Transport System

Abstract

To improve a transport efficiency.SOLUTION: A carrier system 1 comprises: a plurality of stations 20 provided in each of a plurality of departments D; an unmanned carrier 30 that transports a cart 10; and a system controller 40 including a storage unit 41 and a transport control unit 42. The storage unit 41 is capable of storing, as a composite transport command, an outbound transport command for transporting the cart 10 of a pharmacy department D1 to a ward department D2 and a return transport command for transporting the cart 10 of the ward department D2 to the pharmacy department D1. The transport control unit 42 performs a composite transport control that the transport control unit allocates the outbound transport command of the composite transport command to one unmanned carrier 30 when the storage unit 41 stores the outbound transport command of the composite transport command; and with respect to the one unmanned carrier 30 immediately after completing the transportation by the outbound transport command, when the return transport command of the composite transport command is stored in the storage unit 41, the transport control unit allocates the outbound transport command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport system. [Background technology]

[0002] A known transport system transports objects between multiple areas, and includes a station provided in each of the multiple areas for placing the objects, an automated guided vehicle for transporting the objects, and an operation management unit for assigning transport commands to the automated guided vehicles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-185413 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described conveyance system, when a conveyance including an outward conveyance in which an object placed at a station in a first area among the plurality of areas is conveyed to a second area among the plurality of areas, and a return conveyance in which an object placed at a station in the second area is conveyed to the first area (hereinafter also referred to as "combined conveyance") is performed, each of these conveyance commands may be assigned to two automated guided vehicles. That is, there may be a case where one automated guided vehicle performs the outward conveyance of the combined conveyance, while another automated guided vehicle performs the return conveyance of the combined conveyance. In this case, for example, there is a risk that the total elevator waiting time of each automated guided vehicle may become very long, resulting in a problem of deterioration in conveyance efficiency (time during conveyance of the object / system operating time).

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport system that can improve transport efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The transport system according to the present invention is a transport system for transporting transported objects between a plurality of areas, and is provided with an operation management unit including a plurality of stations provided in each of the plurality of areas where the transported objects are placed, an automated guided vehicle that transports the transported objects, a memory unit that stores transport commands, and a transport control unit that controls the automated guided vehicles based on the transport commands stored in the memory unit, wherein the memory unit is capable of storing, as combined transport commands, an outbound transport command that is a transport command to transport a transported object that is placed at a station in a first area of ​​the plurality of areas to a second area of ​​the plurality of areas, and a return transport command that is a transport command to transport a transported object that is placed at a station in the second area to the first area, and the transport control unit performs combined transport control in which, when an outbound transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the memory unit, the transport control unit assigns the outbound transport command of the combined transport command to one automated guided vehicle, and, when a return transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the memory unit, the return transport command is assigned to one automated guided vehicle that has just completed transport according to the outbound transport command.

[0007] In this transport system, when an outbound transport command and a return transport command of a combined transport command are stored in the storage unit based on input from an operator, for example, one automated guided vehicle performs the outbound transport of the combined transport, and then the same automated guided vehicle performs the return transport of the combined transport. This prevents the outbound transport and return transport of the combined transport from being performed by two different automated guided vehicles, thereby improving transport efficiency.

[0008] In the conveying system according to the present invention, in the combined conveying control, a movement command to move to a standby station may be assigned to one automated guided vehicle immediately after completing a conveyance in accordance with a forward conveyance command of a combined conveying command, if a return conveyance command of the combined conveying command has not yet been stored in the memory unit. This makes it possible to make one automated guided vehicle wait at the standby station immediately after performing a forward conveyance of the combined conveying command, if there is no request for a return conveyance of the combined conveying command.

[0009] In the conveying system according to the present invention, the combined conveying control may assign a standby command to wait in the second area for a predetermined time to one automated guided vehicle immediately after completing a conveyance in accordance with an outbound conveyance command of the combined conveying command, if a return conveyance command of the combined conveying command has not yet been stored in the memory unit, and may assign the return conveyance command to one automated guided vehicle that is waiting in accordance with the standby command, if the return conveyance command has been stored in the memory unit. This makes it possible to make one automated guided vehicle wait for a predetermined time in the second area (i.e., the destination of the outbound conveyance) immediately after performing the outbound conveyance of the combined conveyance, if a request for return conveyance of the combined conveyance does not yet exist, and if a request for return conveyance of the combined conveyance occurs during this standby period, to perform the return conveyance of the combined conveyance by one automated guided vehicle.

[0010] In the conveying system according to the present invention, the memory unit can store an outbound transfer command, which is a transfer command for transporting an object placed at a station in a third area of ​​the plurality of areas to a fourth area of ​​the plurality of areas, and a return transfer command, which is a transfer command for transporting an object placed at a station in the fourth area to the third area, as another combined conveying command in association with each other, and in the combined conveying control, when a return transfer command for the combined conveying command has not yet been stored in the memory unit and an outbound transfer command for another combined conveying command has been stored in the memory unit, the memory unit can assign the outbound transfer command for the other combined conveying command to an automated guided vehicle immediately after the automated guided vehicle has completed a transfer according to the outbound transfer command of the combined conveying command. This makes it possible for the automated guided vehicle to perform outbound transfer of the other combined conveying command immediately after performing outbound transfer of the combined conveying command by one automated guided vehicle, if there is no request for return transfer of the combined conveying command but there is a request for outbound transfer of the other combined conveying command.

[0011] In the transport system according to the present invention, when a return transport command of a combined transport command is stored in the storage unit, if an outward transport command of the combined transport command is not stored in the storage unit, the return transport command may be held without being assigned to a single automated guided vehicle. In this case, outward transport can be carried out with priority.

[0012] In the transport system according to the present invention, the transport control unit may execute the combined transport control only during a specific time period, which makes it possible to control the execution of the combined transport control by time period.

[0013] The transport system according to the present invention may include a plurality of operation terminals that receive input from operators, and the operation control unit may generate a transport command based on the input received at any one of the plurality of operation terminals. In this case, the transport command can be input and generated using the operation terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport system that can improve transport efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a transport system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cart of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cart of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the internal structure of the cart of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the station of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the automatic guided vehicle of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the automatic guided vehicle of FIG. 1 with the cover removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic guided vehicle of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the cart being transported by the automated guided vehicle of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of combined transport control executed by the transport control unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of combined transport control. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a continuation of FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a continuation of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. The terms "upper" and "lower" correspond to the up and down directions in the vertical direction.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a transport system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the transport system 1 is installed indoors, for example, in a hospital or the like, and is a system that realizes automatic transport of carts (transported objects) 10 between multiple departments (areas) D. The transport system 1 includes multiple carts 10, multiple stations 20, multiple automated guided vehicles 30, a system controller (operation management unit) 40, multiple access points 50, and multiple operation terminals 60.

[0018] The transport system 1 transports carts 10 between multiple departments D. The departments D are not particularly limited and may be various departments. For example, departments D may include a pharmacy department, an Nth floor hospital ward department (N is an integer of 1 or more), etc. There may be one department D per floor (one level), or multiple departments D per floor. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which there is one department D per floor.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cart 10 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the cart 10 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the internal structure of the cart 10 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cart 10 is a dolly that stores items. The cart 10 is a cart unit that has a rectangular shape in a plan view (viewed from above). In other words, the cart 10 is a dedicated rectangular cart that carries items. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the cart 10 may be simply referred to as the "longitudinal direction," and the lateral direction of the cart 10 may be simply referred to as the "lateral direction."

[0020] For example, the cart 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape with a width of 800 mm, a length of 900 mm, and a height of 1400 mm. The cart 10 can also be used as a hand truck. The number of carts 10 used in the transport system 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 to 1000. Examples of items that can be stored in the cart 10 include specimens, injection drugs, sterilized equipment (sterilized containers, collection containers, etc.), and medical supplies (ME (Medical Engineering) equipment, etc.).

[0021] The cart 10 has a housing 11, a handle 12, a shutter 13, and casters 14. The housing 11 has a rectangular box-like outer shape. An opening 11h is provided on one side of the housing 11 in the short direction. The interior of the housing 11 is accessible through the opening 11h. A plurality of tray holder hooks are provided at appropriate positions inside the housing 11 to hook onto the edges of a tray TR containing an article and support it. Note that a loading plate for placing an article may also be provided at an appropriate position inside the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of recesses 11x are provided on the bottom surface of the housing 11 to engage with locating pins 32a (described below) of the automatic guided vehicle 30. The recesses 11x are located at the four vertices (90° rotationally symmetric positions) of a square formed by sides along the long and short directions on the bottom surface of the housing 11.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the handle 12 is, for example, a portion that a user grips. The handle 12 is a rod-shaped member extending in the vertical direction. The handle 12 is provided at a position near the upper center in the vertical direction at each of the four corners of the housing 11. The shutter 13 is provided so as to be able to close the opening 11h of the housing 11. For example, the shutter 13 is an up-and-down shutter that houses slats at the top, each slat being a series of elongated plate-like members arranged in an accordion-like manner. The shutter 13 is closed by lowering the slats from above, and is opened by lifting the slats from below. The casters 14 are provided at the four corners of the underside of the housing 11. The casters 14 are configured to rotate 360° around axes along the vertical direction. For example, swivel casters are used as the casters 14.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the station 20 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the station 20 is an area where the cart 10 is placed. The station 20 is defined by position markers 21 on the floor F. In a plan view, the station 20 has a rectangular shape corresponding to the cart 10. One cart 10 can be placed in the station 20. A plurality of stations 20 are installed in one department D (see FIG. 1), for example. The number of stations 20 installed in the conveyance system 1 is not particularly limited.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the automated guided vehicle 30 of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the automated guided vehicle 30 of FIG. 1 with the cover 31 removed. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automated guided vehicle 30 of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the automated guided vehicle 30 of FIG. 1 transporting a cart 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the automated guided vehicle 30 is a transport vehicle that travels on a floor F along a predetermined travel route. The automated guided vehicle 30 automatically transports the cart 10 between multiple stations 20. The predetermined travel route is a preset route that extends so as to pass between multiple departments D. The predetermined travel route is set so as to be close to multiple stations 20, for example.

[0025] The automated guided vehicle 30 employs a two-wheel speed differential system as its drive mechanism. The automated guided vehicle 30 is configured to be able to move forward, backward, turn left and right, and spin-turn (turn on the spot). The automated guided vehicle 30 has a rectangular shape in plan view. For example, the automated guided vehicle 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a width of 500 mm, a length of 700 mm, and a height of 320 mm. The number of automated guided vehicles 30 used in the transport system 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 50. Hereinafter, the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 30 may be simply referred to as the "traveling direction." The direction perpendicular to both the traveling direction and the up-down direction will be described as the "left-right direction."

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the automated guided vehicle 30 includes a lifting platform 32, an electric cylinder 33, drive wheels 34, a motor 35, driven wheels 36, a laser range finder 37, a guided vehicle controller 38, and a communication unit 39.

[0027] The lifting platform 32 is a member on which the cart 10 is placed and is configured to be movable up and down. The lifting platform 32 is plate-shaped with its thickness extending vertically. The lifting platform 32 is provided on the upper part of the automatic guided vehicle 30. The upper surface of the lifting platform 32 is provided with locating pins 32a that protrude upward. The locating pins 32a are convex portions that engage with recesses 11x on the bottom surface of the cart 10 placed on the lifting platform 32. The upper portions of the locating pins 32a are tapered upward. The locating pins 32a are located on the upper surface of the lifting platform 32 at four vertices (positions 90° rotationally symmetric) of a square formed by sides along the traveling direction and the left-right direction. The lifting platform 32 lifts the cart 10 from below when raised and lowers the cart 10 to the floor F when lowered. The electric cylinder 33 is a driving source that raises and lowers the lifting platform 32. The electric cylinder 33 is connected to the transport vehicle controller 38, and its operation is controlled by the transport vehicle controller 38.

[0028] The drive wheels 34 are wheels that drive the automated guided vehicle 30. A pair of drive wheels 34 are provided at the center of the automated guided vehicle 30 in the direction of travel, at both left and right ends. A motor 35 is provided for each drive wheel 34. That is, a pair of motors 35 is connected to each of the pair of drive wheels 34, and the pair of motors 35 independently drive each of the pair of drive wheels 34. The motors 35 are connected to the vehicle controller 38, and their operation is controlled by the vehicle controller 38. For example, the automated guided vehicle 30 can perform a spin turn by driving the pair of drive wheels 34 to rotate at a constant speed in different directions using the pair of motors 35.

[0029] The driven wheels 36 are wheels that do not perform driving, and are wheels that are rotated in response to the driving of the drive wheels 34. Two pairs of driven wheels 36 are provided. Specifically, one pair of drive wheels 34 is provided on one side of the automated guided vehicle 30 in the traveling direction, at both ends in the left-right direction, and another pair of drive wheels 34 is provided on the other side of the automated guided vehicle 30 in the traveling direction, at both ends in the left-right direction. The driven wheels 36 are configured to rotate 360° around an axis that extends, for example, in the vertical direction.

[0030] The laser range finder 37 is a sensor that detects the surrounding environment of the automated guided vehicle 30. The laser range finders 37 are provided on one side and the other side of the automated guided vehicle 30 in the direction of travel. The pair of laser range finders 37 work together to obtain shape data of a 360° area around the automated guided vehicle 30. There are no particular limitations on the laser range finder 37, and various sensors can be used as long as they can detect the surrounding environment of the automated guided vehicle 30. The laser range finder 37 is connected to the vehicle controller 38 and outputs its detection results to the vehicle controller 38.

[0031] The guided vehicle controller 38 performs overall control of the automated guided vehicle 30. The guided vehicle controller 38 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The guided vehicle controller 38 can be configured as software, for example, in which a program stored in the ROM is loaded onto the RAM and executed by the CPU. The guided vehicle controller 38 may also be configured as hardware including electronic circuits or the like. The guided vehicle controller 38 may be configured as a single device or multiple devices. When configured as multiple devices, these devices are connected via a communication network such as the Internet or an intranet to logically constitute a single guided vehicle controller 38.

[0032] The guided vehicle controller 38 performs travel control and loading / unloading control for transporting the cart 10 from the source station 20 to the destination station 20 based on a transport command received from the system controller 40 via the communication unit 39. The travel control utilizes SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology as a guidance method. The travel control estimates the cart's position by comparing a created environmental map with surrounding shape data acquired by the laser range finder 37. The travel control receives the difference between the recognized self-position and the estimated self-position as a correction value, and controls the travel of the automated guided vehicle 30 along a travel route from the self-position to the target position that reflects the correction value. The loading / unloading control raises and lowers the lifting platform 32 to load and unload cargo onto and from the automated guided vehicle 30.

[0033] The communication unit 39 is a device that wirelessly communicates with the outside of the automated guided vehicle 30. The communication unit 39 communicates with the system controller 40 via an access point 50. The communication unit 39 may include, for example, a wireless LAN antenna. In the automated guided vehicle 30, the electric cylinder 33, the drive wheels 34, the motor 35, the driven wheels 36, the laser range finder 37, the guided vehicle controller 38, and the communication unit 39 are covered and protected by a cover 31 (see FIG. 6).

[0034] As shown in Figure 9, such an automated guided vehicle 30 slips under the cart 10 (between the cart 10 and the floor F) and then raises the lifting platform 32, thereby placing and lifting the cart 10 on the lifting platform 32. The automated guided vehicle 30 travels with the cart 10 lifted from below by the lifting platform 32 (with the driven wheels 36 spaced apart from the floor F), thereby transporting the cart 10. Meanwhile, the automated guided vehicle 30 lowers the lifting platform 32 on which the cart 10 is placed, thereby causing the cart 10 to touch the floor F and lowering the cart 10 from the lifting platform 32.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 1 , the system controller 40 performs overall control of the transport system 1. The system controller 40 is a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The system controller 40 can be configured as software in which a program stored in the ROM is loaded onto the RAM and executed by the CPU, for example. The system controller 40 may also be configured as hardware including electronic circuits, etc. The system controller 40 may be configured as a single device or multiple devices. When the system controller 40 is configured as multiple devices, these devices are connected via a communication network such as the Internet or an intranet to logically construct a single system controller 40.

[0036] The system controller 40 generates (issues) a transport command to transport the cart 10 by the automated guided vehicle 30 based on an input (transport request) from a higher-level controller (not shown) or an operation terminal 60. The system controller 40 is installed in, for example, a server room. The transport command includes a travel route for the automated guided vehicle 30. Transport patterns of the transport command include normal transport, circular transport, and combined transport.

[0037] Normal transportation is transportation in which the cart 10 is loaded onto the automatic guided vehicle 30 at the source station 20 and unloaded from the automatic guided vehicle 30 at the destination station 20. Circuit transportation is transportation in which the cart 10 is loaded onto the automatic guided vehicle 30 at the source station 20, the cart 10 is carried on a circuit of multiple stations 20, and then returns to the source station 20. In circuit transportation, the source and destination are the same. Multi-purpose transportation is transportation in which the cart 10 is loaded onto the automatic guided vehicle 30 at the source station 20 in a first department, moved to a second department, the cart 10 is unloaded at the destination station 20 in the second department, and the cart 10 is loaded onto the automatic guided vehicle 30 at another station 20 in the second department, returned to the first department, and the cart 10 is unloaded at the destination station 20 in the first department. In the combined transport, after loading onto the automated guided vehicle 30 in the second department, the cart 10 may be unloaded at the destination station 20 in a department other than the first department and the second department.

[0038] The system controller 40 includes a storage unit 41 that stores the generated transport command, and a transport control unit 42 that controls the automated guided vehicles 30 based on the transport command stored in the storage unit 41. The transport control unit 42 selects an optimal automated guided vehicle 30 from among the multiple automated guided vehicles 30 using multiple conditions, and assigns the transport command stored in the storage unit 41 to the selected automated guided vehicle 30 (hereinafter also referred to as "one automated guided vehicle 30").

[0039] The multiple conditions for selecting one AGV 30 include, for example, that the remaining battery charge of the one AGV 30 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that the distance from the source station 20 is the shortest, and that the one AGV 30 is not currently transporting another cart 10. Note that the system controller 40 may erase or invalidate transport commands that have already been assigned to an AGV 30 in the memory unit 41. The transport commands stored in the memory unit 41 do not include transport commands that have been erased or invalidated in the memory unit 41, in other words, do not include transport commands that have already been assigned to an AGV 30.

[0040] The access point 50 is a relay device for wireless communication between the system controller 40 and the automatic guided vehicle 30, and between the system controller 40 and the operation terminal 60. For example, the access point 50 uses a frequency band of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. The access point 50 is wired and connected to the system controller 40 via a cable CB. There is no particular limit to the number of access points 50 installed in the transportation system 1. The access points 50 are installed on the ceiling or wall.

[0041] The operation terminal 60 is a terminal that accepts input from an operator. The operation terminal 60 includes a touch panel. The operation terminal 60 is used to input the cart 10 to be transported, the station 20 from which the cart is transported, and the station 20 to which the cart is transported. An operation terminal 60 is installed in each department D. A portable terminal such as a tablet terminal is used as the operation terminal 60.

[0042] In the transport system 1 of this embodiment, the system controller 40 generates an outbound transport command, which is a transport command to transport the cart 10 placed in the station 20 of the pharmacy department D1 to the ward department D2 on the i-th floor (i is an integer), based on an input (transport request) from an operator received at the operation terminal 60 of the pharmacy department D1, which is the transport source. The outbound transport command is a transport command to supply an item by the cart 10. The system controller 40 stores the generated outbound transport command in the memory unit 41.

[0043] The system controller 40 generates a return transport command, which is a transport command to transport the cart 10 placed at the station 20 of the ward department D2 on the i-th floor to the pharmacy department D1, based on input from an operator received at the operation terminal 60 of the ward department D2 from which the cart 10 is to be transported. The return transport command is a transport command to return the items using the cart 10 or to return only the cart 10. The system controller 40 stores the generated return transport command in the memory unit 41. The pharmacy department D1 here is the reference department. The reference department is the department that serves as the starting point for outward transport and return transport. The reference department is a department where items are exchanged with multiple departments. The pharmacy department D1 and the ward department D2 are not particularly limited and may be any of multiple departments D.

[0044] The memory unit 41 is capable of storing an outbound transport command and a corresponding inbound transport command as a combined transport command, in association with each other. The memory unit 41 is capable of storing multiple combined transport commands. The transport control unit 42 executes combined transport control. In combined transport control, when an outbound transport command of a combined transport command is stored in the memory unit 41, the outbound transport command of the combined transport command is assigned to one automated guided vehicle 30. In combined transport control, when a inbound transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the memory unit 41, the inbound transport command is assigned to one automated guided vehicle 30 immediately after the completion of transport according to the inbound transport command.

[0045] An AGV 30 immediately after completing a transfer is an AGV 30 to which no command has yet been assigned after the transfer is completed. Completion of a transfer includes the completion of unloading of the cart 10 at the transfer destination station 20. The transfer control unit 42 executes the combined transfer control only during a specific time period. The specific time period may be set in advance or may be changeable by the system controller 40.

[0046] In the combined transport control, when a return transport command of the combined transport command has not yet been stored in the memory unit 41, a movement command to move the combined transport vehicle 30 to a waiting station is assigned to the combined transport vehicle 30 immediately after the combined transport command has completed transport in accordance with the outward transport command of the combined transport command. The waiting station is an area where the combined transport vehicle 30 can wait temporarily. The waiting station includes an automatic charging station that automatically charges the combined transport vehicle 30. In the combined transport control, when a return transport command of the combined transport command has been stored in the memory unit 41, if the outward transport command of the combined transport command has not yet been stored in the memory unit 41, the return transport command is held without being assigned to the combined transport vehicle 30.

[0047] In addition, during time periods other than the specific time periods, the transport control unit 42 does not perform the above-mentioned combined transport control, but instead performs normal transport control (for example, control to assign a transport command stored in the memory unit 41 to one unmanned transport vehicle 30 each time it is stored in the memory unit 41).

[0048] Next, an example of combined transport control executed by the transport control unit 42 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0049] First, the transfer control unit 42 determines whether or not an outbound transfer command of the combined transfer command has been stored in the memory unit 41 (step S1). If the answer is YES in step S1, the transfer control unit 42 assigns the outbound transfer command to one automated guided vehicle 30 (step S2). When the transfer of one automated guided vehicle 30 according to the outbound transfer command has been completed (YES in step S3), the transfer control unit 42 determines whether or not a return transfer command that is paired with the outbound transfer command in the combined transfer command has been stored in the memory unit 41 (step S4).

[0050] If the answer is YES in step S4, the transport control unit 42 assigns a return transport command to one automated guided vehicle 30 immediately after completing transport according to the outbound transport command (step S5). On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S4, the transport control unit 42 assigns a movement command to one automated guided vehicle 30 immediately after completing transport according to the outbound transport command (step S6).

[0051] On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S1, the transport control unit 42 determines whether or not a return transport command, which is paired with the outward transport command in the combined transport command, is stored in the memory unit 41 (step S7). If the answer is YES in step S7, the return transport command is not assigned to the current automated guided vehicle 30, but is retained in the memory unit 41. After steps S5, S6, and S8, or if the answer is NO in step S7, the process ends, and the process proceeds to step S1 of the next processing cycle, for example.

[0052] 11, 12, and 13 are diagrams for explaining an example of combined transport control. In the example shown in the figures, transport to supply cart 10 from pharmacy department D1 on the first floor to ward departments D3 to D5 on the third to fifth floors is outbound transport, and transport to return cart 10 from ward departments D3 to D5 on the third to fifth floors to pharmacy department D1 is inbound transport. The reservation order is the order in which input is made by the operator via operation terminal 60 and transport commands are stored in memory unit 41. Pharmacy department D1 constitutes the first area, and ward departments D3 to D5 on the third to fifth floors constitute the second area.

[0053] In the example shown in the figure, a combined transport command between the pharmacy department D1 and the third-floor ward department D3, a combined transport command between the pharmacy department D1 and the fourth-floor ward department D4, and a combined transport command between the pharmacy department D1 and the fifth-floor ward department D5 are stored in the memory unit 41, and these combined transport commands are assigned to one automated guided vehicle 30. The reservation order for outbound transport with the third-floor ward department D3 as the destination is "1," the reservation order for outbound transport with the fifth-floor ward department D5 as the destination is "2," and the reservation order for outbound transport with the fourth-floor ward department D4 as the destination is "3." The reservation order for return transport with the fifth-floor ward department D5 as the origin is "1," the reservation order for return transport with the third-floor ward department D3 as the origin is "2," and the reservation order for return transport with the fourth-floor ward department D4 as the origin is "3."

[0054] 11, in the transport system 1, first, a combined transport command is assigned between the pharmacy department D1 and the third-floor ward department D3 in accordance with the outbound reservation order, regardless of the return trip reservation order. That is, an outbound transport command to transport the cart 10 from the station 20 in the pharmacy department D1 to any available station 20 in the third-floor ward department D3 is assigned to one AGV 30, and the outbound transport is performed. After the outbound transport is completed, a return transport command to transport the cart 10 from the station 20 in the third-floor ward department D3 to any available station 20 in the pharmacy department D1 is assigned to one AGV 30, and the return transport is performed.

[0055] 12, combined transport control is executed to assign combined transport commands between the pharmacy department D1 and the 5th floor ward department D5 in accordance with the outbound reservation order, regardless of the return trip reservation order. That is, an outbound transport command to transport the cart 10 from station 20 in the pharmacy department D1 to any available station 20 in the 5th floor ward department D5 is assigned to one AGV 30, and the outbound transport is performed. After the outbound transport is completed, a return transport command to transport the cart 10 from station 20 in the 5th floor ward department D5 to any available station 20 in the pharmacy department D1 is assigned to one AGV 30, and the return transport is performed.

[0056] 13, combined transport control is executed to assign combined transport commands between the pharmacy department D1 and the fourth-floor ward department D4 in accordance with the outbound reservation order, regardless of the return trip reservation order. That is, an outbound transport command to transport the cart 10 from station 20 in the pharmacy department D1 to any available station 20 in the fourth-floor ward department D4 is assigned to one AGV 30, and the outbound transport is performed. After the outbound transport is completed, a return transport command to transport the cart 10 from station 20 in the fourth-floor ward department D4 to any available station 20 in the pharmacy department D1 is assigned to one AGV 30, and the return transport is performed.

[0057] As described above, in the conveyance system 1, when an outbound conveyance command and a return conveyance command of a combined conveyance command are stored in the memory unit 41 based on input from an operator, one automated guided vehicle 30 performs the outbound conveyance of the combined conveyance, and then the same automated guided vehicle 30 performs the return conveyance of the combined conveyance. This prevents the outbound conveyance and the return conveyance of the combined conveyance from being performed by two different automated guided vehicles 30. Control can be performed so that one automated guided vehicle 30 performs the conveyance in one round trip. As a result, for example, when conveyance is performed using an elevator that can accommodate one automated guided vehicle 30, the total waiting time for the elevator can be reduced. This makes it possible to improve conveyance efficiency.

[0058] In the transport system 1, the combined transport control assigns a movement command to move one automated guided vehicle 30 to a standby station immediately after the automated guided vehicle 30 has completed transport in accordance with an outbound transport command of the combined transport command, if a return transport command of the combined transport command has not yet been stored in the memory unit 41. This makes it possible to make the one automated guided vehicle 30 wait at the standby station immediately after the automated guided vehicle 30 has completed outbound transport of the combined transport, if there is no request for return transport of the combined transport.

[0059] In the transport system 1, in the combined transport control, when a return transport command of a combined transport command is stored in the storage unit 41, if an outward transport command of the combined transport command is not stored in the storage unit 41, the return transport command is held without being assigned to one automatic guided vehicle (see step S8 above). This allows outward transport to be carried out with priority.

[0060] In the transport system 1, the transport control unit 42 executes the combined transport control only during a specific time period, which makes it possible to control whether or not combined transport control is executed depending on the time period.

[0061] The transport system 1 includes a plurality of operation terminals 60 that receive input from an operator. The system controller 40 generates a transport command based on the input received at one of the operation terminals 60 (here, the operation terminal 60 of department D, the transport source). This makes it possible to input and generate a transport command using the operation terminal 60.

[0062] Although the embodiments have been described above, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0063] In the above embodiment of the integrated conveyance control, a move command is assigned to an automated guided vehicle 30 immediately after completing a conveyance according to a forward conveyance command of the integrated conveyance command if the return conveyance command of the integrated conveyance command has not yet been stored in the memory unit 41 (NO in step S4 above). However, instead, a wait command may be assigned to wait for a predetermined time at the destination post (second area) D of the forward conveyance command. Then, if the return conveyance command is stored in the memory unit 41, the return conveyance command may be assigned to an automated guided vehicle 30 that is waiting according to the wait command. This allows the automated guided vehicle 30 to wait for a predetermined time at the destination post D immediately after performing an outward conveyance of the integrated conveyance command, if there is no request for return conveyance of the integrated conveyance command. If a request for return conveyance of the integrated conveyance command is made during this wait, the automated guided vehicle can perform the return conveyance of the integrated conveyance command. The predetermined time may be set in advance or may be changeable by the system controller 40.

[0064] In the above embodiment of the combined conveyance control, when a single automated guided vehicle 30 has just completed a conveyance in accordance with a forward conveyance command of a combined conveyance command, if the return conveyance command of the combined conveyance command has not yet been stored in the memory unit 41 and an outward conveyance command of another combined conveyance command is stored in the memory unit 41, the automated guided vehicle 30 may be assigned an outward conveyance command of another combined conveyance command.

[0065] For example, the combined transport command includes an outbound transport command to transport the cart 10 placed in station 20 of the pharmacy department D1 to the ward department D3 on the third floor, and a return transport command to transport the cart 10 placed in station 20 of the ward department D3 on the third floor to the pharmacy department D1. Another combined transport command includes an outbound transport command to transport the cart 10 placed in station 20 of the pharmacy department D1 to the ward department D5 on the fifth floor, and a return transport command to transport the cart 10 placed in station 20 of the ward department D5 on the fifth floor to the pharmacy department D1.

[0066] In this case, in the combined transport control, when an outbound transport command of a combined transport command is stored in the memory unit 41, the outbound transport command is assigned to one AGV 30. As a result, the one AGV 30 transports the cart 10 from station 20 of the pharmacy department D1 to the third-floor ward department D3. After the transport is completed, if an outbound transport command of another combined transport command is stored in the memory unit 41 before the return transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the memory unit 41, the one AGV 30 is assigned the outbound transport command of the other combined transport command. As a result, the one AGV 30 moves from the third-floor ward department D3 to the pharmacy department D1, and transports the cart 10 from station 20 of the pharmacy department D1 to the fifth-floor ward department D5. In this way, immediately after one automated guided vehicle 30 has performed outbound transport of a combined transport, if there is no request yet for return transport of that combined transport but there is a request for outbound transport of another combined transport, it is possible for one automated guided vehicle 30 to perform outbound transport of the other combined transport.

[0067] In this case, the pharmacy department D1 constitutes the first and third areas, the third floor ward department D3 constitutes the second area, and the fifth floor ward department D5 constitutes the fourth area. The first to fourth areas are not particularly limited and may be other areas. The first and third areas may be the same or different. If the first and third areas are different, the second and fourth areas may be the same or different. If the first and third areas are the same, it is sufficient that the second and fourth areas are different.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the departments D that are the target of the combined transport command may be some of the multiple departments D (for example, the pharmacy department D1 and the ward departments D3 to D5 on the 3rd to 5th floors), and other departments D (for example, the ward department on the 2nd floor) may not be the target of the combined transport command.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the cart 10 is provided as the transported object, but the transported object is not particularly limited and may be various objects. In the above embodiment, the transport system 1 is applied to the automatic transport of the cart 10 between multiple departments D, but the field to which one aspect of the present invention is applicable is not particularly limited and the invention can be applied to various fields.

[0070] The components in the above embodiments and modifications are not limited to the materials and shapes described above, and various materials and shapes can be applied. Each component in the above embodiments or modifications can be applied as desired to each component in other embodiments or modifications. Parts of each component in the above embodiments or modifications can be omitted as appropriate without departing from the spirit of one aspect of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1...transport system, 10...cart (transported object), 20...station, 30...automated guided vehicle, 40...system controller (operation management unit), 41...memory unit, 42...transport control unit, 60...operation terminal, D...department (area), D1...pharmacy department (area, 1st area, 3rd area), D2...ward department (area, 2nd area), D3...3rd floor ward department (area, 2nd area), D4...4th floor ward department (area, 2nd area), D5...5th floor ward department (area, 2nd area, 4th area).

Claims

1. A transport system that transports objects between a plurality of areas, a plurality of stations provided in each of the plurality of areas, in which the transported objects are placed; an automated guided vehicle that transports an object; an operation management unit including a storage unit that stores a transport command; and a transport control unit that controls the automated guided vehicle based on the transport command stored in the storage unit; The storage unit a forward transfer command which is the transfer command for transferring an object placed at the station in a first area of ​​the plurality of areas to a second area of ​​the plurality of areas, and a backward transfer command which is the transfer command for transferring an object placed at the station in the second area to the first area, and at least one of the forward transfer command and the backward transfer command in a composite transfer command including the forward transfer command and the backward transfer command; In the composite transport command, the outbound transport command and the return transport command are paired, The transport control unit a transport system that executes a combined transport control in which, when the outbound transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the storage unit, the outbound transport command of the combined transport command is assigned to one of the automated guided vehicles, and, when the return transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the storage unit, the return transport command is assigned to one of the automated guided vehicles immediately after the completion of transport according to the outbound transport command.

2. In the composite transport control, 2. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein a movement command to move to a standby station is assigned to one of the automated guided vehicles immediately after the automated guided vehicle has completed a conveyance in accordance with the outbound conveyance command of the integrated conveying command, when the return conveyance command of the integrated conveying command has not yet been stored in the storage unit.

3. In the composite transport control, assigning a standby command to one of the automated guided vehicles immediately after completing transportation according to the outbound transportation command of the integrated transportation command, in a case where the return transportation command of the integrated transportation command has not yet been stored in the storage unit, to have the automated guided vehicle wait in the second area for a predetermined time; 2. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein when the return transport command is stored in the storage unit, the return transport command is assigned to one of the automatic guided vehicles that is waiting in response to the standby command.

4. The storage unit at least one of an outward transport command and a return transport command in another composite transport command including an outward transport command which is the transport command for transporting an object placed at the station in a third area of ​​the plurality of areas to a fourth area of ​​the plurality of areas, and a return transport command which is the transport command for transporting an object placed at the station in the fourth area to the third area, In the other combined transport command, the outgoing transport command and the return transport command are paired, The commands can be stored as other composite transport commands in association with each other, In the composite transport control, 2. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein, when the return transport command of the combined conveying command has not yet been stored in the storage unit and the outbound transport command of another combined conveying command has been stored in the storage unit, the outbound transport command of another combined conveying command is assigned to one of the automated guided vehicles immediately after the automated guided vehicle has completed transport according to the outbound transport command of the combined conveying command.

5. In the composite transport control, 5. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein, when the return transport command of the combined transport command is stored in the storage unit, if the outward transport command of the combined transport command is not stored in the storage unit, the return transport command is held without being assigned to one of the automated guided vehicles.

6. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transport control unit executes the combined transport control only during a specific time period.

7. A plurality of operation terminals are provided to receive input from operators, The transportation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operation control unit generates the transportation command based on an input received at any one of the plurality of operation terminals.

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