Automated guided vehicle traveling system

Abstract

An automated guided vehicle (30) includes: a line sensor (41) that is directed to a road surface and reads a travel line (10) and a pattern of colors (21R, 21G, 21B) of a landmark (20); and a control unit (45) that detects the positions of the travel line (10) and the landmark (20) read by the line sensor (41), determines the position of the automated guided vehicle (30) with respect to the detected positions of the travel line (10) and the landmark (20), and determines control information of the automated guided vehicle (30) on the basis of the pattern of colors (21R, 21G, 21B) of the landmark (20) read by the line sensor (41).

Description

Automated guided vehicle driving system

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle travel system that causes an automated guided vehicle to travel along a travel line laid on a road surface, and more particularly to a technology for detecting landmarks along the travel line and controlling the automated guided vehicle.

[0002] Known automated guided vehicle travel systems are provided with an imaging unit that images the travel line and an imaging unit that images landmarks, and the position of the automated guided vehicle (AGV) relative to the position of the travel line read by one imaging unit is determined, steering control is performed based on this determined position, and control information is determined based on the landmarks read by the other imaging unit, and the automated guided vehicle is caused to travel, stop, etc. based on this determined control information.

[0003] Furthermore, the automated guided vehicle system described in Patent Document 1 includes a guide line laid on a road surface and an automated guided vehicle that travels along the guide line at a predetermined speed, the guide line having three different colored areas that appear in rotation, the automated guided vehicle captures an image of the guide line using an imaging device, sets a target speed based on the color of each colored area of ​​the imaged guide line, and determines the travel direction based on the order of the colors of the colored areas of the imaged guide line. This makes it possible to control the travel speed of the automated guided vehicle without providing a separate marker.

[0004] JP 2012-238346 A

[0005] In the case of the known automated guided vehicle travel system, if an imaging unit is provided to capture an image of the travel line and another imaging unit to capture an image of the landmarks, two imaging units are required. Furthermore, the image captured by the imaging unit is temporarily stored in a memory, and the travel line and landmarks contained in the image are identified by image processing. This lengthens the processing time required to identify the travel line and landmarks. It is desirable to shorten this processing time while the automated guided vehicle is traveling.

[0006] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the target speed is set based on the color of each colored area of ​​the guide line captured by the imaging means, and the running direction is determined based on the order of the colors of each colored area of ​​the captured guide line. However, the target speed and running direction alone are not enough to allow the unmanned guided vehicle to run in a variety of ways or perform tasks.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to shorten the processing time for identifying driving lines and landmarks and enable various control of automated guided vehicles. An automated guided vehicle travel system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a driving line laid on a road surface, a landmark including a multi-color pattern superimposed on the driving line, and an automated guided vehicle traveling along the driving line, the automated guided vehicle including a line sensor facing the road surface and reading the color patterns of the driving line and the landmarks, and a control unit that detects the positions of the driving line and the landmarks read by the line sensor, determines the position of the automated guided vehicle relative to the detected positions of the driving line and the landmarks, and determines control information for the automated guided vehicle according to the color patterns of the landmarks read by the line sensor, the control unit controls the operation of the automated guided vehicle in accordance with the content of the control information, and the color patterns of the landmarks are strip-shaped patterns extending in a direction intersecting the driving line and are arranged along the driving line.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the processing time required to identify driving lines and landmarks, and to enable various controls of automatic guided vehicles.

[0009] 8A is a schematic diagram showing an automated guided vehicle travel system according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8B is a plan view showing an enlarged view of a travel line and landmarks in the automated guided vehicle travel system of this embodiment; FIG. 8C is a diagram showing the rotation of each drive wheel when the automated guided vehicle is moved forward; FIG. 8D is a diagram showing the rotation of each drive wheel when the automated guided vehicle is moved backward; FIG. 8E is a diagram showing the rotation of each drive wheel when the direction of the automated guided vehicle is changed to the right; FIG. 8F is a diagram showing the rotation of each drive wheel when the direction of the automated guided vehicle is changed to the left; FIG. 8G is a block diagram showing a control system of the automated guided vehicle; FIG. 8H is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the output of a line sensor when reading patterns of each color of the travel line and landmarks, and a white area; FIG. 8I is a graph showing the density ID of each pixel on one scan line indicated by the output of the line sensor, and the density change ΔID of each highlighted pixel; FIG. 8I is a diagram showing steering control of an automated guided vehicle; FIG. 8H is a diagram showing steering control of an automated guided vehicle; FIG. 8I is a flowchart showing a procedure for controlling an automated guided vehicle based on the travel line and landmarks detected by the line sensor; FIG. 8I is a flowchart showing a procedure following FIG. 8A;

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, rotational directions, left-right directions, up-down directions, and the like may be indicated, but unless otherwise specified, these directions are shown as examples in each drawing.

[0011] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an automated guided vehicle travel system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The automated guided vehicle travel system Sy shown in Fig. 1 includes a travel line 10 laid on a road surface, landmarks 20 arranged so as to overlap the travel line 10, and an automated guided vehicle 30 that travels along the travel line 10.

[0012] The automated guided vehicle 30 is equipped with a line sensor 41 that faces the road surface and reads the travel line 10 and the landmarks 20. The line sensor 41 includes, for example, a contact image sensor (CIS) or a charge coupled device (CCD). In this embodiment, an example in which the line sensor 41 includes a CCD will be described. In the automated guided vehicle 30, steering control is performed in accordance with the positions of the travel line 10 and the landmarks 20 read by the line sensor 41, and control such as running and stopping the automated guided vehicle 30 is performed based on the color patterns of the landmarks 20 read by the line sensor 41.

[0013] 2 is an enlarged view of the driving line 10, landmarks 20, etc. As shown in FIG. 2, the driving line 10 is a strip of uniform width and is black or gray. The color or density of the driving line 10 is darker than the color of the road surface.

[0014] The landmark 20 is made up of a plurality of markings including a red pattern 21R, a green pattern 21G, a blue pattern 21B, and a white area 22. The red pattern 21R, the green pattern 21G, and the blue pattern 21B are strip-shaped patterns extending in a direction intersecting the driving line 10 and are arranged along the driving line 10. The arrangement order of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B can be set in various ways. The white area 22 surrounds the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B and is located before and after the arrangement of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B.

[0015] The edges 10E on both sides of the running line 10 and the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color are positioned to overlap each other. That is, the width of the running line 10 and the width of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color are the same, and the edges 10E and 20E are positioned in the same width direction. Therefore, the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color are positioned on extensions of the edges 10E on both sides of the running line 10.

[0016] 1, casters (also called swivel casters) 31 are provided at each of the four corners of the bottom of the automated guided vehicle 30, and four drive wheels 32 (corresponding to the steering travel unit in the claims) are provided on the inside of the bottom of the automated guided vehicle 30, spaced apart from one another in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 30, with the axes of the drive wheels 32 aligned in a straight line. Under the control of a control unit 45 (FIG. 4) described below, the drive wheels 32 are rotated by their respective travel drive motors, causing the automated guided vehicle 30 to travel, and the casters 31 to rotate in response.

[0017] When each drive wheel 32 is in contact with the floor surface, the travel drive motor of each drive wheel 32 is controlled individually to adjust the rotation speed of the drive wheel 32 and switch the rotation direction of the drive wheel 32, causing the unmanned guided vehicle 30 to travel, and the steering control of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 is also performed, thereby changing the direction of travel of the unmanned guided vehicle 30, and accordingly each caster 31 rotates in response to this and changes its direction.

[0018] The rotation control of each drive wheel when the automated guided vehicle is traveling will now be described. Figures 3A to 3D show the rotation of each drive wheel for each traveling direction when the automated guided vehicle is traveling. As mentioned above, the directions shown in the explanation with reference to Figure 3 are for the example shown in Figure 3. The rotation control of each drive wheel shown below is performed by the control unit 45 (Figure 4).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3A, when the automated guided vehicle 30 moves forward, the four drive wheels 32 are rotated at the same rotational speed in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 30 moves forward (hereinafter referred to as the forward direction).

[0020] When the automated guided vehicle 30 is moved backward as shown in FIG. 3B, the four drive wheels 32 are rotated at the same rotational speed in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 30 moves backward (hereinafter referred to as the reverse direction).

[0021] 3C , when the direction of the automated guided vehicle 30 is changed to the right, the two left drive wheels 32 are rotated forward, and the two right drive wheels 32 are rotated forward at a slower rotational speed than the left drive wheels 32 or are stopped. In this case, the rotational speed of the left outer drive wheel 32 may be set to the fastest, the rotational speed of the left inner drive wheel 32 may be set to the second fastest, the rotational speed of the right inner drive wheel 32 may be set to the third fastest, and the rotational speed of the right outer drive wheel 32 may be set to the slowest or be stopped. By appropriately setting the rotational speeds of the four drive wheels 32, the turning radius of the automated guided vehicle 30 can be changed.

[0022] 3D , when the direction of the automated guided vehicle 30 is changed to the left, the two right drive wheels 32 are rotated forward, and the two left drive wheels 32 are rotated forward at a slower rotational speed than the right drive wheels 32 or are stopped. In this case, the rotational speed of the right outer drive wheel 32 may be set to the fastest, the right inner drive wheel 32 to the second fastest, the left inner drive wheel 32 to the third fastest, and the left outer drive wheel 32 to the slowest rotational speed or be stopped. By appropriately setting the rotational speeds of the four drive wheels 32, the turning radius of the automated guided vehicle 30 can be changed.

[0023] In this way, by controlling the rotation speed and rotation direction of each of the four drive wheels 32, the automated guided vehicle 30 can be made to move forward, backward, turn right, or turn left. The four casters 31 also change direction depending on the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 30, thereby stably supporting the automated guided vehicle 30 so that it can move freely. This makes it possible to stably change the direction of the automated guided vehicle 30 while it is traveling, despite the simple configuration.

[0024] In this example, the automated guided vehicle 30 has four drive wheels 32, but it is also possible for the automated guided vehicle 30 to have only two drive wheels 32. When the automated guided vehicle 30 has only two drive wheels 32, when moving the automated guided vehicle 30 forward, the two drive wheels 32 are rotated at the same rotational speed in the direction in which the automated guided vehicle 30 moves forward (hereinafter referred to as the forward direction).

[0025] Furthermore, when an unmanned guided vehicle 30 having only two drive wheels 32 is moved backward, the two drive wheels 32 are rotated at the same rotational speed in the direction in which the unmanned guided vehicle 30 moves backward (hereinafter referred to as the reverse direction).

[0026] When the direction of the unmanned transport vehicle 30 having only two drive wheels 32 is changed to the right, one drive wheel 32 on the left side is rotated in the forward direction, and one drive wheel 32 on the right side is rotated in the forward direction at a rotation speed slower than that of the left drive wheel 32 or is stopped.

[0027] Furthermore, when the direction of an unmanned transport vehicle 30 having only two drive wheels 32 is changed to the left, one drive wheel 32 on the right side is rotated in the forward direction, and one drive wheel 32 on the left side is rotated in the forward direction at a rotation speed slower than each of the drive wheels 32 on the right side or is stopped.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the automated guided vehicle 30. As shown in Fig. 4, the automated guided vehicle 30 includes a line sensor 41, drive motors 42 for driving and rotating the drive wheels 32, a RAM 43, a storage unit 44, and a control unit 45.

[0029] The line sensor 41 has image pickup elements (CCD, CIS, etc.) for reading red (R), green (G), and blue (B), respectively, and reads the driving line 10 and landmarks 20 on the road surface when the automated guided vehicle 30 travels. The line sensor 41 outputs the reading results to the control unit 45.

[0030] The control unit 45 performs overall control of the automated guided vehicle 30. For example, the control unit 45 detects the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of the landmark 20 based on the output of the line sensor 41. The control unit 45 determines control information for the automated guided vehicle 30 that corresponds to the order in which the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of the landmark 20 are arranged. The control unit 45 controls the operation of the automated guided vehicle 30 in accordance with the determined control information. In accordance with the determined control information, the control unit 45 controls the drive of the travel drive motor 42 of each drive wheel 32 individually to adjust the rotational speed of the drive wheel 32 and cause the automated guided vehicle 30 to travel or stop.

[0031] Furthermore, the control unit 45 detects the positions of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color of the travel line 10 and the landmark 20 based on the output of the line sensor 41. The control unit 45 determines the position of the automated guided vehicle 30 relative to the detected positions of the travel line 10 and the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color, and performs operation control by controlling the drive of the travel drive motor 42 of each drive wheel 32 individually according to the determined position of the automated guided vehicle 30 to change the direction of the automated guided vehicle 30 and make the automated guided vehicle 30 travel along the travel line 10.

[0032] This control causes the automatic guided vehicle 30 to move forward, move backward, turn right, and turn left, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D.

[0033] Next, a method for detecting the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color of the driving line 10 and the landmark 20 based on the output of the line sensor 41 will be described.

[0034] In FIG. 5, the scanning direction of the line sensor 41 relative to the driving line 10, the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color of the landmark 20, and the road surface is indicated by a dashed line.

[0035] Also, (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) in Figure 5 are diagrams that schematically show changes in the output of the line sensor 41 when scanning the driving line 10, the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color of the landmark 20, and the white area 22, where the horizontal axis indicates the position of the line sensor 41 in one scanning direction, and the vertical axis indicates the output of the line sensor 41, which indicates the density of each pixel on one scanning line.

[0036] The line sensor 41 periodically repeats scanning in a direction intersecting the driving line 10, reading red (R), green (G), and blue (B) for each scan line, and separately outputs a red output RV, a green output GV, and a blue output BV. Depending on whether the line sensor 41 reads the driving line 10, the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of the landmark 20, or the white area 22, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV change as shown by (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) in Figure 5.

[0037] 5 shows an example of the arrangement of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B on the landmark 20. The red pattern 21R, green pattern 21G, and blue pattern 21B are arranged in this order from the upstream side along the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 30. Therefore, the line sensor 41 sequentially scans the red pattern 21R, green pattern 21G, and blue pattern 21B on the landmark 20.

[0038] When the road surface is a color close to white, as shown in (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) in Figure 5, when the line sensor 41 scans an area of ​​the road surface, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are all at a high level, and the density of each pixel representing the area of ​​the road surface in one scan line is high for all red, green, and blue.

[0039] Furthermore, since the landmark 20 is surrounded by a black frame, when the line sensor 41 scans the vertical line of the black frame of the landmark 20, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV all become low level in a pulsed manner.

[0040] As shown in (1) in FIG. 5, when the line sensor 41 is scanning a black or gray running line 10, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are all at low levels, and the density of each pixel representing the running line 10 in one scanning line is low for each of the red, green, and blue colors.

[0041] As shown in (2) and (6) in Figure 5, when the line sensor 41 is scanning the white area 22 of the landmark 20, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are all at a high level, and the density of each pixel representing the white area 22 in one scan line is high for all red, green, and blue.

[0042] As shown in (3) of Figure 5, when the red pattern 21R of the landmark 20 is scanned by the line sensor 41, the red output RV is at a high level, and the green output GV and blue output BV are at a low level, so that the density of each pixel representing the red pattern 21R in one scan line is high, and the density of each pixel representing the green pattern 21G and the density of each pixel representing the blue pattern 21B in one scan line are low.

[0043] Also, as shown in (4) of Figure 5, when the green pattern 21G of the landmark 20 is scanned by the line sensor 41, the green output GV is at a high level, the red output GR and the blue output BV are at a low level, and the density of each pixel representing the green pattern 21G in one scan line is high, and the density of each pixel representing the red pattern 21R and the density of each pixel representing the blue pattern 21B in one scan line are low.

[0044] As shown in (5) of Figure 5, when the blue pattern 21B of the landmark 20 is scanned by the line sensor 41, the blue output BV is at a high level, the red output RV and the green output GV are at a low level, the density of each pixel representing the blue pattern 21B in one scan line is high, and the density of each pixel representing the red pattern 21R and the density of each pixel representing the green pattern 21G in one scan line are low.

[0045] 5(1), (3), (4), and (5), it is clear that regardless of which of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of the traveling line 10 and the landmark 20 is read by the line sensor 41, the scanning direction positions at which the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV change from high to low are the same, and the scanning direction positions at which the outputs RV, GV, and BV change from low to high are the same. This is because the level changes of the outputs RV, GV, and BV occur at both edges 10E of the traveling line 10 and both edges 20E of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B, and the both edges 10E of the traveling line 10 and both edges 20E of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B are located at positions where they overlap each other.

[0046] In this way, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV all change in the same way at the edges 10E on both sides of the traveling line 10 and the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color. Therefore, the control unit 45 detects the edges 10E on both sides of the traveling line 10 or the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color based on the output changes for the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV, and uses both of the detected edges 10E on both sides and edges 20E on both sides as the position of the traveling line 10 (the position of the traveling line 10 in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 30).

[0047] 5, (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) are described above using an example in which the road surface is a color close to white and the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are all at high levels when the road surface area is scanned by the line sensor 41. However, it is also possible for the road surface color to be a color darker (lower in brightness) than any of red, green, and blue. In this case, when the road surface area is scanned by the line sensor 41, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are all at low levels. In this case, too, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV all change at the edges 10E on both sides of the traveling line 10 and the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color, so the control unit 45 detects the edges 10E on both sides of the traveling line 10 or the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color based on the output changes for the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV, and uses both of the detected edges 10E on both sides and edges 20E on both sides as the position of the traveling line 10 (the position of the traveling line 10 in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 30).

[0048] Next, an example of a method for detecting the position of the driving line 10 based on the output of the line sensor 41 will be described. When the control unit 45 acquires the red output RV, the green output GV, and the blue output BV from the line sensor 41, it performs image processing for each of the outputs RV, GV, and BV to emphasize the edges 10E on both sides of the driving line 10 and the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color.

[0049] For example, for red, green, and blue, if the density of the (N-1)th pixel on one scan line is ID(X-1), the density of the Xth pixel is ID(X), and the density of the (X+1)th pixel is ID(X+1), then the density change ID of each pixel emphasized by image processing based on the following equation (1) is calculated.

[0050] 6 is a graph showing the density ID of each pixel on one scan line indicated by the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV, and the density change ID of each pixel emphasized by the above formula (1), where the horizontal axis represents one scan period of the line sensor 41, and the vertical axis represents the density ID of each pixel and the density change ID of each emphasized pixel. Note that the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV all change in the same way at the edges 10E on both sides of the running line 10 and the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color, and therefore the density ID of each pixel on one scan line and the density change ID of each emphasized pixel also change in the same way.

[0051] As shown in the graph in Figure 6, the density ID of each pixel changes from high to low or from low to high at both edges 10E of the running line 10 and at both edges 20E of the color patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B. Therefore, the density change ID of each emphasized pixel rises in a pulse-like manner at the left edges 10E and 20E where the density ID of each pixel changes from high to low, and becomes equal to or greater than the high-level threshold SH. Furthermore, the density change ID of each emphasized pixel falls in a pulse-like manner at the right edges 10E and 20E where the density ID of each pixel changes from low to high, and becomes equal to or less than the low-level threshold SL.

[0052] Furthermore, when the line sensor 41 reads dirt, scratches, etc. on the road surface, the density ID of each pixel on one scanning line rises in a pulse-like manner, and the density change ID of each highlighted pixel falls in a pulse-like manner to below the low-level threshold value SL, and then immediately rises in a pulse-like manner to above the high-level threshold value SH.

[0053] Therefore, the control unit 45 sequentially selects each pixel on one scan line in the order of their arrangement. Each time a pixel is selected, the control unit 45 acquires the density ID of the selected pixel, indicated by the red output RV, green output GV, or blue output BV, and calculates the density change ID of each emphasized pixel based on the above formula (1). If the density change ID of each emphasized pixel is equal to or greater than the high-level threshold SH, the control unit 45 classifies the pixel as a positive-polarity pixel and groups consecutive positive-polarity pixels into one group. Furthermore, if the density change ID of each emphasized pixel is equal to or less than the low-level threshold SL, the control unit 45 classifies the pixel as a negative-polarity pixel and groups consecutive negative-polarity pixels into another group. This allows a group consisting of consecutive positive-polarity pixels and a group consisting of consecutive negative-polarity pixels to be extracted from all pixels on one scan line.

[0054] The control unit 45 sequentially focuses on each group on one scan line, sequentially selecting each pixel of this focused group and also selecting each pixel of the previous group in the same order, and if the position of the selected pixel of the focused group and the position of the selected pixel of the previous group on one scan line are within a predetermined N pixels, so that the selected pixels of both groups are close to each other and have different polarities, the control unit 45 excludes the density ID of each selected pixel from the density IDs of each pixel on one scan line. The control unit 45 repeats the same process for all groups on one scan line.

[0055] Furthermore, if the above condition does not apply, the control unit 45 does not exclude the density ID of each selected pixel from the density IDs of each pixel on one scan line, but leaves it.

[0056] 6, the density ID of each pixel that rises in a pulse-like manner as a result of the line sensor 41 reading dirt, scratches, etc. on the road surface is excluded. Also, the density ID of each pixel that changes from a high level to a low level or from a low level to a high-low level as a result of the line sensor 41 reading the edges 10E on both sides of the driving line 10 or the edges 20E on both sides of the patterns 21R, 21G, 21B of each color of the landmark 20 is not excluded and remains. Furthermore, the density ID of each other pixel that hardly changes is not excluded and remains.

[0057] The control unit 45 excludes the density ID of each pixel that has risen in a pulse-like manner, and then extracts the edge 10E or 20E on one side where the density ID of each pixel has changed from a high level to a low level, and the edge 10E or 20E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel has changed from a low level to a high level.

[0058] The control unit 45 counts the number of pixels m from one edge 10E or 20E to the other edge 10E or 20E. If the width of the driving line 10 and the landmark 20 is M pixels, the control unit 45 determines whether the counted number of pixels m falls within a predetermined range of the number of pixels M (a predetermined value) for the width of the driving line 10 and the landmark 20. If the counted number of pixels m falls within the M range, the control unit 45 determines that the driving line 10 or the landmark 20 has been detected, and sets the center position between the edges 10E or 20E on one scan line as the center position of the driving line 10 or the landmark 20. However, the width of the driving line 10 is not limited to a fixed width and can be greater than or equal to a fixed width. In this case, the control unit 45 determines that the driving line 10 has been detected if the counted number of pixels m is equal to or greater than M, which indicates the fixed width. In the following description, an example will be given in which the control unit 45 determines that the driving line 10 has been detected when the counted number of pixels m is equal to the number of pixels M+(m).

[0059] The control unit 45 determines the position of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 relative to the center position of the set driving line 10 or landmark 20, and performs steering control as shown in Figure 3C or 3D to cause the unmanned guided vehicle 30 to travel along the driving line 10 and the landmark 20.

[0060] For example, as shown in Fig. 7A, if the position of the automatic guided vehicle 30 is deviated to the left of the center position between the edge 10E or 20E on one side and the edge 10E or 20E on the other side in one scan line, steering control is performed to change the direction of the automatic guided vehicle 30 to the right, as shown in Fig. 3C. Also, as shown in Fig. 7B, if the position of the automatic guided vehicle 30 is deviated to the right of the center position between the edge 10E or 20E on one side and the edge 10E or 20E on the other side in one scan line, steering control is performed to change the direction of the automatic guided vehicle 30 to the left, as shown in Fig. 3D.

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in (3), (4), and (5) in Figure 5, if one of the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV does not change during one scanning period and the other two change, the control unit 45 extracts edges 20E on both sides of each pattern 21R, 21G, and 21B based on the other two changed outputs, and determines the color of the pattern indicated by the one unchanged output between the extracted edges 20E on both sides.

[0062] Alternatively, as shown in (3), (4), and (5) in Figure 5, when one of the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV does not change during one scanning period and the other two change, the control unit 45 extracts edges 20E on both sides of each pattern 21R, 21G, and 21B based on the other two changed outputs, counts the number of pixels k of the color represented by the one unchanged output between the extracted edges 20E on both sides, and if this counted number of pixels k is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold K (K < M), determines the color of the pattern represented by the one unchanged output.

[0063] For example, if the red output RV does not change and the levels of the green output GV and the blue output BV change during one scanning period, the control unit 45 extracts both edges 20E of the green pattern 21G and the blue pattern 21B based on the green output GV and the blue output BV, counts the number of red pixels indicated by the red output RV between the extracted both edges 20E, and if the counted number of pixels k is equal to or greater than the threshold value K, determines the color to be that of the red pattern 21R. Similarly, if the green output GV does not change and the levels of the red output RV and the blue output BV change during one scanning period, the control unit 45 extracts both edges 20E of the red pattern 21R and the blue pattern 21B based on the red output RV and the blue output BV, counts the number of green pixels k indicated by the green pattern output GV between the extracted both edges 20E, and if the counted number of pixels k is equal to or greater than the threshold value K, determines the color to be that of the green pattern. Furthermore, when the blue output BV does not change and the levels of the red output RV and green output GB change during one scanning period, the control unit 45 extracts both edges 20E based on the red output RV and the green output GB, counts the number k of blue pixels indicated by the blue output BV between the extracted both edges 20E, and if the counted number k of pixels is above the threshold value K, determines that the color is a blue pattern.

[0064] In this process of determining the color of a pattern, the color of the pattern can be determined as long as one scanning line of the line sensor 41 indicates a pattern of one color. Therefore, the color of the pattern can be determined immediately based on the output from one scanning line, without having to scan the entire area of ​​the pattern of one color extending in the running direction.

[0065] When the automated guided vehicle 30 is traveling, the line sensor 41 of the automated guided vehicle 30 detects the landmarks 20, and the color of the pattern of the landmarks 20 detected by the line sensor 41 changes. Every time the color of the pattern detected by the line sensor 41 changes, the control unit 45 immediately determines the color of the pattern.

[0066] Then, when the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV all reach a high level at the scanning position of one scan line, the control unit 45 determines that the white region 22 of the landmark 20 is being scanned by the line sensor 41, and therefore determines that the landmark is a white region 22. Even in this case, the control unit 45 immediately determines that the white region 22 has been scanned by the line sensor 41 throughout one scanning period. After determining that the white region 22 is a white region, the control unit 45 determines that the determination of the color patterns of the landmark 20 has been completed, and determines the color order of the patterns of the landmark 20. Even in this case, even if the entire white region 22 is not scanned, the control unit 45 can quickly begin determining the order of the color patterns of the landmark 20 when it determines that the landmark is a white region 22 based on the output from one scan line.

[0067] Here, if we change the color N times in the arrangement of each pattern of red, green, and blue, then we get 3×2 (N-2) It is possible to set different types of patterns and associate each type of pattern with a corresponding piece of control information. For example, if N=3 and the color is changed three times in each pattern arrangement of red, green, and blue, six types of patterns can be set, and if N=4 and the color is changed four times in each pattern arrangement of red, green, and blue, 12 types of patterns can be set, and each type of pattern is associated with a corresponding piece of control information (information indicating the control content). The storage unit 44 pre-stores the control information in association with each type of pattern.

[0068] When the control unit 45 has finished determining the pattern of each color of the landmark 20 and determined the order of the determined pattern of each color, it reads out control information associated with the determined order of the pattern of each color from the memory unit 44, and controls the drive motors of each drive wheel 32 according to the content indicated by the read control information, thereby causing the unmanned guided vehicle 30 to run or stop.

[0069] The control information is 3x2, as well as the order of the patterns for each color. (N-2)Since there are several types of control information, the automated guided vehicle 30 can be controlled in various ways based on the content indicated by each piece of control information, based on the number of types of control information. Therefore, based on the control information, it is possible to not only run or stop the automated guided vehicle 30, but also to perform various controls such as moving the automated guided vehicle 30 forward, backward, decelerating, accelerating, or having the automated guided vehicle 30 perform other tasks.

[0070] When the unmanned guided vehicle 30 is moving backward, the line sensor 41 reads the color patterns of the landmark 20 in the reverse order. After the color patterns of the landmark 20 are read in the reverse order, the line sensor 41 scans the white area 22 of the landmark 20 and the control unit 45 determines the white area 22. Then, the control unit 45 reverses the order of the read color patterns, reads out and acquires from the memory unit 44 the control information associated with this reversed order of the color patterns, and causes the unmanned guided vehicle 30 to run or stop based on this read control information.

[0071] Next, the procedure for controlling the automatic guided vehicle 30 based on the travel line 10 and the landmarks 20 detected by the line sensor 41 as described above will be explained in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C.

[0072] When the automatic guided vehicle 30 starts traveling or during normal operation, the automatic guided vehicle 30 travels along the travel line 10. Therefore, the line sensor 41 of the automatic guided vehicle 30 reads the travel line 10 when the automatic guided vehicle 30 starts traveling or during normal operation.

[0073] When the line sensor 41 scans one scan line, the control unit 45 acquires the red output RV, the green output GV, and the blue output BV from the line sensor 41 (S101). After excluding the density ID of each pixel that has increased in a pulse-like manner due to the influence of dust or scratches on the road surface for each of the red, green, and blue colors from the acquired outputs as described above, the control unit 45 extracts an edge 10E on one side of the driving line 10 where the density ID of each pixel changes from a high level to a low level, and also extracts an edge 10E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel changes from a low level to a high level (S102).

[0074] The control unit 45 determines whether the edge 10E on one side and the edge 10E on the other side have been extracted (S103). If the control unit 45 determines that the edges have been extracted (S103 "Yes"), it counts the number of pixels m from the edge 10E on one side to the edge 10E on the other side (S104). The control unit 45 determines whether the counted number of pixels m is equal to the number of pixels M of the width of the driving line 10 plus m (S105).

[0075] If the control unit 45 determines that the number of pixels m is equal to the number of pixels M+(M+N) ("Yes" in S105), it determines the driving line 10 (S106). Furthermore, the control unit 45 sets the center position between the edge 10E on one side and the edge 10E on the other side as the center position of the driving line 10 (S107). Then, the control unit 45 determines the position of the automated guided vehicle 30 relative to the set center position of the driving line 10 (S108), performs steering control as shown in FIG. 7A or 7B, and causes the automated guided vehicle 30 to travel along the driving line 10 (S109), and repeats S101 to S109.

[0076] Therefore, each time one scanning line is read by the line sensor 41, the red output RV, the green output GV, and the blue output BV are input from the line sensor 41 to the control unit 45 (S101), the edge 10E on one side and the edge 10E on the other side are extracted (S102, S103 "Yes"), and if the number of pixels m from the edge 10E on one side to the edge 10E on the other side is above the threshold M+N (S104, S105 "Yes"), it is determined that the driving line 10 has been detected (S106), the central position between the edge 10E on one side and the edge 10E on the other side is set as the central position of the driving line 10 (S107), the position of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 relative to this set central position of the driving line 10 is determined (S108), and steering control of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 is performed so that the unmanned guided vehicle 30 travels along the driving line 10 (S109).

[0077] When the unmanned guided vehicle 30 reaches the position of the landmark 20 while traveling along the travel line 10, the line sensor 41 first reads the white area 22 of the landmark 20, then reads the patterns of each color in turn, and finally reads the white area 22 again.

[0078] When the automated guided vehicle 30 reaches the position of the landmark 20 and the line sensor 41 begins reading the white area 22 of the landmark 20, the control unit 45 inputs the red output RV, the green output GV, and the blue output BV from the line sensor 41 (S101), but does not extract the edge 20E on one side where the density ID of each pixel changes from a high level to a low level, or the edge 20E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel changes from a low level to a high level (S102, S103 "No"), and proceeds to processing from S110 onwards.

[0079] Furthermore, since the line sensor 41 continues reading the white area 22 until just before it starts reading the first color pattern of the landmark 20, even if the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are input from the line sensor 41 (S110), the control unit 45 does not extract the edge 20E on one side of the landmark 20 where the density ID of each pixel changes from high to low level, or the edge 20E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel changes from low to high level based on the output of each color (S111, S112 "No"), and repeats S110 to S112.

[0080] During the period when the white area 22 is being scanned by the line sensor 41, the control unit 45 continues to control the steering of the automatic guided vehicle 30 based on the edges 10E on both sides of the traveling line 10 scanned immediately before the white area 22. Because the period during which the white area 22 is scanned by the line sensor 41 is short, continuing to control the steering of the immediately preceding automatic guided vehicle 30 only during this short period has little effect on the steering control.

[0081] When the line sensor 41 begins reading the first color pattern of the landmark 20, the control unit 45 inputs the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV from the line sensor 41 (S110). Based on the output of each color, the control unit 45 extracts an edge 20E on one side of the landmark 20 where the density ID of each pixel changes from high to low, and an edge 20E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel changes from low to high (S111). The control unit 45 determines that the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side have been extracted (S112 "Yes"). The control unit 45 counts the number of pixels m from the edge 20E on one side to the edge 20E on the other side (S113) and determines whether the counted number of pixels m is equal to the number of pixels M of the width of the driving line 10 and the landmark 20 plus (M) (S114).

[0082] If the control unit 45 determines that the number of pixels m is equal to the number of pixels M+(M+N) (S114 "Yes"), it determines that the landmark 20 is present (S115) and sets the center position between the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side as the center position of the landmark 20 (S116). Then, the control unit 45 determines the position of the automated guided vehicle 30 relative to the center position of the set landmark 20 (S117), and performs steering control as shown in Figure 7A or 7B to cause the automated guided vehicle 30 to travel along the landmark 20 (S118).

[0083] The control unit 45 selects the output that did not change between the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side extracted in S111 from among the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV, identifies the color of this selected output as the color of the pattern (S119), and stores the color of this pattern in RAM 43 (S120).

[0084] Subsequently, when the line sensor 41 scans the next scan line, the control unit 45 inputs the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV from the line sensor 41 (S121), and based on the output of each color, extracts the edge 20E on one side of the landmark 20 where the density ID of each pixel changes from a high level to a low level, and the edge 20E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel changes from a low level to a high level (S122).

[0085] Then, the control unit 45 determines that the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side of the landmark 20 have been extracted (S123 "Yes"), counts the number of pixels m from the edge 120E on one side to the edge 20E on the other side (S113), and if this counted number of pixels m is the number of pixels M of the width of the driving line 10 and the landmark 20 + m (S114 "Yes"), determines that it is a landmark 20 (S115), sets the center position between the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side as the center position of the landmark 20 (S116), determines the position of the automated guided vehicle 30 relative to the set center position of the landmark 20 (S117), and performs steering control as shown in Figure 7A or 7B to cause the automated guided vehicle 30 to travel along the landmark 20 (S118). Furthermore, the control unit 45 selects the output that did not change between the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side extracted in S122 from among the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV, identifies the color of this selected output as the color of the pattern (S119), and stores the color of this pattern in RAM 43 (S120).When the line sensor 41 scans the next scan line, the red output RV, green output GV, and blue output BV are input from the line sensor 41 (S121), and the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side of the landmark 20 are extracted based on the output of each color (S122).When it determines that the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side of the landmark 20 have been extracted (S123 ``Yes''), S113 to S123 are repeated.

[0086] Therefore, each time one scanning line is read by the line sensor 41, the red output RV, the green output GV, and the blue output BV are input from the line sensor 41 to the control unit 45 (S121), the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side are extracted (S122, S123 "Yes"). If the number of pixels m from the edge 20E on one side to the edge 20E on the other side is above the threshold M+m ​​(S113, S114 "Yes"), it is determined that the landmark 20 has been detected (S115), and the edge 20E on one side and the edge 20E on the other side are extracted (S116). The center position between the other edge 20E on one side is set as the center position of the landmark 20 (S116), the position of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 relative to this set center position of the landmark 20 is determined (S117), steering control of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 is performed, and the unmanned guided vehicle 30 travels along the travel line 10 (S118), and further, an output of a color that did not change during one scanning period is selected, and the color of this selected output is identified as the color of the pattern (S119), and the color of this pattern is stored in RAM 43 (S120).

[0087] As a result, the landmarks 20 are read while the automated guided vehicle 30 travels along the landmarks 20, and the color patterns of the landmarks 20 are sequentially identified and stored in the RAM 43.

[0088] However, if the color of the pattern identified in this S119 is different from the color of the pattern stored in the RAM 43 in the previous S120, the color of the pattern determined in this S119 is stored in the RAM 43, and if the colors of both patterns are the same, the color of the pattern determined in this S119 is not stored in the RAM 43. In this way, the color of each pattern of the landmark 20 is stored in the RAM 43 one by one.

[0089] If the control unit 45 determines that the number of pixels m from the edge 10E on one side of the driving line 10 to the edge 10E on the other side is not on the threshold value M+N (S105 "No"), the process does not proceed to S106 but returns to S101. Also, if the control unit 45 determines that the number of pixels m from the edge 20E on one side of the landmark 20 to the edge 20E on the other side is not on the threshold value M+N (S114 "No"), the process does not proceed to S115 but returns to S110.

[0090] As the unmanned transport vehicle 30 travels, the line sensor 41 scans all patterns of the landmark 20, and the colors of all patterns are stored in RAM 43 one by one in sequence, after which the line sensor 41 scans the white area 22 of the landmark 20 again.

[0091] At this time, even if the control unit 45 acquires the red output RV, the green output GV, and the blue output BV from the line sensor 41 (S121), it does not extract the edge 20E on one side where the density ID of each pixel changes from high to low, or the edge 20E on the other side where the density ID of each pixel changes from low to high (S122, S123 "No"), which indicates that the line sensor 41 has scanned the white area 22 following the patterns 21R, 21G, and 21B of each color.

[0092] The control unit 45 determines whether the color of the pattern has changed N times based on the colors of all patterns stored sequentially in RAM 43 (S124), and if it determines that the color of the pattern has changed N times (S124 "Yes"), it determines that the color of each pattern of the landmark 20 has been identified once, and therefore determines that the determination of the colors of all patterns of the landmark 20 has been completed (S125).

[0093] At this time, during the period when the white area 22 is being scanned by the line sensor 41, the control unit 45 continues to control the steering of the automatic guided vehicle 30 based on the edges 20E on both sides of the color pattern scanned immediately before the white area 22. Because the period during which the white area 22 is scanned by the line sensor 41 is short, continuing to control the steering of the immediately preceding automatic guided vehicle 30 only for this short period has little effect on the steering control.

[0094] The control unit 45 then determines whether the automated guided vehicle 30 is moving forward or backward (S126), and if it determines that the automated guided vehicle 30 is moving forward (S126 "Forward"), it determines the order of the color patterns of the landmark 20 according to the storage order of the color patterns in the RAM 43, and reads out control information associated with this determined order of the color patterns from the storage unit 44 (S128). The control unit 45 controls the travel or operation of the automated guided vehicle 30 according to the control content indicated by the read control information (S129).

[0095] Furthermore, when the control unit 45 determines that the automated guided vehicle 30 is moving backward ("backward" in S126), it reverses the order in which the colors of the patterns are stored in the RAM 43 (S127), determines the order of the color patterns of the landmark 20 according to this reversed order, and reads out control information associated with this determined order of the color patterns from the storage unit (S128). The control unit 45 controls the travel or operation of the automated guided vehicle 30 according to the control content indicated by the read control information (S129).

[0096] After S129, the control unit 45 immediately repeats the processing from S101 to cause the automated guided vehicle 30 to travel along the travel line 10 or the landmark 20, and controls the travel or operation of the automated guided vehicle 30 based on the sequence of the color patterns of the landmark 20. Also, when the control unit 45 determines that the color of the pattern has not changed N times based on the colors of all the patterns stored sequentially in the RAM 43 ("No" in S124), it immediately repeats the processing from S101.

[0097] In this manner, in this embodiment, the positions of the travel line 10 and the landmarks 20 read by the line sensor 41 are detected, the position of the automated guided vehicle 30 relative to the detected positions of the travel line 10 and landmarks 20 is determined, steering control of the automated guided vehicle 30 is performed, and control information for the automated guided vehicle 30 is determined based on the color patterns of the landmarks 20 read by the line sensor 41, to control the travel, stopping, etc. of the automated guided vehicle 30. Even with just one scan by the line sensor 41, the positions of the travel line 10 and the landmarks 20 and the color of the lines of the landmarks 20 can be determined, so the processing time required to control the automated guided vehicle 30 can be shortened.

[0098] In addition, like the type of pattern order for each color, the control information is (N-2) Since there are various types, the automatic guided vehicle 30 can be controlled in a variety of ways based on the control information.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the color of a pattern is determined when the line sensor 41 continues to scan a pattern of one color throughout one scanning period, but the color of the pattern may also be determined on the condition that the line sensor 41 scans a pattern of one color multiple times and the color of the pattern can be repeatedly determined.

[0100] However, if the vertical width of a pattern of one color in the longitudinal direction (extension direction) of the travel line 10 is constant, the faster the travel speed of the automated guided vehicle 30 and the longer the scanning cycle of the line sensor 41, the fewer the number of times a pattern of one color can be scanned by the line sensor 41. For this reason, the control unit 45 may calculate the number of times a pattern of the landmark 20 can be scanned based on the travel speed of the automated guided vehicle 30 and the scanning cycle of the line sensor 41, set a number of readings that is less than the calculated number of times a pattern of the landmark 20 can be scanned, determine the color of the pattern of the landmark 20 read by the line sensor 41 for each scan line read by the line sensor 41, and determine the color of the pattern on the condition that this pattern color determination has been repeated consecutively the set number of readings.

[0101] Alternatively, the control unit 45 may shorten the scanning period of the line sensor 41 as the traveling speed of the automated guided vehicle 30 increases, thereby maintaining the number of times that one pattern of the landmark 20 can be scanned at a constant number of times, and may determine the color of the pattern of the landmark 20 read by the line sensor 41 by continuously repeating the determination of the color of the pattern a set number of times.

[0102] In addition, in the above embodiment, the unmanned guided vehicle 30 is caused to move forward, backward, turn right, and turn left by controlling the rotational speed and rotational direction of each of the four drive wheels 32, but it is also possible to provide drive wheels and steering wheels separately and change the running speed of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 by controlling the rotational speed and rotational direction of the drive wheels, and to switch between forward and reverse movement, and to change the direction of travel of the unmanned guided vehicle 30 by changing the direction of the steering wheels.

[0103] Furthermore, the configuration and processing of the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these configurations and processing.

Claims

1. An unmanned guided vehicle traveling system comprising: a driving line laid on a road surface; a landmark including a multiple-color pattern superimposed on the driving line; and an unmanned guided vehicle traveling along the driving line, wherein the unmanned guided vehicle is equipped with: a line sensor that is arranged facing the road surface and reads the color patterns of the driving line and the landmark; and a control unit that detects the position of the driving line and the position of the landmark read by the line sensor, determines the position of the unmanned guided vehicle relative to the detected positions of the driving line and the landmark, and determines control information for the unmanned guided vehicle corresponding to the color pattern of the landmark read by the line sensor, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the unmanned guided vehicle in accordance with the content of the control information, and the color patterns of the landmarks are strip-shaped patterns extending in a direction intersecting the driving line and are arranged along the driving line.

2. The automated guided vehicle driving system of claim 1, wherein the control unit detects both edges of the landmark based on the output of the line sensor for each scanning line read by the line sensor, and determines the color of the landmark pattern in the inner area of ​​the detected both edges.

3. The automated guided vehicle driving system of claim 2, wherein the control unit detects both edges of the landmark for each scan line read by the line sensor based on the output of the line sensor, counts the number of pixels of the color of the landmark pattern lined up on the one scan line in the inner area of ​​the detected both edges, and determines the color of the landmark pattern if the counted number of pixels is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value.

4. The unmanned guided vehicle driving system of claim 2, wherein the control unit calculates the number of times the line sensor can scan the landmark pattern based on the scanning period of the line sensor and the traveling speed of the unmanned guided vehicle, sets a reading count less than the calculated number of times the landmark pattern can be scanned, determines the color of the landmark pattern read by the line sensor for each scanning line read by the line sensor, and determines the color of the pattern when the determination of the color of the landmark pattern has been repeated consecutively the set number of times.

5. An automated guided vehicle driving system as described in claim 1, further comprising a memory unit that stores respective control information that has been preset in association with the sequence of the color patterns of the landmarks, and the control unit reads out from the memory unit and determines the control information that is associated with the sequence of the color patterns of the landmarks read by the line sensor.

6. The unmanned guided vehicle traveling system according to claim 5, wherein, when the unmanned guided vehicle moves backward, the control unit reverses the order of the patterns of each color of the landmarks read by the line sensor, and reads out from the memory unit control information associated with the reversed order of the patterns of each color of the landmarks to make a judgment.

7. The landmarks are arranged in red, green, and blue patterns along the running line. If the color is changed N times in the arrangement of each of the red, green, and blue patterns, the result is 3 x 2 (N-2) 2. The automated guided vehicle driving system according to claim 1, wherein different types of patterns are set, and each type of pattern is associated with respective control information.

8. The automated guided vehicle driving system of claim 1, wherein the landmarks are arranged in a pattern of each color along the driving line with white areas provided before and after the arrangement of the patterns of each color, and the control unit determines the end of reading the patterns of each color of the landmarks when one scanning line of the white area is read by the line sensor, and determines control information for the automated guided vehicle based on the patterns of each color of the landmarks.

9. An unmanned guided vehicle driving system as described in claim 1, wherein the edges on both sides of the driving line overlap with the edges on both sides of the landmark, and the control unit detects the edges on both sides of the driving line and the edges on both sides of the landmark based on the output of the line sensor for each scanning line read by the line sensor, determines the position of the driving line and the position of the landmark from the detected edges on both sides of the driving line and the edges on both sides of the landmark, and determines the position of the unmanned guided vehicle relative to the determined position of the driving line and the position of the landmark.

10. The automated guided vehicle driving system according to claim 1, wherein the color of the driving line is black or gray.

11. The unmanned guided vehicle driving system described in claim 1, wherein the unmanned guided vehicle is provided with a steering and traveling unit that changes the direction of the unmanned guided vehicle and causes the unmanned guided vehicle to run or stop, and the control unit controls the steering and traveling unit based on the position of the unmanned guided vehicle relative to the traveling line to change the direction of the unmanned guided vehicle, and controls the steering and traveling unit based on control information of the unmanned guided vehicle to run or stop the unmanned guided vehicle.

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