Moving body, calculation method, and program

Abstract

A moving body comprises: a fork that is provided so as to be capable of moving in the vertical direction; a sensor that is provided so as to be capable of moving together with the fork and is capable of measuring the front surface of a stored object as a three-dimensional first point cloud; a point cloud extraction unit that extracts, from the result of measurement performed by the sensor, a second point cloud indicating a beam part and a column part relating to a load placement position at which the fork moves on the front surface of the stored object; a straight line extraction unit that, on the basis of the second point cloud, extracts straight lines indicating sides of the beam part and the column part on the inner side of the front surface of the stored object; and a calculation unit that calculates position information indicating the load placement position on the basis of a plurality of extracted straight lines and intersections of the plurality of straight lines.

Description

Mobile object, calculation method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a moving object, a calculation method, and a program.

[0002] For example, there is known a technology for automatically moving a mobile object such as a forklift. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology for detecting a load placement position on a load carrying section based on the detection results of a horizontal distance sensor that detects the distance to a load placement position located within a predetermined angular range extending horizontally in front of the forklift, and a vertical distance sensor that detects the distance to a load placement position located within a predetermined angular range extending vertically in front of the forklift.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-189719

[0004] In conventional mobile bodies, it is difficult for sensors to accurately detect shape information in narrow areas, such as the front of a shelf's side panel. For this reason, in conventional mobile bodies, if the loading section does not have a top panel, floor panel, side panels, rear panel, etc., it is difficult to accurately detect the loading position of the loading section from the sensor detection results.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a moving body, a calculation method, and a program that can improve the calculation accuracy of the cargo placement position for a storage item consisting of a beam section and a column section.

[0006] The mobile body of the present disclosure comprises a fork that is movable in the vertical direction, a sensor that is movable together with the fork and can measure the front of a stored item as a first three-dimensional point cloud, a point cloud extraction unit that extracts from the measurement results of the sensor a second point cloud that indicates beam and pillar portions related to a loading position to which the fork is moved on the front of the stored item, a straight line extraction unit that extracts straight lines that indicate the sides of the beam and pillar portions inside the front of the stored item based on the second point cloud, and a calculation unit that calculates position information that indicates the loading position based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines.

[0007] The calculation method disclosed herein is a calculation method for a moving body that includes a fork that is movable in the vertical direction and a sensor that is movable together with the fork and can measure the front of a stored item as a first three-dimensional point cloud, and includes the steps of: extracting a second point cloud from the measurement results of the sensor that indicates a beam portion and a pillar portion related to a loading position to which the fork is moved on the front of the stored item; extracting straight lines that indicate the sides of the beam portion and the pillar portion inside the front of the stored item based on the second point cloud; and calculating position information that indicates the loading position based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines.

[0008] The program disclosed herein causes a mobile body equipped with a fork that is movable in the vertical direction and a sensor that is movable together with the fork and can measure the front of a stored item as a first three-dimensional point cloud to execute the following steps: extracting a second point cloud indicating a beam and pillar portion related to a loading position to which the fork is moved on the front of the stored item from the measurement results of the sensor; extracting straight lines indicating the sides of the beam and pillar portion inside the front of the stored item based on the second point cloud; and calculating position information indicating the loading position based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of calculating the placement position of a stored item consisting of a beam portion and a pillar portion.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a stored item shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a mobile body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a management device. FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an information processing device. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the names of stored items. FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a control device of a mobile body. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing steps of a calculation method executed by the control device of a mobile body. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a detection target range for a stored item. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a second point cloud extracted from the detection target range. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a straight line extracted from the second point cloud. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of position information calculated by the control device. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a loading position calculated by a mobile body according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing steps of a calculation method executed by the control device of a mobile body according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example in which a transported item can be placed without protruding from a beam section. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the transported object cannot be placed without protruding from the beam portion.

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present disclosure also includes configurations in which the respective embodiments are combined.

[0012] First Embodiment Overall Configuration of a Movement Control System FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a movement control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a stored item shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a movement control system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a mobile object 10, a management device 12, and an information processing device 14. The movement control system 1 is a system that controls the movement of a mobile object 10 belonging to a facility W. The facility W is, for example, a facility that is subjected to logistics management, such as a warehouse. In the movement control system 1, a transported item CA transported by the mobile object 10 within an area AR of the facility W is unloaded at a loading position PA. The area AR is, for example, the floor surface of the facility W, and is an area where a stored item P is placed and the mobile object 10 moves. In this embodiment, the transported item CA is a transport target object in which luggage is loaded on a pallet. However, the transported item CA is not limited to luggage loaded on a pallet and may be in any form, for example, it may be luggage only without a pallet. Hereinafter, one direction along the region AR will be referred to as direction X, and a direction along the region AR that intersects with direction X will be referred to as direction Y. In this embodiment, direction Y is a direction perpendicular to direction X. Directions X and Y may also be referred to as horizontal directions. Furthermore, a direction perpendicular to directions X and Y, i.e., the vertical direction, will be referred to as direction Z.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the storage item P is, for example, a rack, a nester, etc. The storage item P has multiple pillars PH and beams PG fixed between the pillars PH. The area surrounded by the multiple pillars PH and the beams PG is the installation area AR0. In the example shown in Figure 2, the storage item P is arranged in two levels, one above the other, by one beam PG, and two loading positions PA are set on each level. In other words, multiple loading positions PA are provided in the area AR within the equipment W. The loading positions PA have their positions (coordinates), shapes, and sizes set in advance in the installation area AR0. Note that the number of loading positions PA for the storage item P is not limited to this. The front surface Pa of the storage item P refers to the side from which the moving body 10 approaches.

[0014] 1, an area AR within the facility W is provided with a plurality of storage items P. The installation area AR0 is an area where the transported item CA is placed and unloaded. In the installation area AR0, a loading position PA is set in advance as an area where the transported item CA should be unloaded.

[0015] The mobile body 10 is an automatically mobile device. In this embodiment, the mobile body 10 is a forklift, or more specifically, a so-called AGF (Automated Guided Forklift). As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the mobile body 10 moves within an area AR in a facility W. The mobile body 10 detects a stored item P multiple times using a sensor 26 (described later) while moving from a first position A1 to a second position A2 along a first path R1 (wide area path). The mobile body 10 acquires a point cloud from the multiple detection results by the sensor 26 and identifies the position and orientation of the stored item P based on the point cloud. Upon reaching the second position A2, the mobile body 10 moves from the second position A2 to a loading position A3 along a second path R2 (approach path) set based on the position and orientation of the stored item P, and unloads the transported item CA. Here, the position of the stored item P refers to the coordinates of the stored item P in a two-dimensional coordinate system CO of the X and Y directions, and the attitude of the stored item P refers to the orientation (rotation angle) of the stored item P when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions. The loading position A3 is a position and attitude that is a predetermined position and attitude for the stored item P. In this embodiment, the loading position A3 can be said to be a position and attitude at which the mobile body 10 can unload the transported item CA.

[0016] (Mobile body) Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the mobile body 10 according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 3, the front-rear direction XA, the left-right direction YA, and the up-down direction ZA are linear directions that intersect at right angles to each other, and are based on the forklift.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 20, wheels 20A, straddle legs 21, a mast 22, a fork 24, a side shift device 25, a sensor 26, and a control device 28.

[0018] The straddle legs 21 are a pair of shaft-shaped members provided at one end of the vehicle body 20 in the fore-and-aft direction XA and protruding from the vehicle body 20. The wheels 20A are provided at the tip of each straddle leg 21 and on the vehicle body 20. That is, a total of three wheels 20A are provided, but the positions and number of the wheels 20A may be arbitrary. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the wheels 20A include front and rear wheels. The front wheels are rotatably provided at the front ends of the left and right straddle legs 21, respectively. The rear wheels are rotatably provided at the center of the vehicle body 20. The rear wheels are configured to be rotatable and steerable. In this embodiment, the mobile body 10 is configured so that the turning of the mobile body 10 can be controlled by operating one of the rear wheels 20A.

[0019] The mast 22 is movably attached to the straddle legs 21 and moves in the fore-and-aft direction XA of the vehicle body 20. The mast 22 extends in an up-down direction ZA perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction XA, and the backrest 23 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction YA and the up-and-down direction ZA. The mast 22 has a lifting device (not shown), which raises and lowers the backrest 23 to raise and lower the forks 24, i.e., move them in the up-and-down direction ZA. When the forks 24 are inserted into the transported item CA, the lifting device raises or lowers the forks 24 so that the front ends of the forks 24 and the insertion openings of the transported item CA are positioned on the same horizontal plane. When the forks 24 are unloaded, the lifting device lowers the forks 24 so that the front ends of the forks 24 are lower than the insertion openings of the transported item CA. The backrest 23 is a load-receiving frame that prevents the load on the forks 24 from falling rearward of the mast 22.

[0020] The fork 24 is attached to the mast 22 via the backrest 23 so as to be movable in the up-down direction ZA. The fork 24 is movable relative to the mast 22 in the left-right direction YA of the vehicle body 20 by a side shift device 25. The fork 24 has a pair of forks 24A and 24B. The forks 24A and 24B extend from the backrest 23 (mast 22) toward the front of the vehicle body 20. The forks 24A and 24B are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction YA of the mast 22. Hereinafter, in the fore-and-aft direction XA, the direction toward the side of the vehicle 10 where the fork 24 is not provided will be referred to as the rearward direction, and the direction toward the side where the fork 24 is provided will be referred to as the forward direction.

[0021] The forks 24 are provided to extend in the front-rear direction XA, and are inserted into openings (insertion ports) of the pallet to be able to lift the transported item CA. In this embodiment, two forks 24 are provided spaced apart in the left-right direction YA, forming a pair on the left and right, but three or more forks may also be provided.

[0022] The side shift device 25 moves the pair of forks 24 in the left-right direction YA without changing the distance between the forks 24. By moving the forks 24, the side shift device 25 adjusts the position of the forks 24 relative to a target position.

[0023] The sensor 26 includes a sensor 26A and a sensor 26B. The sensor 26A detects at least one of the position and the orientation of an object present around the vehicle body 20. It can also be said that the sensor 26A detects at least one of the position of the object relative to the mobile body 10 and the orientation of the object relative to the mobile body 10. In this embodiment, the sensor 26A is provided at the forward tip of each straddle leg 21 and at the rear side of the vehicle body 20. For example, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor, a proximity sensor, or the like can be used as the sensor 26A. Note that the location at which the sensor 26A is provided is not limited thereto, and the sensor 26A may be provided at any position, and the number of sensors provided may also be arbitrary. The sensor 26A supplies sensor information indicating at least one of the position of the object relative to the mobile body 10 and the orientation of the object relative to the mobile body 10 to the control device 28.

[0024] The sensor 26B detects the position, posture, etc. of the stored item P. The sensor 26B is provided at a lateral center position on the underside of the pair of forks 24 on the backrest 23 and moves together with the forks 24. That is, even if the forks 24 move in the up-down direction ZA or the left-right direction YA, the relative positional relationship between the forks 24 and the sensor 26B does not change. In this embodiment, the sensor 26B is described as a three-dimensional sensor that measures distance (depth), such as a three-dimensional ToF (Time of Flight) camera or LiDAR, but various sensors that can detect the three-dimensional position of an object can be used. The sensor 26B captures a depth image that can identify the three-dimensional position and distance, and supplies sensor information indicating the captured depth image to the control device 28.

[0025] The control device 28 is a computer that controls the mobile object 10. The control device 28 detects the position of the detection target from the image information. The control device 28 calculates the relative position between the mobile object 10 and the pallet, which changes during the insertion operation of the forks 24. The control device 28 will be described later.

[0026] (Management Device) FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of the management device 12. The management device 12 is a system that manages logistics in the facility W. In this embodiment, the management device 12 is a WMS (Warehouse Management System), but is not limited to a WMS and may be any system, such as a back-end system such as another production management system. The location where the management device 12 is installed is arbitrary, and the management device 12 may be installed within the facility W or at a location remote from the facility W to manage the facility W from that location. The management device 12 is a computer, and as shown in FIG. 4, includes a communication unit 30, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 34.

[0027] The control unit 34 is a calculation device, i.e., a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 34 includes a work determination unit 36. The control unit 34 reads and executes a program (software) from the storage unit 32, thereby realizing the work determination unit 36 ​​and executing its processing. The control unit 34 may execute the processing using a single CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs and execute the processing using these multiple CPUs. The work determination unit 36 ​​may also be implemented using a hardware circuit. The program for the control unit 34 stored in the storage unit 32 may also be stored on a recording medium readable by the management device 12.

[0028] The work determination unit 36 ​​determines a storage item P that will store the item CA. Specifically, the work determination unit 36 ​​determines work content indicating information about the storage item P that will store the item CA, for example, based on an input work plan. The work content can also be said to be information that identifies the storage item P that will store the item CA. In the example of this embodiment, the work content determines which storage item P in which facility W the item CA will be transported to and by when. In other words, the work content is information indicating the facility W where the storage item P that will store the item CA is stored, the target (item CA) to be transported, the position of the item P within the facility W, and the transport time. The work determination unit 36 ​​transmits the determined work content to the information processing device 14 via the communication unit 30.

[0029] (Information Processing Device) FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of the information processing device 14. The information processing device 14 is installed in the facility W and is a device that transmits and receives at least information related to the movement of the mobile object 10 to and from the mobile object 10, i.e., a so-called ground system. The information processing device 14 is a computer, and as shown in FIG. 5 , includes a communication unit 40, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 44. The communication unit 40 is a module used by the control unit 44 to communicate with external devices such as the management device 12 and the mobile object 10, and may include, for example, an antenna. In this embodiment, the communication method used by the communication unit 40 is wireless communication, but any communication method may be used. The storage unit 42 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 44, and includes, for example, at least one of a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and an external storage device such as an HDD.

[0030] The control unit 44 is a computing device, i.e., a CPU. The control unit 44 includes a task content acquisition unit 50 and a moving object selection unit 52. The control unit 44 reads and executes a program (software) from the storage unit 42, thereby realizing the task content acquisition unit 50 and the moving object selection unit 52 and performing their processing. The control unit 44 may perform these processes using a single CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs and perform the processes using the multiple CPUs. Furthermore, at least a portion of the task content acquisition unit 50 and the moving object selection unit 52 may be realized by hardware circuits. Furthermore, the program for the control unit 44 stored in the storage unit 42 may be stored in a recording medium readable by the information processing device 14.

[0031] The work content acquisition unit 50 acquires information about the work content determined by the management device 12, i.e., information about the storage item P to be transported. The work content acquisition unit 50 identifies a loading location PA where the transported item CA will be unloaded from the information about the storage item P in the work content. For example, the memory unit 42 stores the storage item P and the installation area AR0 in which the storage item P is installed in association with each other, and the work content acquisition unit 50 identifies the loading location PA in the installation area AR0 by reading this information from the memory unit 42. The moving body selection unit 52 selects a target moving body 10. For example, the moving body selection unit 52 selects a moving body 10 that will transport the transported item CA from multiple moving bodies 10 belonging to the facility W. The moving body selection unit 52 may select the target moving body 10 using any method.

[0032] (Configuration example of stored items) FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the names of stored items P. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the surface of the stored item P that the movable body 10 approaches is the front surface Pa, and a loading position PA is set at a position where the transported item CA can be stored. Note that in FIG. 6, the transported item CA is shown without the baggage, and only the pallet is depicted. On the front surface Pa, the stored item P has an upper beam section PGU and a lower beam section PGL, which are beam sections, and a left column section PHL and a right column section PHR, which are pillar sections PH. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the upper beam section PGU and the lower beam section PGL, they will simply be referred to as beam section PG. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the left column section PHL and the right column section PHR, they will simply be referred to as pillar section PH.

[0033] When a storage position PA is set on the left side of the second tier for the stored item P, the shape, position, reference point BP, etc. of the lower beam section PGL corresponding to the storage position PA and the left pillar section PHL located near the storage position PA are set as parameters. The reference point BP is the intersection of the upper edge of the lower beam section PGL and the inner edge of the left pillar section PHL. The parameters corresponding to the storage position PA for the stored item P are provided to the mobile body 10 as, for example, shape information. Note that the stored item P shown in FIG. 6 does not have a beam section PG on the first tier, so the floor surface is set as the parameter for the beam section PG. However, if a beam section PG is provided, the parameters for that beam section PG would be set.

[0034] For example, when placing an item on a storage item P (shelf), the mobile body 10 needs precise front-rear and left-right position information and height information with an error of ±10 mm or less due to layout constraints of the equipment W. Meanwhile, the relative positional relationship between the mobile body 10 (forklift) performing the unloading operation and the stored item P is not constant, as deviations from the specified position and posture occur with each operation. For this reason, the mobile body 10 must detect the loading position each time a loading operation is performed. Note that the loading position indicates the position in the stored item P where the transported item CA is to be loaded at the loading position PA.

[0035] Here, when the mobile object 10 needs to simultaneously detect the load placement position (lateral position, distance, and height), the use of two 2D sensors or one 3D sensor is generally an option. While 2D sensors can acquire the cross-sectional shape of a space depending on their installation position, they are not suitable for acquiring shape information for narrow areas (e.g., a few centimeters or less), such as the front of a shelf side panel. In the example shown in FIG. 6 , the stored item P does not have any wall surfaces, such as side panels or a back panel, between the multiple pillars PH. Therefore, 2D sensors are difficult to apply to detecting the lateral position of a stored item P that only has the beams PG and pillars PH described above. A stored item P that only has the beams PG and pillars PH means that it does not have any wall surfaces, such as a top panel, floor panel, side panels, or a back panel. Therefore, the mobile object 10 according to this embodiment provides a technology for accurately calculating the load placement position PA using the sensor 26 for a stored item P that does not have any wall surfaces between the multiple pillars PH.

[0036] (Control Device of the Mobile Body) Next, the control device 28 of the mobile body 10 will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of the control device 28 of the mobile body 10. The control device 28 controls the mobile body 10. The control device 28 moves the mobile body 10 to the loading position A3 along the second path R2 set based on multiple detection results by the sensor 26 of the mobile body 10, and controls the mobile body 10 to perform tasks such as loading and unloading the transported item CA. The control device 28 is a computer, and as shown in FIG. 7, includes a communication unit 70, a storage unit 72, and a control unit 74. The control device 28 is electrically connected to the side shift device 25, the sensor 26, the drive device 29, and the lift device 220.

[0037] The drive device 29 includes a movement mechanism such as a drive unit and steering of the movable body 10. The control device 28 is configured to be able to control the movement, rotation, etc. of the movable body 10 by controlling the drive unit and movement mechanism of the drive device 29. The movable body 10 is configured to be able to change the attitude, direction, etc. of the forks 24 relative to the stored item P by rotating.

[0038] The lift device 220 is provided on the mast 22 and includes a mechanism for raising and lowering the backrest 23. The control device 28 controls the lift device 220 to raise and lower the backrest 23. By raising and lowering the backrest 23, the lift device 220 positions the forks 24 and the sensor 26B at a desired height. The lift device 220 raises or lowers the forks 24 so that the loading position PA of the stored item P and the front ends of the forks 24 are located on the same horizontal plane. A position detector 230, which is an encoder, is connected to the lift device 220, and the height of the lift device 220 is detected from the rotation position of the motor of the lift device 220 detected by the position detector 230. The lift device 220 can provide the height detected by the position detector 230 to the control device 28 as height information of the sensor 26B.

[0039] The communication unit 70 is a module used by the control unit 74 to communicate with an external device such as the information processing device 14, and may include, for example, an antenna. In this embodiment, the communication method used by the communication unit 70 is wireless communication, but the communication method may be any other method.

[0040] The storage unit 72 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 74, and includes at least one of, for example, a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and an external storage device such as an HDD. The storage unit 72 can store a program 721, work information 722, sensor information 723, position information 724, shape information 725, etc. The program 721 includes a program for realizing functions such as movement control, fork control, and detection control of the mobile object 10. The work information 722 includes information indicating the first path R1, second path R2, etc. of the mobile object 10 acquired from the information processing device 14, a database, etc. The sensor information 723 includes information acquired from the sensor 26. The position information 724 includes information that can identify the position and orientation of the stored item P based on the sensor information 723, the loading position PA of the stored item P, etc. The shape information 725 includes information that can identify the known shape of the stored item P. For example, the shape information 725 includes information indicating parameters such as the shape, position, and reference point BP of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH corresponding to the loading position PA. The storage unit 72 can store the sensor information 723, the position information 724, and the shape information 725 in chronological order while associating them with each other.

[0041] The control unit 74 is a computing device and includes a computing circuit such as a CPU. The control unit 74 includes an information acquisition unit 80, a movement control unit 82, a detection control unit 84, a point cloud extraction unit 86, a straight line extraction unit 88, a calculation unit 90, and a fork control unit 92. The control unit 74 reads and executes a program 721 (software) from the storage unit 72, thereby realizing the information acquisition unit 80, the movement control unit 82, the detection control unit 84, the point cloud extraction unit 86, the straight line extraction unit 88, the calculation unit 90, and the fork control unit 92 and performing their processing. The control unit 74 may execute these processes using a single CPU, or may include multiple CPUs and execute the processes using the multiple CPUs. Furthermore, at least a portion of the movement control unit 82, the detection control unit 84, the calculation unit 90, and the fork control unit 92 may be implemented using hardware circuits. The program 721 for the control unit 74 stored in the storage unit 72 may be stored on a recording medium readable by the control device 28.

[0042] The information acquisition unit 80 acquires various information related to the work, such as the first pass R1, the second pass R2, the structure of the stored item P, and the position of the stored item P, as work information 722. When the mobile object 10 is selected as the work target, the information acquisition unit 80 may acquire the work information from the information processing device 14, or may read out work information stored in advance in the memory unit 72.

[0043] The movement control unit 82 controls the movement mechanisms, such as the drive unit and steering of the drive device 29, to control the movement of the moving body 10. The movement control unit 82 moves the moving body 10 according to the first path R1 and the second path R2 acquired by the information acquisition unit 80. The movement control unit 82 sequentially grasps the position information 724 of the moving body 10, thereby moving the moving body 10 so that it passes through the first path R1 and the second path R2. The method for acquiring the position information 724 of the moving body 10 is arbitrary. For example, in this embodiment, a detection object (not shown) is provided in the facility W, and the movement control unit 82 acquires information on the position and attitude of the moving body 10 based on the detection of the detection object. The position of the moving body 10 is the coordinates in a two-dimensional coordinate system CO in the direction X and the direction Y in the area AR of the facility W. The attitude of the moving body 10 is the orientation (rotation angle) of the moving body 10 when viewed from the direction Z perpendicular to the direction X and the direction Y.

[0044] The movement control unit 82 controls the movement of the movable body 10 so that the forks 24 approach the front surface Pa of the stored item P. The movement control unit 82 moves the movable body 10 to the loading position A3 by moving the movable body 10 so that it passes through the second path R2 (approach path), and positions the movable body 10 so that it faces the loading position PA of the stored item P. When the transported item CA to be loaded at the loading position PA protrudes outside the beam portion PG of the stored item P, the movement control unit 82 controls the movement of the movable body 10 so that it faces the loading position PA directly.

[0045] The detection control unit 84 causes the sensor 26 to detect the position of the stored item P, the front surface Pa of the stored item P, the position of the fork 24, etc., and acquires the detection results of the sensor 26 as a first point cloud. The detection control unit 84 chronologically stores the acquired information in the memory unit 72 as sensor information 723. For example, the detection control unit 84 analyzes the position of the stored item P, the front surface Pa of the stored item P, characteristic positions of the stored item P, etc., based on the first point cloud obtained by the sensor 26, and stores the analysis results as sensor information 723 in the memory unit 72. The characteristic positions of the stored item P are positions of characteristic structures set for the stored item P, and include, for example, the positions of the portions where the pillars PH and beams PG intersect.

[0046] The point cloud extraction unit 86 extracts, from the measurement results of the sensor 26B, a second point cloud indicating the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH at the loading position PA where the forks 24 are moved on the front surface Pa of the stored item P. The point cloud extraction unit 86 extracts, from the first point cloud of the measurement results of the sensor 26B, a second point cloud indicating the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH indicated by the shape information 725 of the stored item P at the loading position PA on the front surface Pa of the stored item P.

[0047] Based on the second point cloud, the straight line extraction unit 88 extracts straight lines indicating the sides of the beam PG and pillar PH on the inside of the front face Pa of the stored item P. The straight line extraction unit 88 extracts a first straight line indicating the upper side of the beam PG and a second straight line indicating the inner side of the pillar PH on the front face Pa of the stored item P. Note that the straight line extraction unit 88 may extract the first straight line indicating the lower side or center of the beam PG on the front face Pa of the stored item P and the second straight line indicating the outer side or center of the pillar PH, or a combination of these.

[0048] The calculation unit 90 calculates position information 724 indicating the load placement position PA based on the multiple straight lines extracted by the line extraction unit 88 and their intersections. The calculation unit 90 calculates a reference point where the first and second straight lines intersect, and calculates position information 724 that can identify the positions of the beam PG and the pillar PH at the load placement position PA based on the positions indicated by the second point group of the first and second straight lines and the reference points. In other words, the calculation unit 90 calculates position information 724 that can identify the positions of the beam PG and the pillar PH at the load placement position PA based on the positions indicated by the upper side of the beam PG, the inner side of the pillar PH, and the second point group of the reference points. The calculation unit 90 projects the first and second straight lines onto a plane that overlooks the beam PG at the load placement position PA, and calculates position information 724 that indicates the load placement position PA from the intersections of the first and second straight lines. The position information 724 includes information indicating three-dimensional positions such as the upper side of the beam portion PG, the inner side of the pillar portion PH, and the reference point.

[0049] The fork control unit 92 controls the movement of the pair of forks 24 in the up-down direction ZA, the front-back direction XA, and the left-right direction YA based on the height and distance of the storage position PA for the storage item P. The fork control unit 92 moves the pair of forks 24 in the up-down direction ZA using the lift device 220. The fork control unit 92 moves the pair of forks 24 in the front-back direction XA by moving the mast 22 using the drive device 29 of the straddle leg 21. The fork control unit 92 moves the pair of forks 24 in the left-right direction YA using the side shift device 25. The fork control unit 92 controls the movement of the forks 24 in the up-down direction ZA and the front-back direction XA based on the storage position PA for the storage item P. The fork control unit 92 controls the movement of the forks 24 in the up-down direction ZA and the left-right direction YA based on the height of the insertion opening PB of the storage item P and the position of the storage item P. The fork control unit 92 controls the movement of the forks 24 in the up-down direction ZA and the left-right direction YA based on the height of the insertion opening PB of the storage item P, the position of the target, and the posture of the target. The fork control unit 92 controls the side shift until the pair of forks 24 are directly facing the loading position PA. When the transported article CA to be loaded at the loading position PA does not protrude outside the beam portion PG of the storage item P, the fork control unit 92 controls the movement of the forks 24 so that the transported article CA is loaded at the loading position PA.

[0050] (Calculation Method of Control Device) Next, a description will be given of a calculation method executed by the control device 28 of the mobile body 10. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the calculation method executed by the control device 28 of the mobile body 10. The processing procedure shown in Fig. 8 is executed by the control unit 74 of the control device 28 when the mobile body 10 approaches the stored item P.

[0051] 8, the control device 28 acquires sensor information obtained by measuring the front surface Pa of the stored item P by the sensor 26B (step S101). For example, the control device 28 causes the sensor 26B to measure the front surface Pa of the stored item P, acquires the measurement results of the sensor 26B as a point cloud, and stores the acquired information in chronological order in the memory unit 72 as sensor information 723. When the process of step S101 is completed, the control device 28 proceeds to step S102.

[0052] The control device 28 extracts a first point cloud of the detection target range PE from the sensor information 723 based on the predetermined parameters (step S102). For example, based on the predetermined parameters corresponding to the placement position PA of the stored item P in the shape information 725, the control device 28 extracts, as the first point cloud, a point cloud that can identify a structure corresponding to the parameters.

[0053] In this embodiment, the detection target range PE is set as a cube that includes the front surface of the lower beam portion PGL of the stored item P on which the transported item CA is placed and the front surface of the pillar portion PH. The default parameters PE are set based on the known relative positional relationship between the sensor 26B and the stored item P (shelf). The three-dimensional coordinate range of the cube representing the detection target range PE is, for example, X-axis: 0.5 m to 1.5 m, Y-axis: -1.0 m to 1.0 m, and Z-axis: -0.5 m to 0.5 m. The default parameters used to extract the point cloud corresponding to the pillar portion PH and the lower beam portion PGL are also set based on the known relative positional relationship between the sensor 26B and the stored item P. The three-dimensional coordinate range of the cube indicating the detection target range PE is, for example, for the pillar portion PH, X axis: 0.5m to 1.5m, Y axis: -1.0m to 0.5m, Z axis: -0.5m to 0.0m, and for the lower beam portion PGL, X axis: 0.5m to 1.5m, Y axis: -0.5m to 0.5m, Z axis: 0.0m to 0.5m.

[0054] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a detection target range PE for a stored item P. As shown in FIG. 9 , the detection target range PE corresponds to the stored item P and is a range for limiting the range in which a point cloud is extracted from the measurement results indicated by the sensor information 723 based on predetermined parameters. In the example shown in FIG. 9 , the detection target range PE is described as a range including the lower beam portion PGL and the left pillar portion PHL and right pillar portion PHR on either side of the lower beam portion PGL on the front side Pa of the stored item P, but is not limited to this. For example, if the loading position PA is set on the left side of the second tier of the stored item P, the detection target range PE may be a range including the left half of the lower beam portion PGL and the left pillar portion PHL on the front side Pa of the stored item P.

[0055] 8, when the processing of step S102 is completed, the control device 28 performs plane detection of the front surface Pa of the stored item P in the first point cloud of the detection target range PE, and extracts a first point cloud corresponding to the front surface Pa of the stored item P from points located on the detected plane (step S103). For example, the control device 28 performs plane detection using the well-known RANSAC method on the point cloud of the detection target range PE, and extracts a first point cloud corresponding to the front surface Pa of the stored item P from points located on the detected plane. As a result, the point cloud corresponding to the depth of the sensor information 723 has been deleted from the first point cloud, as the point cloud of the plane corresponding to the front surface Pa has been extracted. When the processing of step S103 is completed, the control device 28 proceeds to step S104.

[0056] The control device 28 extracts a second point cloud corresponding to the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH of the stored item P from the first point cloud corresponding to the front surface Pa based on the preset parameters (step S104). For example, if the lower beam portion PGL and the left pillar portion PHL and the right pillar portion PHR on both sides thereof are set as the preset parameters, the control device 28 extracts the point clouds corresponding to the lower beam portion PGL, the left pillar portion PHL, and the right pillar portion PHR from the first point cloud as the second point cloud.

[0057] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a second point cloud extracted from the detection target area PE. As shown in FIG. 10, the second point cloud 300 includes points corresponding to the lower beam section PGL and the left pillar section PHL and right pillar section PHR on either side of the lower beam section PGL. This allows the control device 28 to extract the second point cloud 300 that measures the characteristic structure of the stored item P in the detection target area PE.

[0058] In Figure 8, when the processing of step S104 is completed, the control device 28 extracts a first straight line indicating the edge of the beam section PG corresponding to the loading position PA and a second straight line indicating the edge of the column section PH based on the second point cloud 300 (step S105).

[0059] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of straight lines extracted from the second point cloud 300. As shown in FIG. 11 , the control device 28 detects, in the three-dimensional space represented by the second point cloud 300, a first straight line 310A passing through the upper side of the lower beam section PGL corresponding to the load placement position PA, and a second straight line 310B passing through the inside of the left pillar section PHL and the right pillar section PHR, using the RANSAC algorithm. The algorithm used to detect the straight lines may be, for example, a Hough transform, an edge detection algorithm, or the like. The control device 28 calculates the intersection point of the first straight line 310A and the second straight line 310B as a reference point 320, and can detect the positions of both ends above the lower beam section PGL based on the reference point 320.

[0060] The control device 28 may further extract a straight line passing under the upper beam section PGU and include information about the position of the upper beam section PGU in the position information 724. This allows the control device 28 to determine that the upper beam section PGU above the load placement position PA is the position of an obstacle.

[0061] 8 , after completing the processing of step S105, the control device 28 projects the first line 320A and the second line 320B onto a vertical plane and calculates position information 724 of the load placement position PA based on the first line 310A, the second line 310B, and the reference point 320 (step S106). For example, if the shape information 725 indicates a structure in which the pillar portion PH and the lower beam portion PGL of the stored item P are located on the same plane, the control device 28 calculates position information 724 that can identify the up, down, left, and right positions of the pillar portion PH and the lower beam portion PGL at the load placement position PA based on the positions indicated by the point cloud of the first line 310A, the second line 310B, and the reference point 320.

[0062] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of position information 724 calculated by the control device 28. In FIG. 12, scene C11 shows a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the placement position PA on the front side Pa of the storage item P, and scene C12 shows a schematic overhead view of scene C11. In scene C11 of FIG. 12, the control device 28 extracts from the second point cloud 300 a first line 310A passing above the lower beam section PGL corresponding to the placement position PA and a second line 310B passing inside the left pillar section PHL on the front side Pa of the storage item P. Then, as shown in scene C12 of FIG. 12, the control device 28 projects the first line 310A and the second line 310B onto a plane viewed from above at the placement position PA of the storage item P. The shape information 725 indicates that the pillar section PH of the storage item P protrudes toward the front side Pa beyond the lower beam section PGL. The control device 28 calculates the amount of deviation 240 between the reference point 320 and the second straight line 310B on the vertical plane based on the shape information 725. The control device 28 calculates position information 724 that can identify the front-to-back, up-down, left-to-right, and right-to-left positions of the pillar portion PH and the lower beam portion PGL at the load placement position PA based on the positions and amount of deviation 340 indicated by the point cloud of the first straight line 310A, the second straight line 310B, and the reference point 320.

[0063] In FIG. 8, when the control device 28 stores the position information 724 calculated in the process of step S106 in the storage unit 72, the control device 28 ends the process procedure shown in FIG.

[0064] In this way, in the mobile body 10, the sensor 26B is provided movably together with the forks 24, and measures the front surface Pa of the stored item P from below the forks 24 as a three-dimensional first point cloud. In the mobile body 10, the point cloud extraction unit 86 extracts, from the measurement results of the sensor 26B, a second point cloud 300 indicating the beams PG and pillars PH related to the loading position PA to which the forks 24 are moved on the front surface Pa of the stored item P. In the mobile body 10, the line extraction unit 88 extracts straight lines indicating the sides of the beams PG and pillars PH inside the front surface Pa of the stored item P based on the second point cloud 300. In the mobile body 10, the calculation unit 90 calculates position information 724 indicating the loading position PA based on a plurality of straight lines and their intersections. As a result, the mobile body 10 can extract a second point cloud 300 indicating the characteristics of the beams PG and pillars PH of the stored item P related to the loading position PA from the measurement results of the sensor 26B, and calculate position information 724 indicating the loading position based on the second point cloud 300. As a result, by providing the sensor 26B below the forks 24, the mobile body 10 can improve the accuracy of calculating the loading position PA for the stored item P consisting of the beams PG and pillars PH. Furthermore, by accurately calculating the loading position PA for the stored item P consisting of the beams PG and pillars PH, the mobile body 10 can load the item CA so that the edge of the loading position PA is aligned with the edge of the loading position PA.

[0065] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the position of the stored item P is detected at the same time as the posture of the stored item P is detected. In the second embodiment, a description of the configuration common to the first embodiment will be omitted. Note that the second embodiment may be applied to or combined with the moving body 10 of the first embodiment.

[0066] Similar to the first embodiment, the control device 28 of the mobile body 10 according to the second embodiment includes a communication unit 70, a storage unit 72, and a control unit 74. The control unit 74 includes an information acquisition unit 80, a movement control unit 82, a detection control unit 84, a point cloud extraction unit 86, a straight line extraction unit 88, a calculation unit 90, and a fork control unit 92.

[0067] The control device 28 can provide a function to prevent the transported item CA from protruding from the beam portion PG of the stored item P. The calculation unit 90 of the control device 28 calculates the attitude angle of the stored item P from the second point cloud 300, and adjusts the placement position PA of the stored item P based on the attitude angle. The calculation unit 90 calculates the attitude angle of the stored item P based on multiple distances to the beam portion PG and the column portion PH at the front surface Pa of the stored item P. The control device 28 prevents the transported item CA from protruding from the beam portion PG of the stored item P by having the calculation unit 90 calculate the optimal placement position PA of the transported item CA of the stored item P.

[0068] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the load placement position PC calculated by the mobile body 10 according to the second embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the control device 28 of the mobile body 10 calculates the height of the upper end of the beam portion PG of the stored item P based on the sensor information 723 from the sensor 26B, and calculates the orientation of the mobile body 10 relative to the stored item P. As shown in the first embodiment, the control device 28 sets the reference point 320 calculated for the stored item P as the left-right reference point 320Y. The control device 28 sets a left-right reference line 20L and a front-rear reference line 20F that pass through the vehicle body representative point 20P of the mobile body 10, and calculates the point where the front-rear reference line 20F intersects with the beam portion PG of the stored item P as the front-rear reference point 320X. The control device 28 calculates a front-rear reference line 350 that passes through the reference point 320X and is perpendicular to the front-rear reference line 20F. The control device 28 calculates a left-right reference line 360 ​​that passes through the left-right position reference point 320Y and is perpendicular to the left-right reference line 20L. The control device 28 calculates a distance 370 between the left-right reference line 20L and the front-rear reference line 350, and a distance 380 between the front-rear reference line 20F and the left-right reference line 360. The control device 28 calculates an offset distance 390 that shifts the load placement position PC from the front-rear reference line 350 in the front-rear direction based on the distances 370 and 380, thereby obtaining the offset distance 390 that takes into account the attitude angle of the mobile body 10. The offset distance 390 that takes into account the attitude angle means that at least one of the forward-rear body movement of the mobile body 10 and the reach-in / reach-out of the forks 24, and at least one of the left-right body movement of the mobile body 10 and the side shift of the forks 24, is taken into account.

[0069] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the calculation method executed by the control device 28 of the moving body 10 according to the second embodiment. The processing procedure shown in FIG. 14 is executed by the control unit 74 of the control device 28 when the moving body 10 approaches the stored item P.

[0070] 14, the control device 28 of the mobile body 10 acquires reference position information for placing the item CA (step S201). For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the control device 28 acquires reference position information regarding the reference position for placing the item P of the item CA and stores the information in the storage unit 72. When the process of step S201 is completed, the control device 28 proceeds to step S202.

[0071] The control device 28 calculates a longitudinal offset distance 390 based on the posture angle information relative to the load placement reference position (step S202). For example, the control device 28 calculates a distance 370 between the left-right reference line 20L and the longitudinal reference line 350, and a distance 380 between the left-right reference line 20F and the left-right reference line 360, and calculates an offset distance 390 for shifting the load placement position PC from the longitudinal reference line 350 in the longitudinal direction based on the distances 370 and 380. For example, the shape information 725 of the memory unit 72 sets the width of the transported item CA to 1100 mm. If the control device 28 calculates the posture angle of the stored item P to be 1 deg, it calculates the rearward offset distance 390 as 550 mm × tan 1 deg = 9.625 mm. The offset distance 390 is a distance that prevents the load placement position PC from protruding from the stored item P. After completing step S202, the control device 28 proceeds to step S203.

[0072] The control device 28 determines whether the item CA can be placed without protruding from the beam PG (step S203). For example, the control device 28 determines that the item CA can be placed without protruding from the beam PG when the placement position PC to which the offset distance 390 is applied does not protrude from the beam PG. More specifically, the control device 28 determines that the item CA can be placed without protruding from the beam PG when the width of the known stored item P is greater than a determination threshold. The determination threshold is, for example, 1100 mm + 9.625 mm × 2. Furthermore, the control device 28 determines that the item CA cannot be placed without protruding from the beam PG when the width of the known stored item P is smaller than the determination threshold.

[0073] If the control device 28 determines that the transported item CA can be placed without protruding from the beam portion PG (Yes in step S203), the process proceeds to step S204. The control device 28 controls the unloading of the transported item CA at the loading position PC (step S204). For example, the control device 28 places the transported item CA at the loading position PC by controlling the movement of the forks 24 in the up-down direction ZA and the front-back direction XA based on the loading position PC of the stored item P. When the process of step S204 is completed, the control device 28 ends the processing procedure shown in FIG. 14.

[0074] Furthermore, if the control device 28 determines that the transported object CA cannot be placed without protruding from the beam portion PG (No in step S203), the control device 28 proceeds to step S205. The control device 28 retries the approach of the mobile object 10 to the loading position PC (step S205). For example, the control device 28 controls the vehicle body 20 to move again so that the mobile object 10 faces the loading position PC. When the processing of step S205 is completed, the control device 28 ends the processing procedure shown in FIG. 14.

[0075] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example in which the transported article CA can be placed without protruding from the beam part PG, and Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example in which the transported article CA cannot be placed without protruding from the beam part PG.

[0076] 15 , the mobile body 10 calculates an offset distance 390 in the front-to-rear direction based on the attitude angle information relative to the load reference position, and determines that the transported item CA can be placed without protruding from the beam PG if the load position PC to which the offset distance 390 is applied does not protrude from the beam PG of the stored item P. In this case, the mobile body 10 controls the unloading of the transported item CA at the load position PC, thereby moving the forks 24 to the load position PC and placing the transported item CA at the load position PC. This allows the mobile body 10 to place the transported item CA at the optimal load position PC for the stored item P, thereby preventing the transported item CA from protruding from the stored item P.

[0077] 16, when the corner PCA of the loading position PC to which the calculated offset distance 390 is applied protrudes from the beam PG of the stored item P, the mobile body 10 determines that the transported item CA cannot be placed without protruding from the beam PG. In this case, the mobile body 10 retries its approach to the loading position PC, thereby avoiding the loading of the transported item CA at the loading position PC of the stored item P in a state where it protrudes from the beam PG.

[0078] (Effect) The mobile body 10 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure comprises a fork 24 movably mounted in the vertical direction ZA, a sensor 26B movably mounted together with the fork 24 and capable of measuring the front surface Pa of the stored item P as a first three-dimensional point cloud, a point cloud extraction unit 86 that extracts from the measurement results of the sensor 26B a second point cloud 300 indicating the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH related to the loading position PA to which the fork 24 is moved on the front surface Pa of the stored item P, a straight line extraction unit 88 that extracts straight lines indicating the sides of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH inside the front surface Pa of the stored item P based on the second point cloud 300, and a calculation unit 90 that calculates position information 724 indicating the loading position PA based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines. This allows the mobile body 10 to extract the second point cloud 300 indicating the characteristics of the beams PG and pillars PH of the stored item P related to the loading position PA from the measurement results of the sensor 26B, and to calculate position information 724 indicating the loading position based on the second point cloud 300. As a result, by providing the sensor 26B below the forks 24, the mobile body 10 can improve the accuracy of calculating the loading position PA for the stored item P consisting of the beams PG and pillars PH.

[0079] In the mobile body 10 according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the straight line extraction unit 88 extracts a first straight line 310A indicating the upper side of the beam portion PG on the front surface Pa of the stored item P and a second straight line 310B indicating the inner side of the pillar portion PH, and the calculation unit 90 calculates a reference point 320 where the first straight line 310A and the second straight line 310B intersect, and calculates position information 724 that can identify the positions of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH at the load placement position PA based on the positions indicated by the second point cloud 300 of the first straight line 310A, the second straight line 310B, and the reference point 320. As a result, the mobile body 10 can perform a load placement operation that takes the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH into consideration, since the position information 724 indicates the positions of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH at the load placement position PA.

[0080] In the mobile body 10 according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the point cloud extraction unit 86 extracts, from the measurement results of the sensor 26B, a second point cloud 300 indicating the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH indicated by the shape information 725 of the stored item P at the loading position PA, at the front surface Pa of the stored item P. This allows the mobile body 10 to extract the second point cloud 300 from the measurement results of the sensor 26B, with the point information related to depth deleted, thereby improving the accuracy of the position information 724 calculated from the second point cloud 300.

[0081] In the mobile body 10 according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the calculation unit 90 projects the first line 310A and the second line 310B onto a plane that overlooks the beam portion PG at the load placement position PA, and calculates position information 724 that indicates the load placement position PA from the intersection of the first line 310A and the second line 310B. This allows the mobile body 10 to calculate the position information 724 that indicates the accurate position of the load placement position PA even if the positions of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH are misaligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0082] In the mobile object 10 according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the calculation unit 90 calculates the attitude angle of the stored item P from the second point cloud 300 and adjusts the placement position PC of the stored item P based on the attitude angle. This allows the mobile object 10 to calculate the position information 724 of the optimal placement position PC that takes into account the influence of the attitude angle of the stored item P, even if the mobile object 10 is not directly facing the front face Pa of the stored item P.

[0083] The movable body 10 according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure further includes a movement control unit 82 that controls the movement of the movable body 10 so that the movable body 10 faces the placement position PC when the article CA to be placed at the placement position PC protrudes from the beam PG, and a fork control unit 92 that controls the movement of the forks 24 so that the article CA is placed at the placement position PC when the article CA to be placed at the placement position PC does not protrude from the beam PG. This allows the movable body 10 to place the article CA at the placement position PC so that the article CA does not protrude from the beam PG, thereby preventing the article CA from protruding from the stored items P.

[0084] A calculation method for a mobile body (10) according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a calculation method for a mobile body (10) including a fork (24) movably mounted in the up-down direction (ZA) and a sensor (26B) movably mounted together with the fork (24) and capable of measuring a front surface (Pa) of a stored item (P) as a first three-dimensional point cloud, the calculation method including the steps of: extracting, from the measurement results of the sensor (26B), a second point cloud (300) indicating the beams (PG) and pillars (PH) associated with a loading position (PA) to which the fork (24) is moved on the front surface (Pa) of the stored item (P), extracting, based on the second point cloud (300), straight lines indicating the sides of the beams (PG) and pillars (PH) inside the front surface (Pa) of the stored item (P), and calculating position information (724) indicating the loading position (PA) based on the extracted straight lines and intersections of the straight lines. As a result, the calculation method can extract, from the measurement results of the sensor (26B), the second point cloud (300) indicating the characteristics of the beams (PG) and pillars (PH) of the stored item (P) associated with the loading position (PA), and calculate the position information (724) indicating the loading position (PA) based on the second point cloud (300). As a result, the calculation method can improve the accuracy of calculating the cargo placement position PA for the stored item P consisting of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH by having the movable body 10 install the sensor 26B below the fork 24.

[0085] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure causes a mobile body (10) including a fork (24) movably mounted in the vertical direction (ZA) and a sensor (26B) movably mounted together with the fork (24) and capable of measuring a front surface (Pa) of a stored item (P) as a first three-dimensional point cloud to execute the following steps: extracting, from the measurement results of the sensor (26B), a second point cloud (300) indicating the beams (PG) and pillars (PH) associated with a loading position (PA) to which the fork (24) is moved on the front surface (Pa) of the stored item (P), extracting, based on the second point cloud (300), straight lines indicating the sides of the beams (PG) and pillars (PH) inside the front surface (Pa) of the stored item (P), and calculating position information (724) indicating the loading position (PA) based on the extracted straight lines and intersections of the straight lines. As a result, the program causes the mobile body (10) to extract, from the measurement results of the sensor (26B), the second point cloud (300) indicating the characteristics of the beams (PG) and pillars (PH) of the stored item (P) associated with the loading position (PA), and to calculate the position information (724) indicating the loading position (PA) based on the second point cloud (300). As a result, by providing the sensor 26B below the fork 24 of the mobile body 10, the program can improve the accuracy of calculating the load placement position PA for the stored item P consisting of the beam portion PG and the pillar portion PH.

[0086] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the contents of these embodiments. Furthermore, the above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-described components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments.

[0087] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Movement control system 10 Mobile body 12 Management device 14 Information processing device 20 Vehicle body 20A Wheel 21 Straddle leg 22 Mast 23 Backrest 24, 24A, 24B Fork 25 Side shift device 26, 26A, 26B Sensor 28 Control device 29 Drive device 70 Communication unit 72 Memory unit 74 Control unit 80 Information acquisition unit 82 Movement control unit 84 Detection control unit 86 Point cloud extraction unit 88 Line extraction unit 90 Calculation unit 92 Fork control unit 220 Lift device 230 Position detector 300 Second point cloud 310A First line 310B Second line 320, 320X, 320Y Reference point 370, 380 Distance 390 Offset distance 721 Program 722 Work information 723 Sensor information 724 Position information 725 Shape information P Stored item Pa Front PA, PC Load placement position PG Beam section PH Pillar section

Claims

1. A mobile body comprising: a fork movable in an up-and-down direction; a sensor movable together with the fork and capable of measuring the front of a stored item as a first three-dimensional point cloud; a point cloud extraction unit that extracts from the measurement results of the sensor a second point cloud indicating beams and pillars related to a loading position to which the fork is moved on the front of the stored item; a line extraction unit that extracts straight lines indicating the sides of the beams and pillars on the inside of the front of the stored item based on the second point cloud; and a calculation unit that calculates position information indicating the loading position based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines.

2. The mobile body described in claim 1, wherein the straight line extraction unit extracts a first straight line indicating the upper edge of the beam portion at the front of the stored item and a second straight line indicating the inner edge of the pillar portion, and the calculation unit calculates a reference point where the first straight line and the second straight line intersect, and calculates position information that can identify the positions of the beam portion and the pillar portion at the cargo storage position based on the positions indicated by the second point group of the first straight line, the second straight line, and the reference point.

3. The mobile body described in claim 2, wherein the point cloud extraction unit extracts the second point cloud indicating the beam portion and the column portion indicated by the shape information of the stored item at the loading position from the measurement results of the sensor at the front of the stored item.

4. The mobile body described in claim 3, wherein the calculation unit projects the first straight line and the second straight line onto a plane overlooking the beam portion at the loading position, and calculates the position information indicating the loading position from the intersection of the first straight line and the second straight line.

5. The moving body according to claim 4, wherein the calculation unit calculates an attitude angle of the stored item from the second point cloud and adjusts the placement position of the stored item based on the attitude angle.

6. A mobile body as described in claim 5, further comprising: a movement control unit that controls the movement of the mobile body so that it faces the loading position when the transported object to be placed at the loading position extends beyond the beam section; and a fork control unit that controls the movement of the forks so that the transported object to be placed at the loading position when the transported object to be placed at the loading position does not extend beyond the beam section.

7. A calculation method for a moving object equipped with a fork movable in the vertical direction and a sensor movable together with the fork and capable of measuring the front of a stored item as a first three-dimensional point cloud, comprising the steps of: extracting, from the measurement results of the sensor, a second point cloud indicating a beam and pillar portion relating to a loading position to which the fork is moved on the front of the stored item; extracting, based on the second point cloud, straight lines indicating the sides of the beam and pillar portion inside the front of the stored item; and calculating position information indicating the loading position based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines.

8. A program that causes a mobile body equipped with forks that are movable in the vertical direction and a sensor that is movable together with the forks and can measure the front of a stored item as a first three-dimensional point cloud to execute the following steps: extracting from the measurement results of the sensor a second point cloud that indicates beams and pillars related to a loading position to which the forks are moved on the front of the stored item; extracting straight lines that indicate the sides of the beams and pillars inside the front of the stored item based on the second point cloud; and calculating position information that indicates the loading position based on the extracted straight lines and the intersections of the extracted straight lines.

Images