Vehicle operation management device

Abstract

To improve practical utility of a vehicle operation management apparatus for managing operations of a plurality of vehicles which travels on a path in a business office and is stopped at a work position due to a work.SOLUTION: A vehicle operation management apparatus 20 according to the present invention is arranged so as to carry out a step 76 of determining an operation plan for each of a plurality of vehicles, a step 78 of constantly grasping a position of each of the plurality of vehicles, a step of 80 of receiving a work time related information that is information relating to time required for a work carried out by each of the plurality of vehicles at its work position, and a step 76 of, if it is determined in step 82, based on an operation plan of the plurality of vehicles and the received work time related information, a work at a certain work position of one vehicle obstructs an operation of other vehicles, changing the operation of the other vehicles. It is possible to carry out efficient operation management by, for example, changing an operation plan of other vehicles based on the work time related information input by an operator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle operation management device that manages the operation of a plurality of vehicles that run within a business establishment. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in a production plant or the like, which is a business establishment, a plurality of vehicles transport goods along a transport route. In such logistics transport, as described in the following patent document, for example, the efficiency of logistics can be improved by appropriately allocating tasks to a plurality of vehicles and determining a transport route. Specifically, in the technology described in the following patent document, a transport route is determined so as to minimize the transport time from a starting position to a final position, and the transport route is updated taking into account the actual travel time of the transport route when the vehicle is traveling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-246864 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in the above patent document, the transport route is updated taking into consideration the occupation of a certain section of the transport route by other vehicles, but the occupancy time varies depending on the content of the work being done in the occupied section, and taking into consideration the time of that work is meaningful in practical operation management of multiple vehicles traveling within a business premises. The present invention has been made in consideration of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle operation management device that is highly practical. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle operation management device of the present invention is Each vehicle runs through the passageways of the facility. By driver A vehicle operation management device that manages the operation of a plurality of vehicles stopped at a work position for work, for each of the plurality of vehicles, one or more work positions at which each of the vehicles should stop; By assigning tasks to the robot and determining the driving route to visit the task locations, Decide on an operation plan, The position of each of the plurality of vehicles is constantly grasped, and work time related information, which is information regarding the time of work when each of the plurality of vehicles performs work at any of the work positions, is obtained. from the driver performing the work when that work is being performed Reception, When it is determined that the operation of one vehicle at a certain work position interferes with the operation of other vehicles based on the operation plans of multiple vehicles and the received work time related information, By changing at least one of the travel route of the other vehicle and the order of the tasks assigned to the other vehicle without changing the assignment of tasks to the other vehicle, The vehicle operation plan is changed. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the vehicle operation management device of the present invention, for example, the operation plans of other vehicles are changed based on the work time related information input by the worker, thereby enabling efficient operation management. Therefore, the vehicle operation management device of the present invention is highly practical.

[0007] The "business establishment" where the vehicle to be managed by the vehicle operation management device of the present invention is operated is a factory, a warehouse, etc. The business establishment is not limited to a single building such as a factory or a warehouse, and may have multiple buildings. The "passage" where the vehicle runs within the business establishment may be wide so that the vehicles can pass each other or overtake other vehicles, or narrow so that the vehicles cannot pass each other or overtake each other, and may be a mixture of wide and narrow passages. In view of the purpose being to prevent or reduce the obstruction of the operation of other vehicles, the vehicle operation management device of the present invention is advantageously applied to business establishments that include narrow passages. In addition, the passage may be one-way or two-way, but in view of the above purpose, the vehicle operation management device of the present invention is advantageously applied to business establishments that include one-way passages.

[0008] The "vehicles" to be managed include various vehicles, such as transport vehicles that transport goods and vehicles that make rounds to inspect various places in a business. The "work" performed when the vehicle is stopped at the work position corresponds to, for example, loading and unloading goods such as products, merchandise, processed products, and materials if the vehicle is a transport vehicle, and to inspection if the vehicle is an inspection vehicle. The vehicle may be an autonomous vehicle or may be a vehicle driven by a driver. In the case of a vehicle driven by a driver, the driver may become the worker and perform the above work. Regardless of whether the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle or not, the worker who is already at the work position may perform the above work. The vehicle itself may also perform the work.

[0009] The vehicle operation control device of the present invention may be a device mainly composed of a computer configured with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. In order to perform operation control of each vehicle while exchanging information with each vehicle, it is desirable that the vehicle operation control device is equipped with a communication device.

[0010] The "operation plan" includes, for each vehicle, one or more tasks to be performed, one or more work locations where the one or more tasks are performed, the order in which the one or more tasks are performed (the order in which the one or more work locations are stopped), and a driving route around the one or more work locations according to the order. The vehicle operation management device of the present invention may determine an operation plan for each vehicle at a predetermined time point or at a time point when operation can be started. Specifically, for example, based on an operation instruction (including, for example, an operation list, etc.) including one or more tasks to be performed in relation to one vehicle and their contents, the order of one or more tasks, i.e., the order of stopping one or more work locations, may be determined so that the vehicle follows the shortest driving route, and a driving route may be determined. When each of the multiple vehicles is driven by a driver, the determined operation plan may be transmitted to each vehicle, and the transmitted operation plan may be displayed on a terminal equipped in each vehicle.

[0011] For example, when the vehicles are equipped with a GPS function, each vehicle may transmit information on its own location as determined by the GPS function to the vehicle operation management device, and the vehicle operation management device may perform the determination based on the transmitted location information. Based on the information, the vehicle's running speed (which is 0 when the vehicle is stopped) and running direction may also be determined. For example, when the business establishment is an indoor warehouse, each vehicle may capture an image of a sign installed in the business establishment with a camera equipped therein, and transmit information on its own location as determined by image processing of the captured image data to the vehicle operation management device as required, and the vehicle operation management device may perform the determination based on the transmitted location information. Furthermore, the business establishment may be equipped with multiple antennas or cameras at various locations, and the location of each vehicle may be determined by receiving signals transmitted by each vehicle via the multiple antennas, or based on image information of each vehicle obtained by the multiple cameras.

[0012] The "work time related information" received by the vehicle operation management device of the present invention is information for determining how long a vehicle will be stopped at a work position for work that is currently being performed or will be performed in the future. It may be the work time itself, or a factor for determining the work time. Factors for determining the work time include, for example, work factors such as the amount of work and difficulty of the work, worker factors such as the skill level and physical condition of the worker performing the work, and process factors such as the work sequence indicating the order in which the work is performed in a series of works. The work time related information may be received, for example, by a worker (or a driver in the case where the driver also serves as a worker) inputting the information into a terminal provided in the vehicle or a terminal installed at each work position, and the terminal transmitting the input information to the vehicle operation management device.

[0013] "Changes to the operation plan" include changes to the order of work, changes to the travel route without changing the order of work (detouring), etc. Various changes can be adopted depending on the length of time that operation will be disrupted. If the work being performed by one vehicle stopped at a work position will soon be completed and the time that the operation of other vehicles will be disrupted will be fairly short, the other vehicles may wait in front of the work position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a business establishment through which a vehicle that is subject to operation management by a vehicle operation management device of an embodiment travels. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a vehicle that is a target of operation management by a vehicle operation management device of an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing functions of a vehicle operation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing, in list form, product storage data, operation plan data, and work instructions relied upon in determining the operation plan, which are stored in the vehicle operation management device of the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a vehicle travel route based on a determined operation plan. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a vehicle travel route based on a travel plan that is changed when travel is disrupted. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing operation plan data of a changed operation plan in list format. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a vehicle travel route based on a changed operation plan accompanied by a change in the work sequence when operation is disrupted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The following describes in detail a vehicle operation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In addition to the following embodiment, the present invention can be embodied in various forms that are modified and improved based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the form described in the above [Mode of the invention] section. EXAMPLES

[0016] [A] Business establishments where vehicles subject to operation management operate The business establishment where the vehicles that are the subject of operation management by the vehicle operation management device of the embodiment (hereinafter may be abbreviated as "management device") travel is a so-called logistics warehouse, as shown typically in Fig. 1, in which shelves 10 are lined up in multiple rows. In the following explanation, as shown in the upper right corner of the figure, the upper side of the figure will be called the north side, the lower side the south side, the left side the west side, and the right side the east side.

[0017] Specifically, within the warehouse, there is aisle α, which extends east-west on the northernmost side (in the diagram, the letter α is shown at both ends of the aisle. The same applies to the other aisles), aisle β, which extends east-west in the center from north to south, and two aisles extending east-west on the southernmost side, aisle γ and aisle δ. In addition, there are multiple aisles a-l that connect aisle α and aisle β and extend north-south, aisles m-p that are four aisles that connect aisle β and aisle γ and extend north-south, and aisle q-t that are four aisles that connect aisle β and aisle δ and extend north-south.

[0018] A plurality of shelves 10 are lined up on both sides of each of the aisles a to t. More specifically, 13 shelves are lined up from north to south on both sides of each of the aisles a to l, and 14 shelves are lined up from north to south on both sides of each of the aisles m to t. In other words, the shelves 10 sandwiched between adjacent ones of the aisles a to t are arranged back to back. Hereinafter, the rows of shelves 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "shelf rows") will be referred to as 10(a-t)W on the west side of the aisles and 10(a-t)E on the east side of the aisles in relation to the aisles a to t, and the shelves 10 in each row will be numbered 1 to 13 for the shelves 10(a-l)W and 10(a-l)E, and 1 to 14 for the shelves 10(m-t)W and 10(m-t)E, starting from the north side, as shown by the shelf 10 on the left side of the figure. Therefore, for example, the shelf 10 indicated by the star in the figure is shelf 10eW4 when expressed by the shelf number. Also, as shown in the lower right corner of the figure, each shelf 10 has four levels and four storage spaces. Each level, i.e., each storage space, is numbered A to D from the top. Therefore, the storage space on the second level from the top of shelf 10eW4 indicated by the star in the figure will be represented as 10eW4B. Each storage space stores multiple units of one or multiple types of products.

[0019] A plurality of vehicles 12 travel within the warehouse. The vehicles 12 are merchandise transport vehicles (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "transport vehicles 12") that are loaded with merchandise on their platforms and driven by drivers, as will be described later in detail. In the figure, nine transport vehicles 12 are shown, and the transport vehicles 12 are numbered C1 to C9. Therefore, in the following, when referring to a specific transport vehicle 12, it may be referred to as transport vehicles 12C1 to 12C9. In addition, as will be described later in detail, the drivers also serve as workers who perform the work of loading and unloading merchandise between the transport vehicles 12 and the shelves 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "transfer work"). In the figure, the drivers (workers) of each transport vehicle 12 are represented by ●, and when the transport vehicle 12 is traveling, the drivers are in the transport vehicle 12.

[0020] The passages α to δ are relatively wide passages through which the transport vehicles 12 can pass each other, whereas the passages a to t are relatively narrow passages through which the transport vehicles 12 cannot pass each other. In relation to this, the passages a to t are one-way passages in the direction indicated by the arrows in the figure.

[0021] The yard on the south side of the center in the east-west direction of the warehouse is the receiving / shipping yard 14, where the work of moving goods between the trucks 16 entering and leaving the warehouse and the transport vehicles 12, that is, receiving / shipping work, is carried out. In the figure, the drivers of the transport vehicles 12C7 and 12C8 are shown engaged in receiving / shipping work. In addition, the receiving / shipping yard 14 is provided with a waiting area 18 for the transport vehicles 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the management device 20 of the embodiment, which will be described in detail later, is a device mainly composed of a computer, and is installed in a management building outside the warehouse.

[0022] [B] Vehicle configuration The vehicle operation management device of the embodiment manages the above-mentioned transport vehicle 12, which is as shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 12 is a three-wheeled vehicle having a pair of rear wheels 30 on the left and right and a front wheel 32 located in the center of the vehicle width direction, and the pair of rear wheels 30 are driving wheels, and the front wheel 32 is steering wheels. The rear wheels 30 are controlled and driven by a braking / driving unit 34 having an electric motor as a driving source and including a brake device. The control stick 36 has a structure similar to the handle of a two-wheeled vehicle, and the front wheels 32 are steered by the driver DR rotating the control stick 36 left and right. Although not shown in the figure, an accelerator lever and a brake lever operated by the driver DR are provided at the left and right ends of the control stick 36, respectively.

[0023] The vehicle body 38 can be divided into a loading platform section 40, a driver's cab section 42, and an erected section 44. A collapsible rack-shaped pallet 46 is installed on the loading platform section 40, and the product CP is placed on this pallet 46. The driver DR stands on the driver's cab section 42. The erected section 44 holds the control stick 36, and supports a controller 48, which is a control device for the transport vehicle 12, on the rear side.

[0024] The controller 48 is configured to include a computer, a driver (drive circuit) for the braking / driving unit 34, a communication unit for communicating with the management device 20, an operation panel 50 which is an input / output device, etc. In relation to the controller 48, an antenna 52 is provided on the transport vehicle 12 for communicating with the management device 20 via the communication unit. In addition, a camera 54 for capturing an image of the front is provided on the front side of the erected portion 44 on the transport vehicle 12.

[0025] The controller 48 has a function of recognizing which aisle and where the vehicle (transport vehicle on which the controller 48 is mounted) 12 is located in the warehouse based on the imaging data acquired by the camera 54. To explain briefly, although omitted in FIG. 1, signs indicating the aisles a to t that the shelf rows face are provided at both ends of each shelf row in the warehouse, and the controller 48 acquires the aisles a to t, α to δ in which the vehicle 12 is located, the position of the vehicle 12 in the aisles a to t, α to δ (for example, which shelf 10 the vehicle 12 is located in front of), and the direction of the vehicle 12 from the image data of the signs according to a known method. Furthermore, the controller 48 acquires the running speed of the vehicle 12 (sometimes called "vehicle speed", a concept that includes 0 when the vehicle 12 is stopped) based on a signal related to the rotation speed of the rear wheels 30 from the braking / driving unit 34. The controller 48 transmits information such as the paths a-t, α-δ on which the vehicle 12 is located, the position, vehicle speed, direction of the vehicle 12, etc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "vehicle driving information") to the management device 20 via the communication unit. The controller 48 also has a navigation function, and the route that the vehicle 12 should travel and the vehicle driving information are displayed on the display of the operation panel 50.

[0026] When the driver DR stops the vehicle 12 and performs a loading / unloading operation between the vehicle 12 and the shelf 10, the driver DR inputs information related to the time required for the loading / unloading operation (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “operation time related information”) to the operation panel 50. The controller 48 transmits the input operation time related information to the management device 20.

[0027] The driver DR also carries a wireless barcode reader 56, and reads the barcodes attached to the products CP to be transferred during the transfer operation using the barcode reader 56. The controller 48 is configured to transmit information obtained by reading the barcode reader 56 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “transferred product information”) to the management device 20.

[0028] In consideration of the functions of the controller 48, the management device 12 of the embodiment and the controller 48 of each transport vehicle 12 can be considered to constitute one vehicle operation management system.

[0029] [C] Functional configuration of vehicle operation management device The management device 20 of the embodiment has a functional configuration as shown in Fig. 3. Explaining with reference to this figure, the management device 20 is configured to include a computer 60 including a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, etc., and a communication device 62. The computer 60 has a bus 64, and the communication device 62 is connected to the bus 64 via an interface 66. In addition, a work instruction device 68 mainly composed of a computer is also connected to the bus 64 via an interface 70 in order to receive instructions regarding the collection and storage work of the products CP by the transport vehicle 12.

[0030] The computer 60 has a product storage database 72 connected to the bus 64. The product storage database 72 stores data such as that shown in Fig. 4(a), specifically, product storage data relating to how many of which products CP (product codes) are stored (storage quantities) in which storage spaces of which shelves 10.

[0031] The computer 60 also has a travel plan database 74 connected to the bus 64. The travel plan database 74 stores data as shown in FIG. 4(b), specifically, travel plan data including one or more work positions (storage spaces) in a series of work of each transport vehicle 12, the order of stops at those work positions (work No.), the required quantity of products CP to be loaded on the transport vehicle 12 at each work position, and one travel route (via-path a-t) for moving from one work position to the next work position. Incidentally, FIG. 4(b) shows a travel plan for the transport vehicle 12 of vehicle No. C1, and the via-path a-t is displayed only when the via-path a-t must pass through other paths a-t to reach the path a-t that includes the next work position. In addition, when a certain work is completed, a check mark indicating that the work is completed is added to the travel plan data, and when a certain work is being performed, a mark indicating that the work is being performed (indicated by a circle in the figure) is added.

[0032] In addition, the computer 60 has, as functional units which execute each process by executing a program, an operation plan determination / change unit 76 connected to the bus 64, a vehicle travel grasping unit 78, a work time determination unit 80, an operation obstruction judgment unit 82, and a product storage data update unit 84.

[0033] The operation plan determination / change unit 76 creates an operation plan for each transport vehicle 12 based on the work instruction of the work instructing device 68 and the product storage data stored in the product storage database 72, and stores the operation plan in the operation plan database 74. In addition, when the operation obstruction determination unit 82 determines that the operation of a certain transport vehicle 12 obstructs the operation of another transport vehicle 12, the operation plan determination / change unit 76 changes the operation plan of the other transport vehicle 12, and stores the modified operation plan in the operation plan database 74.

[0034] The vehicle travel grasping unit 78 grasps the travel state of all the transport vehicles 12 at each point in time based on the vehicle travel information of each transport vehicle 12 acquired at any time via the communication device 62. The work time determination unit 80 determines the work time of the transfer work based on the work time related information transmitted from the transport vehicle 12 when the driver DR of the transport vehicle 12 performs the transfer work. The operation obstruction determination unit 82 determines whether the operation of the other transport vehicles 12 is obstructed when a transport vehicle 12 stops for work at a certain work position.

[0035] Although detailed explanation is omitted, the product storage data update unit 84 updates the contents of the product storage data stored in the product storage database 72 based on the transferred product information transmitted from the transport vehicle 12. If the transferred product information differs from the information of the planned product, the product storage data update unit 84 issues a warning to the transport vehicle 12 that transmitted the transferred product information, notifying that the product CP to be transferred is not the planned product CP.

[0036] The computer 60 is equipped with a keyboard 86 as an input device and a display 88 as an output device, and by operating the keyboard 86, the display 88 can switch between displaying a screen showing the running status of each transport vehicle 12, a screen showing the operation plan of each transport vehicle 12, a screen showing product storage data, etc.

[0037] [D] Various processes related to vehicle operation management Various processes relating to the operation management of the transport vehicles 12 will be described below by taking as an example a case in which each transport vehicle 12 collects several products CP from several shelves 10 in a warehouse.

[0038] i) Deciding on operation plan When one transport vehicle 12 is ready to carry out the next collection at the receiving / shipping yard 14, the driver DR of the transport vehicle 12 inputs information indicating that the vehicle is ready for the next collection (preparation completion information) from the operation panel 50. The preparation completion information is transmitted to the management device 20, and the management device 20, which has received the information, determines an operation plan for the transport vehicle 12 in the operation plan determination / change unit 76 so as to assign a series of tasks for the collection instructed by the work instruction device 68 to the transport vehicle 12.

[0039] More specifically, the work instruction device 68 outputs instructions as shown in Fig. 4(c), that is, instructions indicating how many of each product CP (product code) are needed (required quantity) in a list format. The work instructions are, for example, instructions regarding a series of operations for collecting the products CP to be loaded onto one truck 16.

[0040] The operation plan determination / change unit 76 determines an operation plan as shown in Fig. 4(b) based on the work instructions and the product storage data stored in the product storage database 72. Although a detailed explanation of the determination method is omitted, the operation plan determines the work positions (storage spaces), the stopping order at those work positions (work No.), and one travel route (via-path a-t) for moving from one work position to the next work position so that the travel distance of the transport vehicle 12 is as short as possible in a series of works.

[0041] The determined operation plan is, for example, as shown in Fig. 5. In the figure, the shelves 10 corresponding to each work position are assigned a stop order (work order) of 1 to 10 (indicated by numbers surrounded by circles in the figure), and the travel route is shown to go around those work positions. Information about each work position and the travel route is transmitted to the controller 48 of the transport vehicle 12, and each work position and the travel route are displayed as a navigation screen on the display of the operation panel 50 of the controller 48.

[0042] ii) Processing of work-related information As described above, when one transport vehicle 12 is stopped at a certain work position and performing work, the work may hinder the operation of the other transport vehicles 12. More specifically, the work is a work of taking one or more products CP from the shelf 10 at the work position, and loading the taken-out products CP into the transport vehicle 12 while reading the barcode attached to the products CP, and the work time, which is the time spent on the work, varies depending on the type of product CP, the required quantity, the number of shelves on which the storage space is located, the skill level of the driver (worker), and the physical condition of the driver (worker). Therefore, the management device 20 of the embodiment receives work time related information, which is information related to the work time, from the driver, and determines the work time based on the received work time related information. If the operation of the other transport vehicles 12 is hindered based on the determined work time, the operation plan of the other vehicles is changed.

[0043] More specifically, when a transport vehicle 12 is stopped at a certain work position to perform work, the driver of the transport vehicle 12 first inputs to the operation panel 50 of the controller 48 that the work will be performed at the work position. In response to this input, a screen for selectively inputting the estimated work time of the work or any of several factors related to the work is displayed on the operation panel 50, and the driver selectively inputs the estimated work time or several factors that he or she has estimated. The controller 48 transmits the input estimated work time or factors to the management device 20 as work time related information.

[0044] The management device 20 determines the task time t for the task based on the received task time related information in the task time determination unit 80. TOTAL The received work time related information is certified as being within the estimated work time t EST If so, the estimated work time t EST , the margin time t MAR By adding TOTAL is certified.

[0045] The above factors can be broadly divided into task factors, worker factors, and process factors. The task factors are set to two things: the amount of work, i.e., the required number n of products CP to be loaded onto the transport vehicle 12, and the difficulty of the work. The worker factors are set to two things: the worker's skill level and physical condition. The process factor is set to the position of the work in the series of works (task number), that is, the order of the work. Incidentally, the order of the work is a factor that takes into consideration the fact that the later a work is performed in the series of works, the more products are loaded on the loading platform 40 of the transport vehicle 12, and therefore it takes more time to organize the loading platform 40, such as by transferring the products CP.

[0046] When the received task time related information is a factor, the task time determination unit 80 determines the task time t TOTAL The standard unit labor time for one item is t UNI It is calculated by the following formula. t TOTAL =D x S x H x O x t UNI ×n+t MAR D is the difficulty coefficient, and for example, it is set to 1.1 when the difficulty is high, 1.0 when it is medium, and 0.9 when it is low. S is the proficiency coefficient, and for example, it is set to 0.9 when the worker's proficiency is high, 1.0 when it is medium, and 1.1 when it is low. H is the physical condition coefficient, and for example, it is set to 1.0 when the physical condition is good, and 1.15 when it is poor. O is the ranking coefficient, and for example, the first task is set to 1, and the coefficient is increased by 0.02 for each increase in the ranking, i.e., task number.

[0047] It is not necessary that all of the above factors are input by the worker (driver) via the operation panel 50. Specifically, for example, the difficulty of the task may be determined based on the weight of the product CP stored as product storage data and the height of the storage space (tiers A to D) stored as the product storage data. Furthermore, the skill level of the worker may be determined based on the worker information stored in a worker database (not shown). Furthermore, with regard to the ranking, the ranking coefficient O may be determined based on the task number in the operation plan data.

[0048] iii) Judgment on whether traffic is obstructed When any of the transport vehicles 12 stops at any of the work positions and starts work, the work time determination unit 80 determines the work time t TOTAL When the operation is recognized, the operation obstruction determination unit 82 determines whether the operation obstructs the operation of other transport vehicles 12. To explain in detail, the position, traveling direction, and vehicle speed of each transport vehicle 12 at each time are recognized by the vehicle traveling recognition unit 78 as described above, and the operation plan of each transport vehicle 12 is stored in the operation plan database 72. Based on the position, direction, vehicle speed, and operation plan of each transport vehicle 12, the operation obstruction determination unit 82 determines the work position where the above-mentioned work is being performed, that is, the passages a to t where the transport vehicle 12 is stopped for work, for the recognized work time t. TOTALIt is determined whether any other transportation vehicle 12 is scheduled to run before the time has elapsed. If any other transportation vehicle 12 passes through the work position, it is determined that the operation of that transportation vehicle 12 will be obstructed.

[0049] iv) Changes in operation plans In the management device 12 of the embodiment, when it is determined that the work of one transport vehicle 12 obstructs the operation of another transport vehicle 12, the operation plan of the other transport vehicle 12 is changed. Incidentally, when the obstruction time is considerably short, in other words, when changing the operation plan would rather delay the collection by the transport vehicle 12, the other transport vehicle 12 will wait, although for a considerably short time, in front of the work position where the obstructing work is being performed.

[0050] Consider the case where the time during which operation is hindered is relatively long. For example, when the transportation vehicle 12 of vehicle No. C1 collects goods along the travel route shown in FIG. 5 described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, if a certain transportation vehicle 12 is stopped in front of the shelf 10iW4 indicated by a star in the aisle i and is performing work, the transportation vehicle 12 of vehicle No. C1 will stop for the above-mentioned work time t TOTAL During this time, passage through aisle i is prohibited. In this case, the operation plan determination / change unit 76 changes the travel route as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6 to change the operation plan of the transportation vehicle 12 with vehicle No. C1. Due to this change, the operation plan data shown in Fig. 4(b) is changed to that shown in Fig. 7(a). Specifically, the via passage leading to the work position of work No. 5 is changed from aisle i to aisle g.

[0051] Also, for example, as shown in Fig. 8, when a transport vehicle 12 is stopped in front of the shelf 10hW4 marked with a star in the passage h and is performing work, there is a possibility that the delay in collection by the transport vehicle 12 of vehicle No. C1 cannot be sufficiently avoided by only changing the travel route as described above. In that case, the order of the work is changed so that the work No. 5 is performed last, and the travel route is changed as shown by the broken line in Fig. 8 to change the operation plan of the transport vehicle 12 of vehicle No. C1. By this change, the operation plan data shown in Fig. 4(b) is changed to that shown in Fig. 7(b).

[0052] When the operation plan is changed, the changed operation plan data is transmitted to the controller 48 of the transport vehicle 12, and the controller 48 causes the operation panel 50 to display a driving route based on the changed operation plan as a navigation screen.

[0053] According to the management device 20 of the embodiment, even if the work of one transport vehicle 12 hinders the operation of another transport vehicle 12, the operation plan of the other transport vehicle 12 is changed based on the work time related information received for that work, thereby enabling efficient operation management of the transport vehicles 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10: Shelf 12: Transport vehicle 20: Vehicle operation management device 48: Controller 50: Operation panel 60: Computer 62: Communication device 72: Product storage database 74: Operation plan database 76: Operation plan determination / change unit 78: Vehicle travel grasp unit 80: Work time determination unit 82: Operation obstruction determination unit 84: Product storage data update unit

Claims

1. A vehicle operation management device that manages the operation of a plurality of vehicles, each of which travels along an aisle in a business establishment and is stopped at a work position for a driver to perform work, determining an operation plan by assigning to each of a plurality of vehicles a task at one or more work locations where each of the vehicles should stop and determining a driving route around the work locations; The position of each of the plurality of vehicles is grasped at any time, and work time related information, which is information regarding the time of work when each of the plurality of vehicles performs work at any of the work positions, is received from a driver who performs the work when the work is performed; A vehicle operation management device configured to, when it is determined based on the operation plans of multiple vehicles and the received work time-related information that work at a certain work location of one vehicle is obstructing the operation of other vehicles, change the operation plan of the other vehicles by changing at least one of the driving route of the other vehicles and the order of the work assigned to the other vehicles, without changing the work allocation to the other vehicles.

2. A vehicle operation management device as described in claim 1, wherein the work time related information includes an estimated work time estimated by the driver.

3. The work time related information is a factor for certifying work time, A vehicle operation management device as described in claim 1, wherein the factors include at least one of a work factor including at least one of the amount of work and the difficulty of the work, a worker factor including at least one of the skill level and physical condition of the driver performing the work, and a process factor indicating the order in which the work is to be performed.

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