Traveling Vehicle Control for Route-Change Command Reallocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In traveling vehicle systems with branching paths, the route changes can lead to increased distances to destinations, reducing conveyance efficiency, as existing systems do not effectively reallocate conveyance commands to more efficient vehicles when route changes occur.
Innovation Solution
A system and method where a traveling vehicle controller identifies and reallocates conveyance commands to a second vehicle that can reach the destination in a shorter time when the initial vehicle's route is altered due to branching path constraints, utilizing block control and alternative target searching to optimize route changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the traveling vehicle changes its route at a branching part, then the vehicle can avoid blocked paths or adapt to traffic conditions, but the distance to the destination becomes longer and conveyance efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the alternative control execution timing based on route changes. When a route change is detected at a branching part, the controller determines whether to execute alternative control by searching for alternative traveling vehicles, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The controller continuously monitors the travel routes of all traveling vehicles and detects route changes in real-time. This feedback mechanism enables the system to identify when a vehicle has taken a longer path and triggers the alternative control process to reallocate commands to more efficient vehicles
2Productivity
If the controller continuously monitors all traveling vehicles for alternative control opportunities, then conveyance efficiency is improved, but the computational load and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller determines whether to execute alternative control in advance by detecting route changes at branching parts. This preliminary determination based on pre-established criteria (route changes) reduces the need for continuous complex calculations while maintaining efficiency improvements
Data Source
AI summary
A traveling vehicle system includes a travel path, traveling vehicles, and a traveling vehicle controller configured or programmed to cause the traveling vehicles to travel based on a travel route searched for based on a conveyance command. The traveling vehicle controller is configured or programmed to include an alternative target searcher to search, when the travel route of a first traveling vehicle as the traveling vehicle allocated with the conveyance command has been changed, a second traveling vehicle as the traveling vehicle capable of arriving at a destination included in the conveyance command in a shorter time than the first traveling vehicle out of the traveling vehicles not conveying an article, and an alternative controller configured or programmed to reallocate the conveyance command from the first traveling vehicle to the second traveling vehicle when the second traveling vehicle has been identified by the alternative target searcher.