Control method, program, control system, transfer device, and component mounting system

Abstract

To provide a control method capable of facilitating a carrier device to follow an orbit while suppressing deviation of the carrier device from a reference attitude.SOLUTION: A control method includes an acquisition step and a correction step. The acquisition step is a step of acquiring deviation information of a carrier device 1 with respect to an orbit L1 on which the carrier device 1 travels. The carrier device 1 has multiple steering wheels 2 lined up in the front-rear direction for transporting articles. The correction step is a step of correcting the rudder angle θ of each of the multiple steering wheels 2 based on the deviation information acquired in the acquisition step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a control method, a program, a control system, a transport device, and a component mounting system. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a control method for controlling a transport device, a program, a control system, a transport device equipped with the control system, and a component mounting system using the transport device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a facility for transporting materials, products, etc. by running a plurality of automated guided vehicles (transport devices) along a traveling path such as a track laid in a factory or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a control method, a program, a control system, a transport device, and a component mounting system that can easily make the transport device follow a track while suppressing deviation from a reference posture of the transport device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A control method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition step and a correction step. The acquisition step is a step of acquiring deviation information regarding deviation of a transport device from a track on which the transport device travels. The transport device includes a plurality of steering wheels arranged in the front-rear direction , based on the detection results of a plurality of sensors acquiring. and the plurality of sensors arranged between the plurality of steering wheels It has and conveys the conveyed object. The correction step is a step of correcting the steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the deviation information acquired in the acquisition step. The deviation information includes a plurality of steering wheel deviation information regarding the positional deviation between each of the plurality of steering wheels and the track. The correction step corrects the steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information. The deviation information includes rotational deviation information regarding the inclination deviation Dr of the transport device from the reference posture of the transport device with respect to the track of the transport device, and positional deviation information regarding the positional deviation Dx of the transport device from the reference posture. The correction step performs PID control on the steering angle θ31 of the front wheels located in front of the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels and the steering angle θ32 of the rear wheels located behind the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels. When the proportional terms of the PID control are θ1 and θ2, the following equation holds. θ31 = θ1 + θ2 θ32 = θ1 - θ2 θ1 = Kx·Dx θ2 = Kr·Dr Here, Kx is the first proportional coefficient and Kr is the second proportional coefficient.

[0006] A program according to an aspect of the present disclosure causes one or more processors to execute the above control method.

[0007] A control system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit and a correction unit. The acquisition unit acquires deviation information regarding the deviation of the transport device with respect to the track on which the transport device travels. The transport device has a plurality of steering wheels arranged along the front-rear direction , based on the detection results of a plurality of sensors and acquires it. and the plurality of sensors arranged between the plurality of steering wheels It has and conveys the conveyed object. The correction unit corrects the steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit. The deviation information includes a plurality of steering wheel deviation information regarding the positional deviation between each of the plurality of steering wheels and the track. The correction unit corrects the steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information. The deviation information includes rotational deviation information regarding the inclination deviation Dr of the transport device from the reference posture of the transport device with respect to the track of the transport device, and positional deviation information regarding the positional deviation Dx of the transport device from the reference posture. The correction unit performs PID control on the steering angle θ31 of the front wheels located in front of the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels and the steering angle θ32 of the rear wheels located behind the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels. If the proportional terms of the PID control are θ1 and θ2, the following equation holds. θ31 = θ1 + θ2 θ32 = θ1 - θ2 θ1 = Kx·Dx θ2 = Kr·Dr Here, Kx is the first proportional coefficient and Kr is the second proportional coefficient.

[0008] The transport device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the above control system and a main body portion. The main body portion is equipped with the control system and conveys the conveyed object.

[0009] The component mounting system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a system including at least one component mounter for mounting components on a substrate. The component mounter has a component supply device for supplying the components and a mounting main body including a mounting head for mounting the components on the substrate. The component supply device is conveyed to the mounting main body by the transport device controlled by the above control system.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] The present disclosure has the advantage of making it easy for the transport device to follow the track while suppressing the deviation of the transport device from the reference posture.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a transfer device targeted by the control system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overview of the control system described above. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of speed control in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of a component mounting system constructed by using the control system described above. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of controlling a transfer device by the control system of the comparative example. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of another operation of the control system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of still another operation of the control system described above. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the arrangement of sensors in the transfer device described above. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a transfer device targeted by the control system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a first rudder angle in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a second rudder angle in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a combined rudder angle in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of reverse phase control in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of reverse phase control in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of reverse phase control in the operation of the control system described above. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the above control system. **DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION**

[0012] (Embodiment 1) (1) Overview As shown in FIG. 1, the control method according to the present embodiment is a method for controlling the transport device 1 so as to follow the track L1 for transporting the transported object A1 (see FIG. 4). This control method is realized by the control system 100 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the transported object A1 has wheels A11 and is configured to be movable together with the transport device 1.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the transport device 1 has a plurality of steering wheels 2 arranged in the front-rear direction of the transport device 1, and is a device that moves on the moving surface B1 to transport the transported object A1. The "front-rear direction" referred to in the present disclosure is the length direction of the transport device 1, and the direction in which the transport device 1 advances is defined as "front", and the opposite direction is defined as "rear".

[0014] The white arrow in FIG. 1 represents the traveling direction of the transport device 1. Also, the two-way arrow in FIG. 1 represents the "front" and "rear" of the transport device 1. These arrows in FIG. 1 are only for illustrative purposes and do not have a physical entity. Further, in FIG. 1, the wheels such as the plurality of steering wheels 2 of the transport device 1 are drawn with solid lines, but actually, they are hidden behind the main body 10 (described later) of the transport device 1. Furthermore, in FIG. 1, the track L1 is drawn with a solid line, but actually, the portion of the track L1 that overlaps with the transport device 1 is hidden behind the main body 10 of the transport device 1. The same applies to the drawings other than FIG. 1.

[0015] The conveying device 1 is introduced into facilities such as, for example, logistics centers (including distribution centers), factories, offices, stores, schools, and hospitals. The moving surface B1 is the surface on which the conveying device 1 moves. When the conveying device 1 moves inside the facility, the floor surface of the facility etc. becomes the moving surface B1, and when the conveying device 1 moves outdoors, the ground etc. becomes the moving surface B1. Hereinafter, the case where the conveying device 1 is introduced into a factory will be described. In the drawings other than FIG. 1, the illustration of the moving surface B1 is omitted.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the plurality of steering wheels 2 are composed of a front wheel 21 located in front of the conveying device 1 and a rear wheel 22 located behind the conveying device 1. That is, the conveying device 1 is configured to move on the moving surface B1 by two steering wheels 2. In the present embodiment, the conveying device 1 has two auxiliary wheels 3 in addition to the two steering wheels 2, but these auxiliary wheels 3 are not included in the steering wheels 2 whose steering angle θ can be changed by the control system 100. The "steering angle" as used in the present disclosure refers to the angle formed by the front-rear direction of the conveying device 1 and the wheel surface (in other words, the rolling direction of the wheel) of the wheel (steering wheel 2) in a plan view of the conveying device 1 seen from above. The "wheel surface" as used in the present disclosure refers to the surface of the wheel (steering wheel 2) that is in contact with the moving surface B1.

[0017] The "track" as used in the present disclosure defines the moving path of the conveying device 1 when the conveying device 1 conveys the conveyed object A1 to the destination. In the present embodiment, the track L1 is installed on the moving surface B1 on which the conveying device 1 moves. Specifically, the track L1 is a linear object such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic marker installed on the moving surface B1. The control system 100 controls the conveying device 1 so that the conveying device 1 follows the track L1 based on the detection of the track L1 by a sensor 4 (described later) mounted on the conveying device 1. Thereby, the conveying device 1 can convey the conveyed object A1 to the destination while following the track L1. Note that "following the track" may include not only the conveying device 1 moving on the track L1 but also the conveying device 1 moving along the track L1 so as not to overlap with the track L1.

[0018] The control method of the transport device 1 according to this embodiment includes an acquisition step ST1 and a correction step ST2 (see FIG. 5).

[0019] The acquisition step ST1 is a step of acquiring deviation information. The deviation information is information regarding the deviation of the transport device 1 with respect to the track L1 along which the transport device 1 travels. In this embodiment, the information regarding the deviation of the sensor 4 with respect to the track L1 is acquired as the deviation information.

[0020] The correction step ST2 is a step of correcting the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the deviation information acquired in the acquisition step ST1. That is, in this embodiment, based on the deviation information, instead of correcting the plurality of steering wheels 2 collectively to the same steering angle θ, the steering angle θ of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 is corrected individually. Of course, as a result of the correction step ST2, it is possible that the steering angle θ of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 becomes the same.

[0021] Therefore, in this embodiment, there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device 1 follow the track L1 while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device 1. The "reference posture" referred to in the present disclosure means the posture of the transport device 1 such that the front-rear direction of the transport device 1 is parallel to the track L1. Note that "parallel" includes not only complete parallelism but also substantially parallel.

[0022] (2) Details (2.1) Overall configuration Hereinafter, the control system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the present embodiment, the control system 100 is built into the main body 10 (described later) of the transport device 1 and is configured to be able to communicate with the upper system 6. That is, the transport device 1 includes the control system 100 and the main body 10 on which the control system 100 is mounted and which transports the transported object A1. "Communicable" in the present disclosure means that information can be exchanged directly or indirectly via an appropriate communication method such as wired communication or wireless communication, or via the network NT1 or the repeater 7 or the like. In the present embodiment, the upper system 6 and each of the plurality of transport devices 1 can communicate with each other bidirectionally, and both the transmission of information from the upper system 6 to the transport device 1 and the transmission of information from the transport device 1 to the upper system 6 are possible.

[0023] The upper system 6 is a system for comprehensively controlling a plurality of transport devices 1 and is realized by, for example, a server device. The upper system 6 indirectly controls a plurality of transport devices 1 by issuing instructions to each of the plurality of transport devices 1.

[0024] In the present embodiment, the upper system 6 is mainly composed of a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. Therefore, the functions of the upper system 6 are realized by one or more processors executing programs recorded in the memory. The program may be recorded in the memory in advance, may be provided through a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be recorded and provided on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

[0025] (2.2) Transport device Next, the configuration of the transport device 1 of the present embodiment will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 is an automated guided vehicle for transporting the transported object A1, and autonomously travels to the destination while connecting the transported objects A1. In the present embodiment, the upper system 6 communicates with the transport device 1 via the network NT1 and the repeater 7 and indirectly controls the movement of the transport device 1.

[0026] The transport device 1 autonomously travels on a flat moving surface B1 such as a floor surface. Here, as an example, the transport device 1 is provided with a storage battery and operates using the electrical energy stored in the storage battery. In the present embodiment, the transport device 1 travels on the moving surface B1 while connecting the transported object A1. Thereby, the transport device 1 can transport, for example, the transported object A1 placed at a certain location to another location by towing the transported object A1 with the transport device 1 or pushing and moving the transported object A1 with the transport device 1.

[0027] The transport device 1 includes a main body portion 10. The main body portion 10 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the present embodiment, a connecting portion 5 capable of hooking a part of the transported object A1, such as a hook, is provided on the side surface of the main body portion 10. The "side surface of the main body portion" here refers to one surface along the track L1 when the transport device 1 is in the reference posture. For this reason, in the present embodiment, by hooking a part of the transported object A1 on the connecting portion 5, it is possible to connect the transported object A1 by the transport device 1. That is, the transport device 1 has a connecting portion 5 for connecting the transported object A1 on one surface (side surface) along the track L1 in the main body portion 10 of the transport device 1.

[0028] The transport device 1 has a plurality (here, four) of wheels at the lower part of the main body portion 10. Among the four wheels, the front wheel 21 located at the front part of the main body portion 10 and the rear wheel 22 located at the rear part of the main body portion 10 are both steering wheels 2. Also, among the four wheels, the two wheels located at both ends in the width direction at the central part of the main body portion 10 are both auxiliary wheels (driven wheels). In the present embodiment, the two steering wheels 2 both also serve as drive wheels, and by individually driving these drive wheels, the transport device 1 can move in a desired direction on the moving surface B1. Also, each of the two steering wheels 2 is configured to be able to change the steering angle θ within a range sufficient to return to this path when the transport device 1 deviates from the path following the track L1.

[0029] (2.3) Control system Next, the configuration of the control system 100 of the present embodiment will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the control system 100 includes a detection unit 101, a control unit 102, a communication unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a traveling device 105. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 101, the control unit 102, the communication unit 103, the storage unit 104, and the traveling device 105 are included in the constituent elements of the control system 100, but only the control unit 102 may be included in the constituent elements of the control system 100.

[0030] The detection unit 101 detects the behavior of the main body unit 10 and the surrounding situation of the main body unit 10. The "behavior" referred to in the present disclosure means operations and states. That is, the behavior of the main body unit 10 includes the operating state of the main body unit 10 indicating whether the main body unit 10 is running / stopped, the speed (and speed change) of the main body unit 10, the acceleration acting on the main body unit 10, and the posture of the main body unit 10. Specifically, the detection unit 101 includes sensors such as a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor, for example, and detects the behavior of the main body unit 10 with these sensors. Further, the detection unit 101 includes sensors such as an image sensor (camera), a sonar sensor, a radar, and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), for example, and detects the surrounding situation of the main body unit 10 with these sensors.

[0031] Further, the detection unit 101 has a position specifying unit that specifies the position of the main body unit 10, that is, the current position of the transfer device 1. As an example, the position specifying unit includes a receiver that receives beacon signals transmitted by radio waves from a plurality of transmitters. The plurality of transmitters are arranged at a plurality of locations within the range where the transfer device 1 moves. The position specifying unit measures the position of the main body unit 10 based on the positions of the plurality of transmitters and the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal at the receiver. The position specifying unit may be realized using a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0032] Furthermore, the detection unit 101 includes a plurality of sensors 4. The plurality of sensors 4 are respectively installed in the vicinity of a plurality of steering wheels 2. In this embodiment, the plurality of steering wheels 2 are two, namely the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22. Therefore, the plurality of sensors 4 are a first sensor 41 installed in the vicinity of the front wheel 21 (here, the front end of the main body 10), and a second sensor 42 installed in the vicinity of the rear wheel 22 (here, the rear end of the main body 10).

[0033] The plurality of sensors 4 are all rod-shaped magnetic sensors, and by detecting the magnetic flux generated by the track L1, the relative positional relationship between the sensor 4 and the track L1, that is, the positional deviation of the sensor 4 with respect to the track L1 is detected. In this embodiment, the first sensor 41 detects the positional deviation of the front wheel 21 with respect to the track L1 by detecting the positional deviation of the first sensor 41 with respect to the track L1. Also, the second sensor 42 detects the positional deviation of the rear wheel 22 with respect to the track L1 by detecting the positional deviation of the second sensor 42 with respect to the track L1. The "positional deviation" mentioned here is represented, for example, by the shortest distance between the center of the sensor 4 and the track L1.

[0034] The communication unit 103 is configured to be communicable with the upper-level system 6. In this embodiment, the communication unit 103 communicates with any one of a plurality of repeaters 7 installed in the area where the transport device 1 operates by wireless communication using radio waves as a medium. Therefore, the communication unit 103 and the upper-level system 6 will communicate indirectly through at least the network NT1 and the repeater 7.

[0035] That is, each repeater 7 is a device (access point) that relays communication between the communication unit 103 and the upper-level system 6. The repeater 7 communicates with the upper-level system 6 via the network NT1. In this embodiment, as an example, for the communication between the repeater 7 and the communication unit 103, wireless communication compliant with standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or low-power wireless (specific low-power wireless) that does not require a license is adopted. Further, the network NT1 is not limited to the Internet, and for example, a local communication network within the area where the transport device 1 operates or within the operating company of this area may be applied.

[0036] The storage unit 104 is realized by a non-temporary recording medium such as a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory, for example. The storage unit 104 stores, for example, map information regarding a map of the area where the transport device 1 operates, and command information given from the upper-level system 6, etc.

[0037] The traveling device 105 receives a control command from the control unit 102 and drives a plurality of drive wheels (in this embodiment, two steering wheels 2) provided in the main body unit 10 individually, thereby causing the transport device 1 to travel in a desired direction.

[0038] The control unit 102 mainly consists of a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. Therefore, the functions of the control unit 102 are realized by one or more processors executing the programs recorded in the memory. The programs may be recorded in the memory in advance, may be provided through a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

[0039] The control unit 102 controls the transport device 1 based on the detection results of the detection unit 101. In this embodiment, the control unit 102 has an acquisition unit 11 and a correction unit 12 in order to control the transport device 1. Both the acquisition unit 11 and the correction unit 12 are realized as functions executed by the control unit 102.

[0040] The acquisition unit 11 acquires deviation information regarding the deviation of the transport device 1 from the track L1 by communicating with a plurality of sensors 4. That is, the acquisition unit 11 is the execution entity of the acquisition step ST1. The deviation information may be information generated by the sensor 4 performing appropriate processing on the detection result, or may be information generated by the acquisition unit 11 that has received the detection result of the sensor 4 performing appropriate processing on the detection result of the sensor 4.

[0041] Here, the information acquired from the first sensor 41 among the plurality of sensors 4 corresponds to information regarding the positional deviation between the front wheel 21 located in the vicinity of the first sensor 41 and the track L1. Also, the information acquired from the second sensor 42 among the plurality of sensors 4 corresponds to information regarding the positional deviation between the rear wheel 22 located in the vicinity of the second sensor 42 and the track L1. That is, in the present embodiment, the deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 includes a plurality of steering wheel deviation information regarding the positional deviation between each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 and the track L1. In the present embodiment, the plurality of steering wheel deviation information includes first deviation information regarding the positional deviation between the front wheel 21 and the track L1 and second deviation information regarding the positional deviation between the rear wheel 22 and the track L1.

[0042] The correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. That is, the correction unit 12 is the execution entity of the correction step ST2. In the present embodiment, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information among the plurality of steering wheel deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. In other words, the correction step ST2 is a step of correcting the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information.

[0043] Specifically, based on the first deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ of the front wheel 21 so that the wheel surface of the front wheel 21 follows the track L1. Further, based on the second deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ of the rear wheel 22 so that the wheel surface of the rear wheel 22 follows the track L1. In the present embodiment, the correction amount of the steering angle θ of each of the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 is determined by PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control.

[0044] As an example, taking the steering angle θ of the front wheel 21 as "θf" and the steering angle θ of the rear wheel 22 as "θb", the respective steering angles θf and θb are represented by the following formulas (1) and (2). In formula (1), "Df" represents the deviation amount of the front wheel 21, and "Kf" represents the correction coefficient (proportional coefficient) of the front wheel 21. In formula (2), "Db" represents the deviation amount of the rear wheel 22, and "Kb" represents the correction coefficient (proportional coefficient) of the rear wheel 22.

[0045]

Number

[0046] Here, each of the steering angles θf and θb represented by formulas (1) and (2) represents the proportional term (P term) in PID control. When including the integral term and the differential term in PID control, the respective steering angles θf and θb are represented by the following formulas (3) and (4). In formula (3), "Dfi" represents the integral amount of deviation of the front wheel 21, "Dfd" represents the differential amount of deviation of the front wheel 21, "Kfi" represents the correction coefficient (integral coefficient) of the front wheel 21, and "Kfd" represents the correction coefficient (differential coefficient) of the front wheel 21. In formula (4), "Dbi" represents the integral amount of deviation of the rear wheel 22, "Dbd" represents the differential amount of deviation of the rear wheel 22, "Kbi" represents the correction coefficient (integral coefficient) of the rear wheel 22, and "Kbd" represents the correction coefficient (differential coefficient) of the rear wheel 22.

[0047]

Number

[0048] In addition, in the present embodiment, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed of each of the plurality of steering wheels (drive wheels) 2 in addition to correcting the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 as described above. Specifically, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed (circumferential speed) of the corresponding steering wheel 2 based on the corrected steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 as described above. In other words, the control method further includes a speed correction step ST3 of correcting the speed of the corresponding steering wheel 2 based on the steering angle θ corrected in the correction step ST2 for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2.

[0049] Hereinafter, the process of determining the speed of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, it is assumed that the transport device 1 is moving rightward. Also, in FIG. 3, “α” is the steering angle θ of the front wheel 21, “β” is the steering angle θ of the rear wheel 22, “V α ” is the speed of the front wheel 21, “V β ” is the speed of the rear wheel 22, and “W” represents the distance between the center of the front wheel 21 and the center of the rear wheel 22. Also, in FIG. 3, “r α ” is the turning radius of the front wheel 21 centered on the intersection X1 of the axial direction of the front wheel 21 and the axial direction of the rear wheel 22, and “r β ” represents the turning radius of the rear wheel 22 centered on the intersection X1 of the axial direction of the front wheel 21 and the axial direction of the rear wheel 22.

[0050] Here, the turning radius of the front wheel 21 and the turning radius of the rear wheel 22 change according to the steering angle θ of the front wheel 21 and the steering angle θ of the rear wheel 22. Therefore, basically, the turning radius of the front wheel 21 and the turning radius of the rear wheel 22 are different from each other. For this reason, when the speed of the front wheel 21 and the speed of the rear wheel 22 are made the same, the angular velocity of the front wheel 21 and the angular velocity of the rear wheel 22 do not match, and the movement of the front wheel 21 and the movement of the rear wheel 22 cannot be coordinated, and there is a possibility that one of the steering wheels 2 may spin, making it difficult for the transport device 1 to follow the track L1.

[0051] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the steering angle θ, so as to match the angular velocity of the front wheels 21 and the angular velocity of the rear wheels 22, and to make the movement of the front wheels 21 and the movement of the rear wheels 22 consistent. Here, the ratio of the speed of the front wheels 21 to the speed of the rear wheels 22 when the angular velocities of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 match (hereinafter simply referred to as "speed ratio") is expressed by the following formula (5).

[0052]

Equation

[0053] That is, the speed ratio can be determined based on the steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 and the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22, regardless of the dimensions of the conveying device 1 (for example, the distance "W" between the center of the front wheels 21 and the center of the rear wheels 22, etc.).

[0054] As described above, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ for each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22, and corrects the speed of each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 based on the corrected steering angle θ, so as to control the conveying device 1 to follow the track L1.

[0055] (2.4) Component Mounting System In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the conveyed object A1 is, as an example, a component supply device 8 having one or more feeders. The component supply device 8 is used to supply components to the mounting body 90 of a component mounter 9 installed in a factory. The "component mounter" mentioned here is, for example, a machine that mounts components on an object such as a substrate. The mounting body 90 includes a mounting head for mounting components on a substrate. That is, in this embodiment, the conveying device 1 is controlled by the control system 100 to convey the component supply device 8 as the conveyed object A1 to the installation location of the mounting body 90 of the component mounter 9. Thereby, it is possible to construct a component mounting system 200. In other words, the component mounting system 200 is a system including at least one component mounter 9 that mounts components on a substrate. And the component supply device 8 is conveyed to the mounting body 90 by the conveying device 1 controlled by the control system 100.

[0056] Here, it is preferable that the conveying device 1 can be connected to a part of the component supply device 8 on the side opposite to the part that discharges components to the mounting body 90. In this case, when the component supply device 8 is conveyed to the installation location of the mounting body 90 of the component mounter 9, the part that discharges components in the component supply device 8 will face the mounting body 90. Therefore, when the component supply device 8 is conveyed to the installation location of the mounting body 90 of the component mounter 9, it is not necessary to perform the operation of changing the orientation of the component supply device 8 so that the above-mentioned discharging part faces the mounting body 90.

[0057] (3) Operation Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the control system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In the operation example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the conveying device 1 is moving along the track L1 while conveying the conveyed object A1 to the destination. During the movement of the conveying device 1, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the first deviation information by periodically acquiring the detection result from the first sensor 41 (S1). Similarly, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the second deviation information by periodically acquiring the detection result from the second sensor 42 (S2). The acquisition of the first deviation information and the second deviation information by the acquisition unit 11 is executed almost simultaneously. Steps S1 and S2 correspond to the acquisition step ST1.

[0058] Next, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 based on the first deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (S3). Similarly, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 based on the second deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (S4). The correction of the steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 and the correction of the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 by the correction unit 12 are executed almost simultaneously. Steps S3 and S4 correspond to the correction step ST2.

[0059] Thereafter, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed ratio of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 based on the corrected steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 and the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 (S5). That is, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed of the front wheels 21 and the speed of the rear wheels 22. Step S5 corresponds to the speed correction step ST3.

[0060] Then, the control unit 102 controls the front wheels 21 based on the steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 and the speed of the front wheels 21 corrected by the correction unit 12 (S6). Similarly, the control unit 102 controls the rear wheels 22 based on the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 and the speed of the rear wheels 22 corrected by the correction unit 12 (S7). Hereinafter, until the transport device 1 reaches the destination (S8: Yes), the above processing is repeated periodically (for example, every several tens of milliseconds). As a result, the transport device 1 moves toward the destination following the trajectory L1 while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture.

[0061] (4) Advantages Hereinafter, the advantages of the control system 100 of the present embodiment will be described in comparison with the control system of the comparative example. Assume that the control system of the comparative example controls the transport device 1 that transports the transported object A1 as shown in FIG. 6. This transport device 1 has a sensor 40 located at the front end of the transport device 1 instead of the two sensors 4. Then, the control system of the comparative example controls the transport device 1 so that the transport device 1 follows the trajectory L1 based on the detection result of the sensor 40.

[0062] When the control system of the comparative example controls the transport device 1 to follow the track L1, it can correct the positional deviation of the sensor 40 with respect to the track L1, but it is difficult to correct the deviation of the entire transport device 1 with respect to the track L1.

[0063] Here, in the transport device 1 as shown in FIG. 6, since the steering wheels 2 are located at positions away from the center of gravity of the transported object A1, a deviation in running resistance occurs, and the straight traveling property of the transport device 1 is likely to be lost. Therefore, when the transport device 1 for transporting the transported object A1 is controlled by the control system of the comparative example, due to the deviation in running resistance between the transported object A1 and the transport device 1, the transport device 1 follows the track L1 in a state inclined from the reference posture. For this reason, when the transport device 1 is controlled by the control system of the comparative example, there is a problem that the ratio occupied by the transport device 1 and the transported object A1 with respect to the width of the passage tends to be large, and it is difficult to move the transport device 1 in a narrow passage.

[0064] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information among the plurality of steering wheel deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. That is, in the present embodiment, the positional deviation of the front wheels 21 with respect to the track L1 is corrected so that the front wheels 21 follow the track L1, and the positional deviation of the rear wheels 22 with respect to the track L1 is corrected so that the rear wheels 22 follow the track L1.

[0065] Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the transport device 1 is controlled so that all the steering wheels 2 (here, the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22) follow the track L1, even when moving while transporting the transported object A1, the posture of the transport device 1 is corrected to be the reference posture. Therefore, the present embodiment has an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device 1 follow the track L1 while suppressing the deviation of the transport device 1 from the reference posture.

[0066] (5) Modification The above-described embodiments are merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments can be variously modified according to the design or the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Further, functions similar to the control method (control system 100) according to the above-described embodiments may be embodied by a computer program, a non-transitory recording medium recording the computer program, or the like. A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes one or more processors to execute the above-described control method.

[0067] Hereinafter, modified examples of the above-described embodiments will be listed. The modified examples described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

[0068] The control system 100 in the present disclosure includes, for example, a computer system in a control unit 102 or the like. The computer system mainly consists of a processor and a memory as hardware. By the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system, the functions as the control system 100 in the present disclosure are realized. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through a telecommunication line, or may be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. The processor of the computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI). Here, integrated circuits such as the IC or LSI have different names depending on the degree of integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Furthermore, for an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) that is programmed after the manufacture of the LSI, or a logic device capable of reconfiguring the bonding relationship inside the LSI or reconfiguring the circuit section inside the LSI, it can also be adopted as a processor. The plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip, or may be provided distributed on a plurality of chips. The plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be provided distributed in a plurality of devices. The computer system mentioned here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

[0069] Also, it is not an essential configuration of the control system 100 that a plurality of functions in the control system 100 are integrated in one housing, and the components of the control system 100 may be provided distributed in a plurality of housings. Further, at least some functions of the control system 100 may be realized by a cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 for example, the control system 100 may cause the transport device 1 to follow the orbit L1 by a so-called differential control in which the steering angles θ of the plurality of steering wheels 2 are fixed and the transport device 1 is moved using the speed differences of the respective plurality of steering wheels 2.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 for example, the control system 100 may turn the transport device 1 so that the plurality of steering wheels 2 follow a circumferential orbit centered on the intersection point X1 where the axial directions of the respective plurality of steering wheels 2 intersect, with the steering angles θ of the plurality of steering wheels 2 fixed.

[0072] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 for example, the plurality of sensors 4 may be arranged between the plurality of steering wheels 2. In FIG. 9, the plurality of sensors 4 are drawn as solid lines, but actually, they are hidden by the main body 10 (described later) of the transport device 1. The same applies to FIGS. 10 to 16.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the correction unit 12 does not necessarily execute control to correct the speed of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2. In this case, as in the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary for all of the plurality of steering wheels 2 to also serve as drive wheels, and at least any one of the plurality of steering wheels 2 may also serve as a drive wheel.

[0074] In the above-described embodiment, instead of correcting the speed of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2, the correction unit 12 may correct the torque applied to the axis of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, the correction amount of the steering angle θ of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 may be determined by P (Proportional) control or PI (Proportional-Integral) control in addition to being determined by PID control.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, the track L1 may not be installed on the moving surface B1. That is, the track L1 may not have a physical entity. For example, the track L1 may be a virtual track in the map information given to the transport device 1. In this case, the sensor 4 may be a satellite positioning system such as GPS and a combination of LiDAR or the like instead of a magnetic sensor, as long as it can detect the deviation of the position of the sensor 4 from the virtual track.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment, the control system 100 is mounted on the transport device 1, but is not limited thereto. For example, the upper system 6 may function as the control system 100. In this case, the upper system 6 executes an acquisition step ST1 of acquiring deviation information by wireless communication of the detection result of the sensor 4 from the transport device 1. Further, in this case, the upper system 6 corrects the steering angle θ and the speed for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the acquired deviation information, and transmits a command to change to the corrected steering angle θ and speed to the transport device 1 by wireless communication, thereby executing a correction step ST2 and a speed correction step ST3.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, the connecting portion 5 is not limited to a mode of hooking a part of the conveyed object A1 such as a hook, and may be a mode of attracting the conveyed object A1 by an electromagnet.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, the transport device 1 may not have the connecting portion 5. For example, the transport device 1 may have a structure for loading the conveyed object A1 on the transport device 1. That is, the transport device 1 may be in any mode capable of transporting the conveyed object A1.

[0080] (Embodiment 2) (1) Details In the transport device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of sensors 4 (here, the first sensor 41 and the second sensor 42) are arranged between a plurality of steering wheels 2 (here, the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22), which is different from the transport device 1 of the above-described embodiment 1.

[0081] Also, in the control system 100 of the present embodiment, the deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is different from the control system 100 of the above-described embodiment 1. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the deviation information includes rotational deviation information and positional deviation information. The rotational deviation information is information regarding the deviation of the inclination of the transport device 1 from the reference posture with respect to the orbit L1 of the transport device 1. The positional deviation information is information regarding the positional deviation of the transport device 1 from the reference posture.

[0082] In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires rotational deviation information and positional deviation information based on the detection results of each of the first sensor 41 and the second sensor 42. Specifically, the acquisition unit 11 acquires, as the positional deviation information, the intermediate value between the distance between the center of the first sensor 41 and the orbit L1 and the distance between the center of the second sensor 42 and the orbit L1 (that is, the amount of positional deviation D1 between the control point P1 of the main body 10 of the transport device 1 and the orbit L1). The control point P1 is the center of the main body 10 of the transport device 1. Also, the acquisition unit 11 acquires, as the rotational deviation information, the rotational deviation amount D2, which is the angle having the distance D11 between the center of the first sensor 41 and the center of the second sensor 42 and the difference D12 as the tangent. The difference D12 is the difference between the distance between the center of the first sensor 41 and the orbit L1 and the distance between the center of the second sensor 42 and the orbit L1.

[0083] Furthermore, in the control system 100 of the present embodiment, the correction of the steering angle θ of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 by the correction unit 12 is different from the control system 100 of the above-described embodiment 1. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the rotational deviation information and the positional deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. In other words, the correction step ST2 is a step of correcting the steering angle θ for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 based on the rotational deviation information and the positional deviation information.

[0084] Next, the process of correcting the steering angle θ of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 by the correction unit 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. First, the correction unit 12 calculates a first steering angle θ1 for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2. The first steering angle θ1 is an angle obtained based on the position deviation information. As shown in FIG. 11, the first steering angle θ1 is an angle at which the transport device 1 is translated without turning so that the position deviation amount D1 (see FIG. 10) becomes zero (that is, the control point P1 rides on the track L1). Therefore, the first steering angle θ11 of the front wheel 21 and the first steering angle θ12 of the rear wheel 22 have the same value.

[0085] Next, the correction unit 12 calculates a second steering angle θ2 for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2. The second steering angle θ2 is an angle obtained based on the rotational deviation information. As shown in FIG. 12, the second steering angle θ2 is an angle at which the transport device 1 is rotated so that the rotational deviation amount D2 (see FIG. 10) becomes zero (that is, the transport device 1 is in the reference posture). Here, the second steering angle θ21 of the front wheel 21 and the second steering angle θ22 of the rear wheel 22 are out of phase with each other as will be described later.

[0086] Then, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ based on the combined steering angle θ3 obtained by combining the calculated first steering angle θ1 and second steering angle θ2 for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2. In other words, the correction step ST2 is a step of correcting the steering angle θ based on the combined steering angle θ3 obtained by combining the first steering angle θ1 and the second steering angle θ2 for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2. As shown in FIG. 13, the combined steering angle θ31 of the front wheel 21 is an angle obtained by adding the second steering angle θ21 of the front wheel 21 to the first steering angle θ11 of the front wheel 21. Also, the combined steering angle θ32 of the rear wheel 22 is an angle obtained by adding the second steering angle θ22 of the rear wheel 22 to the first steering angle θ12 of the rear wheel 22.

[0087] Here, when calculating the second steering angle θ2, the correction unit 12 performs inverse phase control to calculate the second steering angle θ2 of each of the plurality of steering wheels 2 such that the second steering angle θ21 of the front wheels 21 and the second steering angle θ22 of the rear wheels 22 are in inverse phase with each other. "Inverse phase with each other" as used in the present disclosure refers to the relationship between the steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 when the front wheels 21 are rotated clockwise or counterclockwise and the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 when the rear wheels 22 are rotated in the direction opposite to that of the front wheels 21. For example, assuming that the second steering angle θ21 of the front wheels 21 is 30 degrees, when the relationship of inverse phase with each other is satisfied, the second steering angle θ22 of the rear wheels 22 is -30 degrees. In other words, when correcting the steering angle θ based on the rotation deviation information, the correction step ST2 includes a step of making the steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 located in front of the transport device 1 among the plurality of steering wheels 2 and the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 located behind the transport device 1 among the plurality of steering wheels 2 in inverse phase with each other.

[0088] Hereinafter, the advantages of the above inverse phase control will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. First, it is assumed that the transport device 1 is controlled by correcting the steering angle θ of each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 with the first steering angle θ1 calculated by the correction unit 12. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, inertia represented by the inertial vector V1 directed at the first steering angle θ1 acts on the transport device 1.

[0089] In this state, it is assumed that the transport device 1 is controlled by correcting only the front wheels 21 with the steering angle θ110 obtained by adding the second steering angle θ21. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, a yawing moment centered on the contact point with the moving surface B1 of the rear wheels 22 acts on the transport device 1, causing the inertial vector V1 to change steeply to the inertial vector V2. When the inertia acting on the transport device 1 changes steeply in this way, problems such as the balance of the transport device 1 and the transported object A1 being easily disrupted and the loss of the propulsion force of the transport device 1 becoming large may occur.

[0090] Therefore, in the present embodiment, by performing the above reverse phase control, the above problems are solved. That is, when the correction unit 12 executes reverse phase control in the state where the transfer device 1 is shown in FIG. 14, as shown in FIG. 16, an inertia represented by an inertial vector V3 acting in the tangential direction of the turning orbit of the transfer device 1 acts on the transfer device 1. Since this inertial vector V3 is almost in the same direction as the inertial vector V1 immediately before the reverse phase control is executed, the change in the inertia acting on the transfer device 1 is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the balance between the transfer device 1 and the transferred object A1 is less likely to be lost, and the loss of the propulsion force of the transfer device 1 can be suppressed.

[0091] As an example, the combined steering angle θ31 of the front wheels 21 and the combined steering angle θ32 of the rear wheels 22 are respectively represented by the following formulas (6) to (9). In formula (8), "Dx" represents the amount of displacement, and "Kx" represents the position correction coefficient (proportional coefficient). In formula (9), "Dr" represents the amount of rotational displacement, and "Kr" represents the rotational correction coefficient (proportional coefficient).

[0092]

Number

[0093] Here, each steering angle θ1, θ2 represented by formulas (8) and (9) represents the proportional term (P term) in the PID control. When the integral term and the differential term in the PID control are included, each steering angle θ1, θ2 is respectively represented by the following formulas (10) and (11). In formula (10), "Dxi" represents the integrated amount of displacement, "Dfd" represents the differential amount of displacement, "Kxi" represents the position correction coefficient (integral coefficient), and "Kxd" represents the position correction coefficient (differential coefficient). In formula (11), "Dri" represents the integrated amount of rotational displacement, "Drd" represents the differential amount of rotational displacement, "Kri" represents the rotational correction coefficient (integral coefficient), and "Krd" represents the rotational correction coefficient (differential coefficient).

[0094]

Number

[0095] (2) Operation Next, an example of the operation of the control system 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 17. In the operation example shown in FIG. 17, it is assumed that the transport device 1 is moving along the track L1 while transporting the transported object A1 and is moving toward the destination. While the transport device 1 is moving, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the position deviation information and the rotation deviation information by periodically acquiring the detection results from the first sensor 41 and the second sensor 42 (S9). Step S9 corresponds to the acquisition step ST1.

[0096] Next, the correction unit 12 calculates the first steering angle θ1 of each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 based on the position deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (S10). Further, the correction unit 12 calculates the second steering angle θ2 of each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 based on the rotation deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (S11). Then, the correction unit 12 calculates the combined steering angle θ3 of each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 from the calculated first steering angle θ1 and second steering angle θ2 (S12). After that, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ of each of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 based on the calculated combined steering angle θ3 (S13). Steps S10 to S13 correspond to the correction step ST2.

[0097] After that, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed ratio of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 based on the corrected steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 and the steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 (S14). That is, the correction unit 12 corrects the speed of the front wheels 21 and the speed of the rear wheels 22. Step S14 corresponds to the speed correction step ST3.

[0098] Then, the control unit 102 controls the front wheels 21 based on the corrected steering angle θ of the front wheels 21 and the speed of the front wheels 21 corrected by the correction unit 12 (S15). Similarly, the control unit 102 controls the rear wheels 22 based on the corrected steering angle θ of the rear wheels 22 and the speed of the rear wheels 22 corrected by the correction unit 12 (S16). Hereinafter, until the transport device 1 reaches the destination (S17: Yes), the above processing is repeated periodically (for example, every several tens of milliseconds). As a result, the transport device 1 moves toward the destination following the track L1 while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture.

[0099] (3) Advantages As described above, in the present embodiment, all the steering wheels 2 (here, the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22) of the transport device 1 are controlled so as to correct the deviation of the inclination of the transport device 1 from the reference posture with respect to the track L1 and the deviation of the position of the transport device 1 from the reference posture. For this reason, in the present embodiment, even when moving while transporting the transported object A1, the posture of the transport device 1 is corrected so as to become the reference posture. Therefore, in the present embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device 1 follow the track L1 while suppressing the deviation of the transport device 1 from the reference posture.

[0100] (4) Modification The configuration described in the second embodiment can be adopted in appropriate combination with various configurations (including modifications) described in the first embodiment.

[0101] Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the correction unit 12 corrects the steering angle θ based on the combined steering angle θ3 for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2, but it is not limited to this. For example, the correction unit 12 may alternately execute a process of correcting the steering angle θ based on the first steering angle θ1 and a process of correcting the steering angle θ based on the second steering angle θ2. In other words, the correction step ST2 may alternately execute a first correction step and a second correction step for each of the plurality of steering wheels 2. The first correction step is a step of correcting the steering angle θ based on the rotation deviation information, and corresponds to a step of correcting the steering angle θ based on the first steering angle θ1 calculated in step S10 of FIG. 17. The second correction step is a step of correcting the steering angle θ based on the position deviation information, and corresponds to a step of correcting the steering angle θ based on the second steering angle θ2 calculated in step S11 of FIG. 17.

[0102] In the above-described Embodiment 2, the sensor 4 may be configured to detect a physical quantity capable of generating displacement information and rotational displacement information. For example, the sensor 4 may be configured by arranging a plurality of bar-shaped magnetic sensors in a ring shape, or may be a single ring-shaped magnetic sensor. Further, the sensor 4 may be an imaging device provided on any one of the transport devices 1 and configured to image the track L1. Furthermore, the sensor 4 may be an imaging device configured to image the transport device 1 from the outside of the transport device 1. Additionally, if the accuracy of the displacement information and the rotational displacement information is not required, the sensor 4 may be a GPS module or a geomagnetic sensor.

[0103] In the above-described Embodiment 2, the correction unit 12 may not execute the reverse-phase control when calculating the second steering angle θ2. That is, the correction unit 12 may set the second steering angle θ21 of the front wheels 21 and the second steering angle θ22 of the rear wheels 22 to be in the same phase as each other.

[0104] (Summary) As described above, the control method according to the first aspect includes an acquisition step (ST1) and a correction step (ST2). The acquisition step (ST1) is a step of acquiring displacement information regarding a deviation of the transport device (1) with respect to the track (L1) on which the transport device (1) travels. The transport device (1) has a plurality of steering wheels (2) arranged in the front-rear direction and transports a transported object (A1). The correction step (ST2) is a step of correcting the steering angle (θ) for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2) based on the displacement information acquired in the acquisition step.

[0105] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device (1) follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation of the transport device (1) from the reference posture.

[0106] In the control method according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the displacement information includes a plurality of steering wheel displacement information regarding the positional displacement between each of the plurality of steering wheels (2) and the track (L1). The correction step (ST2) corrects the steering angle (θ) for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2) based on the corresponding steering wheel displacement information.

[0107] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the transport device (1) can easily follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device (1).

[0108] In the control method according to the third aspect, in the first aspect, the deviation information includes rotation deviation information regarding the inclination deviation of the transport device (1) from the reference posture with respect to the track (L1) of the transport device (1), and position deviation information regarding the position deviation of the transport device (1) from the reference posture. In the correction step (ST2), for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2), the steering angle (θ) is corrected based on the rotation deviation information and the position deviation information.

[0109] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the transport device (1) can easily follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device (1).

[0110] In the control method according to the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the correction step (ST2) alternately executes a first correction step and a second correction step for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2). The first correction step corrects the steering angle (θ) based on the position deviation information. The second correction step corrects the steering angle (θ) based on the rotation deviation information.

[0111] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the transport device (1) can easily follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device (1).

[0112] In the control method according to the fifth aspect, in the third aspect, the correction step (ST2) corrects the steering angle (θ) based on the combined steering angle (θ3) for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2). The combined steering angle (θ3) is an angle obtained by combining a first steering angle (θ1) obtained based on the position deviation information and a second steering angle (θ2) obtained based on the rotation deviation information.

[0113] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the transport device (1) can easily follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device (1).

[0114] In the control method according to the sixth aspect, in any one of the third to fifth aspects, when the correction step (ST2) corrects the steering angle (θ) based on the rotational deviation information, the steering angle (θ) of the front wheels (21) and the steering angle (θ) of the rear wheels (22) are made out of phase with each other. The front wheels (21) are located in front of the transport device (1) among the plurality of steering wheels (2). The rear wheels (22) are located behind the transport device (1) among the plurality of steering wheels (2).

[0115] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the balance of the transport device (19) and the transported object (A1) is difficult to be lost, and the loss of the driving force of the transport device (1) can be suppressed.

[0116] The control method according to the seventh aspect further has a speed correction step (ST3) in any one of the first to sixth aspects. The speed correction step (ST3) is a step of correcting the speed of the corresponding steering wheel (2) based on the steering angle (θ) corrected in the correction step (ST2) for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2).

[0117] According to this aspect, since it is easy to match the movements of each of the plurality of steering wheels (2), there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device (1) follow the track (L1).

[0118] In the control method according to the eighth aspect, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the plurality of steering wheels (2) include front wheels (21) located in front of the transport device (1) and rear wheels (22) located behind the transport device (1).

[0119] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device (1) follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the two-wheeled transport device (1).

[0120] In the control method according to the ninth aspect, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the track (L1) is installed on the moving surface (B1) on which the transport device (1) moves.

[0121] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easier to detect the deviation of the transport device (1) from the track (L1) compared to the case where the track (L1) is a virtual track on the electronic map.

[0122] In the control method according to the tenth aspect, in any of the first to ninth aspects, the transport device (1) has a connecting portion (5) that connects the transported object (A1) on one surface along the track (L1) in the main body portion (10) of the transport device (1).

[0123] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that even a transported object (A1) that is difficult to load on the transport device (1) can be easily transported.

[0124] The program according to the eleventh aspect causes one or more processors to execute the control method according to any of the first to tenth aspects.

[0125] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device (1) follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device (1).

[0126] The control system (100) according to the twelfth aspect includes an acquisition unit (11) and a correction unit (12). The acquisition unit (11) acquires deviation information regarding the deviation of the transport device (1) from the track (L1) on which the transport device (1) travels. The transport device (1) has a plurality of steering wheels (2) arranged along the front-rear direction and transports the transported object (A1). The correction unit (12) corrects the steering angle (θ) for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2) based on the deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit (11).

[0127] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to make the transport device (1) follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transport device (1).

[0128] The transport device (1) according to the thirteenth aspect includes the control system (100) according to the twelfth aspect and a main body portion (10). The main body portion (10) is equipped with the control system (100) and transports the transported object (A1).

[0129] According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the transfer device (1) can easily follow the track (L1) while suppressing the deviation from the reference posture of the transfer device (1).

[0130] The component mounting system (200) according to the 14th aspect is a system including at least one component mounter (9) for mounting components on a substrate. The component mounter (9) has a component supply device (8) for supplying components and a mounting main body (90) including a mounting head for mounting components on the substrate. The component supply device (8) is transported to the mounting main body (90) by a transfer device (1) controlled by the control system (100) of the 12th aspect.

[0131] According to this aspect, since the transfer device (1) can stably transport the component supply device (8) to the installation location of the mounting main body (90) of the component mounter (9), there is an advantage that it is easy to stabilize the supply of components to the mounting main body (90).

[0132] In the component mounting system (200) according to the 15th aspect, in the 14th aspect, the transfer device (1) can be connected to a part of the component supply device (8) on the side opposite to the part that discharges components to the mounting main body (90).

[0133] According to this aspect, when the component supply device (8) is transported to the installation location of the mounting main body (90) of the component mounter (9), there is an advantage that it is not necessary to change the orientation of the component supply device (8) so that the discharging part faces the mounting main body (90).

[0134] Regarding the methods according to the 2nd to 10th aspects, they are not essential methods for the control method and can be omitted as appropriate.

[0135] Incidentally, the control method according to the seventh aspect may be executed regardless of whether there is control to correct the transport device 1 to follow the orbit L1. That is, the control method according to the fifteenth aspect has a speed control step of the transport device (1). The transport device (1) has a plurality of steering wheels (2) arranged in the front-rear direction and transports a transported object (A1). The speed control step is a step of correcting the speed of the corresponding steering wheel (2) based on the steering angle (θ) for each of the plurality of steering wheels (2).

Explanation of Signs

[0136] 100 Control system 200 Component mounting system 11 Acquisition unit 12 Correction unit 1 Transport device 10 Main body part 2 Steering wheel 21 Front wheel 22 Rear wheel 5 Connecting part 8 Component supply device 9 Component mounter 90 Mounting main body A1 Transported object B1 Moving surface L1 Orbit ST1 Acquisition step ST2 Correction step ST3 Speed correction step θ Steering angle θ1 First steering angle θ2 Second steering angle θ3 Composite steering angle

Claims

1. An acquisition step of acquiring deviation information regarding a deviation of a transport device having a plurality of steering wheels arranged in the front-rear direction and a plurality of sensors arranged between the plurality of steering wheels and transporting a transported object, from a track on which the transport device travels, based on detection results of the plurality of sensors; A correction step of correcting a steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the deviation information acquired in the acquisition step, wherein the deviation information includes a plurality of steering wheel deviation information regarding a positional deviation between each of the plurality of steering wheels and the track, the correction step corrects the steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information, the deviation information includes rotational deviation information regarding an inclination deviation Dr of the transport device from a reference posture of the transport device with respect to the track, and positional deviation information regarding a positional deviation Dx of the transport device from the reference posture, the correction step performs PID control on a steering angle θ31 of a front wheel located in front of the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels and a steering angle θ32 of a rear wheel located behind the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels. When the proportional terms of the PID control are θ1 and θ2, the following equations hold: θ31 = θ1 + θ2 θ32 = θ1 - θ2 θ1 = Kx · Dx θ2 = Kr · Dr where Kx is a first proportional coefficient and Kr is a second proportional coefficient, A control method.

2. For each of the plurality of steering wheels, further comprising a speed correction step of correcting a speed of a corresponding steering wheel based on the steering angle corrected in the correction step, The control method according to claim 1.

3. For each of the plurality of steering wheels, further comprising a torque correction step of correcting a torque applied to an axis of each corresponding steering wheel based on the steering angle corrected in the correction step, The control method according to claim 1.

4. The track is installed on a moving surface on which the transport device moves, The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The transport device has a connecting portion that connects the transported object on one surface along the track in the main body portion of the transport device, The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Causing one or more processors to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A program.

7. An acquisition unit that acquires deviation information regarding deviation of a transport device that transports a conveyed object and that has a plurality of steering wheels arranged along a front-rear direction and a plurality of sensors disposed between the plurality of steering wheels, based on detection results of the plurality of sensors, with respect to a track on which the transport device travels; a correction unit that corrects a steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the deviation information acquired by the acquisition unit; the deviation information includes a plurality of steering wheel deviation information regarding positional deviation between each of the plurality of steering wheels and the track; the correction unit corrects the steering angle for each of the plurality of steering wheels based on the corresponding steering wheel deviation information; the deviation information includes rotational deviation information regarding inclination deviation Dr of the transport device from a reference posture of the transport device with respect to the track, and position deviation information regarding position deviation Dx of the transport device from the reference posture; the correction unit performs PID control on a steering angle θ31 of a front wheel located in front of the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels and a steering angle θ32 of a rear wheel located behind the transport device among the plurality of steering wheels. When proportional terms of the PID control are θ1 and θ2, the following equations hold: θ31 = θ1 + θ2 θ32 = θ1 - θ2 θ1 = Kx · Dx θ2 = Kr · Dr where Kx is a first proportional coefficient and Kr is a second proportional coefficient; Control system.

8. The control system according to claim 7, and a main body unit on which the control system is mounted and that conveys the conveyed object. Transport device.

9. A component mounting system including at least one component mounter that mounts components on a substrate, wherein the component mounter has a component supply device that supplies the components, and a mounting main body that includes a mounting head that mounts the components on the substrate, wherein the component supply device is conveyed to the mounting main body by the transport device controlled by the control system according to claim 7. Component mounting system.

10. The transport device is connectable to a part of the component supply device that is on the side opposite to a part that discharges the components to the mounting main body. The component mounting system according to claim 9.

Images