Conveyance moving body control device, conveyance moving body control system, conveyance moving body control method, and program

Abstract

In the present disclosure, an object to be conveyed is conveyed with a suitable control method according to the stability of the object to be conveyed. This conveyance moving body control device includes a determination means, a control method selection means, and an instruction means. The determination means determines the stability of the object to be conveyed. The control method selection means selects a control method of the conveyance moving body for conveying the object to be conveyed according to the stability of the object to be conveyed determined by the determination means. The instruction means instructs execution of the selected control method and conveyance of the object to be conveyed.

Description

Mobile transport control device, mobile transport control system, mobile transport control method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transport mobile body control device, a transport mobile body control system, a transport mobile body control method, and a program.

[0002] When a moving object such as a forklift transports an object, depending on the state of the object, the object may be difficult to transport due to reasons such as the object being easily unbalanced. Therefore, various methods have been proposed to address the difficulty of transporting the object.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a method for determining whether a transport device can transport the cargo by using a sensor to determine the condition of the cargo loaded on the transport platform. In this method, if it is determined that the condition of the cargo is not suitable for transport, the transport is stopped.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-140064

[0005] The above-described method simply determines the state of the cargo regardless of the characteristics of the mobile object. However, there are mobile objects that transport cargo, such as manned vehicles and autonomous vehicles, that operate using various control methods. Simply determining whether the cargo can be transported may not be appropriate for mobile objects with various control methods. For example, depending on the state of the cargo, a manned vehicle may be able to transport the cargo if the driver carefully operates the vehicle, but an autonomous vehicle, which requires more careful operation than manual control, may have difficulty transporting the cargo. If the determination of whether the cargo can be transported is made without taking into account the control method of the mobile object, the operation may be stopped even when transport is possible, reducing the efficiency of the transport operation.

[0006] A transporting mobile body control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a determination means for determining the stability of an object to be transported, a control method selection means for selecting a control method for the transporting mobile body that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the stability of the object to be transported determined by the determination means, and an instruction means for instructing the selected control method and the execution of the transport of the object to be transported.

[0007] A transporting mobile body control system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a determination means for determining the stability of an object to be transported based on an image, a control method selection means for selecting a control method for the transporting mobile body that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the stability of the object to be transported determined by the determination means, and an instruction means for instructing the selected control method and the transport of the object to be transported.

[0008] A transporting mobile body control method that is one aspect of the present disclosure determines the stability of an object to be transported, selects a control method for the transporting mobile body that transports the object based on the determined stability of the object, and instructs the selected control method and the execution of the transport of the object to be transported.

[0009] A program that is one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to perform the following processes: determining the stability of an object to be transported; selecting a control method for a transport vehicle that transports the object based on the determined stability of the object; and instructing the selected control method and the transport of the object.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, an object to be transported can be transported using a suitable control method according to the stability of the object to be transported.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a transfer mobile body control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a transfer mobile body control device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a transfer object. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a fifth example of a transfer object. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the operation of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of priority information. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation of a transfer mobile body control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of transfer mobile body information.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as necessary.

[0013] A transport mobile body control device according to this embodiment instructs a control method for a transport mobile body that transports an object in an area where the object is to be transported. Here, as a prerequisite for understanding the transport mobile body control device, a transport mobile body control system including the transport mobile body control device will first be described.

[0014] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a transport mobile body control system according to one embodiment. The transport mobile body control system 1000 includes a transport mobile body control device 100 and an imaging device such as a camera 110 capable of capturing images of an area where transport work is performed.

[0015] The camera 110 and the transport mobile body control device 100 are communicatively connected by any communication means, such as wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless. Fig. 1 shows an example in which the camera 110 and the transport mobile body control device 100 are communicatively connected by wireless communication.

[0016] 1 is an area in which the transport vehicle 20 transports the transport target 10. The management area 900 may be any space in which the transport vehicle 20 is expected to transport the transport target 10, such as a warehouse or a store.

[0017] In Fig. 1, a forklift is assumed as an example of the transport vehicle 20. However, the transport vehicle 20 is not limited to a forklift, and may be any transport vehicle other than a forklift that is capable of transporting the object 10. The object 10 is loaded on a loading platform 11 such as a pallet. The transport vehicle 20 transports the object 10 by holding the loading platform 11.

[0018] The camera 110 captures an image IMG within the management area 900. The images captured by the camera 110 include various types of image or video information, such as moving images, still images, and frame-by-frame moving images made up of a plurality of still images captured continuously at predetermined time intervals. The camera 110 outputs the image IMG to the transport mobile body control device 100.

[0019] The transfer mobile body control device 100 determines the state of the transfer target object 10 based on the image IMG. Then, the transfer mobile body control device 100 selects a control method to be applied when the transfer mobile body 20 transfers the transfer target object 10 based on the determination result.

[0020] 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transporting / moving body control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transporting / moving body control device 100 includes a stability determining unit 1, a control method selecting unit 2, and an instruction unit 3.

[0021] The stability determination unit 1 determines the stability ST of the transport object 10 as the state of the transport object 10 based on an image of the transport object 10. Note that hereinafter, the stability determination unit 1 is also referred to as a determination unit. For example, the stability determination unit 1 may determine the stability ST of the transport object 10 depending on how much the loading position of the transport object 10 on the loading platform 11 is offset from the center of the loading platform 11, or depending on the size of the transport object 10 relative to the loading platform 11. Note that specific examples of determining the stability ST will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.

[0022] The control method selection unit 2 determines the control method of the transporting mobile body 20 to be applied to transporting the transporting object 10 based on the stability ST of the transporting object 10. Here, three control methods are assumed as the control method of the transporting mobile body 20: manual control, remote control, and autonomous control.

[0023] Manual control is a control method in which an operator directly controls the transport vehicle 20 while riding on the transport vehicle 20. In the case of manual control, the operator controls the vehicle while observing the state of the transport object 10 and the surroundings. Therefore, manual control has the advantage that the operator can take appropriate measures depending on the state or abnormality of the transport object 10 and the surroundings.

[0024] Remote control is a control method in which an operator located at a distance from the transport vehicle 20 controls the transport vehicle 20 by transmitting commands to the transport vehicle 20, for example, via wireless communication. Autonomous driving is a control method in which a control means, such as a computer mounted on the transport vehicle 20, autonomously accelerates, decelerates, and steers the transport vehicle 20 in response to commands given in advance. Remote control has the advantage that an operator located in a control room, for example, can select and control the transport vehicle 20 to be controlled as needed, thereby making it possible to efficiently allocate and allocate personnel to act as operators. Autonomous control has the advantage that no operator involvement is required during the movement of the transport vehicle 20, eliminating the need to assign personnel to act as operators.

[0025] On the other hand, with remote control and autonomous control, since no operator is on board the transport vehicle 20, it is more difficult to respond to the conditions or abnormalities of the transport target object 10 or the surrounding area than with manual control. Therefore, remote control and autonomous control generally tend to take longer to perform the same transport task than with manual control. Similarly, autonomous control tends to take longer to perform the same transport task than with remote control.

[0026] Therefore, the control method selection unit 2 selects an appropriate control method from manual control, remote control, and autonomous control according to the stability ST as the control method for the transporting mobile body 20. The control method selection unit 2 outputs control method selection information CS indicating the selected control method to the instruction unit 3.

[0027] The instruction unit 3 recognizes the control method selected by the control method selection unit 2 in accordance with the control method selection information CS. Then, the instruction unit 3 instructs the operator of the transport vehicle 20 or the transport vehicle 20 on the control method selected by the control method selection unit 2 and on the execution of transport using that control method. The instruction unit 3 transmits an instruction INS to the operator of the transport vehicle 20 or the transport vehicle 20 by any communication means, for example, wireless communication.

[0028] When the selected control method is manual control, the instruction unit 3 may transmit the instruction INS to, for example, a mobile terminal of the operator of the transport vehicle 20. The transport vehicle 20 may also transmit information identifying the transport target 10, as well as the current position and the transport destination position of the transport target 10. This allows the operator to transport the transport target 10 by boarding the transport vehicle 20 and operating it.

[0029] When the selected control method is remote control, the instruction unit 3 may transmit the instruction INS to, for example, a mobile terminal of the operator of the transporting vehicle 20 or a terminal for operating the transported object 10. The transporting vehicle 20 may also transmit information identifying the transported object 10, as well as the current position and the transport destination position of the transported object 10. This allows the operator to remotely operate the transporting vehicle 20 to transport the transported object 10.

[0030] When the selected control method is autonomous control, the instruction unit 3 may transmit an instruction INS to, for example, a control device of the transporting vehicle 20. The transporting vehicle 20 may also transmit information identifying the transport target 10, as well as the current position and the transport destination position of the transport target 10. This allows the transporting vehicle 20 to operate autonomously based on the received information and transport the transport target 10.

[0031] Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the transport mobile body control device 100 is shown. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration for realizing the transport mobile body control device. The transport mobile body control device 100 can be realized by a computer 2000, such as a dedicated computer or a personal computer (PC). However, the computer does not need to be physically single; multiple computers may be used when performing distributed processing. As shown in FIG. 3, the computer 2000 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2001, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 2002, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 2003, which are interconnected via a bus 2004. Note that although an explanation of the OS software for operating the computer will be omitted, it is assumed that the computer that builds this network analysis system also has such software.

[0032] An input / output interface 2005 is also connected to the bus 2004. To the input / output interface 2005, for example, an input unit 2006 including a keyboard, mouse, sensor, etc., a display including a CRT, LCD, etc., an output unit 2007 including headphones, speakers, etc., a storage unit 2008 including a hard disk, etc., and a communication unit 2009 including a modem, terminal adapter, etc. are connected.

[0033] The CPU 2001 executes various processes in accordance with various programs stored in the ROM 2002 or various programs loaded from the storage unit 2008 to the RAM 2003. In this embodiment, the CPU 2001 executes, for example, the processing of each unit of the transport / mobile body control device. A graphics processing unit (GPU) may be provided to execute, similarly to the CPU 2001, various processes in accordance with various programs stored in the ROM 2002 or various programs loaded from the storage unit 2008 to the RAM 2003. In this embodiment, the CPU 2001 executes, for example, the processing of each unit of the transport / mobile body control device. The GPU is suitable for performing routine processing in parallel, and by applying it to neural network processing, for example, it is possible to improve the processing speed compared to the CPU 2001. The RAM 2003 also stores data necessary for the CPU 2001 and the GPU to execute various processes.

[0034] The communication unit 2009 performs communication processing via the Internet (not shown), for example, transmits data provided by the CPU 2001, and outputs data received from a communication partner to the CPU 2001, RAM 2003, and storage unit 2008. The storage unit 2008 exchanges data with the CPU 2001 and stores and erases information. The communication unit 2009 also performs communication processing of analog or digital signals with other devices.

[0035] The input / output interface 2005 is also connected to a drive 2010 as needed, and, for example, a magnetic disk 2011, an optical disk 2012, a flexible disk 2013, or a semiconductor memory 2014 is appropriately attached, and computer programs read from these are installed in the memory unit 2008 as needed.

[0036] The above-described example of the hardware configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and may be used to realize the transport moving body control device according to the various embodiments described herein.

[0037] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the transport mobile body control device 100. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transport mobile body control device according to one embodiment.

[0038] Step S11: The stability determination unit 1 determines the stability ST of the transport object 10 based on the image IMG of the transport object 10. The stability ST is an index that indicates the stability of the balance of the transport object 10 loaded on the loading platform 11. Hereinafter, a high stability ST indicates that the transport object 10 loaded on the loading platform 11 is unlikely to lose its balance. Furthermore, a low stability ST indicates that the transport object 10 loaded on the loading platform 11 is likely to lose its balance.

[0039] The stability ST may be given as a continuous numerical value, or may be a discrete index classified into a plurality of classes.

[0040] Next, an example of determining the stability ST will be specifically described based on the loading status of the transport object 10 on the loading platform 11. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a transport object. For example, as shown on the left side of FIG. 5 , if the center of gravity of the transport object 10 is offset from the center position of the loading platform 11, the transport object 10 may fall off the loading platform 11 during transport. Furthermore, as shown on the right side of FIG. 5 , if the transport object 10 consists of multiple items, some or all of which are stacked horizontally offset, the load may collapse during transport. In this case, the stability determination unit 1 may determine the stability ST by calculating the deviation between the center of gravity of the transport object 10 and the center position of the loading platform 11 based on an image of the transport object 10 and comparing the deviation with a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the stability determination unit 1 may determine the stability ST by calculating the deviation between the center position of the transport object 10 and the center position of the loading platform 11 based on an image of the transport object 10 and comparing the deviation with a predetermined threshold.

[0041] 6 is a diagram showing a second example of an object to be transported. For example, if the height of the object to be transported 10 is significantly higher than the width of the loading platform 11, the center of gravity G will be higher, and there is a risk that the object to be transported 10 will fall off the loading platform 11 during transport. In this case, the stability determination unit 1 may estimate the height of the center of gravity of the object to be transported 10 and compare the estimated value with a predetermined threshold value to determine the stability ST. For example, the stability determination unit 1 may determine that the stability ST is high if the estimated value is greater than the predetermined threshold value, and may determine that the stability ST is low if the estimated value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

[0042] 7 is a diagram showing a third example of an object to be transported. Even when the object to be transported 10 is an object having few contact points and a small contact area with the platform 11, such as a spherical or oval shape, there is a risk that the object to be transported 10 may fall off the platform 11 during transport. In this case, the stability determination unit 1 may determine the stability ST based on the shape of the object to be transported 10. For example, the stability determination unit 1 may determine that the stability ST is high when the object to be transported 10 is box-shaped. The stability determination unit 1 may determine that the stability ST is low when the object to be transported 10 is spherical, oval, or the like.

[0043] 8 is a diagram showing a fourth example of an object to be transported. For example, it is possible that the dimensions of the object to be transported 10 are larger than the platform 11, such as when the object to be transported is elongated. In this case, the object to be transported 10 may lose balance and fall, or the object to be transported 10 may come into contact with other objects on the transport path. In this case, if the object to be transported 10 is loaded without protruding from the platform 11, the stability ST may be determined to be high. Furthermore, the stability determination unit 1 may determine that the stability ST is low if the object to be transported 10 is loaded protruding from the platform 11.

[0044] 9 is a diagram showing a fifth example of an object to be conveyed. It is also assumed that the object to be conveyed 10 is not a single item, but a collection of multiple stacked items. In this case, if the multiple items are secured together with strings or belts, or are wrapped in packing wrap, or other measures to prevent the items from falling have been taken, the stability determination unit 1 may determine that the stability ST is high. If the objects to be conveyed 10 are stacked and no special measures to prevent the items from falling have been taken, the stability determination unit 1 may determine that the stability ST is low.

[0045] Machine learning may be applied to the determination of the stability ST in the stability determination unit 1. In this case, an image of the transport object may be input into a model consisting of, for example, a neural network, and supervised learning may be performed using the stability as a teacher label to construct a trained model. The stability determination unit 1 may then input an image of the transport object 10 whose stability ST is to be determined or the features of the transport object 10 into the trained model, and determine the stability ST of the transport object 10 based on the output of the trained model obtained as a result. Alternatively, the stability ST may be determined by applying pattern matching.

[0046] Step S12: The control method selection unit 2 selects the control method of the transporting vehicle 20 that transports the transport object 10 from three control methods: manual control, remote control, and autonomous control, based on the stability ST.

[0047] For example, when the stability ST is given as a numerical value, the control method selection unit 2 sets the stability ST to a predetermined reference value ST ＲＥＦ Then, the control method selection unit 2 compares the stability ST with the reference value ST ＲＥＦ If the stability ST is greater than the reference value ST ＲＥＦ If the stability ST is smaller than the reference value ST ＲＥＦ If the stability ST is equal to the stability ST, the control method selection unit 2 may determine that the stability ST is high or low, as necessary.

[0048] When the stability ST of the transport object 10 is high, it can be considered that the transport object 10 can be safely transported by a simple transport operation. Therefore, the control method selection unit 2 selects, for example, remote control or autonomous control as the control method for the transport mobile body 20.

[0049] When the stability ST of the transport object 10 is low, careful transport work is required to prevent the transport object 10 from collapsing or falling. Therefore, the control method selection unit 2 selects, as the control method for the transport moving body 20, manual control, which requires careful work and allows flexible handling of various situations.

[0050] In addition, when the stability ST is given as a discrete index divided into multiple classes, the control method selection unit 2 may select an appropriate control method by comparing the stability ST with control method designation information given as table information that specifies a control method according to the stability.

[0051] Predetermined reference value ST ＲＥＦ The control method designation information may be stored in advance in the stability determination unit 1. ＲＥＦ The control method designation information may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the transporting / moving body controlling device 100, and may be read by the stability determining unit 1 as needed.

[0052] Step S13: The instruction unit 3 instructs the selected control method to the operator or the transporting vehicle 20. In the case of manual control or remote control, the operator can thereby operate the transporting vehicle 20 using the instructed control method to transport the transported object 10. In the case of autonomous control, the transporting vehicle 20 can transport the transported object 10 by operating autonomously.

[0053] As described above, the transport mobile body control device 100 can transport the transport object 10 to a desired transport destination position by the transport mobile body 20 using a control method that corresponds to the stability of the transport object 10.

[0054] As a result, the transport mobile body control device 100 can also improve transport efficiency. As described above, in general transport methods, whether or not an object can be transported is determined based solely on the state of the object, without considering the control method of the transport mobile body. However, it is expected that transport of the object may be possible depending on the control method. For example, even if transport using autonomous control or remote control is difficult, it is expected that transport of an object with relatively low stability may be possible using manual control, which allows for more careful transport work.

[0055] In such cases, even if an object is determined to be untransportable using a general transport method, the transport mobile body control device 100 may be able to transport the object by applying a suitable control method according to the stability of the transport mobile body. As a result, the transport mobile body control device 100 can transport objects that would otherwise be determined to be untransportable using a general transport method and require separate measures each time, without requiring separate measures. Therefore, the total number of objects handled by the transport mobile body control device 100, which performs transport using a control method automatically selected by the transport mobile body control device 100, can be increased compared to general transport methods. As a result, the transport mobile body control device 100 can further improve the efficiency of transporting objects.

[0056] Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, a transfer mobile body control device was described that selects a control method for the transfer mobile body 20 depending on the stability ST of the transfer object 10. However, the transfer work of the transfer object 10 is actually divided into multiple processes. The degree of caution required for the transfer work may differ depending on the process. Therefore, in this embodiment, a transfer mobile body control device that can select a control method for the transfer mobile body 20 for each process will be described. Note that the transfer mobile body control device in this embodiment has the same configuration as the transfer mobile body control device 100 described in the first embodiment except for the operation, and therefore, redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0057] In the following, the three processes of the transport work are assumed to be loading, moving, and unloading. However, the method of dividing the processes and the number of processes are not limited to these, and the process may be divided into any number of processes using any division method as needed.

[0058] Lifting is a process of loading the object 10 onto the loading section of the transport vehicle 20. For example, if the transport vehicle 20 is a forklift, it is a process of using the forks to pick up the object 10 loaded on the loading platform 11 placed on the floor of the management area 900. At this time, the object 10 is lifted, which may cause the object 10 to lose its balance. Therefore, lifting requires more careful work than the moving and unloading described below.

[0059] The moving is a process in which the transport vehicle 20 moves from the starting position to the destination position after the object 10 has been loaded. For example, if the transport vehicle 20 is a forklift, this is a process in which the transport vehicle 20 moves from the starting position to the destination position with the object 10 loaded on the forks. This process is simpler than the loading and unloading processes, since the main task in this process is the operation of the transport vehicle 20.

[0060] Unloading is a process of lowering the transport object 10 loaded on the loading section of the transport vehicle 20 to a predetermined destination position. For example, if the transport vehicle 20 is a forklift, it is a process of lowering the forks after reaching the destination position, grounding the platform 11 at a predetermined position, and then withdrawing the forks. Unloading is a simple task compared to lifting, as it involves lowering an object that has been loaded in a stable state while maintaining that stable state. On the other hand, unloading requires operating the forks to lower the object, so it requires more careful work than movement without operating the forks.

[0061] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the transport mobile body control device 100 in this embodiment. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transport mobile body control device according to one embodiment.

[0062] Step S11 Step S11 is the same as in FIG. 4, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0063] Step S22: The control method selection unit 2 selects a control method for each process based on the stability of the transport object 10.

[0064] When the stability ST of the transport object 10 is high, the difficulty of the work required for transporting it is considered to be low. Therefore, the control method selection unit 2 selects, for example, manual control or remote control for lifting, autonomous control for moving, and autonomous control for unloading.

[0065] When the stability ST of the transport object 10 is low, the difficulty of the work required for transporting it is considered to be high. Therefore, the control method selection unit 2 selects, for example, manual control for lifting, remote control or autonomous control for movement, and manual control or remote control for unloading.

[0066] Step S23: The instruction unit 3 transmits an instruction INS to instruct one or both of the operator and the transport vehicle 20 on the control method selected for each process.

[0067] If the transported object 10 becomes unstable during the moving process, the operator or the transporting vehicle 20 may issue an alert and change the control method of the transporting vehicle 20 to manual control or remote control. The stability of the transported object 10 during the moving process can be detected, for example, by mounting a strain gauge on the loading section of the transporting vehicle 20 and monitoring the imbalance of the load on the fork.

[0068] As described above, the transport movable body control device according to this embodiment allows the transport movable body 20 to transport the transport target object 10 in accordance with a control method instructed for each process.

[0069] This makes it possible to more efficiently reduce the number of personnel required to transport the object 10 to be transported.

[0070] Third Embodiment In the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a control method is selected with a focus on the stability of the transport target 10. However, depending on the transport target, it is also assumed that there may be cases in which completion of the transport task is a priority. For example, when transporting goods within a warehouse, the cycle from receiving to shipping varies depending on the product. Of these, for products with a short cycle from receiving to shipping, it is necessary to perform inspection work promptly in order to complete preparations for shipping as soon as possible.

[0071] On the other hand, when a transport vehicle such as a forklift is operated by remote control or autonomous control, unlike manual control, no operator is on board the transport vehicle. Therefore, remote control and autonomous control have the characteristic that it is more difficult to respond to abnormalities in the transported object or sudden events in the surrounding area than manual control. Therefore, with remote control and autonomous control, the speed of transport operations, such as loading and unloading, and the driving speed during movement are generally slower than with manual control.

[0072] Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a priority indicating the degree to which the object should be preferentially transported is determined as the state of the object to be transported, and a control method for the transporting body 20 is selected. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a transporting body control device according to one embodiment. The transporting body control device 300 shown in FIG. 11 has a configuration in which the stability determination unit 1 of the transporting body control device 100 is replaced with a priority determination unit 4. Hereinafter, the priority determination unit 4 will also be referred to as a determination unit, similar to the stability determination unit 1. The other configurations of the transporting body control device 300 are the same as those of the transporting body control device 100, and therefore redundant description will be omitted.

[0073] The priority determination unit 4 determines a priority indicating whether or not the transport of the transport object 10 should be performed with priority, as information indicating the state of the transport object 10, based on an image of the transport object 10. The determination of priority will be described later.

[0074] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the transfer mobile body control device 300 in this embodiment. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transfer mobile body control device according to one embodiment.

[0075] Step S31: The priority determination unit 4 determines the priority P of the transport object 10. The priority determination unit 4 may determine the priority of the transport object 10 using an image of the transport object 10, for example, from information such as printing indicating the priority P displayed on the surface of the transport object 10.

[0076] The priority of the transport object 10 may also be determined based on whether the transport object 10 is stored in an area where items with a high priority P are stored before the transport.

[0077] Furthermore, the priority determination unit 4 may determine the priority P of the object 10 by comparing the object's identification information, such as its appearance, product number, or barcode, with the priority information. Here, the priority information is information indicating the correspondence between the object's identification information and information indicating the priority of transportation.

[0078] 13 is a diagram showing an example of priority information. In FIG. 13, priority information T1 is configured as table information in which a number for identifying an object to be transported is associated with information indicating the priority of transport.

[0079] The priority information may be held in advance by the priority determination unit 4. Also, for example, the priority information may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the transport mobile body control device 300, and may be read by the priority determination unit 4 as needed.

[0080] Step S32: The control method selection unit 2 determines the control method of the transporting mobile body 20 that transports the transport object 10 based on the priority P. This is the same as step S12 in FIG. 4 except that the control method of the transporting mobile body 20 is selected based on the priority P instead of the stability ST.

[0081] Step S13 Step S13 is the same as in FIG. 4, so a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0082] As described above, according to the transport mobile body control device 300, even if transport priority is used instead of stability as an indicator of the state of the transport object 10, by selecting a control method according to the priority, it is possible to transport objects with high priority using a control method that can transport them more quickly.

[0083] As a result, it can be understood that the transport mobile body control device of the above-described embodiment can transport the transport object 10 according to each index, even if various indexes including stability and priority are applied as indexes indicating the state of the transport object 10.

[0084] In this embodiment, priority is used as the status of the transported object, but the control method to be applied to the transported object 10 may be selected by combining priority with the stability described in the above embodiment.

[0085] For example, when the priority is high and the stability is low, it is required to transport the transport object efficiently and safely. Therefore, in this case, the control method selection unit 2 may select manual control as the control method to be applied to the transport object 10 in order to satisfy the efficiency and safety of the transport.

[0086] For example, when the priority is high and the stability is high, it is considered that the transport object can be transported safely while suppressing the efficiency of the transport object. Therefore, in this case, the control method selection unit 2 may select remote control or autonomous control as the control method to be applied to the transport object 10.

[0087] For example, when the priority is low and the stability is low, it is necessary to safely transport an unstable object to be transported. Therefore, in this case, the control method selection unit 2 may select remote control as the control method to be applied to the object to be transported 10. This allows the operator of the transport vehicle 20 to be involved in the transport, thereby enabling the object to be transported safely. Note that when there is an operator who can handle manual control or when greater importance is placed on the safety of the transport of the object to be transported 10, the control method selection unit 2 may select manual control as the control method to be applied to the object to be transported 10.

[0088] For example, if the priority is low and the stability is high, it is considered that the transport object can be transported safely without requiring special consideration. Therefore, in this case, the control method selection unit 2 may select autonomous control as the control method to be applied to the transport object 10.

[0089] As explained above, it can be seen that even when a control method is selected by combining the priority and stability of the transport object, the transport mobile body control device can transport the transport object using an appropriate control method.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the transporting vehicle 20 can be operated by each of manual control, remote control, and autonomous control has been described. However, depending on the transporting vehicle used for transport, there may be cases where only some of the control methods of manual control, remote control, and autonomous control are supported. Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration for selecting a transporting vehicle that is compatible with the selected control method will be described.

[0091] 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a transfer mobile body control device according to one embodiment. Compared to transfer mobile body control device 100, transfer mobile body control device 400 shown in FIG. 14 further includes a transfer mobile body selection unit 5. The other configuration of transfer mobile body control device 400 is the same as that of transfer mobile body control device 100, so redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0092] The transfer vehicle selection unit 5 selects the transfer vehicle 20 to be used for transferring the transfer target object 10 according to the selected control method. Then, the transfer vehicle selection unit 5 outputs transfer vehicle selection information SEL indicating the selected transfer vehicle 20 to the instruction unit 3. The selection of the transfer vehicle 20 by the transfer vehicle selection unit 5 will be described in detail later.

[0093] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the transport mobile body control device 400 in this embodiment. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transport mobile body control device according to one embodiment.

[0094] Steps S11 and S12 Steps S11 and S12 are the same as those in FIG. 4, so a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0095] Step S41: Based on the selected control method, the transport mobile unit 5 selects the transport mobile unit 20 that will transport the transport object 10. For example, the transport mobile unit 5 may select the transport mobile unit 20 that will transport the transport object 10 by comparing the selected control method with the transport mobile unit information. Here, the transport mobile unit information is information that indicates the correspondence between multiple transport mobile units to which a transport instruction is to be sent and the control methods that each transport mobile unit can support.

[0096] 16 is a diagram showing an example of transport mobile body information. In FIG. 16, transport mobile body information T2 is configured as table information in which the transport mobile body number is linked to information indicating whether manual control, remote control, and autonomous control are possible.

[0097] The transfer mobile unit information may be held in advance by the transfer mobile unit selection unit 5. Furthermore, for example, the transfer mobile unit information may be stored in a storage device (not shown) inside or outside the transfer mobile unit control device 400, and may be read by the transfer mobile unit selection unit 5 as needed.

[0098] If there are a plurality of transfer movable bodies that can be applied to the selected control method, the transfer movable body selection unit 5 may select a suitable transfer movable body depending on the situation.

[0099] When the transfer vehicle selection unit 5 can grasp the operating status of each transfer vehicle, it may select a transfer vehicle to give instructions to based on the operating status of each transfer vehicle. The operating status of each transfer vehicle may include location information of each transfer vehicle, whether or not the transfer vehicle is currently performing a transfer operation, and the remaining operational time. The transfer vehicle selection unit 5 may, for example, select the transfer vehicle closest to the transfer target object 10 as the transfer vehicle 20 to give instructions to. The transfer vehicle selection unit 5 may, for example, select a transfer vehicle 20 that is not currently engaged in work from among multiple transfer vehicles. Furthermore, when multiple transfer vehicles are all working, the transfer vehicle selection unit 5 may select the transfer vehicle that will most likely finish work in the future as the transfer vehicle 20 to give instructions to.

[0100] Step S13 Step S13 is the same as in FIG. 4, so a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0101] By performing the above operations, the transporting mobile body control device 400 can select a transporting mobile body 20 that is compatible with the selected control method and transport the transporting object 10 .

[0102] This allows the transport task to be assigned to a transport vehicle that is compatible with the selected control method, even if some or all of the available transport vehicles do not support all of manual control, remote control, and autonomous control.

[0103] Other Embodiments The present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0104] In the above-described third embodiment, a configuration in which a control method is selected according to priority has been described. However, in this configuration, similar to the second embodiment, a control method may be selected and instructed for each process.

[0105] In the above-described fourth embodiment, a transport mobile body compatible with the control method selected based on stability is selected, but this is merely an example. For example, the transport mobile body control device may be configured to select a transport mobile body compatible with the control method selected based on the priority in the third embodiment. Even in this case, the transport mobile body control device may be configured to select and instruct a control method for each process, as in the second embodiment.

[0106] In the above embodiment, the selection of a control method according to stability and the selection of a control method according to priority are described, but these selection methods should not be interpreted as being exclusive. For example, a control method may be selected according to both stability and priority.

[0107] Even when the transport object 10 is transported under autonomous control, the movement speed and rotation speed of the transport vehicle 20 may be lower than those in normal autonomous driving depending on the stability. In this case, the instruction unit 3 may appropriately instruct the movement speed and rotation speed of the transport vehicle 20.

[0108] Each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may not relate to only one particular embodiment, but may also relate to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessary to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the transport mobile body control device has been described as a single device, but this is merely an example. The components of the transport mobile body control device may be distributed across multiple entities. In this case, the distributed components may form a system having the same functions as the transport mobile body control device.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, the monitoring device according to the present disclosure has been described primarily as a hardware configuration, but this is not limited thereto. Any processing can also be realized by having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a computer program. In this case, the computer program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable medium and supplied to the computer. Non-transitory computer-readable medium includes various types of tangible storage medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, programmable ROMs (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), flash ROMs, and random access memories (RAMs)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transient computer-readable media. Examples of transient computer-readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transient computer-readable medium can supply the program to a computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire or optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0111] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0112] (Appendix 1) A transporting mobile body control device comprising: a determination means for determining the stability of an object to be transported; a control method selection means for selecting a control method for a transporting mobile body that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the stability of the object to be transported determined by the determination means; and an instruction means for instructing the selected control method and the execution of transport of the object to be transported.

[0113] (Supplementary Note 2) The transport moving body control device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method to be applied for each of a plurality of processes for transporting the transport object.

[0114] (Appendix 3) A transporting mobile body control device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method for the transporting mobile body that transports the transport object from among manual control, remote control, and autonomous control.

[0115] (Appendix 4) A transporting mobile body control device as described in Appendix 3, wherein the stability of the transported object is an index showing the stability of the balance of the transported object, and the control method selection means selects the manual control, the remote control, and the autonomous control in order from the lowest stability of the transported object to the highest stability of the transported object.

[0116] (Appendix 5) The transporting mobile body control device described in Appendix 4, wherein the control method selection means selects the manual control when it is determined that the stability of the transported object is lower than a predetermined stability, selects the remote control or the autonomous control when it is determined that the stability of the transported object is higher than the predetermined stability, or selects the manual control or the remote control when it is determined that the stability of the transported object is lower than the predetermined stability, and selects the autonomous control when it is determined that the stability of the transported object is higher than the predetermined stability.

[0117] (Appendix 6) A transporting mobile body control device as described in Appendix 4 or 5, wherein the determination means inputs an image of an item and determines the stability of the transporting mobile body based on the output of a trained model obtained by inputting an image of the transporting object or features of the transporting object into a trained model that has undergone machine learning using stability as a teacher label.

[0118] (Supplementary Note 7) The conveying / moving body control device according to Supplementary Note 4 or 5, wherein the determining means determines the stability of the conveying / moving body by pattern matching of the conveying object.

[0119] (Appendix 8) A transport mobile body control device as described in Appendix 3, wherein the determination means determines a priority indicating the degree to which the transport object should be transported preferentially, and the control method selection means selects the manual control, the remote control, and the autonomous control in order from highest to lowest priority of the transport object.

[0120] (Appendix 9) A transport mobile body control device as described in Appendix 8, wherein the control method selection means selects the manual control when it is determined that the priority of the transported object is higher than a predetermined priority, selects the remote control or the autonomous control when it is determined that the priority of the transported object is lower than the predetermined priority, or selects the manual control or the remote control when it is determined that the priority of the transported object is higher than the predetermined priority, and selects the autonomous control when it is determined that the priority of the transported object is lower than the predetermined priority.

[0121] (Appendix 10) A transport mobile body control device described in any one of Appendices 3 to 9, wherein the instruction means gives instructions to an operator of the transport mobile body when the selected control method is manual control or remote control, and gives instructions to the transport mobile body when the selected control method is autonomous control.

[0122] (Appendix 11) A transport mobile body control device as described in Appendix 10, wherein the instruction means transmits the instruction to a terminal carried by the operator when the selected control method is manual control, and transmits the instruction to the terminal carried by the operator or a terminal used by the operator to operate the transport mobile body that transports the transport object when the selected control method is remote control.

[0123] (Appendix 12) A conveying mobile body control device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 11, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method for the conveying mobile body based on information indicating a correspondence between the stability of the item and the control method to be selected.

[0124] (Appendix 13) A transport mobile body control device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 12, further comprising a transport mobile body selection means for selecting, from a plurality of transport mobile bodies, a transport mobile body that can operate using the selected control method as the transport mobile body that transports the transport object.

[0125] (Appendix 14) The transport mobile body control device described in Appendix 13, wherein the transport mobile body selection means selects from the plurality of transport mobile bodies the one closest to the transport object as the transport mobile body that will transport the transport object.

[0126] (Appendix 15) A transport mobile body control device described in Appendix 13 or 14, wherein the transport mobile body selection means selects, from among the plurality of transport mobile bodies, one that is not transporting other transport objects as the transport mobile body to transport the transport object.

[0127] (Appendix 16) A transport mobile control device described in any one of Appendices 13 to 15, wherein the transport mobile selection means, when each of the plurality of transport mobiles is transporting another transport object, selects the transport mobile from among the plurality of transport mobiles that will complete transporting the other transport object in the nearest future as the transport mobile that will transport the transport object.

[0128] (Appendix 17) A transport mobile body control system comprising: a determination means for determining the stability of a transport object based on an image; a control method selection means for selecting a control method for a transport mobile body that transports the transport object in accordance with the stability of the transport object determined by the determination means; and an instruction means for instructing the selected control method and the execution of transport of the transport object.

[0129] (Appendix 18) A transport mobile body control method that determines the stability of an object to be transported, selects a control method for a transport mobile body that transports the object based on the determined stability of the object, and instructs the selected control method and the transport of the object.

[0130] (Appendix 19) A program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: determining the stability of an object to be transported; selecting a control method for a transporting body that transports the object based on the determined stability of the object; and instructing the selected control method and the transport of the object.

[0131] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the invention.

[0132] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-187593, filed November 1, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0133] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 stability determination unit 2 control method selection unit 3 instruction unit 4 priority determination unit 5 transport mobile unit selection unit 10 transport object 11 loading platform 12 cargo collapse prevention measures 20 transport mobile unit 100 transport mobile unit control device 110 camera 900 management target area 1000 transport mobile unit control system 2000 computer 2001 CPU 2002 ROM 2003 RAM 2004 bus 2005 input / output interface 2006 input unit 2007 output unit 2008 storage unit 2009 communication unit 2010 drive 2011 magnetic disk 2012 optical disk 2013 flexible disk 2014 semiconductor memory

Claims

1. A transport mobile body control device comprising: a determination means for determining a stability of an object to be transported; a control method selection means for selecting a control method for a transport mobile body that transports the object to be transported in accordance with the stability of the object to be transported determined by the determination means; and an instruction means for instructing the execution of the selected control method and the transportation of the object to be transported.

2. The transport moving body control device according to claim 1, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method to be applied for each of a plurality of processes for transporting the transport object.

3. The transport mobile body control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method for the transport mobile body that transports the transport object from among manual control, remote control, and autonomous control.

4. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 3, wherein the stability of the transported object is an index showing the stability of balance of the transported object, and the control method selection means selects the manual control, the remote control and the autonomous control in order from lowest to highest stability of the transported object.

5. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 4, wherein the control method selection means selects the manual control when the stability of the transported object is determined to be lower than a predetermined stability, selects the remote control or the autonomous control when the stability of the transported object is determined to be higher than the predetermined stability, or selects the manual control or the remote control when the stability of the transported object is determined to be lower than the predetermined stability, and selects the autonomous control when the stability of the transported object is determined to be higher than the predetermined stability.

6. The transport mobile body control device described in claim 4, wherein the determination means inputs an image of an object, and determines the stability of the transport mobile body based on the output of a trained model obtained by inputting an image of the transport object or features of the transport object into a trained model that has been subjected to machine learning using stability as a teacher label.

7. The conveying / moving body control device according to claim 4, wherein the determining means determines the stability of the conveying / moving body by pattern matching of the conveyed object.

8. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 3, wherein the determination means determines a priority indicating the degree to which the transport object should be transported with priority, and the control method selection means selects the manual control, the remote control, and the autonomous control in order from high to low priority of the transport object.

9. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 8, wherein the control method selection means selects the manual control when the priority of the transported object is determined to be higher than a predetermined priority, and selects the remote control or the autonomous control when the priority of the transported object is determined to be lower than the predetermined priority, or selects the manual control or the remote control when the priority of the transported object is determined to be higher than the predetermined priority, and selects the autonomous control when the priority of the transported object is determined to be lower than the predetermined priority.

10. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 3, wherein the instruction means issues instructions to an operator of the transport mobile body when the selected control method is the manual control or the remote control, and issues instructions to the transport mobile body when the selected control method is the autonomous control.

11. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 10, wherein the instruction means transmits the instruction to a terminal carried by the operator when the selected control method is manual control, and transmits the instruction to the terminal carried by the operator or a terminal used by the operator to operate the transport mobile body transporting the transported object when the selected control method is remote control.

12. The conveying / moving body control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method for the conveying / moving body based on information indicating a correspondence between the stability of the article and the control method to be selected.

13. A transport mobile body control device as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a transport mobile body selection means for selecting, from a plurality of transport mobile bodies, a transport mobile body that is operable according to the selected control method as the transport mobile body that transports the transport object.

14. The transport mobile body control device according to claim 13, wherein the transport mobile body selection means selects, from the plurality of transport mobile bodies, the one that is closest to the object to be transported as the transport mobile body that will transport the object.

15. The transport mobile body control device according to claim 13, wherein the transport mobile body selection means selects, from among the plurality of transport mobile bodies, one that is not transporting other transport objects, as the transport mobile body to transport the transport object.

16. A transport mobile control device as described in claim 13, wherein, when each of the plurality of transport mobiles is transporting another object to be transported, the transport mobile selection means selects, from among the plurality of transport mobiles, the one that will complete transporting the other object to be transported in the nearest future as the transport mobile that will transport the object to be transported.

17. A transport mobile body control system comprising: a determination means for determining the stability of an object to be transported based on an image; a control method selection means for selecting a control method for a transport mobile body transporting the object to be transported in accordance with the stability of the object to be transported determined by the determination means; and an instruction means for instructing the execution of the selected control method and the transportation of the object to be transported.

18. The transport mobile body control system according to claim 17, wherein the control method selection means selects a control method to be applied for each of a plurality of processes for transporting the transport object.

19. A transport movable body control method comprising: determining a stability of an object to be transported; selecting a control method for a transport movable body that transports the object to be transported according to the determined stability of the object to be transported; and instructing execution of the selected control method and the transport of the object to be transported.

20. A program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: determining the stability of an object to be transported; selecting a control method for a transporting body that transports the object to be transported based on the determined stability of the object to be transported; and instructing the selected control method and the execution of the transport of the object to be transported.

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