Transport vehicle system

Abstract

A transport vehicle system (1) comprises a plurality of transport vehicles (5), a plurality of stations (ST), and a control unit (40). The control unit (40) performs switching determination for determining whether or not a second transport vehicle (5B), assigned with a transport command in which the movement destination is a second station (STb) located downstream of a first station (STa), exists upstream of the first transport vehicle (5A) assigned with a transport command in which the movement destination is the first station (STa), and performs, if determining that the second transport vehicle (5B) exists upstream of the first transport vehicle (5A), switching control for switching, between the first transport vehicle (5A) and the second transport vehicle (5B), the movement destinations of the transport commands that had been assigned before the switching determination.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance vehicle system. [Background Art]

[0002] There has been known a conveyance vehicle system (e.g., Patent Document 1) in which a conveyance vehicle that conveys a container such as a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) or a reticle pod storing an article to be stored such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate travels along a track. The conveyance vehicle system is configured to include a plurality of conveyance vehicles that travel on a track whose traveling direction is defined in one direction. Each of the plurality of conveyance vehicles is configured to move based on a conveyance command allocated by a controller. The conveyance command includes destination information related to a station for which a loading request is made. In such a conveyance vehicle system, it is generally performed that every time a conveyance request occurs at one station, a conveyance command including the one station as destination information is allocated to a conveyance vehicle that can arrive at the one station earliest. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2017 / 029873 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] However, in the general control as described above, as shown in state 5A of FIG. 5, a conveyance command having a first station STa as a destination is allocated to a first conveyance vehicle 105A traveling on a track 111, a conveyance command having a second station STb, which is arranged on a downstream side of the first station STa, as a destination is allocated to a second conveyance vehicle 105B, and the first conveyance vehicle 105A is located in front of the second conveyance vehicle 105B underIf the transport vehicle is to travel on the flow side, the following problems may occur. Specifically, as shown in state 5B of Figure 5, while the first transport vehicle 105A performs a transfer operation to receive goods from the first station STa, the second transport vehicle 105B must wait behind (upstream of) the first transport vehicle 105A until the transfer operation of the first transport vehicle 105A is completed. After waiting as described above, the second transport vehicle 105B performs a transfer operation at the destination second station STb, as shown in state 5C of Figure 5. Such waiting time for the rear transport vehicle (second transport vehicle 105B) reduces the transport efficiency of the transport vehicle system.

[0005] Therefore, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle system that can improve transport efficiency in a transport vehicle system by reducing the waiting time of the rear transport vehicle due to the transfer operation of the front transport vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of transport vehicles that travel in one direction along a predetermined route and transport goods, a plurality of stations provided along the route that serve as sources for loading goods, and a control unit that, each time a loading request for goods is made, assigns a transport command to the station that made the loading request, to the transport vehicle that can arrive at the station that made the loading request the fastest. The control unit performs a swap determination to determine whether there is a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, that has been assigned a transport command to a second station, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and to which a transport command has been assigned to a first station, which is one of the plurality of stations, to which a transport command has been assigned vehicle is a different vehicle from the first transport vehicle.

[0007] In this configuration of the transport vehicle system, by switching the transport command, the time that would occur if the transport command were not switched—that is, the time the second transport vehicle waits behind (upstream of) the first station while the first transport vehicle is performing the transfer operation to receive goods from the first station—can be reduced. Furthermore, if there is another transport vehicle behind the rear transport vehicle, the waiting time for that transport vehicle is reduced by one, shortening the waiting time and thus the length of the waiting queue, further improving the overall transport efficiency of the transport vehicle system. For example, if there is a branching point upstream of the station, shortening the waiting queue reduces the possibility of a trolley scheduled to branch off being caught in the queue. As a result, the transport efficiency of the transport vehicle system can be improved.

[0008] In a transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit's replacement determination may determine whether there is a second transport vehicle that will wait upstream of the first transport vehicle until the first transport vehicle's work is completed, when the first transport vehicle executes a transport command with the first station as its destination. In this configuration, the second transport vehicle can reliably eliminate the waiting time during the transfer operation when the first transport vehicle, located ahead of it, receives goods from the station. Furthermore, the first transport vehicle will execute the transport command with the first station as its destination without significant delay from the originally scheduled time when it was supposed to be completed.

[0009] In a transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the swapping determination by the control unit may determine whether, when the destinations of the transport commands assigned before the swapping determination are swapped, there exists a second transport vehicle that can start a transfer operation at the first station while the first transport vehicle is performing a transfer operation at the second station. In this configuration, one The first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle can transfer goods to each station almost simultaneously. In this case, the overall transport efficiency of the system is improved.

[0010] In a transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may perform a swap control when it determines, based on a swap determination, that a second transport vehicle is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, even if there are other transport vehicles between the first and second transport vehicles. In this configuration, swap control can be performed even if the second transport vehicle is not located immediately behind the first transport vehicle, thereby expanding the search range for transport vehicles to be swapped and making it easier to find the transport vehicles to be swapped.

[0011] In a transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit performs a swapping determination when a first transport vehicle, to which a transport command has been assigned with the first station as its destination, reaches a predetermined position upstream of the first station. The predetermined position may be the position where deceleration begins when the first transport vehicle stops at the first station. In this configuration, if there is no second transport vehicle to be swapped behind the first transport vehicle, the first transport vehicle can be stopped at the first station as is. Furthermore, the time for performing the determination control can be delayed until the last possible moment before the first transport vehicle can stop at the first station, making it easier to find the second transport vehicle. Moreover, the burden on the control unit can be reduced compared to a system that constantly determines whether or not a second transport vehicle is present. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, the transport efficiency in the transport vehicle system can be improved by reducing the waiting time of the rear transport vehicle due to the transfer operation of the front transport vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a transport vehicle system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the transport vehicle system. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the replacement determination and replacement control in a transport vehicle system. [Figure 4]Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the replacement determination and replacement control in a transport vehicle system. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates the challenges that arise in conventional transport vehicle systems. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those in the description. Also, when describing an embodiment, upstream and downstream refer to the upstream and downstream in the direction of travel of the pre-set overhead transport vehicle (transport vehicle) 5 (hereinafter simply referred to as "transport vehicle 5") (in the direction of the arrows shown on the track 11 in Figure 1: one direction).

[0015] The transport vehicle system 1 is a system for transporting FOUPs using transport vehicles 5 that can move along a track 11. The transport vehicles 5 are unmanned transport vehicles, such as overhead transport vehicles or tracked trolleys. Here, we will explain the transport vehicle system 1 using an example in a factory or other building where the transport vehicles 5 travel along a one-way track 11 laid on the ceiling of the building. As shown in Figure 1, the transport vehicle system 1 mainly consists of a track 11, multiple stations ST, multiple transport vehicles 5, and a transport vehicle controller (control unit) 3.

[0016] The track 11 is a component on which the transport vehicle 5 travels and is suspended from the ceiling. Figure 1 shows an example of a part of the layout of the track 11 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the track 11 is set up so that the transport vehicle 5 travels in one direction in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1. The track 11 is provided with branching points BP that branch off from the track 11 and merging points CP that merge the tracks 11 together.

[0017] The station ST is provided along the track 11 so as to face the track 11. In the present embodiment, a plurality of stations ST are provided. The station ST is a portion where FOUPs are transferred between the station and the transport vehicle 5. For example, examples of the station ST in a semiconductor processing plant include a load port that transfers FOUPs (articles) between a semiconductor processing apparatus and the transport vehicle 5, and a buffer that allows the transport vehicle 5 to temporarily place FOUPs. The station ST serves as a FOUP loading request source.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle controller 3 includes an input unit 31, a display unit 32, a communication unit 33, and a transport vehicle control unit 40. The input unit 31 is formed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and is a portion where a user inputs various operations and various set values. In the present embodiment, information related to a predetermined position P, which will be described in detail later, is input from the input unit 31 and set. The display unit 32 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and is a portion that displays various setting screens and displays an input screen or the like for input via the input unit 31 or the like. The input unit 31 and the display unit 32 do not need to be provided integrally with the transport vehicle controller 3, and can be replaced by terminal devices capable of communicating with each other.

[0019] The communication unit 33 is a portion that communicates with other devices and the like, and for example, transmits a transport command to the transport vehicle 5 and receives information (position data) related to the current position of the transport vehicle 5 via a wireless communication network. The communication unit 33 also receives a transport instruction including information on the destination station ST from a host controller via, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network). That is, the host controller transmits information related to the station ST for which a transport request has been made to the transport vehicle controller 3.

[0020] The transport vehicle control unit 40 is a part that executes various control processes in the transport vehicle system 1 described in detail later, and is constituted, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory) and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle control unit 40 can be configured as software in which, for example, a program stored in a ROM is loaded onto a RAM and executed by the CPU. Note that the transport vehicle control unit 40 may also be configured as hardware using an electronic circuit or the like.

[0021] The transport vehicle control unit 40 allocates a transport command to the transport vehicle 5 based on information related to the station ST for which a loading request has been transmitted from, for example, a host controller (not shown). More specifically, every time a FOUP loading request occurs, the transport vehicle control unit 40 allocates a transport command with the destination being the station ST where the loading request was issued to the transport vehicle 5 that can arrive at the station ST where the loading request was issued the earliest and has not been allocated any other transport commands (including transport commands other than loading requests). In addition, the transport vehicle controller 3 grasps the position of each transport vehicle 5 based on position information (described in detail later) transmitted periodically or continuously from each transport vehicle 5. Hereinafter, unless otherwise stated, the simple term "transport command" refers to a transport command whose destination is the station ST for which a loading request has been made.

[0022] The transport vehicle control unit 40 performs swapping determination and swapping control as shown in state 3A in Figure 3. The swapping determination is performed when the first transport vehicle 5A, one of several transport vehicles 5 to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station STa, one of several stations ST, reaches a predetermined position P upstream of the first station STa, to determine whether a second transport vehicle 5B, which is a different transport vehicle 5 from the first transport vehicle 5A, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the second station STb, a station ST located downstream of the first station STa, is located upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A. In Figures 3 to 5, "a" in the transport vehicle 5 means that a transport command to move to the first station STa has been assigned, and "b" in the transport vehicle 5 means that a transport command to move to the second station STb has been assigned.

[0023] Here, the predetermined position P is a position located at a distance D upstream from the first station STa. More specifically, the predetermined position P is the position where the first transport vehicle 5A begins to decelerate when it stops at the first station STa. In other words, the first transport vehicle 5A can stop at the first station STa if it begins to decelerate from the predetermined position P.

[0024] The swapping control is a control that, when it is determined that the second transport vehicle 5B is located upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A, swaps the destinations of the transport commands that were assigned to the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B before the swapping determination. For example, as shown in state 3A in Figure 3, when the swapping control is executed and the first transport vehicle 5A is assigned a transport command to the first station STa as its destination, and the second transport vehicle 5B is assigned a transport command to the second station STb as its destination, the first transport vehicle 5A is reassigned a transport command to the second station STb as its destination, and the second transport vehicle 5B is reassigned a transport command to the first station STa as its destination, as shown in state 3B in Figure 3.

[0025] The vehicle control unit 40 determines whether, in state 3A shown in Figure 3, there is a second vehicle 5B that can reach the first station STa before the first vehicle 5A completes its transport command to the first station STa. In other words, the vehicle control unit 40 determines whether, when the first vehicle 5A executes a transport command to the first station STa, there is a second vehicle 5B that will wait upstream of the first vehicle 5A until the work of the first vehicle 5A is completed. If the vehicle control unit 40 determines that a second vehicle 5B exists as described above, it executes the vehicle swap control described above; if it determines that a second vehicle 5B does not exist, it does not execute the vehicle swap control described above.

[0026] Furthermore, the swapping determination by the transport vehicle control unit 40 may determine whether, in the event that the destinations of the transport commands assigned before the swapping determination are swapped, there exists a second transport vehicle 5B that can start a transfer operation at the first station STa while the first transport vehicle 5A is performing a transfer operation at the second station STb.

[0027] In such a determination, if the above-mentioned swapping control is performed, as shown in state 4B in Figure 4, during a portion of the time when the first transport vehicle 5A is performing the transfer operation at the second station STb, the second transport vehicle 5B is one Station ST a In this case, a portion of the time spent in the transfer operation can be superimposed. This eliminates the waiting time during the transfer operation when the first transport vehicle 5A, located in front of the second transport vehicle 5B, receives the FOUP from station ST. Note that the time when the first transport vehicle 5A is performing the transfer operation at the second station STb and the time when the second transport vehicle 5B is one Station ST a The time spent performing the transfer operation may be exactly the same as the time spent performing the transfer operation.

[0028] When the transport vehicle control unit 40 determines, based on the above-mentioned swapping determination, that the second transport vehicle 5B is located upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A, it executes swapping control even if, for example, as shown in state 3A in Figure 3, there are other transport vehicles 5 between the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B (in this embodiment, there are two). The other transport vehicles 5 referred to here include, for example, transport vehicles that have not been assigned a transport command, transport vehicles that have been assigned a transport command to a station other than the station subject to the swapping determination (second station STb), transport vehicles that do not hold a FOUP, etc.

[0029] The transport vehicle 5 is configured to be able to transfer the FOUP. In addition to a mechanism for traveling along the track 11 and a known mechanism for transferring the FOUP, the transport vehicle 5 is equipped with a position acquisition unit 51 and a travel control unit 53, as shown in Figure 2.

[0030] The position acquisition unit 51 is responsible for acquiring the position information of the vehicle on the track 11. The position acquisition unit 51 may consist of, for example, a reader that reads a barcode or the like that is attached to the track 11 and displays the position information, and an encoder. The position acquisition unit 51 transmits the point information obtained by the reader and the distance traveled since passing the point, obtained from the encoder, as position information to the transport vehicle controller 3. The information acquired by the position acquisition unit 51 is transmitted to the transport vehicle controller 3 in response to periodic or continuous inquiries from the transport vehicle controller 3.

[0031] The travel control unit 53 is the part that controls the movement of the transport vehicle 5, and is an electronic control unit consisting of, for example, a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The travel control unit 53 controls the movement of the transport vehicle 5 based on the transport command transmitted from the transport vehicle controller 3. The transport command transmitted from the higher-level controller (not shown) includes information about the station ST to which the vehicle will be moved and which has a loading request. The travel control unit 53 controls each mechanism to move to the station ST to which the vehicle will be moved and which has a loading request, as included in the transport command, and to receive the FOUP.

[0032] The transport command transmitted from the transport vehicle controller 3 may include information about the station ST to which the FOUP will be transported. The travel control unit 53 controls each mechanism to move to the destination station ST.

[0033] Next, we will describe the operation of the transport vehicle system 1 when the above-described replacement determination and replacement control are performed.

[0034] As shown in state 3A of Figure 3, the transport vehicle controller 3 (transport vehicle control unit 40) performs the swapping determination when the first transport vehicle 5A, which has been assigned a transport command to move to the first station STa that has a loading request, reaches the predetermined position P upstream of the first station STa. If the transport vehicle controller 3 determines that there is a second transport vehicle 5B upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A, which has been assigned a transport command to move to the first station STa, which has been assigned a transport command to move to the second station STb, then, as shown in state 3B of Figure 3, the transport vehicle controller 3 swaps the destinations of the transport commands that were assigned between the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B before the swapping determination. That is, the transport vehicle controller 3 reassigns the first transport vehicle 5A a transport command to move to the second station STb, and reassigns the second transport vehicle 5B a transport command to move to the first station STa.

[0035] The first transport vehicle 5A, having been reassigned a transport command to the second station STb as its destination, passes the first station STa and stops at the second station STb, as shown in states 4A and 4B of Figure 4. The first transport vehicle 5A performs a transfer operation to receive the FOUP from the second station STb. The second transport vehicle 5B, having been reassigned a transport command to the first station STa as its destination, stops at the first station STa. The second transport vehicle 5B performs a transfer operation to receive the FOUP from the first station STa.

[0036] Furthermore, in state 3A of Figure 3, if the transport vehicle controller 3 determines that there is no second transport vehicle 5B upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A, which has been assigned a transport command to move to the first station STa, that has been assigned a transport command to move to the second station STb, then the first transport vehicle 5A will stop at the first station STa based on the transport command and perform a transfer operation to receive the FOUP from the first station STa.

[0037] The effects and advantages of the transport vehicle system 1 of the above embodiment will now be explained. In the transport vehicle system 1 of the above embodiment, by exchanging transport commands between the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B, the waiting time of the second transport vehicle 5B that would occur if the above exchange control were not performed can be reduced (i.e., the time during which the second transport vehicle 5B waits behind the first station STa while the first transport vehicle 5A performs the transfer operation to receive the FOUP from the first station STa). Furthermore, if there is another transport vehicle 5 behind the second transport vehicle 5B, the number of times that transport vehicle 5 waits is reduced by one, so the overall transport efficiency of the transport vehicle system 1 is further improved. As a result, the transport efficiency of the transport vehicle system 1 can be improved.

[0038] In the transport vehicle system 1 of the above embodiment, the transport vehicle control unit 40 determines whether there is a second transport vehicle 5B that will wait upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A until the work of the first transport vehicle 5A is completed, when the first transport vehicle 5A executes a transport command to move to the first station STa. This eliminates the waiting time during the transfer operation when the first transport vehicle 5A, which is located in front of the second transport vehicle 5B, receives the FOUP from station ST.

[0039] In the transport vehicle system 1 of the above embodiment, the transport vehicle control unit 40 executes swap control when it determines through swap determination that the second transport vehicle 5B is located upstream of the first transport vehicle 5A, even if there is another transport vehicle 5 between the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B. This makes it possible to execute swap control even if the second transport vehicle 5B is not located immediately behind the first transport vehicle 5A, thereby expanding the search range for the transport vehicle 5 to be swapped and making it easier to find the transport vehicle 5 to be swapped.

[0040] In the transport vehicle system 1 of the above embodiment, the predetermined position P is set to be the position where deceleration begins when the first transport vehicle 5A stops at the first station STa. As a result, if there is no second transport vehicle 5B to be replaced behind the first transport vehicle 5A, the first transport vehicle 5A can be stopped at the first station STa as is. In addition, the time for executing the judgment control can be delayed until the last possible moment before the first transport vehicle 5A can stop at the first station STa, making it easier to find the second transport vehicle 5B. Furthermore, the processing load on the transport vehicle control unit 40 can be reduced compared to when the presence or absence of the second transport vehicle 5B is constantly being determined.

[0041] Although one embodiment has been described above, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0042] In the above embodiment, one is located behind the first transport vehicle 5A. column Although an example of the arrangement has been given, it is not limited to this. For example, if there is a merging point CP upstream (rear) of the first transport vehicle 5A, the transport vehicle control unit 40 searches all the tracks 11 upstream of the merging point CP to determine whether or not there is a transport vehicle 5 that will become the second transport vehicle 5B.

[0043] In Figures 3 and 4 illustrating the above embodiment and its modified form, there are no branching points BP, etc., on the track 11 leading to the first station STa, but this is not limited to that. There may be merging points CP before and after a predetermined position P, and there may be branching points BP that are not shown.

[0044] In Figures 3 and 4 illustrating the above embodiment and modified examples, an example is given in which there are two transport vehicles 5 between the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B, but the explanation is not limited to this. For example, there may be one transport vehicle 5 between the first transport vehicle 5A and the second transport vehicle 5B, or there may be no transport vehicle 5 at all.

[0045] In the above embodiment and the above modified example, the transport vehicle control unit 40 was described using an example where the swapping determination is performed when the first transport vehicle 5A reaches a predetermined position P. However, the swapping determination may be performed periodically, for example, every T seconds. In this case, the transport vehicle control unit 40 performs a swapping determination to determine whether or not a second transport vehicle 5B exists when the transport vehicle 5 that becomes the first transport vehicle 5A reaches the predetermined position P within T seconds.

[0046] In the above embodiments and modifications, an example was given in which the predetermined position P is set only at the first station STa, which is the upstreammost station in the row of stations ST. However, this is not limited to this case. For example, if there are other stations ST downstream from the second station STb, and it is desired to exchange loading requests between the second station STb and the other stations ST, then the predetermined position P of the second station STb is also set at the second station STb.

[0047] In the above embodiments and modifications, a FOUP was used as an example of an article, but it could also be a container such as a reticle pod for storing a glass substrate, or a general component.

[0048] In the above embodiment and modified transport vehicle system 1, an overhead transport vehicle 5 was given as an example of a transport vehicle, but other examples of transport vehicles include unmanned transport vehicles that travel on tracks installed on the ground or on a platform.

[0049] One aspect of the present invention can be described as follows: [1] Multiple transport vehicles that travel in one direction along a predetermined route and transport goods, Multiple stations are provided along the aforementioned route and serve as sources for loading the aforementioned goods, Each time a loading request for the aforementioned items is made, the control unit assigns a transport command to the transport vehicle that can arrive at the station where the loading request was made as soon as possible, with the station where the loading request was made as the destination. The control unit, A swapping determination is performed to determine whether there exists a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, and which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and which is located downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, and to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the second station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and whether there exists a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to A transport vehicle system that, upon determining that the second transport vehicle is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, executes swap control to swap the destinations of the transport commands that were assigned to the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle before the swap determination. [2] The transport vehicle system according to [1], wherein the replacement determination by the control unit determines whether or not there is a second transport vehicle that will wait upstream of the first transport vehicle until the work of the first transport vehicle is completed when the first transport vehicle executes a transport command to move to the first station. [3] The vehicle transport system according to [1] or [2], wherein the swapping determination by the control unit determines whether, when the destinations of the transport commands that were assigned before the swapping determination are swapped, there exists a second transport vehicle that can start a transfer operation at the first station while the first transport vehicle is performing a transfer operation at the second station. [4] The transport vehicle system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the control unit determines, based on the replacement determination, that the second transport vehicle is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, and executes the replacement control even if there is another transport vehicle between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle. [5] The control unit executes the swapping determination when the first transport vehicle, to which a transport command has been assigned that the first station is the destination, reaches a predetermined position upstream of the first station. The predetermined position is the position where deceleration begins when the first transport vehicle stops at the first station, the transport vehicle system according to any one of [1] to [4]. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 1... Transport vehicle system, 3... Transport vehicle controller (control unit), 5... Transport vehicle, 5A... First transport vehicle, 5B... Second transport vehicle, 11... Track, 40... Transport vehicle control unit, P... Designated position, ST... Station, STa... First station, STb... Second station.

Claims

1. Multiple transport vehicles that travel in one direction along a predetermined route and transport goods, Multiple stations are provided along the aforementioned route and serve as sources for loading the aforementioned goods, Each time a loading request for the aforementioned items is made, the control unit assigns a transport command to the transport vehicle that can arrive at the station where the loading request was made as soon as possible, with the station where the loading request was made as the destination. The control unit, A swapping determination is performed to determine whether there exists a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, and which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and which is located downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, and to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the second station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and whether there exists a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, which is one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located downstream of the first station, which is one of the multiple transport vehicles, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is one of the multiple transport If it is determined that the second transport vehicle is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, then a swap control is executed between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle to swap the destinations of the transport commands that were assigned before the swap determination. The swapping determination by the control unit determines whether, when the destinations of the transport commands assigned before the swapping determination are swapped, there exists a second transport vehicle that can start a transfer operation at the first station while the first transport vehicle is performing a transfer operation at the second station.

2. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the replacement determination by the control unit determines whether or not there is a second transport vehicle that will wait upstream of the first transport vehicle until the work of the first transport vehicle is completed when the first transport vehicle executes a transport command to move to the first station.

3. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit, when it determines by the replacement determination that the second transport vehicle is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, executes the replacement control even if there is another transport vehicle between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle.

4. Multiple transport vehicles that travel in one direction along a predetermined route and transport goods, Multiple stations are provided along the aforementioned route and serve as sources for loading the aforementioned goods, Each time a loading request for the aforementioned items is made, the control unit assigns a transport command to the transport vehicle that can arrive at the station where the loading request was made as soon as possible, with the station where the loading request was made as the destination. The control unit, A swapping determination is performed to determine whether there exists a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, and which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and which is located downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, and to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the second station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, and whether there exists a second transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, which is a different transport vehicle from the first transport vehicle, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle and downstream of the first station, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, which is one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is located downstream of the first station, which is one of the multiple transport vehicles, to which a transport command has been assigned to move to the first station, one of the multiple transport vehicles, which is one of the multiple transport If it is determined that the second transport vehicle is located upstream of the first transport vehicle, then a swap control is executed between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle to swap the destinations of the transport commands that were assigned before the swap determination. The control unit executes the swapping determination when the first transport vehicle, to which a transport command has been assigned that the first station is the destination, reaches a predetermined position upstream of the first station. The predetermined position is the position where deceleration begins when the first transport vehicle stops at the first station, in a transport vehicle system.

5. The vehicle transport system according to claim 4, wherein the swapping determination by the control unit determines whether, when the destinations of the transport commands assigned before the swapping determination are swapped, there exists a second transport vehicle that can start a transfer operation at the first station while the first transport vehicle is performing a transfer operation at the second station.

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