Transport vehicle system

Abstract

Flexible positioning relative to any object. [Solution] The transport vehicle system 10 includes: a first display unit that displays the transport vehicle on a first map representing the real environment; a second display unit that provisionally sets the source position included in a predetermined command as the current position of the transport vehicle on a second map which has a larger scale than the first map, and displays the transport vehicle at the source position on the second map; a difference calculation unit that calculates the difference between the actual position of the transport vehicle and the source position based on distance and direction information to a predetermined target object measured by the transport vehicle and distance and direction information from the source position on the second map to the predetermined target object; a movement amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of movement from the source position to a predetermined destination position for positioning relative to the predetermined target object; and a travel control unit that moves the transport vehicle to a predetermined destination position based on the calculated difference and amount of movement. The first display unit displays the transport vehicle that has moved to the predetermined destination position on the first map.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport vehicle system.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an automated guided vehicle that travels inside a factory. This automated guided vehicle controls its travel inside the factory by detecting marks (magnetic tapes) arranged at floor plates installed on the factory floor and at branch points of the movement path.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, there are also objects such as movable gantries inside the factory, and it is required to run the transport vehicle while flexibly positioning with respect to such objects. In the automated guided vehicle of the above Patent Document 1, when trying to position with respect to such an object, it is necessary to change the movement path inside the factory or provide marks, etc., which requires labor.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle system capable of flexibly positioning with respect to any object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first display unit that displays a transport vehicle placed in a real environment on a first map representing the real environment; a receiving unit that receives a predetermined command from the transport vehicle displayed on the first map; a second display unit that provisionally sets the source position included in the received predetermined command as the current position of the transport vehicle on a second map having a larger scale than the first map, and displays the transport vehicle at the source position on the second map; a difference calculation unit that calculates the difference between the actual position of the transport vehicle placed in the real environment and the source position based on information including the distance and direction to a predetermined target object measured by a laser emitted from the transport vehicle, and information including the distance and direction from the source position to the predetermined target object on the second map; a movement amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of movement from the source position to a predetermined destination position for positioning relative to a predetermined target object; and a travel control unit that moves the transport vehicle placed in the real environment to a predetermined destination position based on the calculated difference and amount of movement, wherein the first display unit displays the transport vehicle that has moved to the predetermined destination position on the first map.

[0007] According to this embodiment, the source position of the transport vehicle, which is displayed on the first map, is provisionally set as the current position of the transport vehicle on the second map, which has a larger scale than the first map, and the transport vehicle is displayed on the second map. Based on the distance and direction information to a predetermined target object measured by the transport vehicle and the distance and direction information from the source position on the second map to the predetermined target object, the difference between the actual position of the transport vehicle and the source position is calculated, as well as the amount of movement from the source position to the destination position. Based on the calculated difference and amount of movement, the transport vehicle is moved to the destination position for positioning relative to the predetermined target object, and the moved transport vehicle is displayed on the first map.

[0008] This allows the transport vehicle to be moved to a destination position for positioning relative to a predetermined target object using a second map with a larger scale than the first map, based on a predetermined command, making it possible to accurately position it relative to any target object.

[0009] In the above embodiment, the travel control unit may, based on the calculated difference, move the transport vehicle placed in the actual environment to its starting position, and then, based on the calculated amount of movement, move the transport vehicle placed in the actual environment from its starting position to a predetermined destination position.

[0010] According to this embodiment, it is possible to move a transport vehicle placed in the actual environment to the source position on the second map, and then to a predetermined destination position.

[0011] In the above embodiment, the predetermined destination position may be the origin of the coordinate system provided on the second map.

[0012] According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to eliminate the effort of setting a predetermined destination position in the coordinate system provided on the second map.

[0013] In the above embodiment, the predetermined commands may be included in an operation program for sequentially commanding the operation of the transport vehicle.

[0014] According to this embodiment, by executing an operation program, it becomes possible to move the transport vehicle to a predetermined destination position.

[0015] In the above embodiment, the predetermined target object may be either a stand or a kotatsu cart.

[0016] According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to position the device with high precision on a movable stand or kotatsu trolley. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport vehicle system that can be flexibly positioned relative to any object. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a transport vehicle included in the transport vehicle system according to this embodiment, viewed from directly above. [Figure 2]It is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a transport vehicle system. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of an operation program. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a first map. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a second map. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a first map. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing executed in the transport vehicle system.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Referring to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. In each figure, those with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the transport vehicle 1 according to the embodiment viewed from directly above. The transport vehicle 1 is a device that travels autonomously. For example, it may be a transport cart that carries a load or the like on the vehicle body, or it may be a transport robot that transports a load or the like. In the present embodiment, by way of example, the case where the transport vehicle 1 is an autonomous transport cart will be described. The transport vehicle 1 can move in all directions 360 degrees automatically or manually.

[0021] The transport vehicle 1 is equipped with two sensors 2a and 2b. The sensors 2a and 2b are sensors that measure the distance to an object. For example, a laser scanner, a TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor, or a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor is applicable. In the present embodiment, the case where the sensors 2a and 2b are laser scanners capable of scanning a 270-degree range with laser light will be described.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the scanning range Ra of sensor 2a and the scanning range Rb of sensor 2b partially overlap, and by combining the two scanning ranges Ra and Rb, the entire area around the transport vehicle 1 can be scanned. This makes it possible to detect obstacles and other objects that may be present around the transport vehicle 1 (in all directions).

[0023] The number of sensors mounted on the transport vehicle 1 is not limited to two; it may be one or three or more. The goal is simply to be able to detect obstacles in all directions that the transport vehicle 1 can move in using the mounted sensors.

[0024] Referring to Figure 2, an example of the configuration of the transport vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment will be described. The transport vehicle system 10 comprises, for example, a transport vehicle 1 and a management device (not shown). The management device is an information processing device that can be used by the user who manages the transport vehicle 1, and has a processor. The management device may be, for example, a server device, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a portable terminal, etc.

[0025] The transport vehicle system 10 includes, for example, a storage unit 11, a communication unit 12, a display unit 13, a calculation unit 14, and a travel control unit 15. Each of these units may be incorporated into the transport vehicle 1 having a processor, or into a management device, or distributed and incorporated into both the transport vehicle 1 and the management device.

[0026] The memory unit 11 stores programs and various types of information used in the execution of those programs. The processor executes the programs stored in the memory unit 11, thereby realizing the functions of each part of the transport vehicle system 10.

[0027] Here, the various types of information stored in the memory unit 11 may include map information of the factory where the transport vehicle 1 travels. The map information may be map information that enables SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

[0028] The communication unit 12 controls communication between devices within the system and with external devices. In this embodiment, the communication unit 12 includes, for example, the function of a receiving unit that receives various commands transmitted to the transport vehicle 1. These various commands can be incorporated into an operation program for sequentially commanding the operation of the transport vehicle 1. Figure 3 shows an example of an operation program. The operation program P includes a plurality of program steps S1 to S8. The commands from program step S1 to program step S8 are sequentially transmitted to the transport vehicle 1, and the transport vehicle 1 sequentially executes the received commands.

[0029] Program step S1 is a command to move transport vehicle 1 to position A, program step S2 is a command to move transport vehicle 1 to position B, and program step S3 is a command to perform a spot matching action on transport vehicle 1. Details of the spot matching action will be described later.

[0030] Program step S4 is a command to "lift up" the lifter of transport vehicle 1 and load the load, program step S5 is a command to "move transport vehicle 1 to position C", and program step S6 is a command to "lift down" the lifter of transport vehicle 1 and unload the load. Program step S7 is a command to "move transport vehicle 1 to position D", and program step S8 is a command to perform a "spot matching action" on transport vehicle 1.

[0031] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, the display unit 13 is a display device for presenting information to the user. In this embodiment, the display unit 13 includes, for example, the functions of a first display unit for displaying a first map and a second display unit for displaying a second map.

[0032] Map 1 and Map 2 are similar in that they both represent the actual environment, such as the factory where the transport vehicle 1 operates, on a two-dimensional plane, but they differ in scale. Map 1 has a smaller scale than Map 2 and displays the entire factory. Map 2 has a larger scale than Map 1 and is an enlarged version of Map 1, showing the area around the transport vehicle 1 in detail. Both Map 1 and Map 2 display the transport vehicle 1 as it appears in the actual environment.

[0033] Figure 4 shows an example of the first map Ma, and Figure 5 shows an example of the second map Mb. The first map Ma is a map that displays the entire factory on which the transport vehicle 1a travels. The second map Mb is a map that displays the area Mab surrounding the transport vehicle in the first map Ma at an enlarged scale. As shown in Figure 5, the second map Mb is provided with an XY coordinate system consisting of an X axis extending in the horizontal direction of the paper and a Y axis extending in the vertical direction of the paper.

[0034] The timing for switching the display from the first map Ma to the second map Mb can be, for example, the timing when the transport vehicle 1 receives a spot matching action command. The spot matching action command is a command incorporated into the operation program P as described above, and it is a command that requests alignment between the current position of the transport vehicle 1 and the position of the transport vehicle 1 on the map. Note that the timing for switching the display from the first map Ma to the second map Mb is not limited to the timing when the spot matching action command is received, but may also be the timing when another command is received.

[0035] A spot matching action command includes, for example, a map number for identifying a second map, source location information for identifying the source location, and destination location information for identifying the destination location. The source location information and destination location information may include, for example, the X coordinate of the location of transport vehicle 1, the Y coordinate of the location of transport vehicle 1, and the orientation (direction and angle) of transport vehicle 1.

[0036] The second map may be configured to allow users to register locations where they wish to position an object. These objects could include, for example, a platform or a heated table cart. This would enable precise positioning of the transport vehicle 1 relative to a specific, movable platform, or precise positioning of the transport vehicle 1 under an unfixed heated table cart. Figure 5 illustrates a platform T as an example of a target object.

[0037] The source position is the temporary position set as the current position of transport vehicle 1, as displayed on the second map Mb immediately after switching from the first map Ma. The destination position is the target position for positioning transport vehicle 1 relative to the target object. Both the source position and destination position can be set arbitrarily by the user.

[0038] Figure 5 shows the actual current position of the transport vehicle 1a when switched to the second map Mb, indicated by coordinates Pa, the source position by coordinates Pb, and the destination position by coordinates Pc. Furthermore, the destination position coordinates Pc are set as the origin of the XY coordinate system. This eliminates the need to manually set the destination position in the XY coordinate system of the second map Mb. Note that the origin of the XY coordinate system is not limited to the destination position coordinates Pc.

[0039] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, the calculation unit 14 has the function of performing various calculations, and for example, it includes the function of a difference calculation unit and the function of a movement amount calculation unit. Each of these functions will be explained in order below.

[0040] The calculation unit 14, acting as a difference calculation unit, calculates the difference between the actual position of the transport vehicle 1 in the real environment (coordinates Pa in Figure 5) and the starting position (coordinates Pb in Figure 5). Specifically, the calculation unit 14 calculates the above difference based on information including the distance and direction (angle) to the target object (stand T in Figure 5) measured by a laser emitted from the transport vehicle 1 in the real environment, and information including the distance and direction from the starting position (coordinates Pb) to the target object (stand T) in the second map Mb. This difference includes distance and direction.

[0041] The calculation unit 14, acting as a movement amount calculation unit, calculates the amount of movement from the source position (coordinates Pb in Figure 5) to the destination position (coordinates Pc in Figure 5). Specifically, the calculation unit 14 uses the source position information and the destination position information to calculate the distance and direction of movement from the source position (coordinates Pb in Figure 5) to the destination position (coordinates Pc in Figure 5).

[0042] The travel control unit 15 moves the transport vehicle 1, which is placed in the actual environment, to the destination position (coordinate Pc in Figure 5) based on the difference and amount of movement calculated by the calculation unit 14. This makes it possible to position the transport vehicle 1 at any position relative to the target object (frame T in Figure 5). When moving the transport vehicle 1 to the destination position (coordinate Pc in Figure 5), the difference and amount of movement may be combined and moved all at once, or they may be moved separately based on the difference and amount of movement. If they are moved separately, for example, the control may be as follows.

[0043] First, the travel control unit 15 moves the transport vehicle 1, which is placed in the real environment, to its starting position (coordinates Pb in Figure 5) based on the difference calculated by the calculation unit 14. Next, the travel control unit 15 moves the transport vehicle 1, which is placed in the real environment, from its starting position (coordinates Pb in Figure 5) to its destination position (coordinates Pc in Figure 5) based on the amount of movement calculated by the calculation unit 14.

[0044] The display unit 13, acting as the first display unit, displays the transport vehicle 1, which has moved to the destination position (coordinates Pc in Figure 5), on the first map Ma. Figure 6 shows an example of the first map Ma displaying the transport vehicle 1c, which has moved to the destination position (coordinates Pc in Figure 5). The transport vehicle 1c in Figure 6 exemplifies that it moved to the destination position (coordinates Pc in Figure 5) after receiving a spot matching action command at the position of transport vehicle 1a (coordinates Pa in Figure 5).

[0045] Referring to Figure 7, an example of processing performed in the transport vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0046] First, the communication unit 12, acting as a receiver, receives a spot matching action command (step S101).

[0047] Next, the display unit 13, which acts as the second display unit, switches the map display from the first map to the second map (step S102).

[0048] Next, the calculation unit 14, which acts as both a difference calculation unit and a movement amount calculation unit, calculates the difference and movement amount mentioned above (step S103).

[0049] Next, the travel control unit 15 moves the transport vehicle 1, which is placed in the actual environment, to the destination position based on the difference and amount of movement calculated in step S103 (step S104).

[0050] Next, the display unit 13, which acts as the first display unit, switches the map display from the second map to the first map (step S105). The first map displays the transport vehicle 1 after it has moved to the destination position. Then, this operation ends.

[0051] As described above, according to the transport vehicle system 10 of the embodiment, the source position included in the spot matching action command received by the transport vehicle 1 displayed on the first map Ma is provisionally set as the current position of the transport vehicle 1 on the second map Mb, which has a larger scale than the first map Ma, and the transport vehicle 1 can be displayed on the second map Mb. Then, based on the distance and direction information to the target object (frame T) measured by the transport vehicle 1 and the distance and direction information from the source position (coordinate Pb) on the second map Mb to the target object (frame T), the difference between the actual position of the transport vehicle 1 and the source position (coordinate Pb) is calculated, and the amount of movement from the source position (coordinate Pb) to the destination position (coordinate Pc) is also calculated. Based on the calculated difference and amount of movement, the transport vehicle 1 is moved to the destination position (coordinate Pc) for positioning relative to the target object (frame T), and the moved transport vehicle 1 can be displayed on the first map Ma.

[0052] This allows the transport vehicle 1 to be moved to a destination position for positioning relative to a target object using a second map Mb with a larger scale than the first map Ma, via a spot matching action command, thus enabling accurate positioning relative to any target object.

[0053] Therefore, according to the transport vehicle system 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to flexibly position it relative to any object.

[0054] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For this reason, the above embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted restrictively. Furthermore, the elements of the above embodiments, as well as their arrangement, shape, and size, are not limited to those illustrated and can be modified as appropriate. In addition, the order of the above processing steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as there is no inconsistency in the processing content. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 1, 1a, 1b, 1c... Transport vehicle, 2a, 2b... Sensor, 10... Transport vehicle system, 11... Memory unit, 12... Communication unit, 13... Display unit, 14... Calculation unit, 15... Driving control unit, Ma... First map, Mb... Second map, P... Operation program, T... Stand

Claims

1. A first display unit that displays a transport vehicle placed in a real environment on a first map representing the real environment, The transport vehicle shown on the first map has a receiving unit that receives a predetermined command, A second display unit provisionally sets the origin location included in the received predetermined command as the current location of the transport vehicle on a second map which has a larger scale than the first map, and displays the transport vehicle at the origin location on the second map. A difference calculation unit calculates the difference between the actual position of the transport vehicle in the real environment and the original position, based on information including the distance and direction to a predetermined target object measured by a laser emitted from the transport vehicle, and information including the distance and direction from the original position to the predetermined target object on the second map. A movement amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of movement from the source position to a predetermined destination position for positioning relative to the predetermined target object, A travel control unit moves the transport vehicle placed in the actual environment to the predetermined destination position based on the calculated difference and the amount of movement, Equipped with, The first display unit displays the transport vehicle that has moved to the predetermined destination position on the first map. A transport vehicle system equipped with the following features.

2. Based on the calculated difference, the travel control unit moves the transport vehicle placed in the actual environment to the starting position, and then, based on the calculated amount of movement, moves the transport vehicle placed in the actual environment from the starting position to the predetermined destination position. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1.

3. The predetermined destination position is the origin of the coordinate system provided on the second map. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned predetermined command is included in the operation program for sequentially commanding the operation of the transport vehicle. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned specified target object is either a stand or a kotatsu cart. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1.

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