Driving control system

Abstract

This technology reduces the processing load required to generate the travel path for a conveying device that transports pallets. [Solution] The travel control device 100 includes a relative position calculation unit 108 that calculates the relative position of the pallet with respect to the transport device based on the output of a sensor unit 622 provided on the transport device that transports the pallet from a pallet holding unit in which the pallet is held in a known direction; a path generation unit 109 that generates a travel path that approaches the transport device so that it faces the pallet directly, based on the known direction and relative position; and a travel control unit 110 that controls a drive unit 500 that drives the transport device so that the transport device travels according to the travel path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for controlling the travel of a transport device that transports pallets.

Background Art

[0002] Transport devices such as forklifts transport pallets having a predetermined shape. The pallet is provided with holes (fork pockets), and the transport device is provided with forks that can be inserted into the fork pockets.

[0003] The operator of the transport device needs to drive the transport device while performing a steering operation to insert the forks into the fork pockets.

[0004] However, when the operator is inexperienced or when the unloading destination is difficult to see, it is not easy to move the transport device to a position where the forks can be successfully inserted into the fork pockets. If the transport device is accidentally moved to a position where the forks cannot be inserted into the fork pockets, it is necessary to move the transport device backward and then try to move the transport device again to a position for inserting the forks into the fork pockets. Therefore, it takes time to insert the forks into the fork pockets.

[0005] In order to assist the movement of the transport device to a position where the forks can be inserted into the fork pockets, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for generating a travel route to a position where the forks can be inserted into the fork pockets. The technique described in Patent Document 1 calculates the position and orientation of the pallet with respect to the forklift based on the detection result of the front surface of the pallet, and generates a travel route based on this calculation result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0007] To reduce the time required for inserting forks into fork pockets, a faster approach to the pallet by the forklift is needed. However, conventional technology places a heavy burden on the computational processing required to generate the travel path, which can take a long time to generate. As a result, it takes a long time for the forklift to complete its approach to the pallet.

[0008] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a technology that reduces the processing burden for generating the travel path of a conveying device that transports pallets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a travel control device comprising: a relative position calculation unit that calculates the relative position of the pallet with respect to the transport device based on the output of a sensor unit provided on the transport device that transports the pallet from a pallet holding unit in which the pallet is held in a known direction; a path generation unit that generates a travel path that approaches the transport device so as to face the pallet directly, based on the known direction and the relative position; and a travel control unit that controls a drive unit that drives the transport device so as to drive the transport device according to the travel path.

[0010] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, or any substitution of components or expressions of the present invention between methods, apparatus, systems, etc., is also valid as an embodiment of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing burden required to generate the travel path of a conveying device that transports pallets. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a forklift, which is one form of a conveying device. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing an example of a forklift driver's seat. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of the driving control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating a work area map. [Figure 5] This shows an example of route generation in the route generation unit. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart of the processing steps of the forklift travel control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram shows a modified version of the workspace map. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are illustrative and not limiting to the invention, and not all features or combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a forklift 600, which is one embodiment of a conveying device for transporting pallets. The forklift 600 is designed to transport pallets, which are loading platforms for carrying goods. The forklift 600 comprises a chassis 602, forks 604, a lift 606, a mast 608, wheels 610 and 612, and a backrest 620. The mast 608 is located in front of the chassis 602. The lift 606 is driven by a power source such as a hydraulic actuator (not shown in Figure 1) and moves up and down along the mast 608. Two forks 604 are attached to the lift 606 to support the load. The lift 606 raises and lowers the two forks 604 through its lifting motion. The forks 604 are fitted with backrests 620 to prevent the load loaded on the forks 604 from falling behind the mast 608. The backrest 620 can be raised and lowered together with the forks 604 by raising and lowering the lifting body 606. The forklift 600 transports the pallet with the two forks 604 inserted into holes (fork pockets) in the pallet (not shown).

[0015] Figure 2 shows an example of a forklift driver's seat 700. The driver's seat 700 includes an ignition switch 702, a steering wheel 704, a lift lever 706, an accelerator pedal 708, a brake pedal 710, a dashboard 714, and a forward / reverse lever 712.

[0016] The ignition switch 702 is a switch for starting the forklift 600. The steering wheel 704 is an operating means for steering the forklift 600. The lift lever 706 is an operating means for moving the lifting body 606 up and down. The accelerator pedal 708 is an operating means for controlling the rotation of the wheels for driving, and the operation of the forklift 600 is controlled by the operator adjusting the amount the pedal is pressed. When the operator presses the brake pedal 710, the brakes are applied. The forward / reverse lever 712 is a lever for switching the direction of travel of the forklift 600 between forward and reverse. In addition, an inching pedal (not shown) may be provided.

[0017] The operator needs to operate the steering wheel 704, the accelerator pedal 708, and the brake pedal 710 for the position control of the vehicle body, and operate the lift lever 706 for the position control of the fork 604.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the forklift 600 according to the embodiment. The forklift 600 includes a travel control device 100, a drive unit 500, and a sensor unit 622. Each functional block shown in FIG. 3 can be realized hardware-wise by elements and electronic circuits such as a computer's processor, CPU, memory, and mechanical devices, and software-wise by a computer program or the like, but here, the functional blocks realized by their cooperation are depicted. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

[0019] The drive unit 500 includes a travel motor 501 and a steering actuator 502 for driving the forklift 600 to travel. The travel motor 501 outputs rotational power for rotating the wheels 610 and 612 to drive the forklift 600 to travel. The steering actuator 502 operates to apply a steering force to the steering wheel 704. The drive unit 500 is controlled by the travel control device 100.

[0020] The sensor unit 622 acquires detection data for detecting an object within the detection range and calculating the position of the object, and outputs it to the travel control device 100. The sensor unit 622 includes, for example, a laser sensor 622A and a camera 622B. The sensor unit 622 has the surrounding of the forklift 600 as the detection range. The sensor unit 622 of the present embodiment has a predetermined range in the forward direction and the diagonal forward direction toward the lateral direction of the forklift 600 as the detection range. The lateral direction of the forklift 600 is a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the forklift 600 on the horizontal plane.

[0021] The laser sensor 622A detects the distance to an object and generates point cloud data by irradiating it with a laser and receiving the reflected laser light. In this embodiment, the laser sensor 622A irradiates the forklift 600 diagonally in front of it. As the laser sensor 622A, for example, a TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) can be used.

[0022] Camera 622B captures images of objects and generates image data. In this embodiment, camera 622B has a shooting range in the diagonal forward direction of the forklift 60 and captures images of objects in the diagonal forward direction to generate image data. The detection data output from sensor unit 622 includes point cloud data output from laser sensor 622A and image data output from camera 622B.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the sensor unit 622 in this embodiment is provided on both the left and right sides of the backrest 620. Since the backrest 620 can be raised and lowered by the raising and lowering of the lifting body 606, the sensor unit 622 provided on the backrest 620 can be moved up and down by operating the lift lever 706 to raise and lower the lifting body 606. The sensor unit 622 can be provided on any member that moves up and down in conjunction with the raising and lowering operation of the lifting body 606, for example, it may be provided on the lifting body 606 itself or on the fork 604.

[0024] The travel control device 100 controls the movement of the forklift 600. The travel control device 100 includes a storage unit 101, a map generation unit 102, a detection processing unit 103, a vehicle position acquisition unit 104, a vehicle direction acquisition unit 105, a identification unit 106, an installation direction acquisition unit 107, a relative position calculation unit 108, a route generation unit 109, and a travel control unit 110.

[0025] The memory unit 101 stores the algorithm for executing the processing in the travel control device 100 of this embodiment. The memory unit 101 also stores in advance the installation direction of the shelves within the work area of ​​the forklift 600. The memory unit 101 of this embodiment stores the work area map, which will be described later, generated by the map generation unit 102.

[0026] The map generation unit 102 generates a work area map showing the location and installation direction of shelves within the work area of ​​the forklift 600. For example, the map generation unit 102 generates a work area map using known map generation techniques from detection data of the entire work area obtained by the sensor unit 622 when the forklift 600 travels around the entire work area before pallet transport work, and stores it in the storage unit 101. From the viewpoint of more accurately determining the vehicle position described later, it is desirable that the work map include information showing the location and installation direction of other structures within the work area in addition to the shelves.

[0027] Figure 4 illustrates a work area map M. Figure 4 shows a two-dimensional work area map M as viewed from above the work area 20. As shown in Figure 4, the work area map M shows shelves 10A to 10C located within the work area 20. Hereafter, shelves 10A to 10C will simply be referred to as shelf 10 unless specifically distinguished. In this embodiment, shelf 10 is an example of a pallet holder that holds pallets. Pallets are held on shelf 10 in a known direction. For example, the known direction is the direction in which the front of the pallet is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and parallel to the installation direction of shelf 10. By setting a two-dimensional coordinate system in the work area map M using mutually orthogonal x and y axes to represent the horizontal coordinates, it is possible to represent the surface shape of shelf 10 in the horizontal direction using coordinates. Although Figure 4 shows a two-dimensional work area map M for simplification, a three-dimensional work area map M may be generated from point cloud data with a three-dimensional coordinate system set.

[0028] Returning to Figure 3, the detection processing unit 103 performs various processes to detect the pallet. The detection processing unit 103 receives point cloud data output from the laser sensor 622A and image data output from the camera 622B as input. The detection processing unit 103 uses the input point cloud data and image data to detect the pallet using known image recognition techniques. For example, the detection processing unit 103 detects the pallet using image recognition techniques that employ machine learning, such as deep learning.

[0029] The vehicle position acquisition unit 104 acquires the vehicle position, which is the position of the forklift 600. For example, the vehicle position acquisition unit 104 acquires the vehicle position based on the result of comparing point cloud data output from the laser sensor 622A with the work area map, or based on the position information of the forklift 600 obtained from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).

[0030] The vehicle direction acquisition unit 105 acquires the vehicle direction, which is the direction the forklift 600 is facing. For example, the vehicle direction acquisition unit 105 acquires the vehicle direction based on the result of comparing point cloud data output from the laser sensor 622A with the work area map, the direction detected by a magnetic compass (not shown) provided on the forklift 600, information on the rotation speed of the wheels 610 and 612, steering information, etc. For example, in this embodiment, the forward direction of the forklift 600 is defined as the direction the forklift 600 is facing.

[0031] The identification unit 106 identifies the shelf 10 holding the detected pallet in response to the detection of the pallet. For example, the identification unit 106 reads the work area map M stored in the storage unit 101 and identifies the shelf 10 holding the detected pallet based on the vehicle position, vehicle direction, and the position of the shelf 10 in the work area map M. For example, the identification unit 106 reflects the vehicle position and vehicle direction in the work area map M, determines the detection range of the sensor unit 622 on the work area map M based on the vehicle position and vehicle direction on the work area map M, and identifies the shelf 10 within the detection range as the shelf 10 holding the detected pallet. Alternatively, the shelf 10 holding the pallet may be identified by image recognition processing using the detection data. Alternatively, an ID marker indicating the identification information of the shelf 10 may be provided on the shelf 10, and the shelf 10 holding the pallet may be identified based on the identification information of the shelf 10 obtained by reading the ID marker by the sensor unit 622.

[0032] The installation direction acquisition unit 107 acquires the installation direction of the shelf 10 identified by the identification unit 106 from the storage unit 101. In this embodiment, the installation direction acquisition unit 107 reads the work area map M stored in the storage unit 101 and identifies the installation direction of the shelf identified based on the work area map M. The installation direction of the shelf 10 here is the direction formed by the longitudinal central axis of the shelf 10 in the horizontal direction. The longitudinal central axis of the shelf 10 is determined based on the coordinates of each point on the surface of the shelf 10 identified in the work area map M.

[0033] For example, the method for determining the installation direction will be explained using the case where shelf 10A shown in Figure 4 is identified by the identification unit 106. In this case, for example, the installation direction acquisition unit 107 generates the longitudinal central axis CL of shelf 10A from the coordinates of each point on the surface of shelf 10A in the work area map M, and identifies the direction of this central axis CL as the installation direction.

[0034] The relative position calculation unit 108 calculates the relative position of the detected pallet to the forklift 600 based on the point cloud data in the detection data. The relative position of the pallet is the position of the pallet or a pair of fork pockets on the pallet (see Figure 5) with the center position of the forklift 600 or other reference point as the origin in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinate system. One of the coordinate axes in the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinate system is set to coincide with the vehicle direction, for example. The relative position calculation unit 108 may also calculate the relative position using the vehicle position in addition to the point cloud data.

[0035] The path generation unit 109 generates a travel path that approaches the pallet detected by the forklift 600 so as to be directly facing it, based on the vehicle direction, the installation direction of the shelf 10, and the relative position of the pallet. The path generation unit 109 uses the installation direction of the shelf 10 as a known direction. For example, the path generation unit 109 generates a travel path that moves forward and turns toward a target position relative to the pallet detected by the forklift 600. The target position is the position where the forks 604 of the forklift 600 are inserted into the fork pockets of the pallet.

[0036] Here, typically, the pallet 50 is placed in a known orientation such that the front of the pallet 50 is aligned with the installation direction of the shelf 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the installation direction of the shelf 10 is assumed to coincide with the known direction, and the travel path is generated using the installation direction of the shelf 10.

[0037] Figure 5 shows an example of a travel path generated by the path generation unit 109. In Figure 5, 50 is a pallet, D1 is the vehicle direction, D2 is the installation direction, D3 is the direction perpendicular to the installation direction on the horizontal plane (xy plane), R is the travel path generated by the path generation unit 109, and P is the target position which is the endpoint of the travel path R. For example, the path generation unit 109 calculates the target position P from the relative position of the pallet 50 such that the direction the forklift is facing at the target position P is along the direction D3 which is perpendicular to the installation direction D2 on the horizontal plane, starting from the vehicle direction D1, and generates a travel path that moves forward towards the target position P and turns. For example, the path generation unit 109 generates the travel path using a clothoid curve or the like.

[0038] The travel control unit 110 controls the drive unit 500 to drive the forklift 600 according to the travel path generated by the path generation unit 109.

[0039] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the travel control device 100 in this embodiment. The storage unit 101 is assumed to have a work area map M generated by the map generation unit 102 stored in it beforehand.

[0040] In step S101, the detection processing unit 103 acquires detection data from the sensor unit 622.

[0041] In step S102, the detection processing unit 103 determines whether a pallet has been detected based on the detection data. If a pallet is detected (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to S103. Alternatively, a message may be displayed via a display device (not shown) to confirm whether the detected pallet is the pallet to be transported, and if the user confirms that the detected pallet is the pallet to be transported, the process may proceed to S103. If a pallet is not detected (No in step S102), the process returns to S101, and step S102 is repeatedly executed until, for example, a forklift 600 is driven and a pallet is detected.

[0042] In step S103, the vehicle position acquisition unit 104 and the vehicle direction acquisition unit 105 acquire the vehicle position and vehicle direction, respectively.

[0043] In step S104, the identification unit 106 identifies the shelf on which the detected pallet is located, based on the vehicle position, vehicle direction, and the position of the shelf 10 in the work area map M.

[0044] In step S105, the installation direction acquisition unit 107 acquires the installation direction of the specified shelf.

[0045] In step S106, the relative position calculation unit 108 calculates the relative position of the pallet to the forklift 600 based on the detection data.

[0046] In step S107, the route generation unit 109 generates a travel route based on the vehicle direction, the installation direction of the shelf 10, and the relative position of the pallet.

[0047] In step S108, the travel control unit 110 controls the drive unit 500 to move the forklift 600 according to the generated travel path. After step S108, the processing of the travel control device 100 is completed.

[0048] Thus, in this invention, the travel path is calculated using the installation direction of the shelf 10. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the orientation of the pallet relative to the forklift based on detection data when generating the travel path. Accordingly, compared to technologies that generate a travel path by calculating the orientation of the pallet relative to the forklift based on the detection result of the front of the pallet, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, the processing burden can be reduced.

[0049] Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and that various design changes and modifications are possible, and that such modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention. Such modifications will be described below.

[0050] In the embodiments described, a forklift was used as an example of a conveying device, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various conveying devices that handle pallets, such as hand lifts (hand pallets), AGVs (Automatic Guided Vehicles), and fork loaders (wheel loaders with forks).

[0051] In the embodiment described, an example was shown in which the sensor unit 622 is attached to the backrest 620, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sensor unit 622 may be attached to the lifting body 606, or it may be provided on any member that moves up and down in conjunction with the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting body 606. That is, the sensor unit 622 may be provided so as to move up and down in conjunction with the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting body 606.

[0052] In the embodiment, a work area map M indicating the position and installation direction of each shelf 10 is stored in the storage unit 101. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the work area map M does not need to be generated. In this case, the map generation unit 102 does not need to be provided. For example, if the pallet holding units are arranged in only one direction in the work area 20, or if only one pallet holding unit is provided, the work area map M does not need to be generated. In this case, the storage unit 101 can store known directions, and the travel path can be generated by reading the known directions from the storage unit 101.

[0053] In this embodiment, the work area map M or the shelf installation direction is stored in the storage unit 101 of the travel control device 100. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the information may be stored in the storage unit of a server located outside the travel control device 100. In this case, the travel control device 100 can receive and use the work area map M or the shelf installation direction from the server.

[0054] In this embodiment, a shelf 10 was given as an example of a pallet holding section, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the pallet holding section may be a truck bed on which the pallets are placed.

[0055] In this embodiment, the sensor unit 622 has a detection range of a predetermined range in the diagonally forward direction, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and a detection range of a predetermined range in a direction such as the lateral direction or the forward direction may also be used.

[0056] Figure 7 shows a modified example of the work area map M. As shown in Figure 7, if the placement positions of pallets within the shelf 10 are predetermined, the predetermined placement positions of pallets 50 may be set on the work area map M. In this case, when a pallet is detected, the identification unit 106 identifies the detected pallet based on the vehicle position, vehicle direction, and the placement position of pallet 50 on the work area map M, and the relative position calculation unit 108 calculates the relative position of the detected pallet using the placement position on the work area map for the identified pallet. This improves the accuracy of calculating the relative position of the pallet. Furthermore, if it is predetermined which pallet to place at each placement position, for example, an ID marker indicating the identification information of that pallet may be provided on the pallet, and the detected pallet and its placement position may be identified based on the pallet identification information obtained by reading the ID marker by the sensor unit 622. The pallet identification information in this case is an example of detection data.

[0057] In the embodiment, the case in which multiple pallet holding units are provided in the work area 20, as shown in Figure 4, was described as an example. However, if only one pallet holding unit is provided in the work area 20, there is no need to identify the pallet holding unit, and therefore the identification unit 106 does not need to be provided.

[0058] For example, if the forklift 600 travels in only one direction along the pallet holding section (parallel to the installation direction), the vehicle direction is constant and does not need to be specified, so the vehicle direction acquisition unit 105 does not need to be provided.

[0059] In summary, the travel control device 100 of this embodiment includes: a relative position calculation unit 108 that calculates the relative position of the pallet to the transport device based on the output of a sensor unit 622 provided on the transport device that transports the pallet from a pallet holding unit in which the pallet is held in a known direction; a path generation unit 109 that generates a travel path that approaches the transport device so that it faces the pallet directly, based on the known direction and relative position; and a travel control unit 110 that controls the drive unit 500 that drives the transport device so that the transport device travels according to the travel path. With this configuration, by utilizing the fact that the pallet is held in a known direction in the pallet holding unit, a travel path can be generated based on this known direction. Therefore, since it is not necessary to calculate the attitude of the pallet relative to the transport device based on the output of the sensor unit 622, the burden of calculation processing for generating the travel path can be reduced. As a result, the time required to generate the travel path can be shortened, making it possible to shorten the time required for inserting forks into fork pockets.

[0060] In this embodiment, the system includes a detection processing unit 103 that detects a pallet based on the output of the sensor unit 622, a specification unit 106 that identifies the pallet holding unit where the detected pallet is held, and an installation direction acquisition unit 107 that acquires the installation direction of the specified pallet holding unit from a storage unit 101 that has previously stored the installation directions of the pallet holding units. The path generation unit 109 calculates a travel path using the installation direction as a known direction. With this configuration, even if multiple pallet holding units are installed in different directions in the work area 20, an appropriate installation direction corresponding to the specified pallet holding unit can be acquired and used as a known direction, making it possible to calculate an appropriate travel path.

[0061] The system further includes a vehicle direction acquisition unit 105 that acquires the vehicle direction, which is the direction the conveying device is facing. The route generation unit 109 then calculates the travel route based on the vehicle direction. Even if the vehicle direction changes due to the movement of the conveying device, it is possible to calculate an appropriate travel route based on the acquired vehicle direction.

[0062] In this embodiment, the travel control device 100 includes a map generation unit 102 that generates a work area map M indicating the installation direction of the pallet holder within the work area 20 from the output of the sensor unit 622 obtained when the transport device travels through the work area 20 and stores it in the storage unit 101, and the installation direction acquisition unit 107 acquires the installation direction based on the work area map M. With this configuration, the installation direction of the pallet holder can be easily acquired by having the transport device travel through the work area 20.

[0063] In this embodiment, the work area map M contains the placement positions of pallets in the pallet holding section. The identification unit 106 identifies the detected pallet based on the output of the sensor unit 622, and the relative position calculation unit 108 calculates the relative position of the identified pallet using the placement positions set in the work area map M. This configuration improves the accuracy of calculating the relative position of the pallet.

[0064] In this embodiment, the travel control device 100 further includes a position acquisition unit that acquires the position of the transport device based on the output of the sensor unit 622 and the work area map M, and a vehicle direction acquisition unit 105 that acquires the vehicle direction, which is the direction the transport device is facing, based on the output of the sensor unit 622 and the work area map M. With this configuration, it becomes possible to easily acquire the vehicle position and vehicle direction even indoors.

[0065] In this embodiment, the conveying device is a forklift 600, which is equipped with a lifting body 606 that raises and lowers the forks 604 of the forklift 600 by lifting and lowering motion, and the sensor unit 622 is configured to move up and down in accordance with the lifting and lowering motion of the lifting body 606. With this configuration, the position of the sensor unit 622 can be moved up and down by the lifting and lowering motion of the lifting body 606. Therefore, the detection range of the sensor unit 622 can be easily changed up and down without requiring, for example, an operator to manually reattach the sensor unit 622 up and down. Consequently, by raising and lowering the sensor unit 622 to match the height at which the pallet is placed, it becomes possible to detect the pallet with high accuracy, and the time required for inserting the forks can be further reduced. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 100 Driving control device 101 Storage section 102 Map Generation Unit 103 Detection Processing Unit 104 Vehicle position acquisition unit 105 Vehicle direction acquisition unit 106 Specific part 107 Installation direction acquisition part 108 Relative position calculation unit 109 Path generation unit 110 Driving control unit 500 Drive Unit 600 forklifts 602 Car body 604 Fork 606 Lifting mechanism 608 Mast 610 Front Wheel 612 Rear wheel 622 Sensor section 700 cockpits 702 Ignition Switch 704 Steering Wheel 706 Lift Lever 708 Accelerator pedal 710 Brake pedal 712 Forward / Reverse Lever 714 Dashboard

Claims

1. A relative position calculation unit calculates the relative position of the pallet with respect to the conveying device based on the output of a sensor unit provided in the conveying device that transports the pallet from a pallet holding unit in which the pallet is held in a known direction, A path generation unit generates a travel path that approaches the conveying device so that it faces the pallet directly, based on the known direction and the relative position. A travel control unit controls the drive unit that drives the transport device so that the transport device travels along the aforementioned travel path, A driving control device equipped with the following:

2. A detection processing unit that detects the pallet based on the output of the sensor unit, A identifying unit that identifies the pallet holding unit in which the detected pallet is held, An installation direction acquisition unit acquires the specified installation direction of the pallet holder from a storage unit that has previously stored the installation direction of the pallet holder, Equipped with, The route generation unit calculates the travel route using the known direction as the installation direction. The driving control device according to claim 1.

3. The vehicle direction acquisition unit further acquires the vehicle direction, which is the direction the transport device is facing. The route generation unit calculates the travel route based on the vehicle direction. The driving control device according to claim 1.

4. The travel control device includes a map generation unit that generates a work area map indicating the installation direction of the pallet holding unit within the work area from the output of the sensor unit obtained when the transport device travels through its work area, and stores it in the storage unit. The installation direction acquisition unit acquires the installation direction based on the work area map. The driving control device according to claim 2.

5. The work area map includes the placement position of the pallet in the pallet holding section. The identification unit identifies the detected pallet based on the output of the sensor unit. The relative position calculation unit calculates the relative position of the identified pallet using the previously described placement position set in the work area map. The driving control device according to claim 4.

6. A position acquisition unit acquires the position of the transport device based on the output of the sensor unit and the work area map, A vehicle direction acquisition unit acquires the vehicle direction, which is the direction the transport device is facing, based on the output of the sensor unit and the work area map. Further including, The driving control device according to claim 4.

7. The aforementioned conveying device is a forklift, The forklift is equipped with a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the forks of the forklift by lifting and lowering motion. The sensor unit is configured to move up and down in accordance with the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting body. A driving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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