Goods transport equipment

Abstract

To appropriately control a conveying vehicle traveling in a specific section including at least one of a branch point and a merging point even when an abnormality such as a communication failure or failure occurs in a control system.SOLUTION: A normal control mode and an alternative control mode are set as control modes executed by a control system including an upper control device Ct and a section control device Cz. The normal control mode is a mode in which a conveying vehicle V in a specific section Z is controlled by the section control device Cz in charge of the specific section Z, and the alternative control mode is a mode in which the conveying vehicle V in the specific section Z is controlled by the upper control device Ct instead of the section control device Cz in charge of the specific section Z. In at least one of the cases where there is an abnormality in the communication between the section control device Cz and the upper control device Ct, and where there is an abnormality in the communication between the section control device Cz and the conveying vehicle V, the control mode becomes the alternative control mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an item transport facility that includes a transport vehicle for transporting items, a travel route having a specific section that includes at least one of a branching point and a merging point, and a section control device that controls the transport vehicle traveling on the specific section. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of such an article transport facility is disclosed as a transport vehicle system in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-221309 (Patent Document 1). References in parentheses in the following description of the background art refer to those in Patent Document 1.

[0003] In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the travel route (4) of the transport vehicles (6) is divided into a plurality of zones, and a zone controller (20-22) is provided for each zone to control the transport vehicles (6) in each zone. Each zone controller (20-22) controls each of the transport vehicles (6) so that the transport vehicles (6) do not interfere with each other at junctions (8), branching points (9), etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-221309 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, each zone controller (20-22) controls the guided vehicles (6) in the zone that it is responsible for. However, if a trouble such as a communication failure or breakdown occurs in a zone controller, the guided vehicles (6) in the zone that the zone controller is responsible for will not be properly controlled, which may result in a situation where multiple guided vehicles (6) interfere with each other.

[0006] In light of the above situation, it is desirable to realize technology that can appropriately control transport vehicles traveling in specific sections that include at least one of a branching point and a merging point, even if an abnormality such as a communication failure or malfunction occurs in the control system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Transporting goods Multiple A transport vehicle, a travel route on which the transport vehicle travels, the travel route including a specific section including at least one of a branch point and a junction point; a section control device provided corresponding to each of the plurality of specific sections, the section control device controlling the transport vehicles traveling in the specific sections; a host control device that controls the transport vehicle and the plurality of section control devices, An article transport facility configured so that the transport vehicle, the plurality of section control devices, and the upper control device can communicate with each other, A normal control mode and an alternative control mode are set as control modes executed by a control system including the upper control device and the section control device, the normal control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed by the section control device in charge of the specific section, the alternative control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed by the higher-level control device instead of the section control device in charge of the specific section, When the communication between the upper control device and the section control device and the communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle are normal, the control mode becomes the normal control mode, When there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device, or when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle, the control mode becomes the alternative control mode. the law of nature, the alternative control mode is executed in the specific section in which the section control device having an abnormality in communication with at least one of the upper control device and the transport vehicle is installed among the plurality of specific sections; the normal control mode is executed in the specific section in which the section control device that has normal communication with both the upper control device and the transport vehicle is installed among the plurality of specific sections; the section control device is configured to control travel of the transport vehicle that has transmitted a passage request signal to pass through the specific section that the section control device is responsible for, the upper control device notifies the plurality of guided vehicles that the passage request signal is to be sent to the upper control device when the guided vehicles pass through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is being executed; Each of the plurality of transport vehicles transmits the passage request signal to the upper control device when passing through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is being executed, and transmits the passage request signal to the section control device in charge of the specific section when passing through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is not being executed. .

[0008] According to this configuration, when communication between the upper control device and the section control device and communication between the section control device and the guided vehicles are normal, the control mode is set to normal control mode, allowing the section control device to appropriately control the guided vehicles in the specific section. In this way, under normal conditions when communication is normal, control of the guided vehicles in the specific section is performed by the section control device, thereby reducing the processing load on the upper control device. On the other hand, when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device or when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the guided vehicles, the control mode is set to alternative control mode, allowing the upper control device to control the guided vehicles in the specific section instead of the section control device responsible for the specific section. Therefore, even if the section control device is unable to control the guided vehicles in the specific section it is responsible for due to a communication abnormality, the upper control device can appropriately control the guided vehicles. As described above, according to this configuration, even if an abnormality such as a communication failure or breakdown occurs in the control system, it is possible to appropriately control guided vehicles traveling in a specific section including at least one of a branch point and a merging point.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the techniques according to the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Plan view of the goods transport facility [Figure 2] Control Block Diagram [Figure 3] A diagram showing the control of a transport vehicle traveling in a specific section. [Figure 4] Diagram showing each control mode [Figure 5] Diagram showing normal control mode (example 1) [Figure 6] Diagram showing normal control mode (example 2) [Figure 7]Diagram showing alternative control modes [Figure 8] Diagram showing independent control mode [Figure 9] Diagram showing sleep mode [Figure 10] Timing chart showing the communication cycle of the transport vehicle DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an article transport facility will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1 and 2, the article conveying facility 100 includes a transport vehicle V that conveys articles, a travel route R on which the transport vehicle V travels and which includes specific sections Z that include at least one of a branch point and a junction point, a section controller Cz that is provided corresponding to each of the multiple specific sections Z and controls the transport vehicle V that travels through the specific sections Z, and a host controller Ct that controls the transport vehicle V and the multiple section controllers Cz. The transport vehicle V, the multiple section controllers Cz, and the host controller Ct are configured to be able to communicate with each other.

[0013] In this embodiment, the article conveying facility 100 includes a plurality of conveying vehicles V. Each of the plurality of conveying vehicles V is configured to perform its own task based on a conveying command given from a host control device Ct. Examples of the conveying vehicles V include an unmanned conveying vehicle that travels along the floor surface and a ceiling conveying vehicle that travels near the ceiling.

[0014] Various items are handled by item transport equipment 100. For example, when item transport equipment 100 is used in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, the items include wafer containers (so-called FOUPs: Front Opening Unified Pods) that store wafers, reticle containers (so-called reticle pods) that store reticles, etc. In this case, transport vehicle V transports items such as wafer containers and reticle containers along travel path R between each process.

[0015] The travel route R includes straight and curved routes, as well as intersections where multiple routes intersect. Intersections include branch points where one route branches into multiple routes and junction points where multiple routes merge. As described above, the specific section Z includes at least one of such branch points and junction points. The specific section Z includes one or more branch points, one or more junction points, or a combination thereof. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the specific section Z is set to a range on the travel route R that includes multiple branch points and multiple junction points. The range of the specific section Z can be determined arbitrarily.

[0016] The host control device Ct is configured to control a plurality of transport vehicles V and a plurality of section control devices Cz. For example, the host control device Ct is configured to issue a transport command to each transport vehicle V specifying the origin and destination of an item. The host control device Ct is configured to be able to communicate with each transport vehicle V, and is able to grasp the current position of each transport vehicle V. The host control device Ct is also configured to be able to communicate with each section control device Cz, and is able to grasp the status of each specific section Z by receiving status reports (reports on traffic conditions, etc.) regarding each specific section Z from each section control device Cz.

[0017] Each section control device Cz is configured to control the guided vehicles V traveling in the specific section Z that it is responsible for. Specifically, the section control device Cz controls the travel of multiple guided vehicles V in the specific section Z that it is responsible for so as not to interfere with each other. For example, FIG. 3 shows a state in which two guided vehicles V (one of which is a first guided vehicle V1 and the other is a second guided vehicle V2) are traveling in the specific section Z that includes a branch point and a merging point. When the first guided vehicle V1 and the second guided vehicle V2 are scheduled to pass through the same merging point, the section control device Cz causes the two vehicles to pass through at different times. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the section control device Cz controls the travel of both the first guided vehicle V1 to pass through the merging point first and the second guided vehicle V2 to pass through the merging point after the first guided vehicle V1 by slowing down or stopping the second guided vehicle V2. In this embodiment, the section control device Cz is configured to control the travel of the guided vehicle V that has transmitted a passage request signal Sr (see FIG. 5, etc.) to pass through the specific section Z that it is responsible for. Details will be described later.

[0018] The host control device Ct and the zone control device Cz each include, for example, a processor such as a microcomputer, peripheral circuits such as memory, etc. Each process or function is realized by cooperation between this hardware and a program executed on the processor of a computer, etc. The article conveying facility 100 includes a control system that includes at least the host control device Ct and the zone control device Cz. This control system may include other control devices in addition to the host control device Ct and the zone control device Cz.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 4, the article transport facility 100 has a plurality of control modes for controlling the transport vehicle V traveling in the specific section Z. That is, a normal control mode and an alternative control mode are set as control modes executed by a control system including the upper control device Ct and the section control device Cz. In this embodiment, in addition to the normal control mode and the alternative control mode, an independent control mode is set as a control mode. Furthermore, in addition to the above modes, a pause mode is set as a control mode.

[0020] In normal control mode, the section control device Cz is the main controller, and the upper control device Ct performs auxiliary control. In alternative control mode, the main controller is Ct, and the section control device Cz is not involved in control. In independent control mode, the main controller is Cz, and the upper control device Ct is not involved in control. In pause mode, neither the section control device Cz nor the upper control device Ct is involved in control. Details will be described later, but in pause mode, for example, a worker W controls the transport vehicle V (see Figure 9). Each control mode will be described in detail below.

[0021] 5 and 6 show the control of the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z in the normal control mode.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 5, the normal control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle V in a specific section Z is performed by the section control device Cz in charge of the specific section Z. When communication between the upper control device Ct and the section control device Cz and communication between the section control device Cz and the transport vehicle V are normal, the control mode becomes the normal control mode. That is, in the normal control mode in which the section control device Cz is the main control device and the upper control device Ct assists the section control device Cz (see Fig. 4), the section control device Cz is required to be able to communicate with both the upper control device Ct and the transport vehicle V.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 5(a), in this embodiment, the transport vehicle V is configured to transmit a passage request signal Sr to the control entity of the specific section Z upstream of the specific section Z (more specifically, a branching point or merging point in the specific section Z; the same applies below) to request permission to pass through. In the normal control mode, the transport vehicle V transmits the passage request signal Sr to the section control device Cz provided corresponding to the specific section Z through which the transport vehicle V is about to pass.

[0024] Then, when the section control device Cz receives the passage request signal Sr, if it is to allow the transport vehicle V that sent the passage request signal Sr to pass, it sends a passage permission signal Sp to the transport vehicle V to allow it to pass.

[0025] In this embodiment, if there is another guided vehicle V (preceding guided vehicle) that transmitted a passage request signal Sr before the guided vehicle V (following guided vehicle) that transmitted the passage request signal Sr, and the other guided vehicle V (preceding guided vehicle) has not yet passed through the specific section Z, the section control device Cz does not allow the guided vehicle V (following guided vehicle) that subsequently transmitted the passage request signal Sr to pass through the specific section Z. If there is no other guided vehicle V (preceding guided vehicle) preceding the guided vehicle V (following guided vehicle) that transmitted the passage request signal Sr, or if there is another guided vehicle V (preceding guided vehicle) that has already passed through the specific section Z even if it exists, the section control device Cz allows the guided vehicle V (following guided vehicle) that subsequently transmitted the passage request signal Sr to pass through the specific section Z.

[0026] The transport vehicle V that receives the passage permission signal Sp from the section control device Cz travels through the specific section Z. Although detailed illustration is omitted, if the transport vehicle V does not receive the passage permission signal Sp, i.e., if the transport vehicle V is not given permission to pass through the specific section Z from the section control device Cz, it will stop upstream of the specific section Z and wait until it is given permission to pass through the specific section Z from the section control device Cz.

[0027] 5(b), after the transport vehicle V has passed through the specific section Z, it transmits a passage completion signal Sc to the section control device Cz to notify the completion of passage. Upon receiving the passage completion signal Sc, the section control device Cz becomes ready to accept the next transport vehicle V into the specific section Z.

[0028] In this embodiment, in a specific section Z where the normal control mode is being executed, the travel of the transport vehicle V is controlled by the section control device Cz in charge of the specific section Z, and auxiliary control is executed by the host control device Ct to assist the control of the section control device Cz. FIG. 6 shows, as Example 2, an example in which the host control device Ct assists the section control device Cz in the normal control mode. Note that FIG. 5 referred to in the above description shows, as Example 1, an example in which the host control device Ct does not assist the section control device Cz in the normal control mode. Hereinafter, Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0029] 6(a), the transport vehicle V transmits a passage request signal Sr to the section control device Cz. When the section control device Cz receives the passage request signal Sr and permits the transport vehicle V that transmitted the passage request signal Sr to pass, the section control device Cz transmits a passage permission signal Sp to the transport vehicle V.

[0030] Here, as shown in FIG. 6(b), there may be cases where the target guided vehicle V, which is the guided vehicle V that transmitted the passage request signal Sr, does not subsequently respond to the section control device Cz. This can occur due to poor communication or a malfunction. For the section control device Cz, which mainly exchanges requests and permission to pass through a specific section Z with the guided vehicle V, if there is no response from the guided vehicle V, the presence or absence of the said guided vehicle V is unknown.

[0031] In this embodiment, after receiving a passage request signal Sr from a target guided vehicle V, the section control device Cz makes an inquiry to the upper control device Ct if there is no passage completion signal Sc (response) from the target guided vehicle V before a predetermined specified period has elapsed. This "specified period" is determined appropriately based on the distance of the specific section Z, the traveling speed of the guided vehicle V, etc.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6(c), the host control device Ct that has received the inquiry confirms whether the target guided vehicle V is present in the specific section Z based on the current position information Iv of the target guided vehicle V acquired from the target guided vehicle V, and notifies the section control device Cz of the confirmation result. That is, in the auxiliary control, if there is no subsequent response from the target guided vehicle V, which is the guided vehicle V that transmitted the passage request signal Sr, to the section control device Cz, the host control device Ct notifies the section control device Cz of the presence or absence of the target guided vehicle V in the specific section Z. With the above configuration, even if there is no response from the guided vehicle V to the section control device Cz, the section control device Cz and the host control device Ct can cooperate to more appropriately control the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z.

[0033] When the section control device Cz receives notification from the upper control device Ct that the target guided vehicle V is present in the specific section Z, it will not accept the next guided vehicle V into the specific section Z. On the other hand, when the section control device Cz receives notification from the upper control device Ct that the target guided vehicle V has already left (is not present in) the specific section Z, it becomes able to accept the next guided vehicle V.

[0034] FIG. 7 shows the control of the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z in the alternative control mode.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7 , the alternative control mode is a mode in which the control of the guided vehicle V in a specific section Z is performed by the host controller Ct instead of the section controller Cz in charge of the specific section Z. The control mode becomes the alternative control mode when there is an abnormality in communication between the section controller Cz and the host controller Ct, or when there is an abnormality in communication between the section controller Cz and the guided vehicle V. That is, when the section controller Cz is unable to communicate with at least one of the host controller Ct and the guided vehicle V, an abnormality is found in communication involving the section controller Cz, or an abnormality is found in the section controller Cz itself. Therefore, in such cases, the control mode becomes the alternative control mode, and the host controller Ct controls the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z instead of the section controller Cz. In this embodiment, the control mode becomes the alternative control mode when there is an abnormality in communication between the section controller Cz and the host controller Ct and when there is an abnormality in communication between the section controller Cz and the guided vehicle V. This makes it possible to determine with high reliability whether an abnormality has occurred in the communication involving the section control device Cz or whether the section control device Cz itself has failed. In this example, when an abnormality has occurred in the communication involving the section control device Cz as described above, the control mode becomes the alternative control mode, with the additional condition that the communication between the upper control device Ct and the guided vehicle V is normal.

[0036] By utilizing the alternative control mode, the host control device Ct can independently control the transport vehicle V in the specific section Z. For example, even if the section control device Cz is not available due to a cause other than the above-mentioned communication abnormality, such as the section control device Cz being undergoing maintenance or a delivery delay of the section control device Cz, it is possible to control the transport vehicle V by controlling the host control device Ct. In addition, by utilizing the alternative control mode, it is possible to control the transport vehicle V solely by the host control device Ct even when the transport vehicle V is to be test-driven in the specific section Z, for example, before starting up the article transport equipment 100.

[0037] In this embodiment, the upper control device Ct notifies the multiple guided vehicles V that the destination of the passage request signal Sr when passing through the specific section Z where the alternative control mode is being executed is to be the upper control device Ct. This makes it possible to appropriately set the destination of the passage request signal Sr required when passing through each specific section Z for each of the multiple guided vehicles V traveling at various points on the travel route R. Therefore, when the guided vehicles V attempt to pass through each specific section Z, they can smoothly request permission to pass from the control device that has the authority to determine whether or not to allow passage.

[0038] In this embodiment, the control device that has the authority to determine whether or not to allow the transport vehicle V to pass through each specific section Z is the upper control device Ct for the specific section Z where the alternative control mode is being executed, and is the section control device Cz in charge of controlling the specific section Z for the specific section Z where the normal control mode is being executed. That is, when each of the multiple transport vehicles V passes through a specific section Z where the alternative control mode is being executed, it transmits a passage request signal Sr to the upper control device Ct. On the other hand, when each of the multiple transport vehicles V passes through a specific section Z where the alternative control mode is not being executed (for example, a specific section Z where the normal control mode is being executed), it transmits a passage request signal Sr to the section control device Cz in charge of the specific section Z.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 7(a), in the alternative control mode, the transport vehicle V transmits a passage request signal Sr to the upper control device Ct upstream of the specific section Z. Then, upon receiving the passage request signal Sr, the upper control device Ct transmits a passage permission signal Sp to the transport vehicle V if the transport vehicle V that transmitted the passage request signal Sr is permitted to pass.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7(b), the transport vehicle V that has received a passage permission signal Sp from the upper control device Ct travels through the specific section Z. After the transport vehicle V has passed through the specific section Z, it transmits a passage completion signal Sc to the upper control device Ct. Upon receiving the passage completion signal Sc, the upper control device Ct becomes ready to accept the next transport vehicle V into the specific section Z.

[0041] While the alternative control mode is being executed in the specific section Z, if the section control device Cz that was found to be abnormal is repaired or otherwise required, and the section control device Cz becomes recoverable, the control mode in the specific section Z transitions from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode. In this embodiment, the transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode is performed on the condition that a control instruction is output from the host control device Ct to the section control device Cz and a response is received from the host control device Ct in response. Note that in the alternative control mode, the host control device Ct continues to control the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z until the response is received from the section control device Cz. Then, when the response is received from the section control device Cz, the host control device Ct stops controlling the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z, and the section control device Cz starts the control. This allows for a smooth transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode, and as a result, it is possible to avoid a period in which the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z is not controlled.

[0042] In this manner, the alternative control mode is executed in the specific section Z. As described above, the alternative control mode is executed in a specific section Z among the multiple specific sections Z, in which a section control device Cz having an abnormality in communication with at least one of the upper control device Ct and the transport vehicle V is provided. In this embodiment, the normal control mode is executed in a specific section Z among the multiple specific sections Z, in which a section control device Cz having normal communication with both the upper control device Ct and the transport vehicle V is provided.

[0043] FIG. 8 shows the control of the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z in the independent control mode.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 8, the independent control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle V in a specific section Z is performed solely by the section control device Cz in charge of the specific section Z, without auxiliary control by the host control device Ct. Even without the assistance of the host control device Ct, the section control device Cz can independently control the transport vehicle V in the specific section Z by utilizing the independent control mode. For example, even if the host control device Ct is not available because the host control device Ct is undergoing maintenance or because of a delivery delay by the host control device Ct, it is possible to run the transport vehicle V under the control of the section control device Cz. In addition, for example, when running a test run of the transport vehicle V in the specific section Z before starting up the article conveying equipment 100, the independent control mode can be used to control the transport vehicle V solely by the section control device Cz.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 8(a), in the independent control mode, the guided vehicle V transmits a passage request signal Sr to the section control device Cz upstream of the specific section Z. Then, upon receiving the passage request signal Sr, the section control device Cz transmits a passage permission signal Sp to the guided vehicle V if the guided vehicle V that transmitted the passage request signal Sr is permitted to pass.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8(b), the guided vehicle V that has received a passage permission signal Sp from the section control device Cz travels through the specific section Z. After passing through the specific section Z, the guided vehicle V transmits a passage completion signal Sc to the section control device Cz. Upon receiving the passage completion signal Sc, the section control device Cz becomes ready to accept the next guided vehicle V into the specific section Z.

[0047] FIG. 9 shows the control of the transport vehicle V in the specific section Z in the pause mode.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 9, the pause mode is a mode in which neither the upper control device Ct nor the section control device Cz controls the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z. For example, in the pause mode, the control of the guided vehicle V in the specific section Z is performed by an operator W. As shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), an operation signal Sm is transmitted to the guided vehicle V by the operator W operating the operation terminal Cw, and the guided vehicle V is controlled based on the operation signal Sm. In the pause mode in this example, the operation signal Sm is transmitted unilaterally from the operation terminal Cw to the guided vehicle V, and the above-mentioned passage request signal Sr and passage completion signal Sc are not transmitted from the guided vehicle V. However, this is merely an example, and does not exclude a configuration in which a signal is transmitted from the guided vehicle V to the operation terminal Cw.

[0049] By utilizing this pause mode, it is possible to perform work such as maintenance on the upper control device Ct and the section control device Cz. Even while such work is being performed, for example, a worker W can use the operation terminal Cw to control the transport vehicle V in the specific section Z.

[0050] The above describes a configuration in which the transport vehicle V transmits a passage request signal Sr or a passage completion signal Sc to the upper control device Ct or the section control device Cz. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle is configured to transmit signals to each of the upper control device Ct and the section control device Cz at a specified communication cycle. That is, the transport vehicle V transmits a signal to the upper control device Ct or the section control device Cz, and if there is no response, it transmits the signal again. In this way, the period from when the transport vehicle V transmits a signal until it transmits the next signal is the communication cycle.

[0051] For example, with regard to the passage request signal Sr transmitted when the transport vehicle V requests permission to pass through a specific section Z, the shorter the communication cycle, the more opportunities the transport vehicle V has to be granted passage permission per unit time, which is preferable. On the other hand, this has the problem of increasing the processing load on the control device (the upper control device Ct or the section control device Cz) that receives the passage request signal Sr, and this problem becomes more pronounced in the case of the upper control device Ct that manages the entire travel route R in an integrated manner.

[0052] Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, in this embodiment, the first communication period T1, which is the communication period between the transport vehicle V and the upper control device Ct, is set to be longer than the second communication period T2, which is the communication period between the transport vehicle V and the section control device Cz.

[0053] This makes it possible to make the number of communications per unit time between the transport vehicle V and the host controller Ct less than the number of communications per unit time between the transport vehicle V and the section controller Cz. Therefore, even when communication between the transport vehicle V and the host controller Ct is necessary, the processing load on the host controller Ct can be prevented from becoming too large. Conversely, since the number of communications per unit time between the transport vehicle V and the section controller Cz can be made greater than the number of communications per unit time between the transport vehicle V and the host controller Ct, it becomes easier to ensure, for example, more opportunities for the transport vehicle V to be given passage permission from the section controller Cz.

[0054] Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the article transport facility will be described.

[0055] (1) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode is made on the condition that a control instruction is output from the upper control device Ct to the section control device Cz and a response is received from the section control device Cz to the upper control device Ct. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode may be made without waiting for a response from the section control device Cz.

[0056] (2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the normal control mode is executed in a specific section Z in which a section control device Cz that has normal communication with both the upper control device Ct and the transport vehicle V is provided among multiple specific sections Z. However, without being limited to this example, even in a specific section Z in which a section control device Cz that has normal communication with both the upper control device Ct and the transport vehicle V is provided, the alternative control mode may be executed instead of the normal control mode.

[0057] (3) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the host control device Ct notifies the multiple guided vehicles V that the destination of a passage request signal Sr when passing through a specific section Z in which the alternative control mode is being executed is the host control device Ct, and each of the multiple guided vehicles V transmits a passage request signal Sr to the host control device Ct when passing through the specific section Z in which the alternative control mode is being executed. However, the example is not limited to this, and the host control device Ct does not need to notify the guided vehicles V in advance. The guided vehicles V may first transmit a passage request signal Sr to the section control device Cz that was in charge of the specific section Z in which the alternative control mode is being executed, and if there is no response from the section control device Cz (naturally, there is no response because the alternative control mode is being executed), they may transmit a passage request signal Sr to the host control device Ct.

[0058] (4) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the first communication cycle T1, which is the communication cycle between the transport vehicle V and the upper control device Ct, is set longer than the second communication cycle T2, which is the communication cycle between the transport vehicle V and the section control device Cz. However, without being limited to this example, the first communication cycle T1 and the second communication cycle T2 may be equal.

[0059] (5) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the control modes include the normal control mode, the alternative control mode, the independent control mode, and the sleep mode. However, the independent control mode and the sleep mode are not essential modes.

[0060] (6) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments may be combined with configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as no contradictions arise. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications may be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] [Summary of the above embodiment] The above-described article transport facility will now be described.

[0062] a transport vehicle for transporting an article; a travel route on which the transport vehicle travels, the travel route including a specific section including at least one of a branch point and a junction point; a section control device provided corresponding to each of the plurality of specific sections, the section control device controlling the transport vehicles traveling in the specific sections; a host control device that controls the transport vehicle and the plurality of section control devices, An article transport facility configured so that the transport vehicle, the plurality of section control devices, and the upper control device can communicate with each other, A normal control mode and an alternative control mode are set as control modes executed by a control system including the upper control device and the section control device, the normal control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed by the section control device in charge of the specific section, the alternative control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed by the higher-level control device instead of the section control device in charge of the specific section, When the communication between the upper control device and the section control device and the communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle are normal, the control mode becomes the normal control mode, The control mode becomes the alternative control mode when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device, or when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle.

[0063] According to this configuration, when communication between the upper control device and the section control device and communication between the section control device and the guided vehicles are normal, the control mode is set to normal control mode, allowing the section control device to appropriately control the guided vehicles in the specific section. In this way, under normal conditions when communication is normal, control of the guided vehicles in the specific section is performed by the section control device, thereby reducing the processing load on the upper control device. On the other hand, when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device or when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the guided vehicles, the control mode is set to alternative control mode, allowing the upper control device to control the guided vehicles in the specific section instead of the section control device responsible for the specific section. Therefore, even if the section control device is unable to control the guided vehicles in the specific section it is responsible for due to a communication abnormality, the upper control device can appropriately control the guided vehicles. As described above, according to this configuration, even if an abnormality such as a communication failure or breakdown occurs in the control system, it is possible to appropriately control guided vehicles traveling in a specific section including at least one of a branch point and a merging point.

[0064] It is preferable that the control mode be set to the alternative control mode when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device and when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle.

[0065] According to this configuration, it is possible to determine with high reliability that an abnormality has occurred in communication involving the section control device.

[0066] the transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode is performed on the condition that a control instruction is output from the upper level control device to the section control device and a response is received from the section control device to the upper level control device in response thereto; In the alternative control mode, the upper control device preferably continues to control the transport vehicle in the specific section until the response is received from the section control device.

[0067] This configuration allows a smooth transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode, and prevents a period in which the guided vehicles are not controlled in a specific section.

[0068] the alternative control mode is executed in the specific section in which the section control device having an abnormality in communication with at least one of the upper control device and the transport vehicle is installed among the plurality of specific sections; It is preferable that the normal control mode is executed in the specific section among the plurality of specific sections in which the section control device having normal communication with both the upper control device and the transport vehicle is installed.

[0069] According to this configuration, an appropriate control mode can be executed depending on the situation of each of the plurality of specific sections.

[0070] A plurality of the transport vehicles are provided, the section control device is configured to control travel of the transport vehicle that has transmitted a passage request signal to pass through the specific section that the section control device is responsible for, the upper control device notifies the plurality of guided vehicles that the passage request signal is to be sent to the upper control device when the guided vehicles pass through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is being executed; Preferably, each of the multiple transport vehicles transmits the passage request signal to the upper control device when passing through the specific section where the alternative control mode is being executed, and transmits the passage request signal to the section control device in charge of the specific section when passing through the specific section where the alternative control mode is not being executed.

[0071] According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately set the destination of a passage request signal required for passing through each specific section for each of a plurality of guided vehicles traveling along the travel route. Therefore, when a guided vehicle attempts to pass through each specific section, it can smoothly request permission to pass from a control device that has the authority to determine whether or not to allow passage.

[0072] the transport vehicle is configured to transmit signals to the upper control device and the section control device at a specified communication cycle, It is preferable that a first communication cycle, which is the communication cycle between the transport vehicle and the upper control device, is set longer than a second communication cycle, which is the communication cycle between the transport vehicle and the section control device.

[0073] With this configuration, the number of communications per unit time between the transport vehicle and the host controller can be made smaller than the number of communications per unit time between the transport vehicle and the section controller. Therefore, even when communication between the transport vehicle and the host controller is required, the processing load on the host controller can be prevented from becoming too large.

[0074] In the specific section where the normal control mode is being executed, the section control device in charge of the specific section controls the travel of the transport vehicle, and the upper control device executes auxiliary control to assist the control of the section control device, Preferably, in the auxiliary control, if there is no subsequent response from the target transport vehicle, which is the transport vehicle that sent the passage request signal, to the section control device, the upper control device notifies the section control device of the presence or absence of the target transport vehicle in the specific section.

[0075] According to this configuration, the section control device and the higher-level control device cooperate with each other to more appropriately control the transport vehicles in the specific section.

[0076] As the control mode, an independent control mode is set in addition to the normal control mode and the alternative control mode, The independent control mode is preferably a mode in which the transport vehicle in the specific section is controlled solely by the section control device in charge of the specific section, without the auxiliary control by the higher-level control device.

[0077] According to this configuration, even without the assistance of a higher-level control device, the section control device can control the transport vehicle in a specific section by itself. For example, even if the higher-level control device is not available due to maintenance on the higher-level control device or a delivery delay of the higher-level control device, the transport vehicle can still be controlled by the section control device. [Industrial Applicability]

[0078] The technology disclosed herein can be used in an item transport facility that includes a transport vehicle that transports items, a travel route that has a specific section that includes at least one of a branching point and a merging point, and a section control device that controls the transport vehicle traveling on the specific section. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 100: Goods transport equipment Ct: Upper control device Cz: Section control device V: Transport vehicle R: Travel route Z: Specific section Sr: Passage request signal T1: 1st communication cycle T2: 2nd communication cycle

Claims

1. a plurality of transport vehicles for transporting articles; a travel route on which the transport vehicle travels, the travel route including a specific section including at least one of a branch point and a junction point; a section control device provided corresponding to each of the plurality of specific sections, the section control device controlling the transport vehicles traveling in the specific sections; a host control device that controls the transport vehicle and the plurality of section control devices, An article transport facility configured so that the transport vehicle, the plurality of section control devices, and the upper control device can communicate with each other, A normal control mode and an alternative control mode are set as control modes executed by a control system including the upper control device and the section control device, the normal control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed by the section control device in charge of the specific section, the alternative control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed by the higher-level control device instead of the section control device in charge of the specific section, When the communication between the upper control device and the section control device and the communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle are normal, the control mode becomes the normal control mode, When there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device, or when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle, the control mode becomes the alternative control mode, the alternative control mode is executed in the specific section in which the section control device having an abnormality in communication with at least one of the upper control device and the transport vehicle is installed among the plurality of specific sections; the normal control mode is executed in the specific section in which the section control device that has normal communication with both the upper control device and the transport vehicle is installed among the plurality of specific sections; the section control device is configured to control travel of the transport vehicle that has transmitted a passage request signal to pass through the specific section that the section control device is responsible for, the upper control device notifies the plurality of guided vehicles that the passage request signal is to be sent to the upper control device when the guided vehicles pass through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is being executed; An item transport facility in which each of the multiple transport vehicles transmits the passage request signal to the upper control device when passing through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is being executed, and transmits the passage request signal to the section control device in charge of the specific section when passing through the specific section in which the alternative control mode is not being executed.

2. 2. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein the control mode is set to the alternative control mode when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the upper control device and when there is an abnormality in communication between the section control device and the transport vehicle.

3. the transition from the alternative control mode to the normal control mode is performed on the condition that a control instruction is output from the upper level control device to the section control device and a response is received from the section control device to the upper level control device in response thereto; 2. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein in the alternative control mode, the host controller continues to control the transport vehicles in the specific section until the response is received from the section controller.

4. the transport vehicle is configured to transmit signals to the upper control device and the section control device at a specified communication cycle, 2. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein a first communication cycle, which is the communication cycle between the transport vehicle and the upper control device, is set longer than a second communication cycle, which is the communication cycle between the transport vehicle and the section control device.

5. In the specific section where the normal control mode is being executed, the section control device in charge of the specific section controls the travel of the transport vehicle, and the upper control device executes auxiliary control to assist the control of the section control device, the section control device, after receiving the passage request signal from the target guided vehicle, which is the guided vehicle that transmitted the passage request signal, if there is no passage completion signal from the target guided vehicle until a predetermined specified period has elapsed, makes an inquiry to the upper control device; 2. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein, in the auxiliary control, if there is no subsequent response from the target transport vehicle that transmitted the passage request signal to the section control device, the upper control device notifies the section control device of the presence or absence of the target transport vehicle in the specific section.

6. As the control mode, an independent control mode is set in addition to the normal control mode and the alternative control mode, The article transport equipment according to claim 5, wherein the independent control mode is a mode in which the control of the transport vehicle in the specific section is performed solely by the section control device in charge of the specific section, without the auxiliary control by the higher-level control device.

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