Automated Transport System

Abstract

To provide a novel unmanned conveyance system for conveying a heavy load to a destination under the premise that travel occurs on a designated flow line.SOLUTION: An unmanned conveyance system 100 which travels on a specified virtual flow line towards a specified destination includes: an unmanned conveyance vehicle 300 which travels in a driverless manner according to a control signal; one or a plurality of cameras 10 which take an image of a field from above to generate a still image or a moving image; and driving control means 20 for generating a control signal for performing control in a manner such that the unmanned conveyance vehicle 300 travels on a virtual flow line based on the still image or moving image. The driving control means 20 includes: a detection unit 21 which detects the unmanned conveyance vehicle 300 from the still image or the moving image; a position recognition unit 22 which recognizes the position of the unmanned conveyance vehicle 300 in the field by use of results of the detection performed by the detection unit 21; and a control unit 24 which generates a control signal based on the position of the unmanned conveyance vehicle 300 recognized by the position recognition unit 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle system (that is, an automatic guidance system) that travels along a specified traffic line to a specified destination and transports a heavy load. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, automated guided vehicles (i.e., automatic guided vehicles, AGVs) have been used to transport heavy objects in a specified field such as a factory or warehouse. In conventional automated guided vehicles, the traffic line (or route) along which the automated guided vehicle should travel in the field is specified by tape or the like. The automated guided vehicle detects the tape and travels along the specified traffic line to transport the heavy object to its destination in the field. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] There are cases where the destination needs to be changed in the field. In this case, the flow line also needs to be changed. However, when changing the flow line, it is necessary to reset the tape that has been set up on the field, which is a heavy burden.

[0004] In particular, when the automated guided vehicle is a forklift that transports heavy objects placed on pallets, changing the size of the pallet changes the interval between the stored heavy objects, causing a shift in the destination, and such destination changes are frequent. Therefore, the burden of re-installing tapes and other items that serve as the traffic line every time the size of the pallet is changed becomes extremely large.

[0005] In addition, there are some autonomous guided vehicles that do not travel along a designated route, but rather drive autonomously to reach their destination by sensing the surrounding environment (obstacles, etc.). However, it is dangerous for an autonomous guided vehicle transporting heavy objects to travel freely along a route in a field where people come and go, such as a factory or warehouse.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel unmanned transport system for transporting heavy objects to a destination on the premise that the system travels along a designated traffic line. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides an unmanned transport system that transports heavy objects by traveling along a specified virtual traffic line toward a specified destination, and includes an unmanned transport vehicle that travels unmanned in accordance with a control signal, one or more cameras that capture a field along which the unmanned transport vehicle travels from above the field to generate still images or moving images, and a driving control means that generates the control signal based on the still images or moving images to control the unmanned transport vehicle to travel along the virtual traffic line, and the driving control means is configured to include a detection unit that detects the unmanned transport vehicle from the still images or moving images, a position determination unit that uses the result of detection by the detection unit to determine the position of the unmanned transport vehicle in the field without using a sensor mounted on the unmanned transport vehicle, and a control unit that generates the control signal based on the position of the unmanned transport vehicle determined by the position determination unit.

[0008] In the above-described automated guided vehicle system, the automated guided vehicle may be a forklift vehicle that lifts up and transports the heavy object placed on a pallet together with the pallet.

[0009] In the above-described automated guided vehicle system, the field may be located indoors, and the one or more cameras may be attached to a ceiling or a wall to capture images of the field from above.

[0010] In the above-described automated guided vehicle system, the field may be located outdoors, and the one or more cameras may be attached to a structure installed outdoors and capture images of the field from above.

[0011] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the operation control means may further include an orientation grasping unit that grasps the orientation of the automated guided vehicle based on the still image or the moving image, and the control unit may generate the control signal based also on the orientation grasped by the orientation grasping unit.

[0012] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the automated guided vehicle may perform autonomous driving to load or unload the heavy object at the destination.

[0013] In the above-mentioned automated guided transport system, the detection unit of the operation control means may further detect an obstacle from the still image or the moving image, and the control unit of the operation control means may further generate the control signal based on the result of the detection by the detection unit.

[0014] In the above-mentioned unmanned guided vehicle system, the unmanned guided vehicle may be equipped with an operation unit that a user operates to start traveling along the traffic line, and the control unit of the driving control means may start generating the control signal in response to the operation on the operation unit.

[0015] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the destination and the virtual traffic line may each be specified, the detection unit of the driving control means may detect the multiple automated guided vehicles from the still image or moving image, the position grasping unit of the driving control means may grasp the respective positions of the multiple automated guided vehicles in the field, and the control unit of the driving control means may generate the control signal for each of the multiple automated guided vehicles based on the multiple positions grasped by the position grasping unit.

[0016] The above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system may be equipped with a plurality of cameras having different fields of view, and the position grasping unit may grasp the position of the automated guided vehicle in the field by integrating a plurality of still images or video images generated by the plurality of cameras.

[0017] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the detection unit may detect the automated guided vehicle by using a neural network.

[0018] In the above-described automated guided vehicle system, the automated guided vehicle may have a predetermined mark on an upper surface, and the detection unit may detect the automated guided vehicle by detecting the predetermined mark.

[0019] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the operation control means may store a map of the field in which the traffic lines are defined, and the position grasping unit may grasp the position of the automated guided vehicle by mapping the automated guided vehicle detected by the detection unit on the map.

[0020] The above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system may have a predetermined mark at a predetermined position of the field, the detection unit may detect the predetermined mark, and the position grasping unit may grasp the position of the automated guided vehicle based on the predetermined mark detected by the detection unit.

[0021] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the detection unit of the operation control means may further detect the heavy load being transported by the automated guided vehicle.

[0022] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the automated guided vehicle may include an on-board detection unit for detecting surrounding obstacles, and an emergency stop processing unit for performing emergency stop processing of the automated guided vehicle based on the detection of the obstacle by the on-board detection unit.

[0023] The above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system may further include a derailment determination means for determining whether or not the automated guided vehicle has deviated from the traffic line, and the operation control means may generate the control signal to stop the automated guided vehicle or to return the automated guided vehicle to the traffic line when the derailment determination means determines that the automated guided vehicle has deviated from the traffic line.

[0024] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the derailment determination means may include an on-board camera mounted on the automated guided vehicle for photographing the area around the automated guided vehicle to generate still images or video images, and a determination unit for determining whether the automated guided vehicle has deviated from the traffic flow line based on the still images or video images generated by the on-board camera.

[0025] In the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle system, the derailment determination means may include a receiver that receives a positioning signal, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the automated guided vehicle has deviated from the traffic line based on the positioning signal received by the receiver. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a field to which an automatic guided vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of a field to which the automated guided vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an automatic guided vehicle in the automatic guided system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic guided vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a change in a flow line according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of a change in a flow line according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view showing another example of a field to which the automated guided vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below shows an example of a case where the present invention is implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration described below. In implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted.

[0028] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a field to which the automated guided vehicle system of the embodiment of the present invention is applied, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the field to which the automated guided vehicle system of the embodiment of the present invention is applied. A factory, a warehouse, etc. are assumed as a field 50 to which the automated guided vehicle system (i.e., automatic guided system) of this embodiment is applied. In this embodiment, an automated guided vehicle (i.e., automatic guided vehicle, AGV) 300 is a forklift vehicle that lifts and transports a heavy object 53 placed on a pallet 54 together with the pallet 54.

[0029] The automated guided vehicle 300 travels on a specified virtual traffic line within the field 50 toward a specified destination and transports a heavy load. For example, manufacturing equipment 52 is installed in the field 50, and workers 400 may be walking around. The manufacturing equipment 52 and workers 400 may become obstacles when the automated guided vehicle 300 travels within the field 50. In addition, heavy loads 53 and pallets 54 placed within the field 50 may also become obstacles, and when multiple automated guided vehicles 300 travel within the field 50, the other automated guided vehicles 300 may also become obstacles.

[0030] The field 50 is located inside a building (indoors), and multiple overhead cameras 10 are attached to a ceiling 55. Each of the multiple overhead cameras 10 captures the field 50 from above. The overhead cameras 10 may be installed in high places such as walls, pillars, or poles of the building. Additionally, multiple marks 51 are provided on the field 50 at positions visible from the overhead cameras 10.

[0031] The areas of the field 50 that can be photographed by each of the multiple overhead cameras 10 partially overlap (see FIG. 2), and as a result, the photographing areas of the multiple overhead cameras 10 cover the entire field 50. Note that it is not necessary to photograph the entire field 50, and the field 50 may include some areas that are not photographed by any of the overhead cameras 10. In other words, areas of the field 50 where the automatic guided vehicle 300 is not scheduled to travel do not need to be included in the photographing range of any of the overhead cameras 10.

[0032] The automated guided vehicle 300 transports the heavy load 53 from the loading position to the destination by loading at the loading position and unloading at the destination. After completing a transport, the automated guided vehicle 300 returns to the loading position without carrying the heavy load 53 for the next transport. At this time, the automated guided vehicle 300 moves (forwarded) from the unloading position as the starting point to the loading position as the destination. In the automated guided vehicle system of this embodiment, the transport of the heavy load 53 and the travel for forwarding the automated guided vehicle 300 are performed unmanned.

[0033] A virtual flow line 210 is set in the field 50. It should be noted that this flow line 210 is virtual and is not provided as a physical entity in the field 50. In the case of a conventional automated guided vehicle system in which a flow line as a physical entity (hereinafter referred to as a physical flow line) is provided in the field 50, the automated guided vehicle 300 detects the physical flow line and travels without deviating from the physical flow line, thereby being able to travel to the destination by following the physical flow line.

[0034] However, in such a conventional automated guided vehicle system, when changing the travel route of the automated guided vehicle 300, it is necessary to change the physical flow line, which is a heavy workload. Therefore, in the automated guided vehicle system 100 of this embodiment, a virtual flow line 210 is set without using a physical flow line, and the automated guided vehicle 300 is controlled so that the automated guided vehicle 300 can travel on this virtual flow line 210.

[0035] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle in an automated guided vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the automated guided vehicle 300 is provided with a fork 330 at the tip that can move up and down. In addition, an on-board camera 310 capable of photographing the area ahead is attached to the automated guided vehicle 300 in order to photograph the area around the automated guided vehicle 300. In addition, a mark 350 is provided on the top surface of the automated guided vehicle 300.

[0036] Further, each automated guided vehicle 300 is given individual identification information, and the identification information is indicated on the upper surface of the automated guided vehicle 300 as identification information marking 370 so that the identification information can be photographed by the overhead camera 10 above. In the example of Fig. 1, the two automated guided vehicles 300 are given identification information "1" and "2", respectively, and the identification information marking 370 indicating these identification information is indicated on the upper surface of the automated guided vehicle 300. Note that the identification information marking 370 may be a code (for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, etc.) generated by encoding the identification information.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automated guided vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the automated guided vehicle system 100 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of overhead cameras 10, a driving control device 20, and an automated guided vehicle 300. Each of the multiple overhead cameras 10 is connected to the driving control device 20 by a wired cable. The overhead camera 10 captures an image of the field 50 on which the automated guided vehicle 300 runs from above the field 50 to generate a video. The overhead camera 10 transmits the generated video stream to the driving control device 20 in real time, and the driving control device 20 receives the video stream from the multiple overhead cameras 10.

[0038] The overhead camera 10 may be wirelessly connected to the driving control device 20 to wirelessly transmit and receive video streams. The overhead camera 10 may also continuously take still images to generate a series of still images and transmit the generated still images to the driving control device 20 in real time. Unique identification information is assigned to each of the multiple overhead cameras 10. The driving control device 20 uses the identification information of the overhead camera 10 to identify which overhead camera 10 a still image or video image belongs to.

[0039] The driving control device 20 generates a control signal for controlling the automatic guided vehicle 300 to travel on the virtual traffic line 210 based on the still image or video image sent from the overhead camera 10, and transmits the generated control signal to the automatic guided vehicle 300. The driving control device 20 may be provided inside or outside the field 50, or may be provided on the cloud and communicate with the overhead camera 10 and the automatic guided vehicle 300 via the Internet. Furthermore, the driving control device 20 may be provided in the overhead camera 10 or the automatic guided vehicle 300. In this way, the driving control device 20 may be located anywhere as long as data (video image stream, still images, control signals, etc.) can be transmitted between the overhead camera 10 and the automatic guided vehicle 300.

[0040] The operation control device 20 includes a detection unit 21, a position grasping unit 22, an orientation grasping unit 23, a control unit 24, and a storage unit 25. The detection unit 21 detects the automated guided vehicle 300 from still images or moving images. The operation control device 20 acquires still images or moving images from a plurality of overhead-view cameras 10, and therefore the detection unit 21 detects the automated guided vehicle 300 from each of the still images or moving images acquired from the plurality of overhead-view cameras 10.

[0041] The detection unit 21 detects the automated guided vehicle 300 from the still image or the moving image by inputting the still image or the moving image to the trained neural network. When the operation control device 20 acquires a moving image from the overhead camera 10, the detection unit 21 may extract frame images at a predetermined interval from the moving image and detect the automated guided vehicle 300 from the frame images (still images).

[0042] Since a predetermined mark 350 is provided on the upper surface of the automated guided vehicle 300, the detection unit 21 may detect the automated guided vehicle 300 from a still image or a moving image using this mark 350 as a clue. In other words, the detection unit 21 may detect the mark 350 provided on the automated guided vehicle 300 as the automated guided vehicle 300.

[0043] The detection unit 21 further detects an identification information notation 370 of the automated guided vehicle 300. When the identification information is represented by characters (including numbers) as shown in the example of FIG. 1, the detection unit 21 performs character recognition on the detected identification information notation 370 to identify the identification information of the detected automated guided vehicle 300. When the identification information is represented as code information, the detection unit 21 decodes the detected identification information notation 370 to identify the identification information of the detected automated guided vehicle 300. The mark 350 may also serve as the identification information notation 370.

[0044] The position grasping unit 22 grasps the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 in the field 50 using the result of detection by the detection unit 21. Although the automated guided vehicle 300 is equipped with an on-board camera 310, the position grasping unit 22 grasps the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 in the field 50 based on the detection result from the still image or moving image captured by the overhead camera 10, without relying on the on-board camera 310 mounted on the automated guided vehicle 300 or other on-board sensors.

[0045] The memory unit 25 stores a map of the field 50. In this map, a traffic line along which the automated guided vehicle 300 should travel is defined. The position determination unit 22 maps the automated guided vehicle 300 detected by the detection unit 21 on this map, thereby determining the position of the automated guided vehicle 300. For this mapping, a predetermined mark 51 is provided at a predetermined position on the field 50, and is photographed by the overhead camera 10. The detection unit 21 detects the mark 51, and the position determination unit 22 determines the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 based on the mark 51 detected by the detection unit 21.

[0046] In addition, the position grasping unit 22 may generate a still image or video of the entire field 50 by integrating still images or video of multiple different areas obtained from multiple overhead cameras 10 in accordance with the identification information of the overhead cameras 10, and use such an integrated image to grasp the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 in the field 50.

[0047] The orientation determining unit 23 determines the orientation of the automated guided vehicle 300 based on a still image or a moving image. The orientation determining unit 23 may detect the orientation of the automated guided vehicle 300 from the still image or the moving image by inputting the still image or the moving image to a trained neural network. The orientation determining unit 23 may also determine the orientation of the automated guided vehicle 300 by determining the orientation of the mark 350 of the automated guided vehicle 300 detected by the detection unit 21.

[0048] The control unit 24 generates a control signal for controlling the traveling of the automated guided vehicle 300, based on the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 grasped by the position grasping unit 22 and the orientation of the automated guided vehicle 300 grasped by the orientation grasping unit 23. Specifically, the control unit 24 generates a control signal including instructions to advance, stop, and steer, based on the position and orientation of the automated guided vehicle 300, so that the automated guided vehicle 300 travels along the traffic line 210 defined in the map toward the destination. The generated control signal is transmitted to the corresponding automated guided vehicle 300 in real time.

[0049] The automated guided vehicle 300 receives a control signal from the operation control device 20 and travels in accordance with this control signal. The automated guided vehicle 300 includes a travel control unit 301, a lift control unit 302, an on-board detection unit 303, an emergency stop processing unit 304, a judgment unit 305, an autonomous driving processing unit 306, an operation unit 307, a travel driving unit 308, a lift driving unit 309, an on-board camera 310, and a receiver 311.

[0050] The traveling drive unit 308 includes a power source, a power transmission mechanism, a steering mechanism, a speed change mechanism, a braking mechanism, wheels, etc. for traveling the automated guided vehicle 300. The lift drive unit 309 includes a drive source for moving the forks 330 up and down, a power transmission mechanism, a child lock mechanism for fixing the forks 330 at a predetermined position, etc. The traveling drive unit 308 drives under the control of the traveling control unit 301. The lift drive unit 309 drives under the control of the lift control unit 302.

[0051] The driving control unit 301 drives the driving drive unit 308 in accordance with a control signal received from the operation control device 20, thereby controlling the automated guided vehicle 300 to travel along the set virtual traffic line 210. In the automated guided vehicle system 100 of this embodiment, what is necessary for the automated guided vehicle 300 to travel along the virtual traffic line 210 is the driving control unit 301 and the driving drive unit 308, and other components (for example, the on-vehicle detection unit 303 and the on-vehicle camera 310) are additional components.

[0052] The on-vehicle detection unit 303 is used for emergency stopping of the automated guided vehicle 300. The on-vehicle detection unit 303 may be, for example, an infrared sensor or a LiDAR. The on-vehicle detection unit 303 detects an obstacle when it exists ahead in the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 300. Alternatively, the on-vehicle detection unit 303 may detect an obstacle when it exists around the automated guided vehicle 300 in all directions, not limited to when it exists ahead in the traveling direction.

[0053] The emergency stop processing unit 304 executes an emergency stop process for the automated guided vehicle 300 when the on-board detection unit 303 detects an obstacle. Specifically, as the emergency stop process, the emergency stop processing unit 304 controls the travel drive unit 308 to stop the generation of power from the power source and to apply the brakes. If the brakes are applied suddenly at this time, there is a possibility that the pallet 54 will come off the forks 330 and the heavy load 53 will separate from the automated guided vehicle 300, so the brakes are applied with a strength that will not cause such an accident.

[0054] Note that an obstacle may be detected by the driving control device 20, and the control signal may be generated by the control unit 24, taking into consideration the presence of the obstacle. In this case, the detection unit 21 detects the obstacle from a still image or a moving image obtained from the overhead camera 10. Then, the control unit 24 generates a control signal based on the result of the obstacle detection by the detection unit 21.

[0055] At this time, in this embodiment, the unmanned guided vehicle 300 is not controlled to travel away from the set traffic line 210 to avoid the obstacle, and if the unmanned guided vehicle 300 cannot travel on the traffic line 210 due to the obstacle, the unmanned guided vehicle 300 is stopped on the spot. Since the unmanned guided vehicle 300 of this embodiment transports heavy load 53, it is undesirable from the viewpoint of safety for the unmanned guided vehicle 300 to travel in any space away from the preset traffic line 210. At this time, the unmanned guided vehicle 300 may activate an alarm (not shown) to sound an alarm in order to inform the surroundings of the unmanned guided vehicle 300 that the unmanned guided vehicle 300 cannot advance on the traffic line 210 due to the obstacle.

[0056] As described above, in the automated guided vehicle system 100 of this embodiment, the travel of the automated guided vehicle 300 is controlled based on still images or video images obtained by the overhead camera 10, so that the automated guided vehicle 300 can travel along the set virtual traffic line 210, and if there is an obstacle on the travel path of the automated guided vehicle 300, the automated guided vehicle 300 itself detects this and performs an emergency stop.

[0057] Furthermore, even if the automated guided vehicle 300 is in an emergency stop state, the control unit 24 may cause the automated guided vehicle 300 to travel again when it recognizes that the event that led to the automated guided vehicle 300 being in an emergency stop state has been resolved. As in the past, if a person determines that the event that led to the automated guided vehicle 300 being in an emergency stop state has been resolved and the process of resuming travel from the emergency stop state is dependent on manual operation, the reliability of such a process is very low. Note that the control unit 24 may recognize that the event that led to the emergency stop state has been resolved when the on-board detection unit 303 or the on-board camera 310 of the automated guided vehicle 300 no longer detects an obstacle, or may recognize that the event that led to the emergency stop state has been resolved based on a still image or a moving image of the overhead camera 10.

[0058] As described above, it is usually assumed that the automated guided vehicle 300 is always on the traffic line 210 and is running or stopped. However, it is also assumed that the automated guided vehicle 300 may deviate (derail) from the traffic line 210 for some reason. Therefore, the automated guided vehicle system 100 of this embodiment has a function for determining derailment of the automated guided vehicle 300.

[0059] The control unit 24 determines whether or not the position grasped by the position grasping unit 22 deviates from the flow line 210 defined in the map stored in the storage unit 25. When the control unit 24 determines that the position grasped by the position grasping unit 22 deviates from the flow line 210, the control unit 24 generates a control signal to stop the automated guided vehicle 300 and return the automated guided vehicle 300 to the flow line 210.

[0060] In this way, the operation control device 20 may grasp the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 based on the still image or video image of the overhead camera 10 and determine derailment, but in addition to this, or instead of this, a derailment determination system that does not use the still image or video image of the overhead camera 10 may be provided. In this case as well, the control unit 24 generates a control signal to stop the automated guided vehicle 300 and return the automated guided vehicle 300 to the flow line 210 in response to the derailment determination system determining that the automated guided vehicle 300 has deviated from the flow line 210.

[0061] The first derailment determination system is composed of an on-board camera 310 and a determination unit 305. The on-board camera 310 is mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 300 and captures an image of the periphery of the automatic guided vehicle 300 to generate a still image or a moving image. The determination unit 305 determines whether the automatic guided vehicle 300 deviates from the flow line 210 based on the still image or the moving image generated by the on-board camera 310. Specifically, the determination unit 305 determines whether the automatic guided vehicle 300 has derailed by determining whether the image of the on-board camera 310 is an image that should be captured when the automatic guided vehicle 300 is on the flow line 210.

[0062] The second derailment determination system is composed of a receiver 311 and a determination unit 305. The receiver 311 receives a positioning signal propagating within the field 50. The positioning signal is generated within the field 50. Various conventional techniques have been proposed and adopted as indoor positioning techniques, and any of the conventional indoor positioning techniques may be adopted for the second derailment determination system.

[0063] For example, the receiver 311 may receive a WiFi radio wave as a positioning signal. In this case, a plurality of base stations that transmit WiFi radio waves are installed in the field 50. The receiver 311 receives the WiFi radio waves from the plurality of base stations, and the determination unit 305 grasps the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 from the difference in strength of the WiFi radio waves received by the receiver 311 from the plurality of base stations, and maps the position on a map in which the flow line 210 is defined, thereby determining whether the automated guided vehicle 300 deviates from the flow line 210 defined on the map.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, the receiver 311 may receive a positioning signal from a beacon installed in the field 50. In this case, a plurality of beacons are installed in the field 50. The determination unit 305 grasps the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 in the field 50 based on the strength of the positioning signals received from each of the plurality of beacons, and maps the position on a map in which the flow line 210 is defined, thereby determining whether the automated guided vehicle 300 has deviated from the flow line 210 defined on the map.

[0065] The derailment detection system may also determine whether a derailment has occurred by using any conventional positioning technology, such as positioning using a magnetic sensor, positioning using IMES (Indoor MEssaging System) based on the same principle as GPS, positioning using PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning), positioning using visible light, or positioning using ultrasound.

[0066] As described above, in the automated guided vehicle system 100 of this embodiment, the automated guided vehicle 300 is generally made to travel along the virtual traffic line 210, but if the automated guided vehicle 300 derails for some reason, the derailment is detected and the travel of the automated guided vehicle 300 is controlled so that it returns to the traffic line 210.

[0067] When the automated guided vehicle 300 transports the heavy object 53, the heavy object 53 is loaded onto the automated guided vehicle 300 at the departure point, and the heavy object 53 is unloaded from the automated guided vehicle 300 at the destination. When the automated guided vehicle 300 is forwarded from the unloading point to the loading point, the heavy object 53 is unloaded from the automated guided vehicle 300 at the departure point, and the heavy object 53 is loaded onto the automated guided vehicle 300 at the destination.

[0068] The loading and unloading at the departure point and destination may be performed autonomously by the automated guided vehicle 300. The autonomous driving processing unit 306 of the automated guided vehicle 300 performs autonomous driving for loading and unloading the heavy object 53 at the departure point or destination. For this purpose, when the autonomous driving processing unit 306 arrives at the departure point after a normal driving operation, it analyzes an image from the on-board camera 310 to detect the heavy object 53 to be loaded from the image. The autonomous driving processing unit 306 controls the travel driving unit 308 and the lift driving unit 309 according to the detected heavy object 53 to load the object.

[0069] Furthermore, when the autonomous driving processing unit 306 reaches the destination after the transport operation, it detects the position for unloading from the image by analyzing the image from the in-vehicle camera 310. The autonomous driving processing unit 306 controls the travel driving unit 308 and the lift driving unit 309 according to the detected position for unloading to unload the cargo.

[0070] The automated guided vehicle 300 includes an operation unit 307 that allows a user to operate the automated guided vehicle 300 to start traveling on the traffic line 210. When the user operates the operation unit 307 to start traveling, an operation signal is transmitted from the automated guided vehicle 300 to the operation control device 20. The control unit 24, which has received this operation signal, starts generating a control signal. When loading or unloading is performed by autonomous driving as described above, or when loading or unloading is not performed by autonomous driving but is performed by manual operation, the control unit 24 may start traveling control in response to this operation signal. The operation unit 307 may be a terminal independent of the automated guided vehicle 300, and may be, for example, a tablet terminal. When loading or unloading is performed by autonomous driving, the automated guided vehicle 300 may automatically start traveling when loading or unloading is completed, regardless of the operation signal of the operation unit 307.

[0071] As described above, a plurality of automated guided vehicles 300, each with a different destination and a different traffic line, are placed in the field 50, and the operation control device 20 controls the plurality of automated guided vehicles 300 simultaneously. For this purpose, the detection unit 21 detects the plurality of automated guided vehicles 300 from still images or moving images captured by the overhead camera 10. Furthermore, the position recognition unit 22 recognizes the respective positions of the plurality of automated guided vehicles 300 in the field 50. Furthermore, the control unit 24 generates control signals for each of the plurality of automated guided vehicles 300, based on the plurality of positions recognized by the position recognition unit 22.

[0072] This allows multiple automated guided vehicles 300 to be controlled simultaneously in one field 50. In addition, by regarding other automated guided vehicles 300 as obstacles, when there is another automated guided vehicle 300 ahead in the traveling direction of a certain automated guided vehicle 300, the other automated guided vehicle 300 may be detected as an obstacle and the certain automated guided vehicle 300 may be brought to an emergency stop. This makes it possible to set virtual traffic lines 210 set for multiple automated guided vehicles 300 so that they intersect with each other.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when multiple automated guided vehicles 300 are controlled simultaneously, the identification information markings 370 are provided on the upper surface of the automated guided vehicles 300, and the operation control device 20 detects the identification information markings 370 from still images or moving images captured by the overhead camera 10, grasps the position of each automated guided vehicle 300, and generates a control signal for each automated guided vehicle 300. That is, the identification information markings 370 are used to individually control each automated guided vehicle 300. Alternatively, the automated guided vehicles 300 may be configured not to have the identification information markings 370.

[0074] In this case, the automated guided vehicle 300 transmits the on-board camera image of the on-board camera 310 to the driving control device 20. The control unit 24 of the driving control device 20 analyzes the on-board camera image to recognize the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 from which the image is taken. In this manner, the driving control device 20 can recognize that the automated guided vehicle 300 detected from the image of the overhead camera 10 and the automated guided vehicle 300 that sent the on-board camera image are the same automated guided vehicle 300. This enables the driving control device 20 to transmit a control signal for each automated guided vehicle 300 detected from the image of the overhead camera 10 to the corresponding automated guided vehicle 300.

[0075] The detection unit 21 may not only detect the automatic guided vehicle 300 from a still image or a moving image, but also detect a heavy object being carried by the automatic guided vehicle 300. This makes it possible to confirm whether the automatic guided vehicle 300 is carrying a heavy object 53, i.e., whether the automatic guided vehicle 300 is in the process of carrying or being sent out, and whether the heavy object 53 has fallen from the automatic guided vehicle 300 during carrying.

[0076] As described above, according to the automated guided vehicle system 100 of this embodiment, the position of the automated guided vehicle 300 is grasped using the overhead camera 10, and the travel of the automated guided vehicle 300 is controlled in accordance with the map, so that the automated guided vehicle 300 can be made to travel from the departure point to the destination along the virtual flow line 210 without using a physical flow line. This is particularly useful when the flow line needs to be changed. This is because when the flow line is changed, it is not necessary to physically change the flow line in the field 50, but it is sufficient to change the flow line on the map. Here, a situation in which the flow line is changed will be described.

[0077] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of a change in a flow line according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 5A, a relatively small pallet 54 (heavy object 53) is the object of transportation, and in the example of FIG. 5B, a relatively large pallet 54 (heavy object 53) is the object of transportation. Therefore, when the heavy objects 53 are stored side by side at the destination, the distance between adjacent heavy objects 53, that is, the distance between the flow lines 210 toward the storage location (destination) of adjacent heavy objects, is different from each other. In the example of FIG. 5A, the distance between the flow lines 210a toward the storage location that is the destination is relatively short, and in the example of FIG. 5B, the distance between the flow lines 210b toward the storage location that is the destination is relatively long.

[0078] When the size of the pallet 54 (heavy object 53) is changed while the heavy object 53 is being transported with respect to such a field 50 or heavy object 53, the distance between the flow lines 210 must also be changed. For example, when the size of the pallet 54 (heavy object 53) is increased, the distance between the flow lines 210 must also be increased, and the flow line must be changed from the flow line 210a shown in FIG. 5A to the flow line 210b shown in FIG. 5B. Even in such a case, according to the present embodiment, the flow lines 210a and 210b are not physically provided on the actual field 50, but are defined on the map stored in the storage unit 25, and therefore can be easily changed.

[0079] 6 is a side view showing another example of a field to which the automated guided vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the inside of a building is the field 50 and the overhead camera 10 is attached to the ceiling 55, but the automated guided vehicle system 100 according to this embodiment can also be used outdoors. In this case, however, since there is no ceiling, the overhead camera 10 is installed at a high position on a tall structure such as a pole 56 or the outer wall of a building to capture the field 50.

[0080] (Modification) The control unit 24 may control the speed of the automated guided vehicle 300 based on still or moving images captured by the overhead camera 10. The detection unit 21 detects obstacles (including workers 400, manufacturing equipment 52, stored heavy objects 53, other automated guided vehicles 300, etc.) together with the automated guided vehicle 300 to be controlled from still or moving images captured by the overhead camera 10. When there is no obstacle within a predetermined range around the automated guided vehicle 300 to be controlled, the control unit 24 generates a control signal to increase the traveling speed to travel. Alternatively, since the automated guided vehicle 300 travels on the traffic line 210, the control unit 24 may determine the presence or absence of an obstacle within a predetermined range along the traffic line 210 from the automated guided vehicle 300.

[0081] In this way, by checking that the surroundings of the automated guided vehicle 300 are safe and increasing the speed of the automated guided vehicle 300, the cycle time of the transport work can be shortened. This is effective in improving production efficiency in a factory. Note that, as a method of controlling the speed, for example, the automated guided vehicle 300 may be controlled so that it travels at a relatively low speed when moving forward with the fork 330 in front, and at a relatively high speed when moving backward on the side opposite the fork 330.

[0082] In this way, even when controlling to change the speed depending on the presence or absence of surrounding obstacles, control based on still or moving images from the overhead camera 10 is effective. That is, if safety is to be confirmed by detecting surrounding obstacles using a sensor (such as an in-vehicle camera or LiDAR) mounted on the automated guided vehicle 300, the obstacles may not be detected due to the blind spot of the sensor, and obstacles that are relatively far away may not be detected, making it impossible to ensure safety. Therefore, by using the overhead camera 10, it is possible to set a required range around the automated guided vehicle 300 and check for obstacles within that range.

[0083] Furthermore, regardless of whether there are obstacles around the automated guided vehicle 300, a speed may be set for each section of the flow line defined on the map, and a control signal may be generated according to the speed set on the map based on the position of the automated guided vehicle 300. For example, a relatively high speed may be set in a section that does not intersect with the flow lines 210 of other automated guided vehicles 300, and a relatively low speed may be set in a section that intersects with the flow lines 210 of other automated guided vehicles 300 or crosses an area where workers 400 pass by.

[0084] The above-mentioned operation control device 20 may be realized by a computer, and the detection unit 21, the position recognition unit 22, the orientation recognition unit 23, and the control unit 24 may be functions realized by a processor executing one or more operation control programs of this embodiment. In addition, the travel control unit 301, the lift control unit 302, the emergency stop processing unit 304, the judgment unit 305, and the autonomous driving processing unit 306 of the automated guided vehicle 300 may be functions realized by a processor executing one or more automated guided vehicle programs of this embodiment. In addition, the travel control unit 301, the lift control unit 302, the emergency stop processing unit 304, the judgment unit 305, and the autonomous driving processing unit 306 do not necessarily have to be provided in the automated guided vehicle 300, and may be provided in a service provider on the cloud, for example, so that the automated guided vehicle 300 communicates with the service provider.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the automated guided vehicle 300 is a forklift, but the automated guided vehicle 300 is not limited to this and may be, for example, a wagon-type or dolly-type guided vehicle. In this case, loading and unloading may be performed by a worker 400. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 10. Bird's-eye view camera 20 Operation control device 21 Detection unit 22 Position grasping part 23 Orientation detection section 24 Control Unit 25 Memory section 50 Field 51 Marks 52 Manufacturing equipment 53 Heavy objects 210 Flow line 300 Automated Guided Vehicle 301 Driving control unit 302 Lift control unit 304 Emergency stop processing unit 305 Judgment section 306 Autonomous driving processing unit 307 Operation section 308 Travel drive unit 309 Lift drive unit 310 In-vehicle camera 311 Receiver 330 Fork 350 marks 370 Identification information notation 400 workers

Claims

1. An automated guided transport system that transports a heavy load by traveling along a specified virtual traffic line among virtual traffic lines defined on a map of a field toward a specified destination, An automated guided vehicle that runs autonomously according to a control signal; one or more cameras that capture images of the field on which the automated guided vehicle travels from above the field to generate still images or moving images; a driving control means for generating the control signal for controlling the automated guided vehicle to travel along the virtual traffic line based on the still image or the moving image; Equipped with The operation control means includes: A detection unit that detects the automated guided vehicle from the still image or the moving image; a position grasping unit that grasps a position of the automated guided vehicle in the field using a result of the detection by the detection unit without using a sensor mounted on the automated guided vehicle; a control unit that generates the control signal based on the position of the automated guided vehicle grasped by the position grasping unit; An unmanned transport system equipped with

2. 2. The automated guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automated guided vehicle is a forklift vehicle that lifts and transports the heavy object placed on a pallet together with the pallet.

3. The field is indoors; The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more cameras are attached to a ceiling or a wall and capture images of the field from above.

4. The field is outdoors; The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more cameras are attached to a structure installed outdoors and capture images of the field from above.

5. The driving control means further includes a direction determining unit that determines a direction of the automated guided vehicle based on the still image or the moving image, The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit generates the control signal based on the orientation determined by the orientation determination unit.

6. The automated guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the automated guided vehicle performs autonomous driving for loading or unloading the heavy object at the destination.

7. The detection unit of the driving control means further detects an obstacle from the still image or the moving image, 2. The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit of the operation control means generates the control signal further based on a result of the detection by the detection unit.

8. The unmanned transport system described in Claim 7, wherein the control unit of the driving control means does not perform control to cause the unmanned transport vehicle to deviate from the virtual traffic line defined in the map and avoid the obstacle upon detection of the obstacle.

9. the automated guided vehicle includes an operation unit that is operated by a user to start traveling along the traffic line, The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit of the operation control means starts generating the control signal in response to the operation on the operation unit.

10. A plurality of the automated guided vehicles, each of which has a designated destination and a designated virtual traffic line, The detection unit of the operation control means detects a plurality of the automated guided vehicles from the still image or the moving image, The position grasping unit of the operation control means grasps the respective positions of the plurality of automated guided vehicles in the field, 2. The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit of the operation control means generates the control signal for each of the multiple automated guided vehicles based on the multiple positions grasped by the position grasping unit.

11. A plurality of cameras having different fields of view are provided, The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the position determining unit determines a position of the automated guided vehicle in the field by integrating a plurality of still images or moving images generated by the plurality of cameras.

12. The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit detects the automated guided vehicle using a neural network.

13. The automated guided vehicle has a predetermined mark on an upper surface thereof, The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit detects the automated guided vehicle by detecting the predetermined mark.

14. The operation control means stores a map of the field in which the flow line is defined, The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the position determining unit determines the position of the automated guided vehicle by mapping the automated guided vehicle detected by the detection unit on the map.

15. A predetermined mark is provided at a predetermined position of the field, The detection unit detects the predetermined mark, The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the position recognition unit recognizes a position of the automated guided vehicle based on the predetermined mark detected by the detection unit.

16. 2. The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit of the operation control means further detects the heavy load being transported by the automated guided vehicle.

17. The automated guided vehicle is an on-board detection unit for detecting surrounding obstacles; an emergency stop processing unit that performs emergency stop processing of the automatic guided vehicle based on the detection of the obstacle by the on-board detection unit; The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1 , comprising:

18. A derailment determination means for determining whether the automated guided vehicle deviates from the traffic line, 2. The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein when the derailment determination means determines that the automated guided vehicle has deviated from the traffic line, the operation control means generates the control signal to stop the automated guided vehicle or to return the automated guided vehicle to the traffic line.

19. The derailment determination means an on-board camera that is mounted on the automated guided vehicle and captures an image of the periphery of the automated guided vehicle to generate a still image or a moving image; A determination unit that determines whether or not the automated guided vehicle deviates from the traffic line based on the still image or the moving image generated by the vehicle-mounted camera; The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 18, comprising:

20. The derailment determination means A receiver for receiving a positioning signal; a determination unit that determines whether or not the automated guided vehicle deviates from the traffic line based on the positioning signal received by the receiver; The automated guided vehicle system according to claim 18, comprising:

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