Goods handling equipment

Abstract

To suppress deterioration in conveyance efficiency of a facility as a whole.SOLUTION: An article conveyance facility includes a control system that gives, to a conveyance vehicle, conveyance commands specifying a conveyance origin and a conveyance destination of articles. The control system is configured to execute: predicted conveyance time deriving processing of deriving predicted conveyance time for each of a plurality of candidate routes 90; and route selection processing of selecting, from among the plurality of candidate routes 90, the conveyance route 90 where the conveyance vehicle is caused to run. The control system preferentially selects, as the conveyance route 90, the candidate route 90 in which predicted conveyance time Tp is within a reference range Rt in the route selection processing for the candidate route 90 whose target conveyance destination is the conveyance destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article conveying facility comprising: a predetermined route; a plurality of conveyors that travel along the route to convey articles; a plurality of transfer target locations provided along the route; and a control system that issues a conveyance command specifying a conveyance source and a conveyance destination of an article to the conveyors.

Background Art

[0002] For example, International Publication No. 2023 / 132101 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique of selecting, as a travel route for a conveyor, a route with the minimum cost from among a plurality of routes from an article conveyance source to an article conveyance destination.

[0003] The cost of a route is often set based on the required conveyance time that a conveyor needs to travel the route and convey the article. Generally, the shorter the required conveyance time of a route, the lower the cost of the route.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In an article conveying facility, a plurality of conveyors convey articles according to their respective tasks. However, when all conveyors select routes with as low a cost as possible, a plurality of conveyors may be concentrated on a specific route, for example, a main route near the center of the facility. In this case, the congestion degree of the specific route increases, so that even though each conveyor traveling on the route selects the route with low cost, it takes more time to convey the article, which may reduce the conveying efficiency of the entire facility.

[0006] In light of the above situation, there is a need for technology that can suppress the decline in the overall transport efficiency of the equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A predetermined route, Multiple transport vehicles that travel along the aforementioned route to transport goods, Multiple transfer target locations provided along the aforementioned route, A control system that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle specifying the source and destination of the aforementioned article, A material handling system equipped with, The source and destination are each designated from among the multiple transfer target locations. The candidate transport routes for the transport vehicle from the source to the destination of the goods are designated as candidate routes. The control system is For each of the multiple candidate routes, a predicted transport time is derived, which is a predicted value of the time required to transport the item by traveling along the candidate route. A route selection process that selects the transport route to be traveled by the transport vehicle from among a plurality of candidate routes, It is configured to perform, In the aforementioned transport command, among the multiple transport destinations that can be specified, the target transport destination is set as the target transport destination. The time required to transport the item along each route from each of the multiple transport sources to one of the target transport destinations is defined as the transport time. The average of the required transport times for multiple combinations of transport sources to the target transport destination is taken as the average transport time. The time range including the average transport time is set as the reference range. In the route selection process for candidate routes to which the target transport destination is the transport destination, the control system preferentially selects as the transport route a candidate route in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range.

[0008] In this configuration, the control system prioritizes selecting candidate routes for transport vehicles that fall within a specified range for predicted transport time. As a result, each of the multiple transport vehicles operating within the facility travels along its chosen route, transporting goods in a time close to the average transport time. Consequently, the transport time required for each transport vehicle is leveled out across the entire facility, suppressing a decrease in overall transport efficiency.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the technology relating to this disclosure will become clearer from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Plan view showing part of the goods handling equipment. [Figure 2] Control block diagram [Figure 3] A diagram showing each route from multiple source locations to the target destination. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the distribution of transport time for each route. [Figure 5] A diagram showing candidate routes from a specific source to the target destination. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the predicted transport time for each transport route. [Figure 7] This figure shows the corrected predicted transport time for each transport route. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the deviation of the predicted transport time for each transport route. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes an embodiment of the goods transport equipment with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a part of an article conveying facility 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the article conveying facility 100 includes a predetermined route 9, a plurality of conveying vehicles 1 that travel along the route 9 to convey articles (not shown), a plurality of transfer target locations 8 provided along the route 9, and a control system 2 (see FIG. 2) that controls the conveying vehicles 1 on the route 9.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the route 9 is configured using rails. For example, the rails forming the route 9 are installed near the ceiling of the facility. In this case, the conveying vehicle 1 is configured as a so-called overhead conveying vehicle that travels along the route 9 installed near the ceiling.

[0014] There are various types of articles handled in the article conveying facility 100. For example, the article conveying facility 100 is used in semiconductor manufacturing plants. Therefore, articles include substrate storage containers that store substrates (such as wafers and panels) (so-called FOUP: Front Opening Unified Pod), reticle storage containers that store reticles (so-called reticle pods), or magazines, trays, and the like. In this case, the conveying vehicle 1 conveys articles such as substrate storage containers and reticle storage containers between respective processes along the route 9.

[0015] The transfer target location 8 is a location where the conveying vehicle 1 delivers an article or receives an article from. In the present embodiment, the transfer target location 8 includes a processing apparatus 80 that performs processing on articles, and a mounting table 81 arranged adjacent to the processing apparatus 80. "Processing on an article" means processing performed on a contained object (a substrate or a reticle) contained in an article serving as a storage container. The conveying vehicle 1 receives an article that has been processed by the processing apparatus 80 from the mounting table 81, or delivers an article that has not been processed by the processing apparatus 80 to the mounting table 81. The processing apparatus 80 performs various processes such as, for example, thin film formation, photolithography, and etching. The transfer target location 8 is not limited to the above, and may be a buffer for temporarily storing articles on the way of the route 9, or an incoming port or an outgoing port arranged adjacent to an automatic warehouse that stores articles, or the like.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the control system 2 is configured to be able to communicate with each transport vehicle 1. The control system 2 issues a transport command specifying an article transport source F and a transport destination T (see FIG. 5) to the transport vehicle 1. Each of the transport source F and the transport destination T is specified from any one of the plurality of transfer target locations 8.

[0017] In the present embodiment, the control system 2 issues transport commands to each transport vehicle 1 based on a preset article production schedule. In the illustrated example, the control system 2 is configured to be able to acquire various types of information from the database 3. The aforementioned production schedule is stored in the database 3, and the control system 2 acquires the production schedule from the database 3 and issues transport commands to each transport vehicle 1.

[0018] The control system 2 includes: a storage device that stores information input to an input device; an arithmetic processing device that retrieves information from the storage device, performs arithmetic processing, and stores arithmetic results in the storage device; and a control device that issues commands to each device. The control system 2 is configured using one or more CPUs. These CPUs are elements included in a control device fixedly installed in the facility and a control device mounted on the transport vehicle 1.

[0019] Here, the transport vehicle 1 that has received the transport command transports an article from the transport source F to the transport destination T, and there are a plurality of routes 9 from the transport source F to the transport destination T (see FIG. 5).

[0020] With candidates for the article transport route 9 for the transport vehicle 1 from the transport source F to the transport destination T defined as candidate routes 90, the control system 2 is configured to execute route selection processing for selecting the transport route 9 to be traveled by the transport vehicle 1 from the plurality of candidate routes 90. The transport vehicle 1 transports the article from the transport source F to the transport destination T by traveling along the transport route 9 selected in the route selection process by the control system 2.

[0021] Before selecting a transport route 9 from among multiple candidate routes 90, the control system 2 derives an indicator to serve as the selection criterion for each of the multiple candidate routes 90. Here, for each of the multiple candidate routes 90, the control system 2 derives a predicted transport time Tp (Figure) which is the predicted value of the time required to transport the goods by traveling along that candidate route 90. 6 The system is configured to perform a predicted transport time derivation process that derives the predicted transport time (see reference). Based on the predicted transport time Tp derived by the predicted transport time derivation process, the control system 2 performs a route selection process.

[0022] In this embodiment, the control system 2 calculates the cost for each candidate route 90 and derives a predicted transport time Tp based on that cost. The cost includes fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs are set based on the surrounding environment of the transport route 9, such as the length and structure of the transport route 9, or the presence or absence of stations (transfer target locations 8). Variable costs are determined based on the degree of congestion, the presence or absence of broken-down vehicles, etc.

[0023] In this way, the control system 2 derives a predicted transport time Tp for each candidate route 90 by performing a predicted transport time derivation process. Then, the control system 2 selects a transport route 9 for the transport vehicle 1 from among the multiple candidate routes 90 by performing a route selection process based on the predicted transport time Tp for each candidate route 90.

[0024] In general, to improve the overall transport efficiency of the facility, the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transport time Tp is often selected as the transport route 9 from among several candidate routes 90. However, route selection according to such rules does not necessarily contribute to improving transport efficiency. If the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transport time Tp is selected for all transport vehicles 1, the transport vehicles 1 will be concentrated on a particular route 9, and this congestion will actually increase the transport time.

[0025] Therefore, the article transport equipment 100 described herein suppresses a decrease in the overall transport efficiency of the equipment by leveling out the transport time of articles by each transport vehicle 1. This will be explained in detail below.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the target destination T is selected from among the multiple destinations T that can be specified in the transport command issued by the control system 2. The transport time Tr (see Figure 4) is defined as the time required to transport the goods along each route 9 from each of the multiple transport sources F to the one target destination T.

[0027] When considering the entire route 9, there can be multiple source locations F (transfer destination locations 8) for a single target destination T (transfer destination location 8). In other words, a single transfer destination location 8 (target destination T) can be the destination for the next processing of items that have finished processing at each transfer destination location 8 (transfer destination location F) located at different positions along the route 9. If the transport destination F is different, the transport time Tr to the target destination T will vary for each route 9.

[0028] Figure 4 shows the distribution of the transport time Tr from each of the possible transport sources F to one target destination T. By calculating the average value of all transport time Tr, the average time required to transport goods to the target destination T in the goods transport equipment 100 can be determined. Here, the average transport time TAvg is defined as the average of the transport time Tr for multiple combinations of transport sources F to the target destination T. In the example shown, the average transport time TAvg is set to "30 seconds". The average transport time TAvg may be calculated based on all transfer points 8 (transport sources F) provided in the goods transport equipment 100 with respect to the target destination T, or it may be calculated based on any part of the transfer points 8 (transport sources F).

[0029] As described above, the destination T is the transfer target location 8 where the processing unit 80 is installed. Each of the multiple processing units 80 installed in the goods transport equipment 100 has different processing content and processing time for each item. A production schedule is set for each processing unit 80 (destination T) according to the processing content and processing time, and it is also effective to set this production schedule according to the average transport time TAvg calculated for each processing unit 80 (destination T).

[0030] In this embodiment, the transport time Tr for multiple source F combinations to the target destination T is based on past performance values, which are stored in database 3 (see Figure 2), for example. However, the control system 2 may calculate the transport time Tr to the target destination T for each of the multiple routes 9 based on the current state of the equipment.

[0031] By ensuring that all transport vehicles 1 in the goods transport equipment 100 transport goods to the target destination T in an average transport time TAvg or close to it, the total transport time Tr for the entire equipment can be leveled, and a decrease in transport efficiency can be suppressed. Therefore, by selecting a candidate route 90 during the route selection process such that the transport time Tr is equal to or close to the average transport time TAvg, a decrease in the overall transport efficiency of the equipment can be suppressed.

[0032] However, since the average transport time TAvg is a "point" that refers to a specific point in time, if the average transport time TAvg is used as the processing criterion for route selection, it may result in a situation where there are few cases that satisfy the processing criterion.

[0033] Therefore, in the goods transport equipment 100 according to this disclosure, a time range including the average transport time TAvg is set as the reference range Rt. This allows for a "range" of processing criteria in the route selection process. The reference range Rt may be set as appropriate depending on the operating status of the equipment, and the setting body may be the control system 2 or the operator. In the example shown in Figure 4, the reference range Rt is set to a range of "±5 seconds" with respect to the average transport time TAvg. That is, the reference range Rt is set to a range of 25 seconds to 35 seconds.

[0034] Figure 5 shows three candidate routes 90 from a specific source F to the target destination T. Hereafter, these candidate routes 90 will be referred to as Candidate Route A, Candidate Route B, and Candidate Route C, respectively. In the example shown, of the three candidate routes 90, Candidate Route A is the longest, Candidate Route B is the shortest, and Candidate Route C is of an intermediate length.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, the control system 2 derives the predicted transport time Tp for each of candidate routes A, B, and C by performing a predicted transport time derivation process. In the illustrated example, the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route A is "60 seconds", the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route B is "15 seconds", and the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route C is "25 seconds".

[0036] In the route selection process for candidate routes 90 with the target destination T as the destination T, the control system 2 preferentially selects candidate routes 90 as the transport route 9 if the predicted transport time Tp falls within the reference range Rt.

[0037] In the example shown in Figure 6, the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route A and candidate route B are outside the reference range Rt. On the other hand, the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route C is "25 seconds," which is within the reference range Rt. Therefore, the control system 2 preferentially selects candidate route C as transport route 9 from among the three candidate routes 90. In other words, in the route selection process, if there is only one candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects that candidate route 90 as transport route 9.

[0038] In the example above, only the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route C was within the reference range Rt. However, depending on the relationship between the transport source F and the target transport destination T, the predicted transport times Tp of multiple candidate routes 90 may be within the reference range Rt. Therefore, although detailed illustrations are omitted, in the route selection process, if there are multiple candidate routes 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transport time Tp as the transport route 9. This makes it possible to shorten the transport time Tr while promoting the leveling of the transport time Tr for each transport vehicle 1.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control system 2 is configured to correct the predicted transport time Tp of each candidate route 90 through a correction process so that candidate routes 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is within or close to the reference range Rt are more likely to be selected as the transport route 9 on which the transport vehicle 1 will travel.

[0040] Figure 7 shows the case where the control system 2 performs the correction process described above. The preconditions in Figure 7 are the same as in Figure 6, with the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route A being "60 seconds", the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route B being "15 seconds", and the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route C being "25 seconds".

[0041] As shown in Figure 7, among the multiple candidate routes 90, the candidate route 90 whose predicted delivery time Tp falls within the reference range Rt is designated as the preferred candidate route 91, and the candidate route 90 whose predicted delivery time Tp falls outside the reference range Rt is designated as the non-preferred candidate route 92. In the example shown in Figure 7, candidate route C is the preferred candidate route 91, and candidate routes A and B are the non-preferred candidate routes 92.

[0042] The control system 2 performs a correction process to adjust the predicted transport time Tp of at least one of the non-priority candidate route 92 and the priority candidate route 91 so that the priority candidate route 91 is more likely to be selected in the route selection process than the non-priority candidate route 92. In this example, in the correction process, the control system 2 adjusts the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92, but does not adjust the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. Then, in the route selection process, the control system 2 selects the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transport time Tp after the correction process from among the multiple candidate routes 90 as the transport route 9.

[0043] In this embodiment, the control system 2 adds a correction value X to the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 during the correction process. The correction value X may be a fixed value or a variable value. The variable value is set based on, for example, the number of transport vehicles 1 currently present on route 9 or the number of transport vehicles 1 scheduled to pass through route 9. In this example, the correction value X is a fixed value and is set to the upper limit of the reference range Rt (here, "35 seconds"). As a result, the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 after correction will always exceed the reference range Rt. Therefore, since the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 is adjusted to be a longer time than the reference range Rt, it becomes less likely to be selected in the route selection process that selects the candidate route 90 with the shortest predicted transport time Tp after correction as the transport route 9.

[0044] In the example shown in Figure 7, the upper limit of the reference range Rt is "35 seconds," so the correction value X becomes "35 seconds." As a result, the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route A after correction becomes "95 seconds," and the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route B after correction becomes "50 seconds." As mentioned above, the predicted transport time Tp for candidate route C is not corrected and remains "25 seconds." Alternatively, for candidate route C, which is the priority candidate route 91, the correction value X may be set to "0 seconds," and "0 seconds" may be added to the predicted transport time Tp of candidate route C. The control system 2 selects candidate route C, which has the shortest predicted transport time Tp, as transport route 9.

[0045] Figure 8 shows a case where there are no candidate routes 90 whose predicted delivery time Tp falls within the reference range Rt. In the example shown in Figure 8, unlike the situations shown in Figures 5 to 7, the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route A is "40 seconds", the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route B is "45 seconds", and the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route C is "10 seconds". The predicted delivery time Tp for all of the candidate routes 90 falls outside the reference range Rt of "25 seconds to 35 seconds".

[0046] As shown in Figure 8, in the route selection process, if there are no candidate routes 90 whose predicted transport time Tp falls within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects the candidate route 90 whose predicted transport time Tp is closest to the reference range Rt as transport route 9. In this example, the control system 2 calculates the deviation between the predicted transport time Tp and the reference range Rt for each candidate route 90. That is, it calculates the distance of the predicted transport time Tp from the reference range Rt using a quantitative value. After calculating the deviation, the control system 2 compares the absolute values ​​of the deviations for each candidate route 90 and selects the candidate route 90 with the smallest absolute value of the deviation as transport route 9. By comparing the deviations as absolute values, the magnitude relationship can be appropriately compared without considering the positive or negative sign.

[0047] In the example shown in Figure 8, the deviation of the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route A is "+5 seconds," and its absolute value is "5 seconds." This is the difference between the upper limit of the reference range Rt, which is "35 seconds," and the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route A, which is "40 seconds."

[0048] The deviation of the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route B is "+10 seconds," and its absolute value is "10 seconds." This is the difference between the upper limit of the reference range Rt, which is "35 seconds," and the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route B, which is "45 seconds."

[0049] The deviation of the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route C is "-15 seconds," and its absolute value is "15 seconds." This is the difference between the lower limit of the reference range Rt, which is "25 seconds," and the predicted delivery time Tp for candidate route A, which is "10 seconds."

[0050] In the example shown in Figure 8, the control system 2 selects candidate route A as the transport route 9, which has the smallest deviation between the predicted transport time Tp and the reference range Rt, which is "5 seconds".

[0051] According to the goods transport equipment 100 described above, each of the multiple transport vehicles 1 operating within the equipment will travel along the transport route 9 selected for itself, transporting goods in a time close to the average transport time TAvg. As a result, the transport time Tr for each transport vehicle 1 is leveled out for the entire equipment, making it possible to suppress a decrease in the overall transport efficiency of the equipment.

[0052] [Other Embodiments] Next, other embodiments will be described.

[0053] (1) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the control system 2 corrects the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 in the correction process, but does not correct the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. However, the control system 2 is not limited to this example, and may correct both the predicted transport time Tp of the non-priority candidate route 92 and the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. Alternatively, the control system 2 may correct only the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91. When the control system 2 corrects the predicted transport time Tp of the priority candidate route 91, it is preferable to correct it so that the predicted transport time Tp becomes smaller. This makes it easier for the priority candidate route 91 to be selected when the candidate route 90 with the smallest predicted transport time Tp is selected as the transport route 9 in the route selection process.

[0054] (2) In the above embodiment, the control system 2 calculated the deviation of the predicted transport time Tp from the reference range Rt for each candidate route 90 and described an example in which the magnitude of the absolute values ​​of the deviations was compared. However, the control system 2 is not limited to this example, and may also compare the squared values ​​of the deviations for each candidate route 90, or it may compare the square roots of the values. This makes it possible to remove the positive and negative signs from each value and compare their magnitudes appropriately.

[0055] (3) In the above embodiment, the control system 2 has described an example in which, in the route selection process, if there are no candidate routes 90 in which the predicted transport time Tp is within the reference range Rt, the control system 2 selects the candidate route 90 in which the predicted transport time Tp is closest to the reference range Rt as the transport route 9. However, the control system 2 is not limited to this example, and may select the candidate route 90 in which the predicted transport time Tp is closest to any value within the reference range Rt (for example, the average transport time TAvg) as the transport route 9.

[0056] (4) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the transport vehicle 1 is configured as a so-called overhead transport vehicle. However, the transport vehicle 1 is not limited to such an example, and may be configured as a trackless trolley such as an AGV. In this case, the path 9 is configured using magnetic tape or the like provided on the floor.

[0057] (5) The configurations disclosed in the embodiments described above can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. With regard to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0058] [Summary of this embodiment] The following is a summary of this embodiment.

[0059] A predetermined route, Multiple transport vehicles that travel along the aforementioned route to transport goods, Multiple transfer target locations provided along the aforementioned route, A control system that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle specifying the source and destination of the aforementioned article, A material handling system equipped with, The source and destination are each designated from among the multiple transfer target locations. The candidate transport routes for the transport vehicle from the source to the destination of the goods are designated as candidate routes. The control system is For each of the multiple candidate routes, a predicted transport time is derived, which is a predicted value of the time required to transport the item by traveling along the candidate route. A route selection process that selects the transport route to be traveled by the transport vehicle from among a plurality of candidate routes, It is configured to perform, In the aforementioned transport command, among the multiple transport destinations that can be specified, the target transport destination is set as the target transport destination. The time required to transport the item along each route from each of the multiple transport sources to one of the target transport destinations is defined as the transport time. The average of the required transport times for multiple combinations of transport sources to the target transport destination is taken as the average transport time. The time range including the average transport time is set as the reference range. In the route selection process for candidate routes to which the target transport destination is the transport destination, the control system preferentially selects as the transport route a candidate route in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range.

[0060] In this configuration, the control system prioritizes selecting candidate routes for transport vehicles that fall within a specified range for predicted transport time. As a result, each of the multiple transport vehicles operating within the facility travels along its chosen route, transporting goods in a time close to the average transport time. Consequently, the transport time required for each transport vehicle is leveled out across the entire facility, suppressing a decrease in overall transport efficiency.

[0061] Among the multiple candidate routes, the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range is designated as the priority candidate route, and the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls outside the reference range is designated as the non-priority candidate route. The control system is A correction process is performed to correct the predicted transport time of at least one of the non-priority candidate route and the priority candidate route so that the priority candidate route is more likely to be selected in the route selection process compared to the non-priority candidate route. In the route selection process, it is preferable to select the candidate route with the shortest predicted transport time after correction by the correction process from among the multiple candidate routes as the transport route.

[0062] With this configuration, candidate routes whose predicted transport time is within or close to the standard range are more likely to be selected as transport routes for the transport vehicles. Therefore, the leveling of transport time for each transport vehicle is promoted, and it becomes easier to suppress a decrease in the overall transport efficiency of the facility.

[0063] In the route selection process, if there are multiple candidate routes whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects the candidate route with the shortest predicted transport time from among them as the transport route. In the route selection process, the control system preferably selects the candidate route as the transport route if there is only one candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range.

[0064] This configuration makes it possible to shorten the total transport time while promoting the equalization of transport time for each transport vehicle.

[0065] In the route selection process, if there are no candidate routes whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system preferably selects the candidate route whose predicted transport time is closest to the reference range as the transport route.

[0066] With this configuration, even if there are no candidate routes whose predicted transport time falls within the standard range, the candidate route with the closest predicted transport time to the standard range will be selected as the transport route for the transport vehicle. Therefore, the transport time required for the entire facility can be leveled out. [Industrial applicability]

[0067] The technology relating to this disclosure can be used in an article transport system comprising: a predetermined route; a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route to transport articles; a plurality of transfer target locations provided along the route; and a control system that issues transport commands to the transport vehicles specifying the source and destination of the articles. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 100: Goods handling equipment 1: Transport vehicle 2: Control System 8: Sections to be reprinted 9: Route 90: Candidate routes 91: Preferred candidate route 92: Non-preferred candidate routes F: Source of transport T: Destination Rt: Reference range TAvg: Average transport time Tp: Estimated delivery time Tr: Delivery time

Claims

1. A predetermined route, Multiple transport vehicles that travel along the aforementioned route to transport goods, Multiple transfer target locations provided along the aforementioned route, An article transporting system comprising: a control system that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle specifying the source and destination of the article; The source and destination are each designated from among the multiple transfer target locations. The candidate transport routes for the transport vehicle from the source to the destination of the goods are designated as candidate routes. The control system is For each of the multiple candidate routes, a predicted transport time is derived, which is a predicted value of the time required to transport the item by traveling along the candidate route. The system is configured to perform a route selection process that selects the transport route to be traveled by the transport vehicle from among a plurality of candidate routes, In the aforementioned transport command, among the multiple transport destinations that can be specified, the target transport destination is set as the target transport destination. The time required to transport the item along each route from each of the multiple transport sources to one of the target transport destinations is defined as the transport time. The average of the required transport times for multiple combinations of transport sources to the target transport destination is taken as the average transport time. The time range including the average transport time is set as the reference range. The control system is an article transport equipment that, in the route selection process for candidate routes to which the target transport destination is the transport destination, preferentially selects as the transport route a candidate route in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range.

2. Among the multiple candidate routes, the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range is designated as the priority candidate route, and the candidate route whose predicted transport time falls outside the reference range is designated as the non-priority candidate route. The control system is A correction process is performed to correct the predicted transport time of at least one of the non-priority candidate route and the priority candidate route so that the priority candidate route is more likely to be selected in the route selection process compared to the non-priority candidate route. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein in the route selection process, the candidate route with the shortest predicted transport time after correction by the correction process is selected as the transport route from among a plurality of candidate routes.

3. In the route selection process, if there are multiple candidate routes whose predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects the candidate route with the shortest predicted transport time from among them as the transport route. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein the control system, in the route selection process, selects the candidate route as the transport route if there is only one candidate route in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range.

4. The article transport equipment according to claim 1 or 3, wherein, in the route selection process, if there are no candidate routes in which the predicted transport time falls within the reference range, the control system selects the candidate route whose predicted transport time is closest to the reference range as the transport route.

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