel management system via a communication unit and travels in accordance with the route information and attribute data of each point.

15. A transport robot system comprising the travel management system according to claim 13 and a transport robot (1000), A transport robot system characterized in that a transport robot receives a pair of coordinate data for each line and attribute data of the point that is the starting point of the line from a travel management system via a communication unit, and travels in accordance with the pair of coordinate data for each line and the attribute data of the point that is the starting point of the line.

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