Loading position recognition method and loading device

Abstract

To enable automatic loading of cargo onto a truck bed, we provide a loading position recognition method that can recognize loading positions on the truck bed where cargo can be loaded. [Solution] The distance measuring sensor 52 scans the cargo bed 12 horizontally to obtain the coordinates of the distance measuring points. In the left and right regions obtained by dividing the area scanned by the distance measuring sensor 52 in the X direction based on the sensor coordinates, the coordinates of the distance measuring point with the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed 12, and the coordinates of the distance measuring point with the minimum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the front edge coordinates of the cargo bed 12. In both the left and right regions, the edge coordinates that are closer to the sensor coordinates in the X direction are extracted as the loadable coordinates. The loadable coordinates extracted based on the sensor coordinates of the distance measuring sensor 52 are converted into the coordinates of the loading position in the X direction based on the origin coordinates of the loading mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a loading position recognition method and a loading device for recognizing a loading position where a load can be loaded onto a loading platform.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1 below, a loading device for loading a load onto a loading platform of a vehicle is known. In this loading device, for the first load to be loaded, it is manually loaded onto the loading platform corresponding to the position and orientation of the loading platform, and for subsequent loads, they are automatically loaded based on the position of the first loaded load.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such a loading device, there is a desire to automatically load from the first load. To meet this desire, it is necessary to recognize a loading position where a load can be loaded onto the loading platform.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a loading position recognition method and a loading device that can recognize a loading position where a load can be loaded onto a loading platform.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a loading position recognition method for recognizing a loading position in the X direction that enables loading of cargo onto a loading bed having an opening on the side of a vehicle along the X direction using a movable loading mechanism, comprising the steps of: scanning the loading bed horizontally with a distance measuring sensor installed at a sensor coordinate position corresponding to the midpoint of the loading bed in the X direction at a side position facing the side of the loading bed to obtain the coordinates of a distance measuring point; dividing the area scanned by the distance measuring sensor into a left region and a right region in the X direction based on the sensor coordinates, extracting the coordinates of the distance measuring point with the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates as the rear edge coordinates of the loading bed, and the coordinates of the distance measuring point with the minimum distance from the sensor coordinates as the front edge coordinates of the loading bed; and in each of the left region and the right region, extracting the edge coordinates that are closer to the sensor coordinates in the X direction as the loadable coordinates. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to recognize the loading position on the cargo bed where cargo can be loaded. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a plan view of a loading system for loading cargo onto a vehicle, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a side view of the loading system shown above. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the loading device for the same loading system. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for recognizing the loading position according to the position and orientation of the vehicle. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for recognizing the loading position according to the position and orientation of the vehicle. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for recognizing the loading position according to the position and orientation of the vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 shows a plan view of the loading system 10, and Figure 2 shows a side view of the loading system 10. The loading system 10 automatically loads multiple loads 14 onto the cargo bed 12 of a vehicle 11, such as a truck.

[0011] Vehicle 11 has, for example, a box-shaped cargo bed 12 of the side-wing body type, and the side wing side panels rotate upward and the side panels open downward, opening the side 13, which allows loading and unloading of cargo 14 onto the floor of the cargo bed 12. The cargo bed 12 is long in the front-rear direction, which is the direction of travel of the vehicle 11, and multiple cargo 14 are loaded in the front-rear direction. One or more cargo 14 are loaded in the width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the cargo bed 12.

[0012] The load 14 includes a rectangular pallet 15 and goods 16 placed on the pallet 15. The goods 16 placed on the pallet 15 are placed within the upper surface area of ​​the pallet 15 and do not protrude outward from the periphery of the pallet 15.

[0013] The loading system 10 comprises a vehicle placement section 20 where the vehicle 11 is positioned, a transport section 21 installed on the opposite side of the vehicle placement section 20 from the entrance / exit side of the vehicle 11, and a loading device (truck loader) 22 installed from one side of the transport section 21 to one side of the vehicle placement section 20. The loading device 22 is surrounded by a fence 23 to prevent people from entering unintentionally.

[0014] The vehicle placement area 20 is an area on the floor surface, and the vehicle 11 traveling on the floor surface backs up to a predetermined stopping position in the vehicle placement area 20 and stops there.

[0015] Furthermore, the transport unit 21 sequentially delivers multiple or single loads 14, which are picked up at once by the loading device 22, to the supply position 21a of the transport unit 21 facing the loading device 22.

[0016] Further, the loading device 22 includes a pair of rails 25 laid along the X direction extending from one side of the conveying unit 21 to one side of the vehicle placement unit 20, and a loading mechanism 26 that moves along the rails 25 in the X direction and moves in the Y direction intersecting (orthogonal) the X direction to load the cargo 14 onto the loading platform 12. The vehicle 11 arranged in the vehicle placement unit 20 is preferably arranged such that the front-rear direction of the loading platform 12 is parallel to the X direction of the loading mechanism 26. However, since it is positioned by operation, there may be variations in the position and orientation due to displacement of the position in the front-rear direction of the loading platform 12 or the inclination of the posture of the loading platform 12.

[0017] The loading mechanism 26 includes a carriage 27 traveling on a pair of rails 25 along the X direction, a fork mechanism 28 disposed on the carriage 27, and a power supply mechanism 29 disposed along the traveling region of the carriage 27 to supply power to the carriage 27.

[0018] The carriage 27 includes a plurality of wheels 30 that rotate and move on a pair of rails 25, a motor 31 that rotates the wheels 30 to cause the carriage 27 to travel along the rails 25, and an X-direction position detector (not shown) that detects the position of the carriage 27 in the X direction. The X-direction position detector detects the position of the carriage 27 in the X direction during traveling and stopping based on the origin (origin coordinates) of the loading mechanism 26. A laser sensor that measures the distance from the carriage 27 or an encoder that detects the rotation amount of the motor 31 is used.

[0019] The fork mechanism 28 has a pair of forks 32 inserted into the pallet 15 to support the cargo 14, a retraction mechanism 33 that moves the forks 32 in the Y direction, and a lifting mechanism 34 that moves the forks 32 in the vertical direction.

[0020] The advancing / retreating mechanism 33 includes an advancing / retreating moving base 35 disposed on the carriage 27 so as to be movable in the Y direction, an advancing / retreating drive unit (not shown) such as a motor for moving the advancing / retreating moving base 35 in the Y direction, and a Y-direction position detection unit (not shown) for detecting the position of the advancing / retreating moving base 35. The Y-direction position detection unit detects the position in the Y direction of the advancing / retreating moving base 35 during movement and during stop based on the origin coordinates of the loading mechanism 26, and a laser sensor for measuring the distance to the advancing / retreating moving base 35, an encoder for detecting the rotation amount of the motor of the advancing / retreating drive unit, etc. are used.

[0021] The elevating mechanism 34 includes a pair of support columns 36 erected on the advancing / retreating moving base 35, an elevating table 37 movable in the vertical direction along these support columns 36, an elevating drive unit 38 such as a motor for moving the elevating table 37 in the vertical direction, and an elevating position detection unit (not shown) for detecting the vertical position of the elevating table 37, that is, the vertical position of the fork 32. For the elevating position detection unit, a laser sensor for measuring the distance to the elevating table 37 or the fork 32, an encoder for detecting the rotation amount of the motor of the elevating drive unit, etc. are used.

[0022] Further, the loading mechanism 26 is provided with a detection unit 40 (see FIG. 3) for detecting the loading position of the load 14 in the Y direction with respect to the loading platform 12. The detection unit 40 is provided on the fork 32 or the advancing / retreating mechanism 33, and detects the loading position of the load 14 in the Y direction on the loading platform 12 by detecting the distance between the inner wall of the side surface opposite to the opened side surface 13 of the loading platform 12.

[0023] Also, FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the loading device 22.

[0024] The loading device 22 includes a loading position recognition device 50 for recognizing the loading position of the loading platform 12 in the X direction, a loading mechanism 26 for loading the load 14 onto the loading platform 12, and a control unit 51 for controlling the loading mechanism 26 to automatically perform a loading operation of the load 14 at the loading position of the loading platform 12 recognized by the loading position recognition device 50.

[0025] The loading position recognition device 50 includes a distance measuring sensor 52 for measuring the position and orientation of the cargo bed 12, and a processing unit 53 that performs information processing to recognize the loading position in the X direction on the cargo bed 12 based on the information from the distance measuring sensor 52.

[0026] The distance measuring sensor 52 is positioned at a predetermined sensor coordinate (see (X0,Y0) in Figures 4 to 6) corresponding to the midpoint of the cargo bed 12 in the X direction, on the side facing the open side 13 of the cargo bed 12, and performs a distance measuring scan in the horizontal direction over a predetermined distance measuring range including the vehicle 11.

[0027] The distance measuring sensor 52, for example, uses LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and includes a sensor unit having a light-emitting unit that pulses light such as laser light onto the object to be measured and a light-receiving unit that receives the light reflected by the object to be measured, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the sensor unit for distance scanning.

[0028] The distance measuring sensor 52 rotates the sensor unit while emitting pulsed light and receiving the reflected light. Based on the difference between the time the light was emitted and the time the reflected light was received, the distance to the distance measuring point is measured. The coordinates of the distance measuring point in the X and Y directions are also obtained based on this distance and the angle with respect to the X or Y direction from which the light was emitted.

[0029] The processing unit 53 acquires point cloud data of multiple distance measurement points, including distance and coordinates obtained by the distance measurement sensor 52 through distance measurement scanning, and performs information processing to recognize the loading position of the cargo bed 12 in the X direction.

[0030] Next, the method for recognizing the loading position according to the position and orientation of the vehicle 11 placed in the vehicle placement section 20 will be explained in the examples shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6.

[0031] The vehicle 11 positioned in the vehicle arrangement section 20 has an opening on one side 13 facing the loading device 22, but the other side opposite to the one side 13 (the left side of the vehicle 11) is not open. Therefore, an inner wall exists around the cargo bed 12 except for the opening on one side 13.

[0032] Then, the sensor part of the distance measuring sensor 52 rotates horizontally and scans a predetermined distance measuring range that includes the entire vehicle 11. The processing unit 53 acquires point cloud data of multiple distance measuring points, including the distance and coordinates obtained by the distance measuring sensor 52's scan, and the processing unit 53 performs processing to recognize the loading position of the cargo bed 12 in the X direction. Here, the distance measuring direction extending forward from the distance measuring sensor 52 is defined as the Y axis, and the direction intersecting (orthogonal to) the Y axis is defined as the X axis. The distance measuring scan by the distance measuring sensor 52 may be performed by rotating the sensor part from one direction to the other within the entire predetermined distance measuring range, or by rotating the sensor part to the right and left, respectively, with respect to the Y direction that intersects (orthogonal to) the X direction with respect to the sensor coordinates (X0, Y0).

[0033] Figure 4 shows an example of processing by the processing unit 53 when the front-rear direction of the vehicle 11 is arranged parallel to the X direction in which the loading mechanism 26 moves.

[0034] As shown in step 1 of Figure 4, the coordinates of the entire vehicle 11 (X1, Y1), (X4, Y4) and the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed 12 (X2, Y2), (X3, Y3) are extracted from the point cloud data obtained from the distance measurement by the distance measuring sensor 52 (details of the extraction will be explained in step 2). This allows the overall position and orientation of the vehicle 11 to be recognized, and errors in the placement of the vehicle 11, such as when the vehicle 11 is excessively misaligned in the front-to-back direction or tilted, can be detected.

[0035] As shown in step 2 of Figure 4, the X-axis is divided into a right-hand region and a left-hand region by a virtual dividing line a in the Y-direction that passes through the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0). In each of these right-hand and left-hand regions, the coordinates of the distance measurement point that is the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are extracted as the rear edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) of the cargo bed 12, and the coordinates of the distance measurement point that is the minimum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the front edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) of the cargo bed 12.

[0036] For edge coordinate extraction, the coordinates of the distance measurement point on a virtual division line a passing through the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) in the Y direction are defined as division coordinates (Xa,Ya). As you move from these division coordinates (Xa,Ya) towards the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3), the distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) increases, and as you move from the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) towards the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6), the distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) decreases. When these increases and decreases in distance are reversed, the coordinates of the extreme value (maximum value), which is the distance measurement point where the distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) is maximum, are extracted as the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) of the cargo bed 12. Similarly, the distance decreases as you move from the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) to the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6), and increases as you move from the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) to the front and rear ends of the vehicle 11 (X1,Y1) and (X4,Y4). Therefore, among the multiple distance measurement points, the coordinates of the extreme value (local minimum) that occurs when the decrease and increase in these distances are reversed and the distance from the sensor coordinates is minimized are extracted as the front edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) of the cargo bed 12.

[0037] As shown in step 3 of Figure 4, in both the right and left regions, the edge coordinates (X5, Y5) and (X6, Y6) that are closer to the sensor coordinate (X0, Y0) in the X direction (the one with the closer X coordinate value) are extracted as loadable coordinates (X5, Y5) and (X6, Y6). If the values ​​of X5 and X2 are the same, (X2, Y2) may be extracted as the loadable coordinate, and if the X coordinate values ​​are the same, the coordinate with the smaller Y coordinate value may be prioritized.

[0038] As shown in step 4 of Figure 4, the loadable coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) extracted based on the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are converted to loadable coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) based on the origin coordinates (X0,Y0) of the loading mechanism 26, and are also converted to coordinates of the loading position and loadable range in the X direction = X5~X6.

[0039] Note that the processing by the processing unit 53 may start from step 2, omitting step 1 in Figure 4.

[0040] Figure 5 also shows an example of processing by the processing unit 53 when the vehicle 11 is positioned with its front-rear direction tilted counterclockwise in a plan view relative to the X direction in which the loading mechanism 26 can move.

[0041] As shown in step 11 of Figure 5, the coordinates of the edges of the entire vehicle 11 (X1, Y1) and (X4, Y4), and the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed 12 (X2, Y2) and (X3, Y3) are extracted from the point cloud data obtained from the distance measurement by the distance measuring sensor 52 (details of the extraction will be explained in step 12). This makes it possible to detect errors in the placement of the vehicle 11, similar to Figure 4.

[0042] As shown in step 12 of Figure 5, a virtual dividing line a in the Y direction passing through the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) divides the area into a right-hand region and a left-hand region in the X direction. In each of these right-hand and left-hand regions, the coordinates of the distance measurement point with the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are extracted as the rear edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) of the cargo bed 12, and the coordinates of the distance measurement point with the minimum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the front edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) of the cargo bed 12.

[0043] For edge coordinate extraction, the coordinates of the distance measurement point on a virtual division line a in the Y direction passing through the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are defined as division coordinates (Xa,Ya). As you move from these division coordinates (Xa,Ya) towards the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3), the distance increases, and as you move from the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) towards the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6), the distance decreases. When these increases and decreases in distance are reversed, the coordinates of the extreme value, which is the distance measurement point with the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0), are extracted as the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) of the cargo bed 12. Similarly, the distance decreases as you move from the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) to the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6), and increases as you move from the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) to the front and rear ends of the vehicle 11 (X1,Y1) and (X4,Y4). As these decreases and increases in distance are reversed, the coordinates of the extreme values, which are the distance measurement points where the distance from the sensor coordinates is minimized, are extracted as the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) of the cargo bed 12.

[0044] As shown in step 13 of Figure 5, in both the right and left regions, the edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X6,Y6) that are closest to the sensor coordinate (X0,Y0) are extracted as loadable coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X6,Y6).

[0045] As shown in step 14 of Figure 5, the loadable coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X6,Y6) extracted based on the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are converted to loadable coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) based on the origin coordinates (X0,Y0) of the loading mechanism 26, and the loading position and loadable range in the X direction are converted to coordinates from X2 to X6.

[0046] Note that the processing by the processing unit 53 may start from step 12, omitting step 11 in Figure 5.

[0047] Figure 6 also shows an example of processing by the processing unit 53 when the vehicle 11 is positioned with its front-rear direction tilted clockwise in a plan view relative to the X direction in which the loading mechanism 26 can move.

[0048] As shown in step 21 of Figure 6, the coordinates of the entire vehicle 11's edges (X1, Y1) and (X4, Y4), and the rear edge coordinates (X2, Y2) and (X3, Y3) of the cargo bed 12 are extracted from the point cloud data obtained from the distance measurement by the distance measuring sensor 52 (details of the extraction will be explained in step 12). This makes it possible to detect errors in the placement of the vehicle 11, similar to Figures 4 and 5.

[0049] As shown in step 22 of Figure 6, a virtual dividing line a in the Y direction passing through the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) divides the area into a right-hand region and a left-hand region in the X direction. In each of these right-hand and left-hand regions, the coordinates of the distance measurement point with the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are extracted as the rear edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) of the cargo bed 12, and the coordinates of the distance measurement point with the minimum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the front edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) of the cargo bed 12.

[0050] For edge coordinate extraction, the coordinates of the distance measurement point on a virtual division line a passing through the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) in the Y direction are defined as division coordinates (Xa,Ya). As the distance increases from these division coordinates (Xa,Ya) towards the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3), and decreases as the distance decreases from the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) towards the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6), the coordinates of the extreme values, which are the distance measurement points where the distance from the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) is maximum when these increases and decreases in distance switch, are extracted as the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) of the cargo bed 12. Similarly, the distance decreases as you move from the far edge coordinates (X2,Y2) and (X3,Y3) to the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6), and increases as you move from the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) to the front and rear ends of the vehicle 11 (X1,Y1) and (X4,Y4). As these decreases and increases in distance switch, the coordinates of the extreme values, which are the distance measurement points where the distance from the sensor coordinates is minimized, are extracted as the near edge coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) of the cargo bed 12.

[0051] As shown in step 23 of Figure 6, in the right and left regions respectively, the edge coordinates (X5, Y5) and (X6, Y6) that are closest to the sensor coordinate (X0, Y0) are extracted as loadable coordinates (X5, Y5) and (X6, Y6).

[0052] As shown in step 24 of Figure 6, the loadable coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) extracted based on the sensor coordinates (X0,Y0) are converted to loadable coordinates (X5,Y5) and (X6,Y6) based on the origin coordinates (X0,Y0) of the loading mechanism 26, and the loading position and loadable range in the X direction are converted to coordinates from X5 to X6.

[0053] Note that the processing by the processing unit 53 may start from step 22, omitting step 21 in Figure 6.

[0054] The control unit 51 then acquires information on the coordinates of the loading position in the X direction, based on the origin coordinates of the loading mechanism 26 recognized by the loading position recognition device 50 according to the position and orientation of the vehicle 11. The control unit 51 compares the width dimension of the loading position in the X direction with the combined width dimension of a predetermined number of loads 14 to be loaded in the front-rear direction of the cargo bed 12. If it determines that the width dimension of the predetermined number of loads 14 is smaller than the width dimension of the loading position in the X direction, it controls the loading mechanism 26 to automatically load a predetermined number of loads 14 from the front or rear side of the loading position on the cargo bed 12.

[0055] During this automatic loading operation, the loading position of the cargo 14 in the Y direction of the loading platform 12 cannot be determined by recognizing the loading position in the X direction. However, by detecting the distance between the loading platform 12 and the inner wall of the side opposite to the open side 13 of the loading platform 12 using the detection unit 40 provided on the fork 32 or the reciprocating mechanism 33, the loading position of the cargo 14 in the Y direction of the loading platform 12 can be recognized, thereby enabling the loading of the cargo 14 onto the loading platform 12.

[0056] Furthermore, if the control unit 51 determines that the width dimension on the side of a predetermined number of loads 14 is greater than the width dimension of the loading position in the X direction due to the large tilt of the vehicle 11, it will issue an error notification indicating that automatic loading of the loads 14 is not possible.

[0057] In this embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 52, installed at a sensor coordinate position corresponding to the midpoint of the cargo bed 12 in the X direction at a side position facing the side surface 13 of the cargo bed 12, acquires the coordinates of the distance measuring points obtained by scanning the cargo bed horizontally. Next, the area scanned by the distance measuring sensor 52 is divided in the X direction based on the sensor coordinates to obtain the left and right regions. In each of these regions, the coordinates of the distance measuring point with the maximum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed 12, and the coordinates of the distance measuring point with the minimum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the front edge coordinates of the cargo bed 12. Next, in each of the left and right regions, the edge coordinates that are closer to the sensor coordinates in the X direction are extracted as the loadable coordinates. Finally, the loadable coordinates extracted in each of the left and right regions are converted into the coordinates of the loading position in the X direction based on the origin coordinates of the loading mechanism 26. This enables the loading mechanism 26 to automatically load the cargo 14 according to the position and orientation of the cargo bed 12 of the vehicle 11, thereby improving the efficiency of the loading operation.

[0058] Embodiments of the present invention and their variations have been described above, but various combinations of configurations, as well as partial omissions, substitutions, and modifications, are also possible. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 11 vehicles 12 cargo bed 13 Side view 14. Cargo 22 Loading equipment 26 Loading mechanism 50 Loading position recognition device 51 Control Unit 52 Distance measuring sensor 53 Processing Unit

Claims

1. A loading position recognition method for recognizing a loading position in the X direction, which enables loading of cargo onto a cargo bed having an opening on the side of the vehicle along the X direction using a movable loading mechanism, The steps include: obtaining the coordinates of a distance measurement point by scanning the cargo bed horizontally with a distance measuring sensor installed at a position corresponding to the midpoint of the cargo bed in the X direction, on the side facing the side of the cargo bed; The steps include: dividing the area scanned by the distance measuring sensor into a left region and a right region in the X direction based on the sensor coordinates, extracting the coordinates of the distance measuring point that is at its maximum distance from the sensor coordinates as the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed, and extracting the coordinates of the distance measuring point that is at its minimum distance from the sensor coordinates as the front edge coordinates of the cargo bed; In each of the left and right regions, the step of extracting the edge coordinates that are closer to the sensor coordinates in the X direction as loadable coordinates, A loading position recognition method characterized by comprising the following:

2. The method includes a step of converting the loadable coordinates extracted based on the sensor coordinates of the distance measuring sensor into the coordinates of the loading position in the X direction with respect to the origin coordinates of the loading mechanism. The loading position recognition method according to feature 1.

3. In the step of extracting the edge coordinates of the cargo bed, the coordinate point at which the distance from the sensor coordinates to the distance measurement point changes from increasing to decreasing is extracted as the rear edge coordinate of the cargo bed, and the coordinate point at which the distance from the sensor coordinates to the distance measurement point changes from decreasing to increasing is extracted as the front edge coordinate of the cargo bed. The loading position recognition method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. A loading position recognition device recognizes a loading position in the X direction that allows loading of cargo onto a cargo bed with an open side of the vehicle arranged along the X direction, A loading mechanism that is movable in the X direction and in the Y direction intersecting the X direction, and loads the cargo onto the loading platform at the loading position recognized by the loading position recognition device, Equipped with, The loading position recognition device is installed at a sensor coordinate position corresponding to the intermediate position of the loading bed in the X direction, on the side of the loading bed facing the side surface, and comprises a distance measuring sensor that scans the loading bed horizontally, and a processing unit that performs information processing based on the information from the distance measuring sensor. The aforementioned processing unit, The distance measuring sensor is made to perform scanning, In each of the left and right regions obtained by dividing the area scanned by the distance measuring sensor in the X direction based on the sensor coordinates, the coordinates of the distance measuring point that is at its maximum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed, and the coordinates of the distance measuring point that is at its minimum distance from the sensor coordinates are extracted as the front edge coordinates of the cargo bed. In each of the left and right regions, the edge coordinate that is closer to the sensor coordinate in the X direction is extracted as a loadable coordinate. A loading device characterized by the following features.

5. The loading mechanism is configured with an origin coordinate set as the reference for movement in the X direction. The processing unit converts the loadable coordinates extracted based on the sensor coordinates of the distance measuring sensor into the coordinates of the loading position in the X direction based on the origin coordinates of the loading mechanism. The loading device according to feature 4.

6. The processing unit extracts the coordinate points of the extreme values ​​where the distance from the sensor coordinates to the distance measurement point changes from increasing to decreasing as the rear edge coordinates of the cargo bed, and extracts the coordinate points of the extreme values ​​where the distance from the sensor coordinates to the distance measurement point changes from decreasing to increasing as the front edge coordinates of the cargo bed. The loading device according to claim 4 or 5.

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