Self-location estimation device, autonomous driving vehicle, and self-location estimation method

Abstract

A self-position estimation device (200) is provided with: map information acquisition units (202, 204) for acquiring map information in a storage facility (10) generated on the basis of shape information of objects (X, Y) and storage status information of the objects (X, Y) in the storage facility (10); an environment information acquisition unit (201) for acquiring environment information on the surroundings; and, a self-position estimation unit (203) for estimating a self-position on the basis of the map information acquired by the map information acquisition units (202, 204) and the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit (201).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a self-localization device, an autonomously driven vehicle, and a self-localization method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) have been widely used to transport cargo within large facilities. One example of a facility that uses AGVs is a container terminal, which is a coastal facility. Within the container terminal premises, AGVs transport containers that are temporarily stored for marine transportation.

[0003] Generally, AGVs used in container terminals use a transponder system to estimate their own position by transmitting radio waves from a radio wave transmitter installed inside the device and using the response from a radio wave transponder pre-embedded in a predetermined position in the ground.However, for AGVs to use transponder technology, the radio wave transponder must be installed in advance in a predetermined position in the container terminal, which requires a lot of effort to set up the equipment.

[0004] In response to this, AGVs can estimate their own location through simple processing by using pre-generated map information within the facility and information on the surrounding environment acquired by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).The AGV can travel to a specified destination based on the information on its estimated location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-169845 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The storage of each container in a container terminal is temporary, and the container storage situation within the terminal changes from moment to moment. Therefore, in order to perform the self-location estimation process using map information and environmental information as described above within a container terminal, the AGV needs to appropriately update the map information it uses in accordance with changes in the container storage situation within the terminal.

[0007] One technology that can address this issue is SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), which allows a moving vehicle to simultaneously estimate its own position and generate map information. By using SLAM technology, an AGV can estimate its own position and generate map information about its surroundings while traveling.

[0008] However, as mentioned above, the container storage situation in a container terminal changes frequently, and when an AGV detects this change using SLAM technology, it may not be able to correctly determine whether to update the map information or correct its own estimated position. Therefore, if the AGV corrects its own estimated position despite a change in the container storage situation, it may not be able to estimate its own position accurately, and the AGV may not be able to navigate appropriately.

[0009] The present disclosure aims to provide a self-position estimation device, an autonomous vehicle, and a self-position estimation method that are capable of easily and accurately estimating their own position within a facility where objects of a predetermined shape are stored. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A self-location estimation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information within a storage facility generated based on shape information of an object and storage status information of the object within the storage facility, an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires information about the surrounding environment, and a self-location estimation unit that estimates its own location based on the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit and the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit.

[0011] The self-position estimation device is mounted on a mobile body that moves within the storage facility and is communicatively connected to a storage facility management device that manages the shape information of the object and the storage status information of the object within the storage facility, and the map information acquisition unit acquires map information generated by the storage facility management device, the mobile body, or a map information generation device that is communicatively connected to the storage facility management device and the self-position estimation device based on the shape information of the object managed by the storage facility management device and the storage status information within the storage facility, the environmental information acquisition unit acquires environmental information around the mobile body, and the self-position estimation unit may estimate the position of the mobile body as its self-position.

[0012] The storage facility may have a plurality of storage spaces for storing the objects, and the storage status information for the objects may include location information for each of the plurality of storage spaces and information on the number of the objects stored in each of the plurality of storage spaces.

[0013] An autonomous vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises the above-described self-position estimation device, a movement mechanism unit that moves the autonomous vehicle, and a driving control unit that controls the movement mechanism unit so that the autonomous vehicle moves along a predetermined route based on the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation device.

[0014] A self-location estimation method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes acquiring map information within a storage facility generated based on shape information of an object and storage status information of the object within the storage facility, acquiring surrounding environmental information, and estimating a self-location based on the acquired map information and environmental information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to easily and accurately estimate one's own position within a facility where an object of a predetermined shape is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall view showing the configuration of a container management system using a self-position estimation device according to the first to third embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a container management system using a self-position estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is an example of coordinate information for each storage space within a container terminal, which is stored in a container management device connected to the self-position estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3B] Figure 3B is an example of information on the type and number of containers currently stored in each storage space within a container terminal, stored in a container management device connected to the self-location estimation device of the first embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C is an example of coordinate information of each crane device within the container terminal premises, which is stored in the container management device connected to the self-position estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the container management system using the self-position estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a container management system using a self-position estimation device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of a container management system using a self-position estimation device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a container management system using a self-position estimation device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of a container management system using a self-position estimation device according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Below, a container management system (storage facility management system) that manages the operation of an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), which is an autonomous vehicle (moving object) equipped with a self-location estimation device according to the present disclosure, within the premises of a container terminal (storage facility) will be described with reference to the drawings. The container terminal is a facility that temporarily stores containers (objects) that have been brought in.

[0018] (First embodiment) (Configuration of container management system 1A according to the first embodiment) The configuration of a container management system 1A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the container management system 1A manages the storage status of containers within the container terminal 10 premises, and also manages the operations of AGVs and crane devices installed within the container terminal 10 premises.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a top view of the interior of a container terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the container terminal 10 has a plurality of preset container storage areas 11 to 18. Each of the container storage areas 11 to 18 has, for example, 50 storage spaces (11-1 to 11-50, 12-1 to 12-50, ... 18-1 to 18-50) set up in 10 rows and 5 columns.

[0020] The container management system 1A includes three AGVs 20A-1 to 20A-3 that travel within the container terminal 10, crane devices 30-1 to 30-12 installed within the container terminal 10, and a container management device 40A. The number of AGVs used in the container management system 1A is not limited to three, and may be fewer or more. Hereinafter, when it is not specified which of the AGVs 20A-1 to 20A-3 is being referred to, it will be referred to as AGV 20A.

[0021] Crane apparatus 30-1 to 30-12 are each installed in one of container storage areas 11 to 18 so as to be movable laterally. Specifically, crane apparatus 30-1 and 30-2 are installed in container storage area 11. Crane apparatus 30-3 and 30-4 are installed in container storage area 12. Crane apparatus 30-5 and 30-6 are installed in container storage area 13. Crane apparatus 30-7 and 30-8 are installed in container storage area 14. Crane apparatus 30-9 is installed in container storage area 15. Crane apparatus 30-10 is installed in container storage area 16. Crane apparatus 30-11 is installed in container storage area 17. Crane apparatus 30-12 is installed in container storage area 18.

[0022] The number of crane apparatuses installed within the premises of container terminal 10 is not limited to 12, and may be a smaller or larger number. Hereinafter, when it is not specified which of crane apparatuses 30-1 to 30-12 within the premises of container terminal 10 is being referred to, it will be referred to as crane apparatus 30.

[0023] 2, the container management device 40A has a storage unit 41A, an instruction input unit 42, a first wireless communication unit 43, and a first CPU 44A. The storage unit 41A has a container information storage unit 411, a crane information storage unit 412, and a first map information storage unit 413. The container information storage unit 411 stores storage status information including shape information and storage position information of each container stored within the container terminal 10. The crane information storage unit 412 stores shape information and position information of each of the crane devices 30-1 to 30-12 installed within the container terminal 10. The first map information storage unit 413 stores map information of the container terminal 10 that is generated and updated as described below.

[0024] The instruction input unit 42 inputs instructions for carrying in and carrying out the container through the operation of an operator, etc. The first wireless communication unit 43 performs wireless communication with the AGVs 20A-1 to 20A-3 and the crane devices 30-1 to 30-12.

[0025] The first CPU 44A has a transport instruction processing unit 441, a first map information generation unit 442, and an information update unit 443. The transport instruction processing unit 441 transmits a container carry-in instruction or a container carry-out instruction input from the instruction input unit 42 to the corresponding crane apparatus 30 and AGV 20A via the first wireless communication unit 43.

[0026] The first map information generation unit 442 generates map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 based on the information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the information stored in the crane information storage unit 412, and stores the generated map information in the first map information storage unit 413. When the information stored in the container information storage unit 411 is updated, the first map information generation unit 442 updates the map information stored in the first map information storage unit 413 based on the updated information. The first map information generation unit 442 transmits the generated or updated map information to the AGVs 20A-1 to 20A-3 via the first wireless communication unit 43.

[0027] When the operation performed by the AGV 20A and the crane device 30 based on the loading or unloading instruction obtained from the transport instruction processing unit 441 is completed, the information update unit 443 updates the container information and crane information stored in the memory unit 41A.

[0028] The AGV 20A-1 has an LRF (laser range finder) sensor 21-1, a second wireless communication unit 22-1, a second map information storage unit 23-1, a movement mechanism unit 24-1, and a second CPU 25A-1. The LRF sensor 21-1 measures the distance to surrounding objects. The second wireless communication unit 22-1 performs wireless communication with the container management device 40A. The second map information storage unit 23-1 stores map information of the container terminal 10 premises acquired from the container management device 40A. The movement mechanism unit 24-1 is a mechanism for moving the AGV 20A-1.

[0029] The second CPU 25A-1 includes a self-position estimation device 200A-1 and a driving control unit 251-1. The self-position estimation device 200A-1 includes an environmental information acquisition unit 201-1, a map information acquisition unit 202-1, and a self-position estimation unit 203-1.

[0030] The environmental information acquisition unit 201-1 acquires information measured by the LRF sensor 21-1 as surrounding environmental information. When the map information acquisition unit 202-1 acquires map information of the container terminal 10 premises from the container management device 40A via the second wireless communication unit 22-1, it stores the map information in the second map information storage unit 23-1. When the map information acquisition unit 202-1 acquires a container carry-in instruction or a container unloading instruction from the container management device 40A, it reads out the map information of the container terminal 10 premises stored in the second map information storage unit 23-1.

[0031] The self-position estimation unit 203-1 estimates its own position based on the surrounding environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 201-1 and the map information of the container terminal 10 premises read by the map information acquisition unit 202-1. The travel control unit 251-1 controls the movement mechanism unit 24-1 so that the AGV 20A-1 moves on a predetermined route R based on the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit 203-1.

[0032] The configurations of the AGVs 20A-2 and 20A-3 are similar to that of the AGV 20A-1, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] The crane apparatus 30-1 has a third wireless communication unit 31-1, a transport mechanism unit 32-1, and a third CPU 33-1. The third wireless communication unit 31-1 performs wireless communication with the container management apparatus 40A. The transport mechanism unit 32-1 is a mechanism that transports containers between the AGV 20A and the corresponding storage space. The third CPU 33-1 has an operation control unit 331-1 that controls the transport mechanism unit 32-1 based on a container carry-in instruction or a container carry-out instruction acquired via the third wireless communication unit 31-1.

[0034] The configurations of the crane devices 30-2 to 30-12 are similar to that of the crane device 30-1, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0035] (Operation of the container management system 1A according to the first embodiment) The operation of the container management system 1A according to this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, an example of information stored in the container information storage unit 411 of the container management device 40A is shown in Figures 3A and 3B.

[0036] 3A shows coordinate information for each storage space within the container terminal 10. This coordinate information is the position coordinates of a specific point within each storage space when a point within the container terminal 10, for example, point P at a corner of the rectangular container terminal 10 as shown in FIG. 1, is set as the origin, the horizontal direction is the x-axis, and the vertical direction indicating the depth is the y-axis.

[0037] 3B shows the types and numbers of containers currently stored in each storage space within the container terminal 10. In this embodiment, the types of containers stored within the container terminal 10 are, for example, two types: 20-ft containers having a length of 6,058 mm, a width of 2,438 mm, and a height of 2,591 mm, and 40-ft containers having a length of 12,192 mm, a width of 2,438 mm, and a height of 2,591 mm.

[0038] The container information storage unit 411 stores, as shape information for each container type, shape information for 20ft containers and 40ft containers based on 3D point cloud data generated in advance by LiDAR measurements or LiDAR simulations, etc.

[0039] An example of information stored in the crane information storage unit 412 of the container management device 40A is shown in Fig. 3C. Fig. 3C shows coordinate information for each of the crane devices 30-1 to 30-12 within the container terminal 10. This coordinate information is the position coordinates of a predetermined point within each of the crane devices 30-1 to 30-12, with point P within the container terminal 10 as the origin, the horizontal direction as the x-axis, and the vertical direction indicating the depth as the y-axis.

[0040] The crane information storage unit 412 of the container management apparatus 40A stores shape information based on 3D point cloud data acquired in advance by LiDAR simulation or the like for each of the crane apparatuses 30-1 to 30-12.

[0041] 4, a description will be given of the processing executed by each device when the container management system 1A starts operating while this information is stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the crane information storage unit 412. When the container management system 1A starts operating, the AGVs 20A-1, 20A-2, and 20A-3 are stopped in a predetermined waiting area D within the container terminal 10 premises.

[0042] First, the first map information generation unit 442 of the container management device 40A generates map information of the interior of the container terminal 10, which is composed of 3D point cloud data, based on the information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the information stored in the crane information storage unit 412. At this time, since the container information storage unit 411 stores information on the type and number of containers stored in each storage space, the first map information generation unit 442 can recognize overall shape information of the containers in each storage space using this information. Then, the first map information generation unit 442 can generate the corresponding map information by rotating the recognized overall shape information of the containers in each storage space and the stored shape information of the crane apparatus 30 at a predetermined azimuth angle and translating them to the corresponding positions.

[0043] When generating the map information, the first map information generating unit 442 adds identification information of the corresponding container to the 3D point cloud data corresponding to each container. The first map information generating unit 442 stores the generated map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 in the first map information storage unit 413. In addition, the first map information generating unit 442 transmits the generated map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 to the AGVs 20A-1 to 20A-3 via the first wireless communication unit 43 (S1).

[0044] The AGVs 20A-1 to 20A-3 acquire the map information of the container terminal 10 premises transmitted from the container management device 40A by the map information acquisition units 202-1 to 202-3 via the second wireless communication units 22-1 to 22-3, respectively. The map information acquisition units 202-1 to 202-3 store the acquired map information of the container terminal 10 premises in the second map information storage units 23-1 to 23-3, respectively (S2).

[0045] Thereafter, when a carry-in instruction or a carry-out instruction for a specific container is input to the instruction input unit 42 of the container management device 40A, the transport instruction processing unit 441 determines the crane apparatus 30 and the AGV 20A that will execute the process according to the instruction. Then, the transport instruction processing unit 441 transmits information on the instruction to the corresponding crane apparatus 30 and the AGV 20A via the first wireless communication unit 43 (S3).

[0046] As an example, a case will be described in which an instruction to unload container X from storage space 14-8 in container storage area 14 and an instruction to load container Y into storage space 12-3 in container storage area 12 are input from the instruction input unit 42. When these instructions are input, the transport instruction processing unit 441 first determines that the crane apparatus 30-8 and the AGV 20A-1 should execute the unloading process for container X. Then, the transport instruction processing unit 441 transmits information related to the instruction to unload container X to the crane apparatus 30-8 and the AGV 20A-1 via the first wireless communication unit 43.

[0047] Furthermore, the transport instruction processing unit 441 determines to have the crane apparatus 30-3 and the AGV 20A-2 execute the process of carrying in the container Y. Then, the transport instruction processing unit 441 transmits information regarding the instruction to carry in the container Y to the crane apparatus 30-3 and the AGV 20A-2 via the first wireless communication unit 43.

[0048] When the AGV 20A-1 acquires the information on the carry-out instruction transmitted from the container management device 40A via the second wireless communication unit 22-1, the environmental information acquisition unit 201-1 of the self-position estimation device 200A-1 acquires information on the distance to surrounding objects measured by the LRF sensor 21-1. Then, the environmental information acquisition unit 201-1 generates surrounding shape information that indicates the shapes of the surrounding objects using 3D point cloud data based on the acquired information.

[0049] Furthermore, when the AGV 20A-1 acquires the carry-out instruction information transmitted from the container management device 40A via the second wireless communication unit 22-1, the map information acquisition unit 202-1 reads out map information of the container terminal 10 premises stored in the second map information storage unit 23-1. Then, the self-position estimation unit 203-1 performs a matching process between 3D point cloud data indicating the surrounding shape information generated by the environmental information acquisition unit 201-1 and 3D point cloud data indicating the map information read out by the map information acquisition unit 202-1, thereby estimating the self-position (S4). For this 3D point cloud data matching process, a known technique such as NDT (Normal Distributions Transform) scan matching can be used.

[0050] Then, the travel control unit 251-1 controls the movement mechanism unit 24-1 based on the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit 203-1 so that the AGV 20A-1 moves on the route R. Under the control of the travel control unit 251-1, the movement mechanism unit 24-1 causes the AGV 20A-1 to travel on the route R within the container terminal 10 to a position close to the storage space 14-8 (S5).

[0051] When the AGV 20A-1 arrives at a position close to the storage space 14-8 and stops, the crane device 30-8 performs an operation to carry out the container X based on the instruction information acquired from the container management device 40A (S6). The operation of the crane device 30-8 to carry out the container X is an operation to lift the container X stored in the storage space 14-8 and load it onto the AGV 20A-1.

[0052] When the operation of crane apparatus 30-8 is completed and container X is loaded onto AGV 20A-1, crane apparatus 30-8 transmits an operation completion notification regarding the removal of container X to container management apparatus 40A via third wireless communication unit 31-8 (S7). This operation completion notification includes position information of crane apparatus 30-8 after the operation is completed. When container management apparatus 40A receives the operation completion notification regarding the removal of container X from crane apparatus 30-8 via first wireless communication unit 43, information update unit 443 updates the container information stored in container information storage unit 411 and the crane information stored in crane information storage unit 412 based on the notification. Specifically, the number of containers stored in storage space 14-8 in the container information is reduced by one, and the position information of crane apparatus 30-8 is updated to the information included in the operation completion notification.

[0053] When the container information in the container information storage unit 411 and the crane information in the crane information storage unit 412 are updated, the first map information generation unit 442 updates the map information stored in the first map information storage unit 413 based on the updated information. When updating the map information, the first map information generation unit 442 deletes the 3D point cloud data corresponding to container X in storage space 14-8 from the map information. Then, the first map information generation unit 442 stores the updated map information in the first map information storage unit 413 and transmits it to the AGV 20A-1 via the first wireless communication unit 43 (S8).

[0054] In the AGV 20A-1, when the updated map information transmitted from the container management device 40A is acquired via the second wireless communication unit 22-1, the map information acquisition unit 202-1 updates the information stored in the second map information storage unit 23-1 with the updated map information (S9). Then, in the AGV 20A-1, the self-position estimation unit 203-1 estimates its own position using the updated map information, and the travel control unit 251-1 controls the movement mechanism unit 24-1 based on the estimated self-position to cause the AGV 20A-1 to travel to the waiting area D (S10). The AGV 20A-1 waits in the waiting area D until it receives the next carry-in or carry-out instruction.

[0055] Furthermore, the AGV 20A-2, which has received the carry-in instruction in step S3, loads the container Y to be carried in in the waiting area D, and the self-position estimation device 200A-2 estimates its own position in the same manner as the AGV 20A-1 (S4). Then, the AGV 20A-2 travels on the route R to a position close to the storage space 12-3 based on the estimated self-position (S5).

[0056] Then, the AGV 20A-2 arrives at a position close to the storage space 12-3 and stops, and the crane apparatus 30-3 lifts up the container Y loaded on the AGV 20A-2 and stores it in the storage space 12-3, thereby carrying in the container Y (S6). When the carrying-in operation of the container Y is completed and the crane apparatus 30-3 transmits an operation completion notice regarding the carrying-in of the container Y to the container management device 40A via the third wireless communication unit 31-3 (S7), the information update unit 443 updates the container information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the crane information stored in the crane information storage unit 412 based on the notice. Specifically, the number of containers stored in the storage space 12-3 in the container information is increased by one, and the position information of the crane apparatus 30-3 is updated to the information included in the operation completion notice.

[0057] When the container information in the container information storage unit 411 and the crane information in the crane information storage unit 412 are updated, the first map information generation unit 442 updates the map information stored in the first map information storage unit 413 based on the updated information. Then, the first map information generation unit 442 stores the updated map information in the first map information storage unit 413 and transmits it to the AGV 20A-2 via the first wireless communication unit 43 (S8).

[0058] In the AGV 20A-2, when the updated map information transmitted from the container management device 40A is acquired via the second wireless communication unit 22-2, the map information acquisition unit 202-2 updates the information stored in the second map information storage unit 23-2 with the updated map information (S9). Then, in the AGV 20A-2, the self-position estimation unit 203-2 estimates its own position using the updated map information, and the travel control unit 251-2 controls the movement mechanism unit 24-2 based on the estimated self-position to cause the AGV 20A-2 to travel to the waiting area D (S10). The AGV 20A-2 waits in the waiting area D until it receives the next carry-in or carry-out instruction.

[0059] According to the first embodiment, the AGV 20A can easily and accurately estimate its own position using map information of the container terminal 10, which is generated based on shape information and position information of the containers and crane devices 30 within the container terminal 10. Furthermore, the AGV 20A can appropriately travel along a predetermined route within the container terminal 10 using the information on its estimated position. Since the container management device 40A generates map information of the container terminal 10 and provides it to the multiple AGVs 20A, each AGV 20A can efficiently perform its own position estimation process with a small processing load. Furthermore, in the container terminal 10, the shapes of containers stored within the premises are limited to a few patterns, and the locations of the storage spaces where the containers are stored are also preset. Therefore, the container management device 40A can easily generate map information of the container terminal 10 by using the position information for each storage space and the shape and number of the stored containers.

[0060] (Second embodiment) (Configuration of container management system 1B according to the second embodiment) The configuration of a container management system 1B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. In the container management system 1B according to this embodiment, a first CPU 44B of a container management device 40B has a first management information transmission control unit 444 instead of the first map information generation unit 442 described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the storage unit 41B of the container management device 40B does not have the first map information storage unit 413 described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the self-position estimation devices 200B-1 to 200B-3 of the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 have second map information generation units 204-1 to 204-3 as map information acquisition units. The configuration of the container management system 1B other than this is the same as the configuration of the container management system 1A described in the first embodiment, so a detailed description of parts having the same functions will be omitted.

[0061] In this embodiment, the first management information transmission control unit 444 of the container management device 40B transmits the information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the information stored in the crane information storage unit 412 to the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 via the first wireless communication unit 43. The second map information generation units 204-1 to 204-3 of the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 generate map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 based on the information acquired from the container management device 40B via the second wireless communication units 22-1 to 22-3, and store the map information in the second map information storage units 23-1 to 23-3.

[0062] (Operation of the container management system according to the second embodiment) The operation of the container management system 1B according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 6. First, the first management information transmission control unit 444 of the container management device 40B transmits the container information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the crane information stored in the crane information storage unit 412 to the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 via the first wireless communication unit 43 (S11).

[0063] In the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3, when the container information and crane information transmitted from the container management device 40B are acquired via the second wireless communication units 22-1 to 22-3, the second map information generation units 204-1 to 204-3 generate map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 composed of 3D point cloud data based on the acquired information. The second map information generation units 204-1 to 204-3 store the generated map information in the second map information storage units 23-1 to 23-3, respectively (S12).

[0064] Thereafter, the processing of steps S13 to S17 that are executed when a loading or unloading instruction for a specified container is input at the instruction input unit 42 of the container management device 40B is the same as the processing of steps S3 to S7 described in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed explanations are omitted.

[0065] When the container carry-in or carry-out process is completed, an operation completion notice regarding the process is transmitted from the crane apparatus 30 to the container management apparatus 40B via the third wireless communication units 31-1 to 31-12 (S17). When the container management apparatus 40B receives the operation completion notice via the first wireless communication unit 43, the information update unit 443 updates the container information and crane information stored in the storage unit 41B based on the notice. Then, the first management information transmission control unit 444 transmits the updated container information and crane information to the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 via the first wireless communication unit 43 (S18).

[0066] The second map information generating units 204-1 to 204-3 of the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 acquire the updated container information and crane information transmitted from the container management device 40B via the second wireless communication units 22-1 to 22-3. Based on the acquired information, the second map information generating units 204-1 to 204-3 update and store the map information stored in the second map information storage units 23-1 to 23-3 (S19).

[0067] Then, the self-position estimation units 203-1 to 203-3 of the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 that performed the carry-in or carry-out process estimate their own positions using the updated map information, and the travel control units 251-1 to 251-3 control the movement mechanism units 24-1 to 24-3 based on the estimated self-positions to make the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 travel to the waiting area D (S20). The AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 wait in the waiting area D until they receive the next carry-in or carry-out instruction.

[0068] According to the second embodiment described above, the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 traveling within the container terminal 10 can easily and accurately estimate their own positions and travel using map information within the premises generated based on shape information and position information of the containers and crane devices 30 within the premises. At this time, since each of the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 generates map information within the container terminal 10, each of the AGVs 20B-1 to 20B-3 can generate map information for the required position according to the travel route.

[0069] (Third embodiment) (Configuration of container management system 1C according to the third embodiment) The configuration of a container management system 1C according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 7. The container management system 1C according to this embodiment further comprises a map information generation device 50 in addition to the configuration of the container management system 1A described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the first CPU 44C of the container management device 40C has a second management information transmission control unit 445 instead of the first map information generation unit 442 described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the storage unit 41C of the container management device 40C does not have the first map information storage unit 413 described in the first embodiment. Other than this, the configuration of the container management system 1C is similar to the configuration of the container management system 1A described in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description of parts having the same functions will be omitted.

[0070] In this embodiment, the second management information transmission control unit 445 of the container management device 40C transmits the information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the information stored in the crane information storage unit 412 to the map information generating device 50.

[0071] The map information generating device 50 has a management information acquiring unit 51, a fourth wireless communication unit 52, a third map information generating unit 53, and a third map information storage unit 54. The management information acquiring unit 51 acquires information transmitted from the container management device 40C. The fourth wireless communication unit 52 performs wireless communication with the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3. The third map information generating unit 53 generates and updates map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 based on the information acquired from the container management device 40C, and transmits the map information to the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 via the fourth wireless communication unit 52. The third map information storage unit 54 stores the map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 generated and updated by the third map information generating unit 53.

[0072] When the map information acquisition units 202-1 to 202-3 of the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 acquire map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 from the map information generation device 50 via the second wireless communication unit 22-1, they store the map information in the second map information storage unit 23-1.

[0073] (Operation of the container management system according to the third embodiment) The operation of the container management system 1C according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 8. First, the second management information transmission control unit 445 of the container management device 40C transmits the container information stored in the container information storage unit 411 and the crane information stored in the crane information storage unit 412 to the map information generating device 50 (S21).

[0074] In the map information generating device 50, the management information acquiring unit 51 acquires the container information and crane information transmitted from the container management device 40C, and based on the acquired information, the third map information generating unit 53 generates map information of the interior of the container terminal 10. The third map information generating unit 53 stores the generated map information of the interior of the container terminal 10 in the third map information storage unit 54, and transmits it to the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 via the fourth wireless communication unit 52 (S22).

[0075] In the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3, the map information acquisition units 202-1 to 202-3 acquire the map information of the container terminal 10 premises transmitted from the map information generation device 50 via the second wireless communication units 22-1 to 22-3. The map information acquisition units 202-1 to 202-3 store the acquired map information of the container terminal 10 premises in the second map information storage units 23-1 to 23-3, respectively (S23).

[0076] Thereafter, the processing of steps S24 to S28 that is executed when a loading or unloading instruction for a specified container is input at the instruction input unit 42 of the container management device 40C is the same as the processing of steps S3 to S7 described in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed explanations are omitted.

[0077] When the container carry-in or carry-out process is completed, an operation completion notification regarding the process is transmitted from the crane apparatus 30 to the container management apparatus 40C via the third wireless communication units 31-1 to 31-12 (S28). When the container management apparatus 40C receives the operation completion notification via the first wireless communication unit 43, the information update unit 443 updates the container information and crane information stored in the storage unit 41C based on the notification. Then, the second management information transmission control unit 445 transmits the updated container information and crane information to the map information generation device 50 (S29).

[0078] In the map information generating device 50, the third map information generating unit 53 acquires the updated container information and crane information transmitted from the container management device 40C. Then, based on the acquired information, the third map information generating unit 53 updates the map information stored in the third map information storage unit 54. Furthermore, the third map information generating unit 53 stores the updated map information in the third map information storage unit 54 and transmits it to the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 via the fourth wireless communication unit 52 (S30).

[0079] When the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 acquire the updated map information transmitted from the map information generating device 50 via the second wireless communication units 22-1 to 22-3, the map information acquisition units 202-1 to 202-3 update the information stored in the second map information storage units 23-1 to 23-3 with the updated map information (S31). Then, for the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 that have performed the carry-out process or the carry-in process, the self-position estimation units 203-1 to 203-3 estimate their own positions using the updated map information, and the travel control units 251-1 to 251-3 control the movement mechanism units 24-1 to 24-3 based on the estimated self-positions to cause the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 to travel to the waiting area D (S32). The AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 wait in the waiting area D until they receive the next carry-in or carry-out instruction.

[0080] According to the third embodiment described above, the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 traveling within the container terminal 10 can easily and accurately estimate their own positions and travel using map information of the premises generated based on shape information and position information of the containers and crane devices 30 within the premises. At this time, the map information of the container terminal 10 premises is generated by a map information generating device 50 connected to the container management device 40C and supplied to the multiple AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3. With this configuration, the processing load on the container management device 40C and each of the AGVs 20C-1 to 20C-3 can be reduced, and the self-position estimation process can be performed efficiently.

[0081] In the above-described first to third embodiments, 3D information is used as the shape information of the container, the shape information of the crane device 30, and the map information, but 2D information viewed from above may also be used as this information. When 2D information is used, if a container on the second or higher level is carried in or out of a specified storage space, there is no need to update the map information.

[0082] In the first to third embodiments described above, if there is an area within the container terminal 10 where GNSS signals from multiple satellites for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can be received, the AGV 20 may switch to acquiring its own position information by receiving the GNSS signals and calculating position information within that area. An example of the GNSS is the Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0083] Although several embodiments have been described, the embodiments can be modified or varied based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments and all features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined, unless they contradict each other.

[0084] The entire contents of Patent Application No. 2021-180096 (filing date: November 4, 2021) are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10 Container terminal (storage facility) 11-1~11-50, 12-1~12-50, 13-1~13-50, 14-1~14-50, 15-1~15-50, 16-1~16-50, 17-1~17-50, 18-1~18-50 Storage space 20, 20A-1~20A-3, 20B-1~20B~3, 20C-1~20C-3 AGV (mobile) 24-1~24-3 Moving mechanism section 40A, 40B, 40C Container management device (storage facility management device) 50 Map information generating device 200A-1~200A-3, 200B-1~200B-3, 200C-1~200C-3(200) Self-position estimation device 201-1~201-3(201) Environmental Information Acquisition Department 202-1~202-3(202) Map information acquisition section 203-1~203-3(203) Self-position estimation section 204-1 to 204-3 (204) Second map information generation unit 251-1~251-3 Travel control unit X, Y Container (Object)

Claims

1. A self-location estimation device, a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information of the storage facility, the map information being generated based on shape information of an object, storage status information of the object within the storage facility, and shape information and position information of a crane apparatus that is movably installed within the storage facility and transports the object; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding environmental information; a self-location estimation unit that estimates a self-location based on the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit and the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit; Equipped with The self-position estimation device is communicably connected to a storage facility management device that manages the shape information of the object and the storage status information of the object within the storage facility, and is mounted on each of a plurality of automatic guided vehicles that move along a predetermined route within the storage facility. Self-location estimation device.

2. The map information acquisition unit acquires map information generated by a map information generation device communicably connected to the storage facility management device, each of the plurality of automated guided vehicles, or the storage facility management device and the self-position estimation device, based on the shape information of the object managed by the storage facility management device and the storage status information within the storage facility, the environmental information acquisition unit acquires environmental information around each of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles; The self-position estimation unit estimates the position of each of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles as the self-position. The self-location estimation device according to claim 1 .

3. the storage facility has a plurality of storage spaces for storing the objects; The storage status information of the object includes location information of each of the plurality of storage spaces and information on the number of the object stored in each of the plurality of storage spaces. The self-location estimation device according to claim 1 .

4. the storage facility has a plurality of storage spaces for storing the objects; The storage status information of the object includes location information of each of the plurality of storage spaces and information on the number of the object stored in each of the plurality of storage spaces. The self-position estimation device according to claim 2 .

5. A plurality of automated guided vehicles moving along a predetermined route within a storage facility, A self-location estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a movement mechanism unit that moves each of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles; a travel control unit that controls the movement mechanism unit based on the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation device so that each of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles moves along the predetermined route; A plurality of automated guided vehicles equipped with the

6. A self-position estimation method executed by a self-position estimation device mounted on each of a plurality of automated guided vehicles moving on a predetermined route within a storage facility, comprising: acquiring map information about the storage facility that is generated based on shape information about the object, storage status information about the object within the storage facility, and shape information and position information about a crane device that is movably installed within the storage facility and transports the object; Acquiring surrounding environmental information; Estimating a self-location based on the acquired map information and environmental information; Equipped with Each of the plurality of automated guided vehicles is communicably connected to a storage facility management device that manages the shape information of the object and the storage status information of the object within the storage facility. Self-localization method.

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