Automatic conveyance system

Abstract

This automatic conveyance system includes an unmanned conveyance vehicle that moves to a position under a carriage having a carriage body in a rectangular planar shape and having casters in the four corners on the bottom surface thereof, and that is connected to the carriage to carry out conveyance to a conveyance destination. The system comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires map data of an area in which the unmanned conveyance vehicle travels and a position of a conveyance destination of the carriage; a setting unit that sets the orientation of the carriage at the conveyance destination on the basis of the map data and the position of the conveyance destination; and a control unit that controls the unmanned conveyance vehicle such that, after moving to a position under the carriage from one of the opposite long sides of the carriage and connecting to the carriage, the unmanned conveyance vehicle conveys the carriage to the conveyance destination, stops the carriage at the conveyance destination in the preset orientation, and releases the connection with the carriage and separates from the carriage on one or the other of the opposite long sides.

Description

Automatic transport system

[0001] This specification discloses an automated transport system.

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of automated guided vehicle system, one that includes an automated guided vehicle that moves under a transport platform and couples with the transport platform to transport the vehicle, a control unit that controls the automated guided vehicle, and a storage unit that stores map data that includes the travel route of the automated guided vehicle, the position of the transport platform, the position where the transport platform will leave, etc. (See, for example, Patent Document 1.) The control unit sets the coupling position of the transport platform and the departure position of the transport platform by referring to the map data.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-140218

[0004] In an automatic transport system in which an unmanned transport vehicle slips under a cart that has casters attached to the four corners of the underside of the cart body, which has a rectangular planar shape, and transports it to its destination, when the cart slips under the cart from one of the opposing long sides and then moves away from one or the other of the opposing long sides of the cart at its destination, depending on the direction in which the cart is stopped at its destination, there is a risk that the cart will collide with surrounding obstacles when moving away from the cart, or that it will be unable to move away from the cart.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to enable an automated transport system in which an automated transport vehicle slips under a cart having casters attached to the four corners of the underside of the cart body, which has a rectangular planar shape, and transports the cart to its destination, to smoothly separate from the cart after transporting the cart to its destination.

[0006] The present disclosure has adopted the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main object.

[0007] The automatic transport system disclosed herein is an automatic transport system having an unmanned transport vehicle that slips under a cart having casters attached to the four corners of the underside of a cart body that has a rectangular planar shape, connects to the cart, and transports it to a destination, and is equipped with an acquisition unit that acquires map data of the area in which the unmanned transport vehicle is traveling and the position of the cart's destination, a setting unit that sets the orientation of the cart at the destination based on the map data and the position of the destination, and a control unit that controls the unmanned transport vehicle so that the unmanned transport vehicle slips under the cart from one of the opposing long sides of the cart and connects with the cart, then transports the cart to the destination, stops the cart at the destination in the orientation set by the setting unit, releases the connection with the cart, and controls the unmanned transport vehicle to move away from one or the other of the opposing long sides of the cart.

[0008] In the automated guided vehicle system disclosed herein, map data of the area in which the automated guided vehicle travels and the destination position of the carriage are acquired, and the orientation of the carriage at the destination is set based on the acquired map data and the destination position. By setting the orientation of the carriage at the destination while taking into consideration obstacles around the destination, the automated guided vehicle can smoothly move away from the carriage after transporting it to the destination.

[0009] 8A, 8B, and 8C are explanatory diagrams showing an automated guided vehicle getting under a cart cart. FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are explanatory diagrams showing an automated guided vehicle that has been released from connection with a cart cart, moving away from the cart cart. FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are explanatory diagrams showing an automated guided vehicle that has been released from connection with a cart cart, moving away from the cart cart. FIG. 10B is a block diagram of an automatic guided system including an automated guided vehicle and a management device. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of destination information. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of obstacle information. Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport control process; Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport destination information registration process; Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a transport destination of a basket cart is specified on a map; Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a distance from the transport destination of the basket cart to surrounding obstacles (obstacle-to-obstacle distance); Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a separation direction is set when an automated guided vehicle separates from the basket cart at the transport destination.

[0010] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of basket carts 100 arranged in a cart storage area L are transported by an automated guided vehicle 10. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the basket cart 100 and the automated guided vehicle 10. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the automated guided vehicle 10. FIGS. 4 and 5 are side views of the automated guided vehicle 10. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle 10 has slipped under the basket cart 100. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle 10 is coupled to the basket cart 100. FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle 10 slips under the basket cart 100. FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 10A, 10B, and 10C are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle, having been released from coupling with the basket cart, moves away from the basket cart. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an automatic guided vehicle system 1 including an automatic guided vehicle 10 and a management device 60.

[0012] 1 , an automated guided vehicle system 1 of this embodiment is used in a logistics center, warehouse, store, or the like having a plurality of shelves S, and includes one or a plurality of automated guided vehicles 10 and a management device 60 (see FIG. 11 ) that manages the operation of the automated guided vehicles 10. The automated guided vehicles 10 are autonomously traveling transport robots (AMR: Autonomous Mobile Robot) that are coupled to a basket cart 100 and transport the automated guided vehicles 10 to a designated shelf S.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2 , the basket cart 100 includes a rectangular mesh-shaped loading platform 101 on which cargo C can be loaded, and four casters 110 rotatably attached to the four corners of the underside of the loading platform 101. A marker M, such as an AR marker, a two-dimensional code, or a barcode, is provided on the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100 (in the present embodiment, the central portion of the outer edge front end surface of the loading platform 101) for identifying the basket cart 100. By reading the marker M, the automated guided vehicle 10 recognizes the basket cart 100 to be transported (transport target vehicle) and the type of cargo C (cargage ID) loaded on the loading platform 101. The marker M may be attached to the cargo C loaded on the loading platform 101. The identification information for identifying the basket cart 100 and the cargo C is not limited to the marker M. For example, the identification information may be a unique ID for identifying the basket cart 100. The identification information may also be identification information (such as letters or a picture) written on the outer box of the package C.

[0014] The automated guided vehicle 10 of this embodiment has a low, flat, rectangular parallelepiped appearance, as shown in Fig. 3. The automated guided vehicle 10 slides under the cart 100 between two of the four casters 110 attached to the four corners of the loading platform 101 of the cart 100, aligned along the long sides of the loading platform 101, and travels coupled to the cart 100, thereby transporting the cart 100.

[0015] The automated guided vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 11, a plurality of (e.g., four) wheels 21 rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the vehicle body 11, and a plurality of (e.g., four) drive motors 22 (see FIG. 11 ) that rotate and drive the corresponding wheels 21. In this embodiment, the plurality of wheels 21 are configured as Mecanum wheels having a plurality of rollers on the outer periphery of the wheels that can rotate around axes inclined at 45 degrees relative to the rotation axis of the wheels. The automated guided vehicle 10 can move the vehicle body 11 in all directions and turn (such as by making a pivot turn, a pivot turn, or a gentle turn) by independently controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the corresponding wheels 21 using the plurality of drive motors 22. Note that the plurality of wheels 21 may also be configured as omniwheels having a plurality of rollers that can rotate around axes that intersect with the rotation axis of the wheels. In other words, the multiple wheels 21 may be any type of wheels as long as they can be independently driven to rotate and cause the vehicle body 11 to move in multiple directions and turn.

[0016] 3 to 5, the automated guided vehicle 10 also includes a connecting unit 30 that is provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body 11 and can be connected to the cart 100 when the vehicle body 11 is positioned below the cart 100. The connecting unit 30 includes a flat lift plate 31, a plurality of connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 that extend upward and are provided retractably relative to the lift plate 31, and an elevator 35 that raises and lowers the lift plate 31. The lift plate 31 has a width that is approximately the same as the width of the vehicle body 11 and a front-to-rear width that is slightly shorter than the front-to-rear width of the vehicle body 11 so as to cover the upper surface of the vehicle body 11. The connecting pin 32 is provided at the front of the lift plate 31, the connecting pin 33 is provided at the rear of the lift plate 31, and the connecting pin 34 is provided at an intermediate portion between the front and rear of the lift plate 31. 6 and 7 , when the vehicle body 11 of the connecting unit 30 is submerged under the cart 100, the lifting device 35 raises the lifting plate 31, so that at least one of the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 that rise together with the lifting plate 31 engages with the back side of the loading platform 101 of the cart 100. This connects the cart 100 to the automated guided vehicle 10. Furthermore, when the lifting device 35 lowers the lifting plate 31 of the connecting unit 30, the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 are released from engagement with the loading platform 101 of the cart 100. This disconnects the automated guided vehicle 10 from the cart 100.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 , contact detection sensors 36 (spring sensors) are provided on both the left and right sides of the lift plate 31 to detect when the connecting portion 30 (connecting pins 32, 33, 34) comes into contact with (connects to) the loading platform 101 of the cart 100. The contact detection sensors 36 have a contact plate that is biased upward by a spring to a height that is substantially the same as the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 that are extended relative to the lift plate 31 and can move up and down. When the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 engage with the loading platform 101 of the cart 100, the contact plate of the contact detection sensor 36 comes into contact with the loading platform 101, and the spring is compressed as it moves downward relative to the lift plate 31. The contact detection sensor 36 detects when the contact plate has moved downward relative to the lift plate 31, thereby detecting when the connecting portion 30 has come into contact with (connects to) the loading platform 101 of the cart 100.

[0018] 8A, 8B, and 8C, the automated guided vehicle 10 moves forward between two casters 110 lined up on one of the opposing long sides of the outer periphery of the loading platform 101 of the cart cart 100, thereby getting under the cart cart 100. Then, as described above, the automated guided vehicle 10, while under the cart cart 100, raises the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 to couple with the cart cart 100 and transport the cart cart 100. After transporting the cart cart 100 to the destination, the automated guided vehicle 10 lowers the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 to release the coupling with the cart cart 100 and move away from the cart cart 100. As shown in Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C, the unmanned transport vehicle 10 can move away from one of the long sides of the loading platform 101 by moving backward in the opposite direction from when it entered the cart 100, and can also move away from the other long side of the loading platform 101 of the cart 100 by moving forward in the same direction as when it entered the cart 100, as shown in Figures 10A, 10B, and 10C.

[0019] 11 , the automated guided vehicle 10 further includes a control unit 40 that controls the entire system, a memory unit 41 that stores various information including map information 41a, a communication unit 42 that communicates (wirelessly communicates) with a management device 60, a camera unit 51 as an imaging device, sensor units 52 and 53, and a light-emitting unit 54 that illuminates the area ahead of the vehicle body 11. The camera unit 51 is installed on the front of the vehicle body 11 to recognize the area ahead of the vehicle body 11. The sensor units 52 and 53 are installed on the front and rear of the vehicle body 11, respectively, to detect surrounding objects. The sensor units 52 and 53 detect surrounding objects and the distance to the objects. In this embodiment, the sensor units 52 and 53 are LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors that scan the surroundings with laser light, receive each reflected light, and measure the time until the reflected light is received, thereby measuring distance data for each scan angle and obtaining two-dimensional point cloud data of the surroundings. The light emitting unit 54 is installed on the front of the vehicle body 11 and illuminates the area ahead, making it easier for the camera unit 51 to recognize surrounding objects in dark places.

[0020] The control unit 40 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU, and in addition to the CPU, includes a ROM for storing processing programs such as the transport control processing described below, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a timer, etc. As shown in Fig. 11, the control unit 40 receives inputs such as image signals from the camera unit 51, detection signals from the sensors 52 and 53, and detection signals from the contact detection sensor 36. The control unit 40 outputs control signals to the drive motor 22 and the lifting device 35.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 11 , the management device 60 includes a processing unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication unit 63 for communicating (wirelessly communicating) with each automated guided vehicle 10. The management device 60 is also connected to an input unit 65 such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a display unit 66 such as a liquid crystal display. The processing unit 61 is configured as a microprocessor centered around a CPU, and includes, in addition to the CPU, a ROM for storing processing programs and a RAM for temporarily storing data. The storage unit 62 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and stores various types of information such as destination information 62b (see Fig. 12) and obstacle information 62c (see Fig. 13) in addition to map information 62a.

[0022] 12, the destination information 62b is information in which the type of package C (package ID), the coordinates of the destination of the package C (cart 100), the orientation of the cart 100 at the destination, and the direction (separation direction) in which the automated guided vehicle 10 moves away from the cart 100 at the destination are associated with each other, and is registered in the storage unit 62 by executing a destination information registration process in advance. The destination information registration process will be described later.

[0023] The obstacle information 62c is information relating to obstacles (such as transported carts 100) placed on the map. As shown in Fig. 13, the obstacle information 62c associates an obstacle ID for identifying the obstacle, a registration time which is the date and time when the obstacle was registered, the position (x, y) of the obstacle on the map, and the orientation of the obstacle (transported cart 100). The obstacle information 62c is set at the position of the destination when the automated guided vehicle 10 transports the cart 100 to the destination by the transport control process.

[0024] Next, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. In particular, as shown in Fig. 1, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10 when transporting a plurality of basket carts 100 arranged in a cart storage area L one by one to their respective destinations will be described. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of transport control processing executed by the control unit 40 of the automated guided vehicle 10. This processing is executed when an instruction to transport a basket cart 100 (baggage) is received from the management device 60.

[0025] When the transport control process is executed, the control unit 40 first controls the drive motor 22 to move the cart to the cart storage area L (S100). Next, the control unit 40 searches for nearby basket carts 100 (S102). The search for the basket cart 100 is performed, for example, by capturing an image of the area around the vehicle body 11 with the camera unit 51 and processing the captured image to determine whether or not the marker M attached to the cart 100 has been recognized. If the control unit 40 determines that it has failed to recognize the marker M, it determines that there is no basket cart 100 to be transported at the cart storage area L (NO in S104), and ends the transport control process.

[0026] On the other hand, if the control unit 40 determines that the recognition of the marker M was successful, it determines that there is a basket cart 100 to be transported in the cart storage area L (YES in S104), and, with the basket cart 100 as the transport target cart, acquires the coordinate values ​​of the destination to which the transport target cart is to be transported, the orientation of the transport target cart at the destination, and the departure direction from the transport target cart after the automated guided vehicle 10 transports the transport target cart to the destination based on the type of cargo C identified by the marker ID of the recognized marker M (S106). The processing of S106 is performed, for example, by transmitting the marker ID recognized by the control unit 40 to the management device 60, identifying the type of cargo C from the received marker ID, and deriving the corresponding coordinate values ​​of the destination, the orientation of the transport target cart, and the departure direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 from the destination information 62b based on the type of cargo C, and transmitting them to the control unit 40 of the automated guided vehicle 10. The control unit 40 may identify the type of luggage C from the marker ID and transmit the identified type of luggage C to the management device 60. The control unit 40 may also store the destination information 62b in the storage unit 41, identify the type of luggage C from the marker ID, and acquire the coordinate values ​​of the corresponding destination, the orientation of the carriage to be transported, and the departure direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 from the destination information 62b based on the identified type of luggage C.

[0027] Next, the control unit 40 acquires obstacle information 62c from the management device 60 (S108). The obstacle information 62c may be stored in the storage unit 41 of the automated guided vehicle 10. The control unit 40 then sets the coordinate values ​​of the destination of the transport target vehicle acquired in S106 as the destination (S110), and sets a transport route to the destination based on the map information 41a stored in the storage unit 41 and the obstacle information 62c acquired in S108 (S112). The transport route is specifically set as follows. That is, the control unit 40 recognizes the surrounding shape based on the point cloud data measured by the sensor units 52 and 53 (LiDAR), and recognizes the current location (self-position) of the vehicle by comparing (collating) the recognized surrounding shape with the map information stored in the storage unit 41. The control unit 40 then searches for a route based on the recognized current location, the set destination, and the map information 41a. Next, the control unit 40 determines whether the automated guided vehicle 10 transporting the cart 100 can travel along each of the searched routes to the destination. In this embodiment, the obstacle information 62c includes the position of the transported cart 100 (obstacle) on the map and the orientation of the cart 100, and the map information 41a includes road width information. Because the size of the cart 100 is known, the control unit 40 can determine whether the searched route is passable based on the size of the cart 100 coupled to the automated guided vehicle 10, the map information 41a, and the obstacle information 62c. The control unit 40 then sets the route with the shortest required time or travel distance as the transport route among the passable routes. This allows the cart to be transported to the destination in a short time without interfering with the transported cart 100. In addition, the control unit 40 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 may transmit the current location of the vehicle to the management device 60, so that the management device 60 may set a transport route based on the map information 62a and obstacle information 62c and transmit the route to the control unit 40 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10.

[0028] After setting the destination and transport route of the transport target cart, the control unit 40 couples to the transport target cart (S114). This process is performed as follows. That is, the control unit 40 first recognizes the two casters 110 of the transport target cart using the sensor unit 52. Next, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the control unit 40 moves between the two recognized casters 110 and under the transport target cart. Then, the control unit 40 raises the coupling pins 32, 33, and 34 using the lifting device 35 so that they engage with the loading platform 101 of the transport target cart, thereby coupling to the transport target cart.

[0029] Once coupled to the transport target vehicle, the control unit 40 begins transporting the transport target vehicle according to the set transport route (S116). Next, the control unit 40 acquires its own position (S118) and determines whether it has arrived at the destination (S120). If the control unit 40 determines that it has not arrived at the destination, it returns to S118. If it determines that it has arrived at the destination, it controls the drive motor 22 (S122) by turning the transport target vehicle so that its orientation matches the orientation acquired in S106, stops the vehicle's travel (S124), and releases the coupling from the transport target vehicle (S126). Next, the control unit 40 sets an obstacle at the location (destination) to which the transport target vehicle has been transported (S128). The obstacle is set by the control unit 40 transmitting the coordinate values ​​and orientation of the transport target vehicle to the management device 60, and the management device 60 assigning an obstacle ID and a registration time to the coordinate values ​​and orientation of the obstacle (transport target vehicle) received, and registering them in the obstacle information 62c. As a result, the next time the transport control process is executed, the obstacle information 62c has been added, and therefore if there is a transported cart 100 between the current location and the destination, the transport route is set to avoid the cart 100. Then, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 to move away from the transport target cart in the moving away direction acquired in S106 (S130), and returns to S100. Note that in this embodiment, the control unit 40 stops detection of surrounding objects by the sensor units 52 and 53 so as not to recognize the casters 110 of the transport target cart as an obstacle during the period from when the automated guided vehicle 10 releases the coupling with the transport target cart until when the automated guided vehicle 10 moves away from the transport target cart.

[0030] In this way, the control unit 40 repeats the process of connecting the basket carts 100 one by one and transporting them to their respective destinations until it determines in S104 that there are no basket carts 100 to be transported to the cart storage area L.

[0031] Next, the destination information registration process will be described. As shown in FIG. 15 , the processing unit 61 of the management device 60 first reads the map information 62a stored in the storage unit 62 and displays a map of the travel area in which the automated guided vehicle 10 will travel on the display unit 66 (S200), and then accepts input of coordinate values ​​of the destination of the cart 100 (S202). An example of a map display is shown in FIG. 16 . In the figure, the left-right direction is the x-direction, and the up-down direction is the y-direction. The coordinate values ​​of the destination are input by the user operating the input unit 65 (mouse) to specify a point on the map displayed on the display unit 66 where the cart 100 will be placed. The position of the specified point on the map is given by x- and y-coordinate values ​​in pixel units in an x-y Cartesian coordinate system. The actual position (actual position) of the cart 100 is calculated by multiplying the x- and y-coordinate values ​​in pixel units by the pixel size, respectively.

[0032] Next, the processing unit 61 calculates obstacle distances Lpx, Lmx, Lpy, and Lmy, which are distances from the destination to obstacles such as shelves S and walls in each of the four directions around the destination on the map (S204). As shown in FIG. 17 , the obstacle distance Lpx indicates the distance from the destination to an obstacle in the +x direction in an xy Cartesian coordinate system, and the obstacle distance Lmx indicates the distance from the destination to an obstacle in the −x direction. Furthermore, the obstacle distance Lpy indicates the distance from the destination to an obstacle in the +y direction in the xy Cartesian coordinate system, and the obstacle distance Lmy indicates the distance from the destination to an obstacle in the −y direction.

[0033] Next, the processing unit 61 compares the obstacle distances Lpx, Lmx, Lpy, and Lmy for each direction with a threshold value Lref (S206) and determines whether there is a direction among the surrounding directions (four directions) in which the obstacle distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value Lref and in which the automated guided vehicle 10 can return to the cart parking area L (S208). The threshold value Lref is a threshold value used to determine whether there is sufficient space at the destination for the automated guided vehicle 10 to move away from the cart 100 in the target direction. Whether the automated guided vehicle 10 can return to the cart parking area L can be determined using the route search described above. If the processing unit 61 determines that there is no direction in which the obstacle distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value Lref, or if there is a direction in which the obstacle distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value Lref but the automated guided vehicle 10 cannot return to the cart parking area L from that direction, the processing unit 61 outputs an error (S210) to prompt the user to re-input the coordinate values ​​of the destination, and returns to S202.

[0034] On the other hand, when the processing unit 61 determines that the distance between the obstacles is equal to or greater than the threshold value Lref and that there is a direction in which the cart can return to the cart storage area L, it determines whether there is one applicable direction (S212). When the processing unit 61 determines that there is one applicable direction, it sets the orientation of the cart 100 at the destination so that the long side of the loading platform 101 of the cart 100 faces the one applicable direction (S214), and sets the one applicable direction as the departure direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 at the destination (S216).

[0035] On the other hand, if the processing unit 61 determines that there is not one but multiple applicable directions, it identifies the direction that is closest to the cart parking area L among the multiple applicable directions (S218). The processing of S218 is performed, for example, as shown in Fig. 18 , by setting points P1 and P2 at positions that are a predetermined distance away from the destination in each of the multiple applicable directions, calculating distances D1 and D2 between each of points P1 and P2 and the cart parking area L, and determining the direction corresponding to the shortest distance D1 among the calculated distances D1 and D2 as the specific direction. Note that the processing of S218 may also be performed by searching for a travel route for each of the multiple applicable directions when the automated guided vehicle 10 starts traveling toward the cart parking area L from each of the multiple applicable directions, and determining the direction that provides the shortest travel distance or travel time among the travel routes found for each direction as the specific direction. Then, the processing unit 61 sets the orientation of the basket cart 100 at the destination so that the long side of the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100 faces the specified direction (specific direction) (S220), and sets the specific direction as the moving away direction of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 at the destination (S222).

[0036] The processing unit 61 accepts the input of the coordinate values ​​of the destination of the cart 100 in this way, sets the orientation of the cart 100 at the destination, and the separating direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10, and then registers the coordinate values ​​of the destination, the orientation of the cart 100 at the destination, and the separating direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 in the destination information 62b in association with each other (S224). The processing unit 61 then determines whether or not there is a next registration (S226). If the processing unit 61 determines that there is a next registration, it returns to S202 and repeats the processes of S202 to S226, and if it determines that there is no next registration, it ends the destination information registration process.

[0037] In this way, the processing unit 61 sets the orientation of the cart 100 at the destination, taking into account the distances between the cart 100 and obstacles in each direction from the destination on the map. As a result, after transporting the cart 100 to the destination, the automated guided vehicle 10 can smoothly move away from the cart 100 without colliding with surrounding obstacles while stopping detection of surrounding objects by the sensor units 52 and 53. Furthermore, when there are multiple directions in which the automated guided vehicle 10 can move away, the processing unit 61 sets the direction closest to the cart parking area L as the moving away direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 at the destination. As a result, after transporting the cart 100 to the destination, the automated guided vehicle 10 can return to the cart parking area L in a shorter time. As a result, the automated guided vehicle 10 can efficiently transport multiple carts 100 placed in the cart parking area L to their respective destinations.

[0038] Here, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the present disclosure described in the claims will be described. That is, the cart 100 of the present embodiment is an example of a cart of the present disclosure, the automatic guided vehicle 10 is an example of an automatic guided vehicle, the processing unit 61 of the management device 60 that executes S200 to S202 of the destination registration process is an example of an acquisition unit, the processing unit 61 of the management device 60 that executes S204 to S224 of the destination registration process is an example of a setting unit, and the control unit 40 that executes the transport control process is an example of a control unit.

[0039] It goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the automated guided vehicle 10 engages the connecting pin 34 of the connecting portion 30 with the loading platform 101 of the basket cart 100 to tow the basket cart 100. However, the automated guided vehicle 10 may also be configured to lift the basket cart 100 with the connecting portion 30 and transport it.

[0041] As described above, in the automated guided vehicle system disclosed herein, map data of the area in which the automated guided vehicle travels and the destination position of the carriage are acquired, and the orientation of the carriage at the destination is set based on the acquired map data and the destination position. By setting the orientation of the carriage at the destination while taking into consideration obstacles around the destination, the automated guided vehicle can smoothly move away from the carriage after transporting it to the destination.

[0042] In the automatic guided vehicle system of the present disclosure, the setting unit may set the orientation of the carriage at the destination so that the automated guided vehicle does not collide with surrounding obstacles when separating from the carriage at the destination. In this case, the setting unit may set the orientation of the carriage at the destination so that one or the other of the long sides of the carriage faces a direction in which the distance from the position of the destination to surrounding obstacles is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This more reliably prevents the automated guided vehicle from colliding with surrounding obstacles when separating from the carriage at the destination.

[0043] Furthermore, in the automated guided vehicle system disclosed herein, the setting unit may further set a direction of departure of the automated guided vehicle from one of the long sides or the other of the long sides relative to the carriage in the orientation set at the destination. This allows the automated guided vehicle to travel (return) smoothly after separating from the carriage. In this case, the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle to return to its original position after separating from the carriage, and the setting unit may set the direction of departure of the automated guided vehicle to be closer to the original position if the automated guided vehicle can return to its original position regardless of whether it separates from one of the long sides or the other of the long sides relative to the carriage in the orientation set at the destination. This reduces the time required for the automated guided vehicle to return to its original position after transporting the carriage to the destination.

[0044] The present disclosure is applicable to the manufacturing industry of automatic transport systems, etc.

[0045] 1 Automatic transport system, 10 Automatic transport vehicle, 11 Vehicle body, 21 Wheels, 22 Drive motor, 30 Connection part, 31 Lifting plate, 32, 33, 34 Connection pin, 35 Lifting device, 36 Contact detection sensor, 40 Control part, 41 Memory part, 41a Map information, 42 Communication part, 51 Camera part, 52, 53 Sensor part, 54 Light emitting part, 60 Management device, 61 Processing part, 62 Memory part, 62a Map information, 62b Transport destination information, 62c Obstacle information, 63 Communication part, 65 Input part, 66 Display part, 100 Basket cart, 101 Loading platform part, 110 Caster, C Baggage, L Cart storage area, M Marker, S Shelf.

Claims

1. An automated transport system having an unmanned guided vehicle that slips under a cart having casters attached to the four corners of the underside of a cart body that has a rectangular shape in plan view, connects to the cart, and transports it to a destination, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires map data of an area in which the unmanned guided vehicle will travel and the location of the cart's destination; a setting unit that sets the orientation of the cart at the destination based on the map data and the location of the destination; and a control unit that controls the unmanned guided vehicle so that the unmanned guided vehicle slips under the cart from one of the opposing long sides of the cart and connects with it, then transports the cart to the destination, stops the cart at the destination in the orientation set by the setting unit, releases the connection with the cart, and moves away from one or the other of the opposing long sides of the cart.

2. An automatic transport system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the orientation of the carriage at the destination so that the unmanned transport vehicle does not collide with surrounding obstacles when moving away from the carriage at the destination.

3. An automatic transport system according to claim 2, wherein the setting unit sets the orientation of the cart at the destination so that one or the other of the long sides of the cart faces in a direction in which the distance from the destination position to surrounding obstacles is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

4. An automatic transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the setting unit further sets the direction in which the unmanned transport vehicle will move away from one of the long sides or the other of the long sides with respect to the carriage in the direction set at the destination.

5. An automatic transport system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the automatic transport vehicle so that it returns to its original position after moving away from the carriage, and the setting unit sets the moving direction of the automatic transport vehicle to the side closest to its original position, if the automatic transport vehicle can return to its original position regardless of whether it moves away from one side or the other of the long sides of the carriage in the orientation set at the destination.

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