Parking device, control device, and control method of parking device

Abstract

To provide a parking device capable of early detecting abnormality of inclination of a palette even when the number of detectors is few.SOLUTION: A parking device includes: a pallet, on which a vehicle is mounted, having a long edge along a length direction of the vehicle and a short edge along a width direction of the vehicle; a detector placed on the pallet and detecting inclination in a direction along a long edge of the pallet and inclination in a direction along its short edge; a moving device lifting the pallet or moving it horizontally; and a control section controlling the moving device on the basis of the inclination detected with the detector, wherein the control section stops the moving device or keep the moving device in a stop state when either of a first oblique angle equal to or more than a first angle to a first reference direction along the long edge detected with the detector continues for a first period, and a composite angle of the first inclination angle and a second inclination angle more than the first angle to a second reference direction along the short edge detected with the detector for a second period is satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a parking device, a control device, and a control method for a parking device. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional vehicle parking system is a so-called multi-level parking system in which vehicles are placed on pallets and parked in a stacked manner. In the multi-level parking system, the pallets are raised and lowered vertically or moved laterally horizontally to allow vehicles to enter and exit the parking system from the entrance and exit gate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-091638 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a multi-level parking system that uses multiple chains to lift a pallet, if a malfunction occurs in the lifting mechanism, an imbalance in the lifting balance between a specific chain and the other chains can occur, causing the pallet to tilt. The pallet can also tilt if it gets caught on a structure or vehicle in the multi-level parking system while moving up or down, or if it runs over an obstacle or foreign object while moving sideways.

[0005] In order to increase the stability of the pallet, the mechanism that moves the tilted pallet is stopped.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for stopping the lifting and lowering of a pallet when an abnormal tilt of the pallet is detected.

[0007] In this type of parking device, it is desirable to detect abnormal tilt of the pallet early and increase the stability of the pallet.

[0008] In view of the above problem, one embodiment of the present disclosure aims to provide a parking device that can detect abnormal tilt of a pallet early even with a small number of detectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A parking device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pallet on which a vehicle is placed, the pallet having a long side along the vehicle's length and a short side along the vehicle's width; a detector disposed on the pallet and detecting the tilt of the pallet in the direction along the long side and the short side; a moving device that raises and lowers or moves the pallet sideways; and a control unit that controls the moving device based on the tilt detected by the detector, wherein the control unit stops the moving device or maintains the moving device in a stopped state when either a first tilt angle relative to a first reference direction in the direction along the long side detected by the detector remains equal to or greater than a first angle for a first period of time, or a composite angle between the first tilt angle and a second tilt angle relative to a second reference direction in the direction along the short side detected by the detector remains equal to or greater than a second angle that is greater than the first angle for a second period of time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a parking device can be provided that can detect abnormal tilt of a pallet early even with a small number of detectors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a parking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between a control device and a detection device included in the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 4]2 is a block diagram of a control device included in the parking device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a block diagram of a detection device included in the parking device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the control device illustrated in FIG. 4 and the detection device illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between a lifting device and a pallet included in the parking device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a plan view of a pallet included in the parking device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 9] 1. FIG. 4 is another perspective view showing the relationship between the lifting device and the pallet included in the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 10] 1. FIG. 4 is another perspective view showing the relationship between the lifting device and the pallet included in the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 11] 1. FIG. 4 is another perspective view showing the relationship between the lifting device and the pallet included in the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control performed in a control device included in the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 13] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure used in a control device included in the parking device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 14] 10 is another flowchart illustrating an example of control performed in the control device included in the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 15] 2 is a diagram illustrating the results of an experiment conducted on the parking device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 16] 1. FIG. 4 is another diagram illustrating the results of an experiment conducted on the parking device shown in FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control performed in a detection device included in a parking device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 18 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure used in the detection device shown in FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 19] 18 is another flowchart illustrating an example of control performed in the detection device shown in FIG. 17. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments exemplified below. For clarity of explanation, the drawings may show the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part schematically compared to the actual form, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in this specification and each drawing, elements that are identical or similar to those previously described with reference to the previous drawings may be designated by the same reference numerals (or numbers followed by a, b, A, B, etc.), and detailed descriptions may be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the letters "first" and "second" attached to each element are convenient labels used to distinguish each element and have no further meaning unless otherwise specified.

[0013] In this specification, when a component or region is described as being "on (or under)" another component or region, unless otherwise specified, this includes not only the case where it is directly above (or directly under) the other component or region, but also the case where it is above (or under) the other component or region, i.e., the case where another component is included between the component or region and above (or under) the other component or region.

[0014] Furthermore, in this specification, unless otherwise specified, expressions such as "α includes A, B, or C," "α includes any one of A, B, and C," and "α includes one selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C" do not exclude cases where α includes multiple combinations of A to C. Furthermore, these expressions do not exclude cases where α includes other elements.

[0015] <Embodiment 1> 1. Overview of the parking system FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a parking device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a parking device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the main configuration of a parking device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this specification, the side of the parking device 100 where the entrance and exit gates are located will be referred to as the front, and the opposite side will be referred to as the back. The direction from the front to the back of the parking device 100, i.e., the direction in which a vehicle V enters the parking device 100, will be referred to as the rear direction (-x direction). The y direction is the direction from the front to the back of the drawing in FIG. 1 (the left-right direction, lateral direction of the vehicle V), and the z direction is the direction from bottom to top in FIG. 1 (the up-down direction, ascending and descending direction of the vehicle V).

[0016] Parking device 100 is a multi-level parking device that can park multiple vehicles V. Parking device 100 has a skeletal structure mainly composed of multiple support pillars 102 and beams 103 erected between the support pillars 102, and has multiple compartmented vehicle storage areas that can accommodate one vehicle V. Parking device 100 is equipped with a pallet 104 on which vehicle V is placed.

[0017] In this embodiment, the parking apparatus 100 has, as an example, four parking levels in the vertical direction (lifting direction) where the vehicles V are stacked, and four parking areas in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction, traversing direction) where the vehicles V are placed side by side. The parking apparatus 100 requires auxiliary spaces AS1 to AS3 for lifting, lowering, or traversing the vehicles V. Excluding the auxiliary spaces AS1 to AS3, the parking apparatus 100 can park and accommodate a maximum of 13 vehicles V. In other words, the parking apparatus 100 has 13 vehicle loading areas indicated by PS1 to PS13. Pallets 104 on which the vehicles V are placed are installed in each vehicle loading area.

[0018] The parking device 100 of this embodiment is not limited to the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2. The parking device 100 may have a structure with fewer than four rows or five or more rows in the vertical direction, and may have a structure with fewer than four rows or five or more rows in the horizontal direction.

[0019] The vehicle V is placed on the pallet 104, for example, by moving backward in the -x direction from in front of the entrance / exit gate. At this time, the vehicle V is placed on the pallet 104 with the front side (front wheel side) of the vehicle V aligned with the side closer to the entrance / exit gate of the parking apparatus 100 and the rear side (rear wheel side) of the vehicle V aligned with the side farther from the entrance / exit gate of the parking apparatus 100. The parking apparatus 100 moves the vehicle V to the desired vehicle storage area PS1 to PS13 by raising and lowering the pallet 104 up and down or moving it laterally left and right, and enters the vehicle V. The vehicle V leaves the parking apparatus 104 by performing the reverse operation of the entrance of the vehicle V. For example, the parking apparatus 100 moves the vehicle V placed in the vehicle storage area PS1 to PS13 to the entrance / exit gate by raising and lowering the pallet 104 up and down or moving it laterally left and right. The vehicle V can be unloaded from the pallet 104 and removed from the parking lot by, for example, moving forward from the back of the entrance / exit gate in the +x direction. The parking method described above is an example, and the vehicle V may move forward when entering the parking lot and may move backward when leaving the parking lot.

[0020] The parking apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 parks a vehicle V by raising and lowering one to four tiers of pallets 104. However, the method by which the parking apparatus 100 parks a vehicle V is not limited to the method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The parking apparatus 100 may park a vehicle by applying various methods as follows. For example, a method may be used in which two to four tiers of pallets 104 are raised and lowered to the first tier of the parking apparatus 100, where no pallets 104 exist. Alternatively, a method may be used in which the first tier of the pallet 104 of the parking apparatus 100 is lowered into an underground pit, and the second to fourth tiers of pallets 104 are lowered to the first tier. Furthermore, a method may be used in which the first to third tiers of pallets 104 are slid forward and backward, and the second to fourth tiers of pallets 104 are lowered to the first tier. Furthermore, a method may be used in which these methods are combined.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 , the pallet 104 may be provided with a car stopper 105 that prevents the vehicle V from moving toward the rear side. The car stopper 105 defines a parking area on the pallet 104 in the direction of travel of the vehicle V. The car stopper 105 is provided on the rear side of the pallet 104. The height of the car stopper 105 is lower than the height of the vehicle V. The car stopper 105 comes into contact with the rear wheels of the vehicle V to prevent the vehicle V from moving toward the rear side of the parking device 100, thereby preventing the vehicle V from protruding outside the pallet 104. When the vehicle V enters the parking device 100 from the front side of the vehicle V, the car stopper 105 may come into contact with the front wheels of the vehicle V to prevent the vehicle V from moving toward the rear side of the parking device 100.

[0022] Pallet 104 is provided so as to be able to move up and down along support columns 102 by means of lifting device 106. Pallet 104 is also provided so as to be able to move laterally along horizontal guide rails (not shown) that are provided parallel to the horizontal direction (y direction) by means of drive device 107, for example.

[0023] When multiple vehicles V are stacked in the z direction (vertical direction) in the skeletal structure, the pallets 104 are arranged at intervals such that adjacent vehicles V do not interfere with each other in the vertical direction.

[0024] More specifically, the lifting device 106 includes an electric motor 110, a sprocket 111 connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 110, a transmission chain 112 connected to the sprocket 111, a first transmission shaft 113 connected to the transmission chain 112, a rear chain 114 connected to the first transmission shaft 113 and attached to the rear of the pallet 104, and a front chain 116 attached to the front of the pallet 104 via a second transmission shaft 115.

[0025] The parking device 100 is operated by an operation panel 208. The operation panel 208 is provided on the outside of the parking device 100. As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 208 may be attached to a support 102 near the entrance / exit gate of the parking device 100 (lower right side of the figure).

[0026] The operation panel 208 communicates via wired or wireless means with the control device 200 that controls the parking device 100. The control device 200 receives instructions from the user via the operation panel 208 regarding the entry and exit of the vehicle V, and controls all operations of the parking device 100, such as the lifting and lowering operations and lateral movement of the multiple pallets 104. Note that FIG. 1 shows an example in which the control device 200 is attached to the back of the parking device 100.

[0027] The entrance / exit gate for vehicle V is provided on one level (ground level) of parking apparatus 100. Although not shown, a gate may be installed at the entrance / exit gate of parking apparatus 100. When vehicle V leaves the parking apparatus, the gate is opened when pallet 104 is moved to the entrance / exit gate, and is closed by operating operation panel 208 to close the gate after vehicle V has left. When vehicle V enters the parking apparatus, the gate is opened by operating operation panel 208 to open the gate, and is closed by operating operation panel 208 after vehicle V has entered the parking apparatus. Closing the gate normally prevents people from entering the parking apparatus 100. In this case, to ensure safety when closing the gate, a sensor may be attached to detect objects (people or objects) in a predetermined area in the closing direction of the gate. Such a sensor may be attached to support post 102, the gate, or the like near the entrance / exit gate of parking apparatus 100 (lower right side of the figure). Although not shown, a notification unit may be provided to notify users when the gate is closed or opened, when an abnormality occurs, etc.

[0028] The parking apparatus 100 is equipped with a detection device 300 that detects the tilt of the pallet 104. In this embodiment, the detection device 300 is attached to the surface (back surface) of each pallet 104 opposite to the surface (front surface) on which the vehicle V is placed via a beam, which is a reinforcing member, extending along the edge of the side opposite to the side from which the vehicle V enters and leaves. However, the position at which the detection device 300 is disposed is not limited to the position described above and the position described in more detail below.

[0029] Each pallet 104 is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate. The vehicle V is placed on the pallet 104 so that the vehicle length direction VLD (see FIG. 1) of the vehicle V is aligned with the long side of the pallet 104 and the vehicle width direction VWD of the vehicle V is aligned with the short side of the pallet 104.

[0030] 2. Connection between the control device and the detection device As shown in Fig. 3, the parking device 100 includes one control device 200 and multiple detection devices 300. Each detection device 300 is installed on a respective pallet 104 and moves together with the pallet 104. The pallet 104 and the control device 200 are connected by drive elements DE including, for example, an elevator device 106 (see Figs. 1 and 2) and a drive device 107 (see Figs. 1 and 2), and the pallet 104 moves up and down or laterally under the control of the control device 200. The detection devices 300 and the control device 200 are also connected by a wireless path WP including, for example, a communication path conforming to a low-power wireless communication standard, and are capable of communicating with each other.

[0031] Next, to facilitate understanding, the control device 200 and one of the plurality of detection devices 300 shown in FIG. 3 will be shown to explain the schematic configuration of the parking device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] 3. Overview of the control device and detection device 3-1.Control device 4, the control device 200 includes a storage unit 212 that stores various data, a control unit 214 that controls each unit, and a communication unit 216 that communicates with other devices. The control device 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0033] The storage unit 212 is a logical storage area, and includes, for example, memories such as a main storage device, a secondary storage device, and a storage area inside a central processing unit (CPU). The storage unit 212 includes storage devices such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 212 stores programs and the like that cause the control device 200 to realize various functions. The storage unit 212 also temporarily stores data that cause the control device 200 to realize various functions.

[0034] The control unit 214 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 214 realizes various functions described below by executing programs stored in the storage unit 212, but the configuration for realizing the control device 200 is not limited to this. The programs executed by the control unit 214 may be provided in a state where they are stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. Furthermore, each program may be downloaded via a network.

[0035] The control unit 214 transmits instruction signals related to the driving of the pallet 104 to the driving device 107. The control unit 214 transmits signals related to the driving of the pallet 104 to the driving device 107 based on information received from the operation panel 208, and controls the driving of the pallet 104 via the driving elements DE (see FIG. 3). The control unit 214 receives signals indicating the acceleration and inclination of the pallet 104 corresponding to the detecting device 300 via the wireless path WP from the detecting device 300 arranged on each pallet 104, and performs predetermined control based on the received signals.

[0036] When the acceleration value detected by the detection device 300 attached to the moving pallet 104 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 214 may send an instruction signal to the driving device 107 to stop the movement of the pallet 104. Furthermore, the control unit 214 may send an instruction signal to the driving device 107 to keep the pallet 104 horizontal, depending on the tilt value detected by the detection device 300.

[0037] The programs executed by the control unit 214 may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory, etc. Furthermore, each program may be downloaded via a network.

[0038] Based on the control of the control unit 214, the communication unit 216 transmits and receives data to and from other devices including the detection device 300, the drive device 107, and external devices not shown, and receives information input to the operation panel 208.

[0039] The operation panel 208 is a user interface through which a user inputs instructions for automatic operations (such as specifying the number of the pallet 104) to the control device 200, and is connected to the control device 200. When the operation panel 208 receives input for automatic operations, such as pressing a button or touching a panel, it transmits the input information to the control device 200.

[0040] 3-2.Detection device 5 includes a detection unit 312 that detects the acceleration and inclination of the pallet 104, a memory unit 314 that stores various data, a control unit 316 that controls each unit, a communication unit 318 that communicates with other devices, a battery 320 that supplies power to each unit of the detection device 300, and a time counter 322 that measures time. The configurations of the memory unit 314, the control unit 316, and the communication unit 318 are similar to, for example, the memory unit 212, the control unit 214, and the communication unit 216 of the control device 200. The detection device 300 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5.

[0041] The detection unit 312 includes a sensor that is a detector that detects, for example, the tilt or acceleration of the pallet 104. The sensor that detects the acceleration of the pallet 104 is, for example, a triaxial acceleration sensor. The sensor that detects the tilt of the pallet 104 is, for example, a triaxial gyro sensor. Note that the sensor included in the detection unit 312 is not limited to a triaxial acceleration sensor or a triaxial gyro sensor, and may include, for example, a magnetic sensor, as long as it is capable of detecting the state and changes in the state of the pallet 104.

[0042] The detection unit 312 is arranged so that, of the three detectable axes, one axis faces in a direction along the long side of the pallet 104, another axis faces in a direction along the short side of the pallet 104, and the remaining axis faces in a direction perpendicular to the pallet 104. Therefore, the detection unit 312 can directly detect the pitch angle, which is the tilt in the direction along the long side of the pallet 104, and the roll angle, which is the tilt in the direction along the short side of the pallet 104.

[0043] The three-axis acceleration sensor and the three-axis gyro sensor of the detection unit 312 may be a packaged six-axis sensor module.

[0044] The storage unit 314 is a logical storage area, and includes, for example, memory such as a main storage device, a secondary storage device, and a storage area inside the CPU. The storage unit 314 includes storage devices such as RAM and ROM. The storage unit 314 stores programs and the like that cause the detection device 300 to realize various functions. The storage unit 314 also temporarily stores data that cause the detection device 300 to realize various functions.

[0045] The control unit 316 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 316 executes programs stored in the storage unit 314 to realize various functions described below, but the configuration for realizing the detection device 300 is not limited to this. The programs executed by the control unit 316 may be provided in a state where they are stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, each program may be downloaded via a network. The control unit 316 executes control to transmit to the control device 200 a signal including data related to the control device itself, data related to the state of the pallet 104 detected by the detection unit 312, such as the tilt and acceleration of the pallet 104, and the time acquired from the time counter 322.

[0046] The communication unit 318 transmits and receives data and signals to and from the control device 200 under the control of the control unit 316. The communication unit 318 transmits and receives data and signals via a wireless path WP (see FIG. 3).

[0047] The battery 320 is a battery built into each detection device 300, and supplies power to each detection device 300. The means for supplying power to the detection device 300 is not limited to this, and power may be supplied to each detection device 300 via a cable (not shown), for example.

[0048] The time counter 322 is a counter that counts up at regular intervals based on the oscillation of a crystal oscillator, for example.

[0049] The drive device 107 is a device that moves the pallets 104 laterally from one row to another via horizontal guide rails (see FIG. 2), and is equipped with sprockets, chains, etc., which will be described later. Based on instruction signals related to the driving of the pallets 104 received from the control unit 214, the drive device 107 drives each pallet 104 by raising and lowering it or by moving it laterally. The following description will focus on the movement of the pallets 104, focusing particularly on raising and lowering. Because the structure for being suspended by the front chain 116 and the rear chain 114 is the same, the following description also applies to the lateral movement of the pallets 104.

[0050] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the control device 200 shown in FIG. 4 or the detection device 300 shown in FIG. 5. The information processing device 60 includes a processor 61, a main memory device 62, an auxiliary memory device 63, a communication interface 64, and an internal bus 65. The hardware configuration of the control device 200 may be different from the hardware configuration of the detection device 300. Furthermore, at least a part of the functions of the detection device 300 may be realized by the control device 200.

[0051] 4-1. Raising and lowering pallet 104 Figure 7 shows the positional relationship between the pallet 104 and the lifting device 106. The lifting device 106 winds up the front chain 116 and rear chain 114 attached to the pallet 104 to raise it, and winds down the front chain 116 and rear chain 114 attached to the pallet 104 to lower it. There are two front chains 116 and two rear chains 114, one attached to the left end of the pallet 104 and the other attached to the right end of the pallet 104. The rear chain 114 is attached to the rear short side SS of the pallet 104. The front chain 116 is attached behind the front short side SS of the pallet 104. Both the front chain 116 and the rear chain 114 are attached to the long side LS of the pallet 104.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a plan view of the pallet 104. Two front chains 116 and two rear chains 114 are attached to the pallet 104. The two rear chains 114 are attached to two corners at the rear end of the pallet 104, i.e., at the positions where the short side SS and long side LS intersect. In contrast, the two front chains 116 are not attached to the corners at the front end of the pallet 104, but are attached to the long side LS behind the front short side SS. The side from which the vehicle V enters and leaves the warehouse (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is the upper side (x direction) of FIG. 8, and the side opposite the side from which the vehicle V enters and leaves the warehouse is the lower side (-x direction) of FIG. 8. The left of the pallet 104 refers to the left as seen from the vehicle V placed on the pallet 104, which is the left side (y direction) of FIG. 8. The right of the pallet 104 refers to the right as seen from the vehicle V placed on the pallet 104, and corresponds to the right (-y direction) in the drawing in Figure 8. The detection device 300 is disposed on the rear short side SS of the pallet 104, at a position closer to the rear chain 114 than the midpoint between the front chain 116 and the rear chain 114 in the direction along the long side LS.

[0053] The positions at which the front chains 116 and the rear chains 114 are attached to the pallet 104 are not limited to those described above. The number of front chains 116 and the number of rear chains 114 may be more or less than two.

[0054] Figure 9 shows a case where the two front chains 116 and the two rear chains 114 are both wound up by the same length L1. Compared to the pallet 104 shown in Figure 6, the pallet 104 rises upward by a distance L1 while remaining horizontal. When the two front chains 116 and the two rear chains 114 are both wound down by the same length, the pallet 104 also descends while remaining horizontal.

[0055] Note that "horizontal" with respect to the pallet 104 includes not only a plane that is completely perpendicular to the vertical direction, but also a plane that intersects the vertical direction at a certain angle. In the parking device 100, to prevent rainwater from accumulating on the pallet 104 during rainy weather, the pallet 104 may be positioned at an angle of 1 to 2 degrees from completely horizontal, regardless of whether the pallet 104 is moving or stopped. In this way, during normal use, the pallet 104 may be raised, lowered, or moved sideways while tilted 1 to 2 degrees from completely horizontal. In a state of normal use, the detection unit 312 of the detection device 300 (see FIG. 5) may be calibrated so that an angle of 1 to 2 degrees of the pallet 104 from horizontal is detected as horizontal. A plane that is moved parallel to the vertical direction with respect to the horizontal defined in this way is also included in "horizontal."

[0056] 4-2. Forward and backward suspension 10 shows an example of front hanging, which occurs when an abnormality occurs in one of the two front chains 116, the front chain 116a, causing the amount of winding to increase compared to the other front chain 116b and the two rear chains 114a, 114b. For example, front hanging occurs when the front chain 116a becomes tangled and cannot extend beyond a certain length while the pallet 104 is being lowered.

[0057] The height L1 of the pallet 104 when suspended by the front chain 116a is greater than the heights L2 and L3 of the pallet 104 when suspended by the front chain 116a and the rear chain 114a. Because a vehicle V (see FIG. 1) is placed on the pallet 104, the weight of the vehicle V causes distortion, twisting, or bending from a flat surface.

[0058] The detection unit 312 (see FIG. 5) of the detection device 300 detects the pitch angle and roll angle at the position on the attached pallet 104. Specifically, the detection unit 312 detects the angle between the direction along the long side of the pallet 104 and the direction along the long side of the reference plane RP (first reference direction) as the pitch angle. The detection unit 312 also detects the angle between the direction along the short side of the pallet 104 and the direction along the short side of the reference plane RP (second reference direction) as the roll angle.

[0059] 11 shows an example of rearward hanging, which occurs when an abnormality occurs in one of the two rear chains 114, the rear chain 114a, causing the amount of winding up to be greater than that of the other rear chain 114b and the two front chains 116a, 116b. Rearward hanging occurs, for example, when the rear chain 114a becomes tangled while the pallet 104 is being lowered and is no longer able to extend beyond a certain length.

[0060] The height L2 of the pallet 104 when suspended by the rear chain 114a is greater than the heights L3 and L1 of the pallet 104 when suspended by the rear chain 114b and the front chain 116a. Because a vehicle V (see FIG. 1) is placed on the pallet 104, the weight of the vehicle V causes distortion, twisting, or bending from a flat surface.

[0061] Regardless of whether an abnormality occurs in the front chain 116 or the rear chain 114, the detection unit 312 (see FIG. 5) of the detection device 300 detects the tilt from horizontal. However, because the detection unit 312 is not positioned equidistant from the two front chains 116 and the two rear chains 114, the direction and magnitude of the detected tilt differ between the front-hanging and rear-hanging cases. For this reason, the parking device 100 performs the following control to prevent the tilt of the pallet 104 from increasing.

[0062] 1, 4, and 12, the flow of processing executed while the pallet 104 is stopped will be described. "While stopped" includes not only when the pallet 104 is actually stopped, but also when the control device 200 and the detection device 300 detect or control that the pallet 104 is stopped.

[0063] The control shown in FIG. 12 starts when the main power supply of the parking device 100 is turned on, for example.

[0064] The control unit 214 sets the liftable state to liftable (S101). The liftable state is, for example, a flag indicating whether liftable or liftable is not possible, and is stored in the storage unit 212.

[0065] The control unit 214 determines whether or not an elevation instruction has been received (S102). The elevation instruction is, for example, a flag indicating whether or not an operation input to the operation panel 208 has been received, and is stored in the storage unit 212. If an elevation instruction has been received (S102; Yes), the control unit 214 determines whether or not further elevation is possible (S103).

[0066] When the control unit 214 determines that the liftable state is liftable (S103; Yes), it exits the stop control (SB) and starts the liftable control (see FIG. 14) described later from the beginning.

[0067] If the control unit 214 does not determine that a lift command has been received (S102; No) or does not determine that the liftable state is liftable (S103; No), the control unit 214 acquires the tilt from the detection unit 312 (see FIG. 5) (S104). Specifically, the control unit 214 acquires tilt data of the pitch angle and roll angle from the detection unit 312.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 5, the detection device 300 includes the time counter 322, and therefore, can acquire from the time counter 322 data indicating the time at which the detection unit 312 detected the pitch angle and roll angle.

[0069] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of tilt data generated by the detection device 300 (see FIG. 5). The tilt data includes, for example, an identification code (ID) that can uniquely identify the detection device 300, the time when the tilt was detected, and the pitch angle and roll angle values ​​detected by the detection unit 312 (see FIG. 5). The ID of the detection device 300 is an integer value such as "1" that is different for each detection device 300. The time is an integer value such as "2828" that is counted up every 10 milliseconds. The pitch angle and roll angle are decimal numbers such as "0.14662" and "0.08216". The data structure of the tilt data is not limited to the one described above and may include other data. The data generated by the detection device 300 is not limited to tilt data and may include, for example, data related to the acceleration of the detection device 300.

[0070] The control unit 214 may directly acquire the angle from the detection device 300 (see FIG. 5), or may calculate the angle as a composite angle by adding vectors from the pitch angle and roll angle.

[0071] 12, the control unit 214 determines whether the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the first angle for a first period of time (first condition) or whether the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the second angle for a second period of time (second condition) (S105). If the control unit 214 determines that neither the first condition nor the second condition is satisfied (S105; No), it sets the liftable state to liftable (S106), waits for a predetermined period of time (S107), and then returns control to step S102.

[0072] Specifically, control unit 214 compares the pitch angle (first tilt angle) with a threshold value (first angle), for example, 2°, in the following manner. Then, control unit 214 calculates the duration for which the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value. For example, control unit 214 may store in storage unit 212 the time at which the first tilt angle changes from a state in which it does not exceed the threshold value to a state in which it exceeds the threshold value, and when the first tilt angle is continuously equal to or greater than the threshold value, control unit 214 may read the time stored in storage unit 212 and calculate the difference in time to calculate the duration for which the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0073] Furthermore, control unit 214 compares the angle (second tilt angle) with a threshold value (a second angle different from the first angle), for example, 5°, in the following manner. Then, control unit 214 calculates the duration during which the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value. For example, control unit 214 may store in memory unit 212 the time at which the second tilt angle changes from a state in which it does not exceed the threshold value to a state in which it exceeds the threshold value, and when the second tilt angle is continuously equal to or greater than the threshold value, control unit 214 may read the time stored in memory unit 212 and calculate the difference in time to calculate the duration during which the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0074] When the control unit 214 determines that either the first condition or the second condition is satisfied (S105; Yes), it sets the liftable state to liftable disabled (S108). As a result, the control unit 214 maintains the stopped state of the pallet 104. Next, the control unit 214 notifies the user of an error (S109) and returns control to step S102. The control unit 214 may notify the user of the error by, for example, displaying on the operation panel 208 that an abnormal tilt of the pallet 104 has been detected, or by sounding a buzzer (not shown).

[0075] According to the flow described above, the control unit 214 controls the pallet 104 while it is stopped. Note that the order of each step and the detailed control within each step shown in FIG. 12 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the order of steps S106 and S107, and steps S108 and S109 may be interchanged. Furthermore, processing other than the steps shown in the figure may be executed.

[0076] 1, 4, and 14, the flow of processing executed while the pallet 104 is being raised or lowered will be described. "During raising or lowering" includes not only the case where the pallet 104 is actually being raised or lowered, but also the case where the pallet 104 is being controlled by the control device 200 and the detection device 300 as being raised or lowered.

[0077] The control shown in FIG. 14 starts, for example, when the stop control shown in FIG. 12 is ended (SB in FIG. 12).

[0078] The control unit 214 starts raising and lowering the pallet 104 (S201).

[0079] The control device 200 acquires the tilt of the pallet 104 from the detection unit 312 (S202). Specifically, the control unit 214 acquires tilt data of the pitch angle and roll angle from the detection unit 312.

[0080] Next, the control unit 214 determines whether the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the first angle for a first period of time (first condition) or whether the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the second angle for a second period of time (second condition) (S203).

[0081] The first angle shown in FIG. 14 is the same as the first angle shown in FIG. 12, the second angle shown in FIG. 14 is the same as the second angle shown in FIG. 12, and the first time shown in FIG. 14 is the same as the first time shown in FIG. 12.

[0082] Specifically, control unit 214 compares the pitch angle (first tilt angle) with a threshold value (first angle), for example, 2°, in the following manner. Then, control unit 214 calculates the duration for which the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value. For example, control unit 214 may store in storage unit 212 the time at which the first tilt angle changes from a state in which it does not exceed the threshold value to a state in which it exceeds the threshold value, and when the first tilt angle is continuously equal to or greater than the threshold value, control unit 214 may read the time stored in storage unit 212 and calculate the difference in time to calculate the duration for which the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0083] Furthermore, control unit 214 compares the angle (second tilt angle) with a threshold value (a second angle different from the first angle), for example, 5°, in the following manner. Then, control unit 214 calculates the duration during which the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value. For example, control unit 214 may store in memory unit 212 the time at which the second tilt angle changes from a state in which it does not exceed the threshold value to a state in which it exceeds the threshold value, and when the second tilt angle is continuously equal to or greater than the threshold value, control unit 214 may read the time stored in memory unit 212 and calculate the difference in time to calculate the duration during which the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0084] When the control unit 214 determines that neither the first condition nor the second condition is satisfied (S203; No), it determines whether or not the elevator has reached the lift end position (S204).

[0085] When the control unit 214 determines that the pallet 104 has moved to the end position of the lifting / lowering movement (S204; Yes), it stops the lifting / lowering of the pallet 104 (S205), exits the control during the lifting / lowering movement, and returns control to the control during the stoppage described above (SA in Figure 12).

[0086] If the control unit 214 does not determine that the pallet 104 has moved to the end position of lifting (S204; No), it waits for a predetermined time (S206) and then returns control to step S202, where it repeats obtaining the inclination (S203) and determining whether the first or second condition is satisfied (S204).

[0087] Returning to step S203, if the control unit 214 determines that either the first condition or the second condition is satisfied (S203; Yes), it stops the raising and lowering of the pallet 104 (S206), notifies an error (S208), exits the control during the raising and lowering, and returns control to the control during the stoppage described above (SA in Figure 12).

[0088] According to the flow described above, the control unit 214 controls the pallet 104 during lifting and lowering. Note that the order of each step and the detailed control within each step shown in FIG. 14 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the order of steps S207 and S208 may be interchanged. Furthermore, processing other than the steps shown may be performed.

[0089] As described above, the control unit 214 switches between control during movement and control during stoppage depending on whether an abnormal tilt of the pallet 104 has been detected, whether an instruction to lift or lower has been received, whether lifting or lowering has been completed, etc.

[0090] 5. Experiment 5-1. Back suspension An experiment was conducted to simulate a rear-hanging condition by restricting the length of the rear chain on the right side as seen from vehicle V and lowering the pallet, and to measure the pitch angle, roll angle, and angle.

[0091] The change over time in the tilt detected by the detection unit 312 (see FIG. 5) of the detection device 300 is shown in Fig. 15. The horizontal axis of Fig. 15 is the time axis in arbitrary units, and the vertical axis is the angle.

[0092] As time passed, the pitch angle, roll angle, and angle all continued to increase. Time t1 corresponds to approximately 2 seconds after the angle was detected to be 5° or greater, and is the time when the pallet of the parking device in the experiment stopped. At the time the pallet stopped, the pitch angle, roll angle, and angle were -2°, -10°, and 10°, respectively.

[0093] 5-2. Forward hanging Next, an experiment was conducted to simulate a front-hanging condition by restricting the length of the front chain on the right side as seen from vehicle V and lowering the pallet, and to measure the pitch angle, roll angle, and angle.

[0094] The change over time in the tilt detected by the detection unit 312 (see FIG. 5) of the detection device 300 is shown in Fig. 16. The horizontal axis of Fig. 16 is the time axis in arbitrary units, and the vertical axis is the angle.

[0095] As time passes, the pitch angle, roll angle, and angle angle all deviate from 0°. The pitch angle and angle angle show similar changes until time t2, but after time t2, the pitch angle remains at approximately 3° and remains almost constant. Time t3 corresponds to approximately 1 second after the pitch angle is detected to be 2° or more, and is the time when the pallet of the parking device in the experiment stops. At the time the pallet stopped, the angle angle detected by the detection unit was approximately 5°. The roll angle changes more gradually than the pitch angle and angle angle, from 0° to -1° until time t2, but after time t2, the change rate increases rapidly, reaching approximately -4° at time t3.

[0096] If an attempt is made to determine whether an abnormal tilt is present based on an angle with a threshold of 5°, in the case of forward suspension, the angle will not remain at or above 5° for a sustained period, which may delay the detection of the abnormal tilt.

[0097] 5-3. Consideration The reason why the detected tilt differs in this way is that in the case of rear-hanging (5-1, FIG. 11), the detection device 300 is closer to the point where the abnormality occurs and is therefore more sensitive to the abnormality that occurs than in the case of front-hanging (5-2, see FIG. 10). In other words, in the case of rear-hanging, as shown in FIG. 11, even if distortion, twisting, or bending occurs in the pallet 104, the distortion, twisting, or bending that has occurred in the pallet 104 is sensitively detected by the detection device 300. In contrast, in the case of front-hanging, as shown in FIG. 10, the distortion, twisting, or bending that has occurred in the pallet 104 is less likely to be evident behind the pallet 104.

[0098] Due to these differences, in the case of front-hanging, if an abnormal tilt is detected using a pitch angle with a threshold value of 2°, the increase in tilt of the pallet 104 can be stopped (see Figure 10). However, in the case of rear-hanging, since the change in the angle is large, it is considered unlikely that the detection of an abnormal tilt will be delayed if it is detected that an angle of 5° or more is maintained (see Figure 11).

[0099] According to the parking device 100, even if an abnormality occurs in the chain attached at the position farthest from the detection device 300 (see FIG. 8), it is possible to distinguish between the first condition and the second condition and stop the pallet 104. Therefore, with a small number of detection devices 300, it is possible to detect tilt by combining the first condition and the second condition, and to detect abnormal tilt of the pallet 104 early even if an abnormality occurs in any of the multiple chains.

[0100] <Embodiment 2> The parking device 100 according to the first embodiment is a device in which the control device 200 acquires tilt data (see FIG. 13) from the detection device 300 and determines whether or not there is an abnormal tilt in the pallet 104 (see FIG. 3). However, the presence or absence of an abnormal tilt in the pallet 104 may also be determined by the detection device 300. The parking device 400 according to the second embodiment is a device in which the detection device 300 determines whether or not there is an abnormal tilt in the pallet 104 based on the detected tilt data, and performs control such as stopping the movement of the pallet 104 if an abnormality is detected.

[0101] The parking device 400 includes a control device 200 and a detection device 300 whose configurations are shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. The following description will focus on the differences from the parking device 100.

[0102] The flow of processing executed while the pallet 104 is stopped will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0103] Steps S301 to S303 and S306 to S310 are the same as steps S101 to S103 and S106 to S110 shown in FIG.

[0104] If the control unit 214 does not determine that a lift instruction has been received (S302; No) or does not determine that the liftable state is liftable (S303; No), the control unit 214 acquires a stop instruction from the detection device 300 (S304). Specifically, the control unit 214 acquires data indicating an instruction to stop lifting from the detection device 300.

[0105] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of abnormality confirmation data generated by the detection device 300 (see FIG. 5). The abnormality confirmation data includes, for example, the ID of the detection device 300 and an abnormality confirmation value indicating whether or not to stop the lifting / lowering operation. The abnormality confirmation value is, for example, either a value of "1" or "0." "1" is a value indicating a stop instruction to stop the lifting / lowering operation because an abnormality has been confirmed, and "0" is a value indicating that no abnormality has been confirmed and the lifting / lowering operation will not be stopped. The data structure of the abnormality confirmation data is not limited to that described above and may include other data.

[0106] The abnormality confirmation data may be generated by the control unit 316 (see FIG. 5) of the detection device 300 under the same conditions as those in step S105 shown in FIG. 12. That is, the control unit 316 may generate the abnormality confirmation data by determining whether the first tilt angle is equal to or greater than the first angle for a first period of time (first condition) or whether the second tilt angle is equal to or greater than the second angle for a second period of time (second condition). For example, if the control unit 316 determines that either the first condition or the second condition is satisfied (S105 in FIG. 12; Yes), the control unit 316 may set the abnormality confirmation value to "1," and if the control unit 316 determines that neither the first condition nor the second condition is satisfied (S105 in FIG. 12; No), the control unit 316 may set the abnormality confirmation value to "0," and generate the abnormality confirmation data.

[0107] 17, the control unit 214 determines whether the abnormality confirmation data acquired from the detection device 300 is a stop instruction (S305). If the control unit 214 determines that the abnormality confirmation data is not a stop instruction (S305; No), it sets the liftable state to liftable (S306), waits for a predetermined time (S307), and then returns control to step S302. If the control unit 214 determines that the abnormality confirmation data is a stop instruction (S305; Yes), it sets the liftable state to liftable (S308).

[0108] The flow of processing executed while the pallet 104 is being raised or lowered will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0109] Steps S401, and S404 to S408 are the same as steps S201, and S204 to S208 shown in FIG.

[0110] In step S402, the control unit 214 acquires abnormality confirmation data from the detection device 300. Next, the control unit 214 determines whether the acquired abnormality confirmation data is a stop instruction (S403). If the control unit 214 determines that the abnormality confirmation data is a stop instruction (S403; Yes), it stops the lifting and lowering of the pallet 104 (S407). If the control unit 214 determines that the abnormality confirmation data is not a stop instruction (S403; No), it determines whether the pallet 104 has reached the lifting end position (S404).

[0111] As described above, according to the parking device 400, the control device 200 can stop the movement of the pallet 104 by determining whether or not a stop command has been issued.

[0112] Anything that a person skilled in the art has appropriately added, deleted, or modified components or changed the design based on the configurations shown in the embodiments of the present disclosure, or added, omitted, or changed processes, is included in the scope of the invention as long as it contains the gist of the present disclosure.

[0113] Even if there are other effects and advantages different from those brought about by the aspects of the above-described embodiments, those that are clear from the description in this specification or that can be easily predicted by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 60...information processing device, 61...processor, 62...main memory device, 63...auxiliary memory device, 64...communication interface, 65...internal bus, 100...parking device, 102...post, 103...beam, 104...pallet, 105...car stopper, 106...lifting device, 107...driving device, 110...electric motor, 111...sprocket, 112...transmission chain, 113...first transmission shaft, 114, 114a, 114b...rear chain, 115...second transmission shaft, 116, 11 6a, 116b...front chain, 200...control device, 208...operation panel, 212...memory unit, 214...control unit, 216...communication unit, 300...detection device, 312...detection unit, 314...memory unit, 316...control unit, 318...communication unit, 320...battery, 322...timing counter, 400...parking device, AS1 to AS3...spare space, LS...long side, MP...midpoint, PS1 to PS13...vehicle loading area, SS...short side, V...vehicle, VLD...vehicle length direction, VWD...vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. a pallet on which a vehicle is placed, the pallet having a long side along a vehicle length direction of the vehicle and a short side along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle; a detector disposed on the pallet and configured to detect tilt of the pallet in a direction along the long side and a direction along the short side; a moving device for raising and lowering or moving the pallet laterally; a control unit that controls the moving device based on the tilt detected by the detector, The control unit A first tilt angle relative to a first reference direction in a direction along the long side detected by the detector has continued to be equal to or greater than a first angle for a first period of time; or a resultant angle of the first tilt angle and a second tilt angle of the direction along the short side detected by the detector with respect to a second reference direction has continued to be equal to or greater than a second angle that is greater than the first angle for a second period of time; When any one of the above conditions is satisfied, the mobile device is stopped or the mobile device is maintained in a stopped state. Parking equipment.

2. The detector is arranged on the opposite side of the pallet from the side where the vehicle enters and leaves the pallet when viewed from above. The parking device according to claim 1.

3. the moving device comprises a plurality of chains; When the pallet is viewed from above, the detector is disposed between the two chains attached to the side opposite to the side where the vehicle enters and leaves the pallet. The parking device according to claim 1.

4. When the pallet is viewed from above, the moving device includes two front chains attached to a side where the vehicle enters and leaves the pallet and two rear chains attached to a side opposite to the side where the vehicle enters and leaves the pallet, The detector is disposed at a position at a different distance from a position where the front chain is attached and a different distance from a position where the rear chain is attached. The parking device according to claim 1.

5. The detector is disposed at a position closer to the rear chain than a midpoint between a position where the front chain is attached and a position where the rear chain is attached in a direction along the long side.

5. The parking device according to claim 4.

6. a pallet on which a vehicle is placed, the pallet having a long side along a vehicle length direction of the vehicle and a short side along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle; a detector disposed on the pallet and configured to detect tilt of the pallet in a direction along the long side and a direction along the short side; a moving device that raises and lowers or moves the pallet laterally, A control device that controls the moving device based on the tilt detected by the detector, A first tilt angle relative to a first reference direction in a direction along the long side detected by the detector has continued to be equal to or greater than a first angle for a first period of time; or a resultant angle of the first tilt angle and a second tilt angle of the direction along the short side detected by the detector with respect to a second reference direction has continued to be equal to or greater than a second angle that is greater than the first angle for a second period of time; When any one of the above conditions is satisfied, the mobile device is stopped or the mobile device is maintained in a stopped state. Control device.

7. a pallet on which a vehicle is placed, the pallet having a long side along a vehicle length direction of the vehicle and a short side along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle; a detector disposed on the pallet and configured to detect tilt of the pallet in a direction along the long side and a direction along the short side; a moving device that raises and lowers or moves the pallet laterally, A control method for a control device that controls the moving device based on the tilt detected by the detector, comprising: A first tilt angle relative to a first reference direction in a direction along the long side detected by the detector has continued to be equal to or greater than a first angle for a first period of time; or a resultant angle of the first tilt angle and a second tilt angle of the direction along the short side detected by the detector with respect to a second reference direction has continued to be equal to or greater than a second angle that is greater than the first angle for a second period of time; When it is determined that any one of the tilt conditions is satisfied, the mobile device is stopped or the mobile device is maintained in a stopped state. Control method.

8. determining whether the tilt condition is satisfied is performed after starting to move the pallet; The control method according to claim 7.

9. a pallet on which a vehicle is placed, the pallet having a long side along a vehicle length direction of the vehicle and a short side along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle; a detector disposed on the pallet and configured to detect tilt of the pallet in a direction along the long side and a direction along the short side; a moving device for raising and lowering or moving the pallet laterally; an abnormality confirmation device that generates a stop instruction to control the moving device based on the tilt detected by the detector; and a control unit that controls the moving device, The abnormality confirmation device A first tilt angle relative to a first reference direction in a direction along the long side detected by the detector has continued to be equal to or greater than a first angle for a first period of time; or a resultant angle of the first tilt angle and a second tilt angle of the direction along the short side detected by the detector with respect to a second reference direction has continued to be equal to or greater than a second angle that is greater than the first angle for a second period of time; When any one of the above conditions is satisfied, the stop instruction is generated, the control unit stops the mobile device or maintains the stopped state of the mobile device when the stop instruction is received. Parking equipment.

Images