JP5962460B2 - Transport vehicle system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport vehicle system, and more particularly, to a transport vehicle system in which a plurality of transport vehicles travel on a predetermined route.

Conventionally, a transport vehicle system having a route, a plurality of stations provided on the route, a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route and transport articles, and a system controller that controls the travel of the transport vehicle is provided. Are known.
In order to prevent a collision between a plurality of transporting vehicles that are transported on the route, for example, in Patent Document 1, when there is an obstacle, the transporting vehicle travels at a low speed, and when there is no obstacle, the transporting vehicle. A traveling control technique for traveling the vehicle at a high speed is disclosed.
Further, blocking control for preventing a collision is also known. Blocking control refers to control in which the segment in which the transport vehicle travels next is assigned so as not to cause a collision with another transport vehicle. For example, when a blocking request is made to a segment with one transport vehicle, the system controller does not permit the blocking request if the segment is already assigned to another transport vehicle. Therefore, the transport vehicle to which the next segment is not allocated stops traveling until the next segment is allocated. FIG. 10 shows blocking control in such a conventional transport vehicle system.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing speed control of a conventional transport vehicle. FIG. 10 (a) is a relational diagram showing the relationship between each point and speed for the transport vehicle A, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the driving | running | working condition of the conveyance vehicle A and the conveyance vehicle B in each time. The route is provided with a plurality of points at which the transport vehicle receives a transport command, and a point is a segment. In FIG. 10, points P0, P1, P3,... Are provided on the route. Between point P0 and point P1 is segment a, between point P1 and point P2 is segment b, and similarly, segment c, segment d... Are provided. In FIG. 10, the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B preceding the transport vehicle A are traveling on the route.

As shown in FIG. 10B, at time t0, the transport vehicle A is allocated with the segments b and c, travels at a steady speed, and passes through the point P1. On the other hand, the transport vehicle B is stopped at the point P4, and the segments d and e are allocated.
At the time t1, the transport vehicle B is stopped at the point P4 like the time t0, and the segments d and e are assigned. At this time, even if the transport vehicle A makes a blocking request to the segment d, the system controller does not permit the blocking request because the segment d has already been assigned to the transport vehicle B. Then, the system controller commands the vehicle A to decelerate, and the vehicle A starts to decelerate from the steady speed between the points P2 and P3 as shown in FIG.
At time t2, the system controller instructs the transport vehicle B to continue to stop, and instructs the transport vehicle A to stop at the point P3. Therefore, the conveyance vehicle B continues to stop at the point P4, and the conveyance vehicle A decelerates the speed and stops at the point P3. As shown in FIG. 10A, the transport vehicle A decelerates from the steady speed between the points P2 and P3, reaches the low-speed creep speed before the point P3, and stops at the point P3.

At time t3, the system controller instructs the transport vehicle B to start traveling, and releases the allocation of the segment d to the transport vehicle B. Then, the system controller allocates a new segment f to the transport vehicle B based on the blocking request from the transport vehicle B.
At time t4, the transport vehicle B starts traveling while accelerating from the point P4. Since the segment d is released, the system controller assigns the segment d to the transport vehicle A based on the blocking request of the transport vehicle A, and instructs the transport vehicle A to start traveling.

At time t5, the transport vehicle A has already accelerated away from the point P3. As shown in FIG. 10A, the transport vehicle A accelerates from zero speed and accelerates toward a steady speed. Further, the transport vehicle B reaches a steady speed and travels past the point P5. Segments d and e are allocated to the transport vehicle A, and segments f and g are allocated to the transport vehicle B.
At time t6, the transport vehicle A reaches a steady speed and travels past the point P4. The transport vehicle B travels at a steady speed and passes through the point P6.

Japanese Patent No. 3382168

However, when a large number of transport vehicles are traveling along the route, it may take time until the next segment is allocated, and the transport vehicle may have to stop during that time. Moreover, when a certain conveyance vehicle stops, it becomes necessary to also stop another conveyance vehicle, and in that case, traffic congestion occurs frequently. Moreover, rapid deceleration and acceleration of the transport vehicle frequently occur, and a load is applied to the motor and brakes of the transport vehicle, so that failure tends to occur and power consumption increases.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, since the transport vehicle B stops at the point P4, the transport vehicle A starts to decelerate after passing through the point P2, and stops at the point P3. Further, the transport vehicle A needs to stop until the transport vehicle B is instructed to start running, the segment d allocated to the transport vehicle B is released, and the released segment d is allocated to the transport vehicle A. There is. Therefore, when the transport vehicle A stops, the transport vehicle following the transport vehicle A also needs to be stopped, and traffic jams occur frequently. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the transport vehicle A is rapidly decelerated from a position close to the point P3 that is the stop position. In response to the command to start traveling, the transport vehicle A is accelerated from zero speed to a steady speed. Due to such rapid deceleration and acceleration, a large load is applied to the motor.
In addition, as in Patent Document 1, when switching between low-speed traveling and high-speed traveling depending on the presence or absence of obstacles, a load is applied to the motor, brake, etc. due to switching between low-speed and high-speed, resulting in failure occurrence and power consumption. Incurs an increase.

  An object of the present invention is to suppress a failure of a transport vehicle, reduce power consumption, and reduce traffic congestion.

Hereinafter, a plurality of modes will be described as means for solving the problems. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.
A transport vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of transport vehicles that travel on a predetermined route, and a controller having a speed management unit that manages the speed of the transport vehicle.
In the first case where it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle is to be stopped at a predetermined stop position, the speed management unit starts to decelerate from the first speed at the first position before the stop position. To stop the transport vehicle.
Further, the speed management unit is scheduled to stop the transport vehicle at the stop position, but in the second case where there is a possibility of passing the stop position, Deceleration is started from a second speed smaller than the first speed at a second position closer to the stop position than the position, and the transport vehicle is stopped at the stop position.

In the transport vehicle system, when it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle is to be stopped at a predetermined stop position, and the transport vehicle is scheduled to be stopped at the stop position, there is a possibility of passing the stop position. The speed control of the transport vehicle is made different in some cases.
The first position, the second position, and the stop position are located in this order along the traveling direction of the transport vehicle. Further, the relationship is first speed> second speed. In the first case where the transport vehicle is stopped at a predetermined stop position in advance, the speed management unit of the controller decelerates rapidly from, for example, the first speed, which is a steady speed, and stops at the stop position. . On the other hand, the speed management unit is scheduled to stop the transport vehicle at the stop position, but in the second case where there is a possibility of passing the stop position, the speed management unit starts deceleration from the second speed at the second position. Then, the transport vehicle is stopped at the stop position.
The second position is, for example, a position immediately before the stop position. In the second case, the transport vehicle can be run while maintaining the second speed until just before the stop position that may pass. Therefore, the transport vehicle can be driven more quickly to the final destination.
In the second case, when one transport vehicle frequently stops, the subsequent transport vehicle stops frequently in order to maintain a certain distance from the one transport vehicle from the viewpoint of collision prevention. Will occur frequently. However, since one transport vehicle continues to travel at the second speed until just before the stop position, the subsequent transport vehicle can travel without stopping, and traffic congestion can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the second case, when it is found that the transport vehicle passes without stopping until the transport vehicle reaches the second position, the speed management unit accelerates the transport vehicle from the stopped state. Instead of accelerating from the second speed to the first speed. Therefore, it is possible to easily reach the first speed while reducing the load on the motor for accelerating the transport vehicle. Moreover, since the load with respect to a motor is small, power consumption can be made small.

  In this way, by varying the speed control between the first case and the second case, the transport vehicle A quickly arrives at a stop position that is a predetermined destination in the first case. be able to. On the other hand, in the second case, since the load during acceleration can be reduced, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a failure of the transport vehicle, reduce power consumption, and extend the life of the route.

  In the second case, the speed management unit starts decelerating from the first speed at the third position farther from the stop position than the first position, and starts from the fourth position farther from the stop position than the second position. You may drive at 2 speeds.

  For example, the third position, the fourth position, the first position, the second position, and the stop position are located in this order along the traveling direction of the transport vehicle. In the second case, deceleration is started from the first speed at the third position, which is earlier than the first position at which deceleration is started in the first case, and the transport vehicle is already at the second speed at the second position. I am running in. That is, in the second case, the transport vehicle can be decelerated slowly. Therefore, in the second case, it is possible to reduce the load on the brake and the route during deceleration compared to the first case.

  In the second case, the speed management unit starts to decelerate from the second speed at the second position when it is found that the conveyance vehicle reaches the second position in order to stop at the stop position. The conveyance vehicle may be stopped. In addition, when it is found that the vehicle is allowed to pass without stopping at the stop position before the transport vehicle reaches the second position, acceleration may be started toward the first speed.

When the transport vehicle is stopped in the second case, it can be decelerated from the second speed at the second position and stopped at the stop position. The reason why the vehicle can decelerate from the second position immediately before the stop position and stop at the stop position is that the transport vehicle is traveling at a second speed that is slower than the first speed, which is a steady speed.
On the other hand, when the transport vehicle traveling at the second speed is traveled again at the first speed in the second case, it is possible to easily reach the first speed while reducing the load on the motor for acceleration. Can do.

The path is constituted by a succession of a plurality of segments having a predetermined length. In addition, the plurality of transport vehicles include a first transport vehicle and a second transport vehicle existing before the traveling direction of the first transport vehicle.
The controller further includes a blocking request determination unit and a segment allocation unit. The blocking request determination unit receives a blocking request for requesting allocation to a new segment from the first transport vehicle, and determines whether to permit segment allocation according to the blocking request. A segment allocation part allocates the segment which can drive | work to a 1st conveyance vehicle based on the determination result of a blocking request | requirement determination part.
In the second case,
If the blocking request determination unit determines that the segment for which the first transport vehicle has made a blocking request and the segment allocated to the second transport vehicle at least partially overlap, the speed management unit Before reaching the first position, the first transport vehicle is decelerated from the first speed to the second speed, and the second speed is maintained up to the second position, and the blocking request determination unit is configured with the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle. Until reaching the second position where the distance between the first and second distances is a predetermined distance, it is determined that the overlapping segment is temporarily allocated to the first transport vehicle.
In the temporary allocation state,
If the segment allocation unit releases the segment allocated to the second transport vehicle, the blocking request determination unit changes the temporary allocation state, permits allocation of overlapping segments to the first transport vehicle, and the speed management unit. Accelerates the first transport vehicle from the second speed.

The transport vehicle can travel along the route according to the allocated segment. In order to avoid the collision of the transport vehicle, one segment is usually assigned to only one transport vehicle.
Here, the segment for which the first transport vehicle has made a blocking request may already be assigned to the second transport vehicle. In this case, the speed management unit decelerates the speed of the first transport vehicle from the first speed to the second speed. Based on this, the blocking request determination unit applies the first conveyance vehicle to the first conveyance vehicle in a tentative state even if the segment to which the first conveyance vehicle has requested blocking and the segment allocated to the second conveyance vehicle overlap. Allocate segments. Thus, the first transport vehicle can travel to the second position immediately before the stop position at the second speed, which is a medium speed.

If it is determined that the vehicle needs to stop at the stop position, the allocation of the temporarily allocated segment to the first transport vehicle is prohibited, and the first transport vehicle is decelerated from the second speed and stopped at the stop position. Conversely, if it is determined that the vehicle does not stop at the stop position, the temporary allocation state is removed, and the overlapping segment is actually allocated to the first transport vehicle. Therefore, the first transport vehicle can travel while being accelerated from the second speed toward the first speed.
By providing such a provisional allocation state, the first transport vehicle can travel at the second speed to the second position immediately before the stop position, so that the subsequent transport vehicle can continue to travel and reduce congestion. be able to. Further, the load on the motor when accelerating from the second speed to the first speed can be reduced, and as a result, the power consumption can be reduced.

  In the transport vehicle system according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress breakdown of the transport vehicle, reduce power consumption, and reduce traffic congestion.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the speed control of the conveyance vehicle in this invention. It is a mimetic diagram of a conveyance vehicle system by which one embodiment of the present invention was adopted. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of a conveyance vehicle system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the speed control at the time of accelerating after a stop, (a) is a related figure which shows the relationship between each point and speed about the conveyance vehicle A, (b) is the conveyance vehicle A and conveyance at each time. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling situation with a car B. It is explanatory drawing which shows speed control in the case of accelerating without stopping in the second case, (a) is a relational diagram showing the relationship between each point and speed for the carrier A, (b) It is explanatory drawing which shows the driving | running | working condition of the conveyance vehicle A and the conveyance vehicle B in each time. It is an example of the flowchart which shows the flow of the process of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the merit when the 2nd case of this invention is applied, (a) is a prior art example, (b) is an example which applied the 2nd case of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the merit when the 2nd case of this invention is applied, (a) is a prior art example, (b) is an example which applied the 2nd case of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating another speed control of the conveyance vehicle in this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the speed control of the conventional conveyance vehicle, (a) is a related figure which shows the relationship between each point about the conveyance vehicle A, and speed, (b) is the conveyance vehicle A and conveyance vehicle in each time. It is explanatory drawing which shows the driving | running | working condition with B. FIG.

(1) Overview of the Present Invention (1-1) Transport Vehicle System A transport vehicle system of the present invention includes a route, a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route, and a system controller that controls travel of the transport vehicle. Prepare. The route is provided with a plurality of points that are one passing points of the transport vehicle, and the points are defined as segments.
A transport vehicle is a cart that transports luggage. The system controller receives an input of a transport command for transporting the package to the destination from the outside, selects an optimal transport vehicle, and issues a transport command of the package to the selected transport vehicle. Further, the system controller performs control for preventing a collision between the transport vehicles.

(1-2) Speed Control of the Present Invention In the transport vehicle system of the present invention, speed control is made different between the first case and the second case. The first case is a case where it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle A is stopped at a predetermined stop position. The second case is a case where the transport vehicle A is scheduled to stop at the stop position, but there is a possibility of passing the stop position. In other words, in the second case, the transport vehicle A may be stopped at the stop position, but may not be stopped.

Below, the outline | summary of the speed control of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining speed control of a transport vehicle according to the present invention. In the case of the example in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B preceding the transport vehicle A are traveling on the route. At first, the transport vehicle B is stopped, and the transport vehicle A travels on the route and approaches the transport vehicle B. And the conveyance vehicle B starts driving | running | working again from a stop at a certain time. Taking such a situation as an example, the speed control of the transport vehicle A will be described. In FIG. 1, the two-dot chain line represents speed control indicating the first case. Further, the solid line represents speed control in the case of accelerating again without stopping the transport vehicle A in the second case. The broken line branched from the solid line is the speed control in the case of accelerating after stopping the transport vehicle A at the stop position in the second case.

(A) Speed control in the first case In the first case, the transport vehicle A receives, for example, a command to stop at the stop position from the system controller at the time of starting travel, and the stop at the stop position is in advance. It has been decided. In this case, the transport vehicle A decelerates from the first speed to the third speed at a predetermined first deceleration rate at a predetermined first position before the stop position based on a command from the system controller. Here, the first position is a position where the transport vehicle A can reach the third speed at the position 1a which is a predetermined distance L1 before the stop position. The first speed is a steady speed when the transport vehicle A travels along the route, and is represented by 100% of the steady speed, for example.
The transport vehicle A decelerates from the first position to the third speed at the first position by decelerating at the first deceleration rate. Thereafter, the transport vehicle A stops traveling at a predetermined stop position after continuing traveling at the third speed. The third speed is, for example, 10% of the steady speed, and the transport vehicle A travels at a low speed creep from the position 1a to immediately before the stop position.

(B) Speed control in the second case (b-1) Medium speed creep travel In the second case, the carrier A is scheduled to stop at the stop position, but there is a possibility of passing the stop position. . Thus, the transport vehicle A receives, for example, a command to stop at a predetermined stop position from the system controller during traveling, but receives a command to pass the stop position from the system controller in some cases. . In other words, it is unclear whether the transport vehicle A stops at the stop position until just before the stop position. Therefore, at first, the transport vehicle A is traveling at a steady speed, and is gradually approaching the stopped transport vehicle B.
In order to continue traveling, the transport vehicle A makes a blocking request for requesting traveling on a new route on the extension of the traveling route. However, the system controller determines that the conveyance vehicle A and the conveyance vehicle B may collide if the conveyance vehicle B is stopped and the conveyance vehicle A continues to travel at a steady speed. Therefore, the system controller does not permit the blocking request of the transport vehicle A. Further, in order to avoid a collision between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B, the system controller causes the transport vehicle A to decelerate from the first speed to the second speed at a predetermined second deceleration rate at the third position. Command. In response to this command, the transport vehicle A starts decelerating from the first speed at the third position. Here, the third position is a position where the transport vehicle A can reach the second speed at the position 3a which is a predetermined distance L2 before the stop position.

The third position is at a position farther from the stop position than the first position at which deceleration starts in the first case. That is, the distance between the third position and the stop position is greater than the distance between the first position and the stop position. Therefore, the second deceleration rate can be set smaller than the first deceleration rate in the first case. As a result, the transport vehicle A slowly decelerates from the first speed to the second speed. Also in FIG. 1, the inclination when decelerating from the first speed to the second speed in the second case is gentler than the inclination when decelerating from the first speed to the third speed in the first case. I understand. The second speed is, for example, 30 to 40% of the steady speed, and is larger than the first speed.
The transport vehicle A decelerates from the third position to the second speed at the 3a position. Then, the transport vehicle A travels at a medium speed creep at the second speed from the position 3a to the second position immediately before the stop position.

(B-2) Stop Next, when the transport vehicle A determines, for example, that the distance from the transport vehicle B is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3 by an optical sensor, the transport vehicle A decelerates from the second speed and stops at the stop position. In FIG. 1, the position where the distance between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B is a predetermined distance L3 is the second position. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the transport vehicle A starts to decelerate from the second position, and the speed becomes zero at the stop position. Here, the predetermined distance L3 is set to a distance at which the transport vehicle A can decelerate from the second speed and stop at a predetermined stop position.
In the above description, it is determined that the transport vehicle A should stop, but the transport vehicle A may stop at the stop position in response to a command from the system controller. For example, the system controller acquires travel data including position data and speed from the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B, and determines whether the distance between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B is equal to or less than a predetermined distance L3. To do. When the system controller determines that the distance between the transport vehicles has become equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3, the system controller instructs the transport vehicle A to decelerate from the second speed, and stops at the stop position.

(B-3) Acceleration from the second speed Here, it is assumed that the transport vehicle B starts traveling while accelerating from the stop state based on a command from the system controller while traveling at the second speed, for example. Since the transport vehicle B has started running, a collision between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B can be avoided. The system controller could not permit the blocking request requested by the transport vehicle A in the above (b-1). However, if the system controller determines that the collision can be avoided, the system controller accelerates the transport vehicle A from the second speed. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, for example, if the collision can be avoided immediately before the transport vehicle A reaches the second position, the transport vehicle A accelerates from the second speed toward the first speed.

(B-4) Acceleration from Stop Conversely, when the transport vehicle A has advanced from the second position, it is assumed that the transport vehicle B accelerates from the stop state and starts traveling. For example, the conveyance vehicle B may start traveling after the conveyance vehicle A stops at the stop position. Since the transport vehicle A advances from the second position and the distance between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B becomes equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3, the transport vehicle A3 temporarily stops as shown in (b-2) above. Thereafter, since the transport vehicle B has started traveling, the collision between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B can be avoided even when the transport vehicle A starts traveling. Therefore, the system controller commands the transport vehicle A to accelerate from zero speed to the first speed. On the basis of a command from the system controller, the transport vehicle A starts acceleration from zero speed to the first speed at the stop position as shown by the broken line in FIG.

(C) Effect of the Invention As described above, in the first case, it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle A stops at the stop position. The transport vehicle A rapidly decelerates from the first speed at the first position before the stop position, travels at a low speed creep at the third speed, and stops at the stop position. The transport vehicle A can travel to the first position at the first speed, and can quickly reach the stop position that is the destination.
On the other hand, in the second case, it is unknown whether the transport vehicle A stops at the stop position. Therefore, in order to avoid a collision between the transport vehicles, the transport vehicle A starts to slowly decelerate at the third position, and then travels at a medium speed creep at the second speed.
Here, the third position is located farther from the stop position than the first position. Therefore, the 2nd deceleration rate from the 1st speed in the 3rd position can be made smaller than the 1st deceleration rate from the 1st speed in the 1st position. In other words, the transport vehicle can be slowly decelerated at the third position. Therefore, in the second case, the load on the brake at the time of deceleration can be reduced and the load on the route can be reduced as compared with the first case.

At the second position immediately before the stop position, in the first case, the transport vehicle A has already decelerated to the third speed, which is about 10% of the steady speed, but in the second case, the first speed that is faster than the first speed. Running at 2 speeds. Therefore, in the second case where it is unclear whether or not to stop at the stop position, the transport vehicle can be run while maintaining a certain medium speed until just before the stop position. Therefore, when it is unclear whether to stop, the transport vehicle can travel more quickly to the final destination.
Here, if the transport vehicle A stops frequently, the subsequent transport vehicle of the transport vehicle A also stops frequently in order to maintain a certain distance from the transport vehicle A from the viewpoint of collision prevention. It will occur frequently. However, in the speed control in the second case, since the transport vehicle A continues to travel at the second speed, which is a medium speed to some extent, it is possible to travel without stopping the subsequent transport vehicle, thereby reducing traffic congestion. be able to.

Furthermore, in the second case, if it is found that the transport vehicle A is not stopped until the transport vehicle A reaches the second position, the second speed is not used to accelerate the transport vehicle A from the stopped state. To the first speed. The second speed is slower than the first speed, which is a steady speed, but is faster than the third speed after deceleration in the first case. Therefore, it is possible to easily reach the first speed while reducing the load on the motor when accelerating from the second speed to the first speed than when accelerating from the third speed to the first speed. . That is, since the load on the motor is small, power consumption can be reduced.
As described above, by varying the speed control between the first case and the second case, in the first case, the transportation vehicle can quickly arrive at the stop position which is a predetermined destination. it can. On the other hand, in the second case, the load at the time of deceleration and acceleration can be reduced, so that it is possible to suppress the failure of the transport vehicle, reduce power consumption, and extend the life of the route.

(2) Specific Description (2-1) Transport Vehicle System A transport vehicle system 1 in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transport vehicle system in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a control configuration of the transport vehicle system.
The transport vehicle system 1 includes a route 2, a plurality of transport vehicles 3 that travel on the route 2, and a system controller 40 that controls travel of the transport vehicle 3.
The path 2 has a traveling rail 4 and a guide rail 6. The traveling rail 4 is composed of left and right first traveling rails 4a and second traveling rails 4b. The first traveling rail 4a and the second traveling rail 4b have flat traveling surfaces.

The route 2 is provided with a plurality of points that are one passing points of the transport vehicle 3, and the points are defined as segments.
The guide rail 6 has a first guide rail 6a and a second guide rail 6b. The first guide rail 6a and the second guide rail 6b are provided at the outer ends of the first travel rail 4a and the second travel rail 4b, respectively. The first guide rail 6a and the second guide rail 6b extend upward.
A power supply line (not shown) is provided along the first traveling rail 4a and the second traveling rail 4b.

  The system controller 40 receives an input of a transport command for transporting the package to the destination from the outside, and issues a package transport command to each transport vehicle 3 at a point provided on the route 2. Further, the system controller 40 performs blocking control for preventing a collision between the transport vehicles 3. Therefore, the system controller 40 communicates with the transport vehicle 3 at each point. For example, the system controller 40 receives information indicating the status of the transport vehicle 3 such as passing, stopping, and speed at each point from the transport vehicle 3. The system controller 40 gives instructions to the transport vehicle 3 such as deceleration, acceleration, stop, and segment assignment to each transport vehicle 3 in consideration of the package transport command and the state of the transport vehicle 3.

(2-2) Transport Vehicle The transport vehicle 3 includes a transport vehicle main body 10, a drive travel unit 11, and a driven travel unit 12. Since the structure of the carrier main body 10 is the same as the conventional one, the description thereof is omitted. The transport vehicle 3 is, for example, a bogie substitute vehicle that transports luggage, and the drive travel unit 11 and the driven travel unit 12 are attached to the transport vehicle body 10 so as to be rotatable.
The drive travel unit 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The drive travel unit 11 mainly includes a main body frame 13, a first drive wheel unit 14, and a second drive wheel unit 15.
The first drive wheel unit 14 is attached to the right end portion of the main body frame 13 and includes a first drive wheel 17, a first motor 18, and a first encoder 19. The first drive wheels 17 are placed on the travel surface of the first travel rail 4a. The first motor 18 is connected to the first drive wheel 17. The first encoder 19 measures the rotation of the first motor 18 and transmits a pulse signal. Thereby, the rotation speed and the number of rotations of the first motor 18 can be obtained.

The second drive wheel unit 15 is attached to the left end portion of the main body frame 13 and has a second drive wheel 20, a second motor 21, and a second encoder 22. The second drive wheel 20 is placed on the travel surface of the second travel rail 4b. The second motor 21 is connected to the second drive wheel 20. The second encoder 22 measures the rotation of the second motor 21 and transmits a pulse signal. Thereby, the rotation speed and the number of rotations of the second motor 21 can be obtained.
The driven section 12 mainly has a main body frame 16, a first driven wheel 23, and a second driven wheel 24. The first driven wheel 23 is placed on the first traveling rail 4 a of the traveling rail 4. The second driven wheel 24 is placed on the second traveling rail 4 b of the traveling rail 4.

(2-3) Sensor and detected portion The transport vehicle body 10 is further provided with a reflective tape 25 and a photoelectric sensor 32. The reflective tape 25 is a highly reflective tape made of, for example, aluminum, and is provided, for example, at the rear portion of the transport vehicle 3. The photoelectric sensor 32 is a sensor that detects light, and is provided, for example, at the front portion of the transport vehicle 3. For example, when the succeeding transport vehicle 3 emits light and the reflection tape 25 of the preceding transport vehicle 3 is irradiated with light, the subsequent transport vehicle 3 detects the reflected light by the photoelectric sensor 32. The succeeding transport vehicle 3 can stop by measuring the distance from the preceding transport vehicle 3 by detecting light. Therefore, collision can be avoided.

(2-4) Control Configuration The control configuration of the transport vehicle system 1 will be described using FIG. 3 again.
(A) System Controller Control Configuration The system controller 40 of the transport vehicle system 1 includes a controller main body 42 and a memory 43. The controller main body 42 is composed of a CPU or the like, and the memory 43 is composed of RAM, ROM or the like.
The controller main body 42 has a function of managing a plurality of transport vehicles 3 and assigning transport commands to these. By this allocation function, the overlapping control of the segment allocated to each conveyance vehicle 3 is prevented, and the blocking control for preventing the collision between the conveyance vehicles 3 is performed.

The controller main body 42 continuously communicates with each transport vehicle 3 in order to create a transport command to the transport vehicle 3. In addition, the controller main body 42 acquires travel data including position data, speed, and the like from each transport vehicle 3 by this communication, and grasps the position information.
Such a controller main body 42 has control function units such as a speed management unit 44, a blocking request determination unit 45, and a segment allocation unit 46. Each controller function unit is configured by the controller main body 42 executing the control program stored in the memory 43.

(A-1) Segment allocation unit When the segment allocation unit 46 receives an input of a transport command, which is a command to transport a package to a destination, from the outside, the segment allocation unit 46 selects the optimal transport vehicle 3 and transports the vehicle based on the transport command. Assign a segment to 3. The “conveyance command” includes a command related to traveling, and a command related to the load holding position and the unloading position.
In addition, the segment allocation unit 46 allocates a segment to each transport vehicle based on the determination result of the blocking request determination unit 45. The segment allocation unit 46 allocates a segment if the blocking request determination unit 45 permits the blocking request, and does not allocate a segment if the blocking request does not permit. By such segment allocation control, collisions between the transport vehicles 3 are prevented, and the transport vehicle 3 can travel on the allocated segments.

(A-2) Blocking request determination part The blocking request determination part 45 receives the blocking request | requirement with respect to the segment which drive | works next from each conveyance vehicle, and determines whether blocking is permitted. A blocking request is a segment allocation request. In principle, the blocking request determination unit 45 does not permit a blocking request when a blocking request is made for a segment that has already been assigned to another transport vehicle 3. In other words, the blocking request is not permitted if the segment for which the blocking request is made overlaps with the already allocated segment.

  Here, the one transport vehicle 3 that has made the blocking request waits for the segment assignment to the other transport vehicle 3 to be released while decelerating and traveling at the speed after the deceleration. Can do. And while the other conveyance vehicle 3 leaves the said segment while the one conveyance vehicle 3 drive | works at the speed after deceleration, allocation of the said segment will be released. If it does so, the blocking request | requirement determination part 45 can permit the blocking request | requirement of the one conveyance vehicle 3. FIG. Therefore, the blocking request determination unit 45 temporarily permits the allocation of the segment for which the blocking request has been made when there is a possibility that the allocation of the segment to the other transport vehicle 3 may be released. Such provisional allocation of segments is referred to as provisional allocation.

In this temporary allocation state, a blocking request is permitted if the corresponding segment is released, and a blocking request is not permitted if the corresponding segment is not released.
For example, in the temporary allocation state, if another transport vehicle 3 passes a point included in the corresponding segment, based on that, the segment allocation unit 46 releases the corresponding segment. The blocking request determination unit 45 actually permits the allocation of the segment to the transport vehicle 3 because the segment to which the transport vehicle 3 is requesting the blocking is released. In order to distinguish this allocation from the temporary allocation, it will be referred to as a real allocation here.
On the other hand, in the temporary allocation state, when the segment allocation unit 46 detects that the distance between the transport vehicles 3 is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3 that may collide, the segment allocation unit 46 does not release the segment. Therefore, the blocking request determination unit 45 prohibits the allocation of the segment and prohibits the blocking request. Or segment allocation part 46 will not perform the release of the segment, if it detects that one conveyance vehicle 3 which is making a blocking request started decelerating from the 2nd speed.
The blocking control as described above prevents duplication of segment allocation and prevents collision between the transport vehicles 3.

(A-3) Speed management unit The speed management unit 44 is scheduled to stop the transport vehicle 3 at the stop position in the first case where it is determined in advance to stop at the predetermined stop position. The speed control is made different in the second case where there is a possibility of passing the stop position. Further, the speed management unit 44 controls the speed of each transport vehicle 3 based on the segment allocated by the segment allocation unit 46 and the determination result in the blocking request determination unit 45.

i) Speed control in the first case In the first case, the speed management unit 44 analyzes the conveyance command input from the outside, and grasps the stop position of the conveyance vehicle based on the analysis. Therefore, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle 3 to decelerate from the first speed at the predetermined first deceleration rate at the first position before the stop position, as shown in FIG. Here, the first position is a position where the transport vehicle A can reach the third speed at the position 1a which is a predetermined distance L1 before the stop position. Furthermore, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle 3 to travel at a low speed creep at the third speed after deceleration and to stop at the stop position. Thereafter, when a new segment is assigned to the transport vehicle 3, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle 3 to accelerate to the first speed.

ii) Speed Control in Second Case On the other hand, in the second case, as shown in FIG. 1, the speed management unit 44 decelerates from the first speed at the predetermined second deceleration rate at the third position, Command one transport vehicle 3 to run at medium speed creep. Here, the third position is a position where the transport vehicle A can reach the second speed at the position 3a which is a predetermined distance L2 before the stop position.

  More specifically, one transport vehicle 3 has made a blocking request for a certain segment, but since the segment has already been assigned to another transport vehicle 3, the blocking request is not permitted. Then, it can be seen from the conveyance command input from the outside that the single conveyance vehicle 3 has not received the command to stop in the segment. That is, if the segment is released, the one transport vehicle 3 is scheduled to continue running. The speed management unit 44 obtains information from the blocking request determination unit 45 that the blocking request for one transport vehicle 3 is not permitted. Further, the speed management unit 44 recognizes from the conveyance command input from the outside that there is no plan that the one conveyance vehicle 3 stops in the segment. According to these information, since it is unclear whether one transport vehicle 3 stops at a predetermined stop position, the speed management unit 44 decelerates from the first speed and performs medium speed creep travel at the second speed as described above. Thus, the one transport vehicle 3 is commanded.

If one transport vehicle 3 starts decelerating from the first speed, the blocking request determination unit 45 will not be able to determine whether the segment requested by the one transport vehicle 3 overlaps the segment of the other transport vehicle 3. The transfer vehicle 3 is temporarily allowed to allocate the segment. In this temporary allocation state, while one transport vehicle 3 is traveling at a medium speed creep at the second speed, if the other transport vehicle 3 leaves the segment and the segment is released, blocking is performed. The request determination unit 45 permits a blocking request for one transport vehicle 3, and the segment allocation unit 46 allocates the segment to the one transport vehicle 3. Then, the segment allocation unit 46 leaves the temporary allocation state and reports to the speed management unit 44 that the segment is actually allocated to one transport vehicle 3. Based on the report from the segment allocation unit 46, the speed management unit 44 instructs the one transport vehicle 3 to accelerate from the second speed to the first speed.
Further, when the speed management unit 44 determines that the distance from the other transport vehicle 3 is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3 while the one transport vehicle 3 is traveling at a medium speed creep in the temporary allocation state, Command one transport vehicle 3 to decelerate from the speed and stop. In this case, one transport vehicle 3 may stop based on the distance from the other transport vehicle 3. Thereafter, when a new segment is assigned to one transport vehicle 3, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle 3 to accelerate to the first speed.

(A-4) Memory In the memory 43, a route map is further stored in addition to the control program. The route map is a map that describes the arrangement of the travel route, the position of the origin, the reference position based on the origin, and the coordinates of the transfer position. The coordinates are obtained by converting the travel distance from the origin into the number of output pulses of the encoder of the transport vehicle 3.

(B) Control configuration of the transport vehicle The transport vehicle 3 includes a travel control unit 30. The traveling control unit 30 is a computer that includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like and executes a program. A first encoder 19, a second encoder 22, a first motor 18, a second motor 21, and a photoelectric sensor 32 are connected to the travel control unit 30.
The travel control unit 30 causes the transport vehicle 3 to travel to the destination based on the transport command from the system controller 40. In addition, the traveling control unit 30 acquires the rotation speed and the number of rotations of the first motor 18 from the first encoder 19. Similarly, the traveling control unit 30 acquires the rotation speed and the number of rotations of the second motor 21 from the second encoder 22. Thereby, the traveling control unit 30 acquires traveling data such as position information and speed information of the transport vehicle 3. The travel control unit 30 controls the travel of the transport vehicle 3 based on a transport command from the system controller 40 and travel data of the transport vehicle. In addition, the traveling control unit 30 transmits traveling data to the system controller 40.

(2-5) Speed control in the second case In the present invention, the first case where it is determined in advance to stop at the stop position and the transport vehicle are scheduled to stop at the stop position, The speed control is made different in the second case where there is a possibility of passing the stop position. The speed control in the second case, which is characteristic among them, will be described first.

(A) Speed control when accelerating after stopping in the second case The speed control in the second case includes a case of accelerating after stopping temporarily and a case of accelerating without stopping. First, the case where the vehicle is accelerated after being stopped will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing speed control when accelerating after stopping, FIG. 4 (a) is a relational diagram showing the relationship between each point and speed for the carrier A, and FIG. 4 (b). These are explanatory drawings which show the driving | running | working condition of the conveyance vehicle A and the conveyance vehicle B in each time.
The route is provided with a plurality of points at which the transport vehicle receives a transport command, and a point is a segment. In FIG. 4, points P0, P1, P3... Are provided on the route. Between point P0 and point P1 is segment a, between point P1 and point P2 is segment b, and similarly, segment c, segment d... Are provided. For example, a transport vehicle A and a transport vehicle B preceding the transport vehicle A are traveling on the route.

In FIG. 4, the two-dot chain line represents speed control indicating the first case. In addition, the solid line represents speed control when the transport vehicle A is stopped and accelerated again in the second case, which will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the transport vehicle B stops at the point P4 until time t3, and the transport vehicle A approaches the transport vehicle B. Here, the system controller 40 has not received an instruction from the outside that the transport vehicle A stops at the point P3. For example, the system controller 40 receives an instruction from the outside to stop the transport vehicle A at the point P7. However, if the transport vehicle B continues to stop, the transport vehicle A collides with the transport vehicle B. In order to prevent a collision, it is necessary to stop the transport vehicle A. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the transport vehicle A needs to be stopped at a point P3 immediately before the point P4 where the transport vehicle B is stopped. On the other hand, if the transport vehicle B starts traveling, the transport vehicle A does not need to stop at the point P3. From the above, whether the transport vehicle A stops at the point P3 can vary depending on the situation. That is, it is unknown whether the transport vehicle A stops at the point P3.

First, at time t0, the transport vehicle B is stopped at the point P4, and the segments d and e are allocated. Further, segments a, b, and c are assigned to the transport vehicle A, and the transport vehicle A travels from the front of the point P1 toward the point P2.
At the time t1, the transport vehicle B is stopped at the point P4 like the time t0, and the segments d and e are assigned. On the other hand, the transport vehicle A passes the point P1.
Next, the traveling control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A transmits a blocking request to the segment d scheduled to travel to the blocking request determination unit 45. However, the segment d is assigned to the transport vehicle B. That is, the segment allocated to the transport vehicle B overlaps the segment to which the transport vehicle A has made a blocking request. Therefore, the blocking request determination unit 45 does not permit the blocking request. Then, the speed management unit 44 receives from the blocking request determination unit 45 a report that the blocking request to the segment d cannot be permitted. The speed management unit 44 does not receive an instruction from the outside that the transport vehicle A stops at the point P3. However, since the allocation of the segment d is not permitted, the speed management unit 44 may stop the transport vehicle A at the point P3. to decide. Therefore, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to decelerate from the first speed to the second speed at a predetermined second deceleration rate at the point P1. The traveling control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A receives a deceleration command, and starts deceleration from the first speed toward the second speed at a predetermined deceleration rate at the point P1. As a result, the transport vehicle A reaches the second speed at the position La in front of the point P3.

The blocking request determination unit 45 receives the travel data from the travel control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A and confirms that the transport vehicle A has started to decelerate from the first speed. Based on this, the blocking request determination unit 45 permits the transport vehicle A to temporarily allocate the segment d.
At time t2, the transport vehicle B stops at the point P4 like the time t0, and segments d and e are assigned. The transport vehicle A decelerates to the second speed and travels at a medium speed creep at a position La in front of the point P2.
When the transport vehicle A passes the point P1, the travel control unit 30 transmits the travel data of the transport vehicle A to the system controller 40 and reports that the transport vehicle A has passed the point P1. Thereby, the segment allocation unit 46 of the system controller 40 releases the segment a.

At time t3, the transport vehicle B remains stopped at the point P4. It is assumed that the transport vehicle A has reached the position Lb, and the distance between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3. The traveling control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A decelerates the transport vehicle A from the second speed at the position Lb at a predetermined deceleration rate based on the fact that the distance between the transport vehicles is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3, and stops the transport vehicle A at the point P3. Let As another example, even if the speed management unit 44 determines that the distance between the conveyance vehicles is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3 from the traveling data of the conveyance vehicles A and B, and instructs the conveyance vehicle A to stop at the point P3. Good.
At time t4, the transport vehicle B travels at an accelerated speed from zero based on the transport command from the system controller 40 and passes through the point P4. Further, the segment f is newly assigned to the transport vehicle B in response to a blocking request to the segment f. Since the transport vehicle B has passed the point P4, the segment allocation unit 46 releases the segment d. And the blocking request | requirement determination part 45 changes the temporary allocation state to the segment d to the conveyance vehicle A to this allocation. Thereby, the segment allocation unit 46 allocates the segment d to the transport vehicle A. The speed management unit 44 receives a report that the segment d is allocated to the transport vehicle A from the segment allocation unit 46, and instructs the transport vehicle A to accelerate from the stop to the first speed. Therefore, the traveling control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A causes the transport vehicle A to travel again from the stop.

At time t5, the transport vehicle A accelerates from the speed zero toward the first speed at a predetermined acceleration rate based on the transport command, and travels between the points P3 and P4. At this time, the segment c is released, and the segments d and e are allocated to the transport vehicle A. On the other hand, the transport vehicle B is allocated with the segments f and g and travels between the point P5 and the point P6 at the first speed.
At time t6, the transport vehicle A travels at the first speed, and the segments e and f are allocated. The transport vehicle B also travels at the first speed, and segments g.

(B) Speed control when accelerating without stopping in the second case Next, the case of accelerating from the second speed without stopping in the second case will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing speed control when accelerating without stopping in the second case, and FIG. 5A is a relational diagram showing the relationship between each point and speed for the carrier A. FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram showing the traveling state of the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B at each time. In FIG. 5, the broken line indicates speed control when accelerating after stopping in the second case of FIG. 4, and the solid line indicates speed control when accelerating without stopping.
The process up to time t3 is the same as in FIG.

  At time t3 in FIG. 5, the transport vehicle A is traveling at the second speed at the position Lb. In the case of FIG. 4 described above, since the distance between the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3, the transport vehicle A decelerates from the second speed at the position Lb and stops at the point P3. However, in FIG. 5, at the time t3, the transport vehicle B travels at an accelerated speed from zero based on the transport command and passes through the point P4. Further, the segment f is newly assigned to the transport vehicle B in response to a blocking request to the segment f. Since the transport vehicle B has passed the point P4, the segment allocation unit 46 releases the segment d. Thereby, the blocking request | requirement determination part 45 changes the temporary allocation state to the segment d to the conveyance vehicle A to this allocation. The segment allocation unit 46 allocates the segment d to the transport vehicle A. The speed management unit 44 receives from the segment allocation unit 46 a report that the segment d has been allocated to the transport vehicle A, and commands the transport vehicle A to accelerate from the second speed to the first speed. Therefore, the transport vehicle A can travel from the second speed to the first speed at a predetermined acceleration rate without stopping.

At time t4, the transport vehicle A reaches the first speed and travels between the points P3 and P4. At this time, the segment c is released, and a segment e is newly assigned to the transport vehicle A in response to the blocking request of the transport vehicle A. On the other hand, the transport vehicle B is allocated with the segments f and g and travels between the point P5 and the point P6 at the first speed.
At time t5 and time t6, the transport vehicle A and the transport vehicle B are each assigned a segment and travel at the first speed.
When accelerating after stopping (broken line) and accelerating without stopping (solid line), accelerating from the second speed to the first speed without stopping reaches the first speed faster. . Therefore, it is possible to suppress the load on the motor due to deceleration and acceleration while suppressing the occurrence of traffic congestion due to stopping. As a result, it is possible to suppress the failure of the transport vehicle, reduce power consumption, and extend the life of the route.

(2-6) Speed control in the first case Since the speed control in the first case is the same as that in the conventional example, it will be briefly described again with reference to FIG. The speed management unit 44 receives a conveyance command for stopping the conveyance vehicle A at the point P3 from the outside. Therefore, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to decelerate from the first speed at the predetermined first deceleration rate at the position Lc as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to travel at a low speed creep at the third speed after deceleration and stop at the point P3. Thereafter, when a new segment is assigned to the transport vehicle A, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to accelerate to the first speed.

(2-7) Process Flow The process flow of this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is an example of a flowchart showing a processing flow of the present embodiment.
Step S1: The speed management unit 44 determines whether it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle A of interest is surely stopped at the stop position. For example, the speed management unit 44 determines whether or not a conveyance command for stopping at a predetermined stop position is received from the outside at the time of starting traveling. If No, the process proceeds to Step S2, and if Yes, the process proceeds to Step S10.
Step S2: The speed management unit 44 determines whether the segment for which the transport vehicle A has requested blocking and the segment allocated to the transport vehicle B overlap. In the case of Yes, it progresses to step S3, and in No, it waits.

Step S3: The speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to start decelerating from the first speed to the second speed at a predetermined third position before the stop position.
Step S4: The blocking request determination unit 45 temporarily allocates the above-described overlapping segment to the transport vehicle A in response to the deceleration of the transport vehicle A (temporary allocation).

Step S5: The traveling control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A determines whether or not the distance from the preceding transport vehicle B is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3. If the distance is less than or equal to the predetermined distance L3, the process proceeds to step S7, and if the distance exceeds the predetermined distance L3, the process proceeds to step 6.
Step S6: When the transport vehicle B leaves the overlapping segment, the segment allocation unit 46 releases the segment. If the segment is released, the process proceeds to step S8, and if not, the process returns to step S5. In other words, while the distance from the preceding transport vehicle B exceeds the predetermined distance L3, it waits for the overlapping segment to be released.
Step S7: The traveling control unit 30 of the transport vehicle A decelerates from the second speed at the second position immediately before the stop position, and stops the transport vehicle A at the stop position.

Step S8: The blocking request determination unit 45 permits the blocking request of the transport vehicle A and changes the temporary allocation state to the main allocation (main allocation). The segment allocation unit 46 allocates the released segment to the transport vehicle A.
Step S9: The speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to accelerate from the second speed to the first speed.
Step S10: When it is determined in advance that the vehicle is surely stopped at the stop position, the speed management unit 44 instructs the transport vehicle A to decelerate from the first speed at the first position before the stop position. After low speed creep running at 3 speeds, the transport vehicle A is stopped at the stop position (step S7).

(2-8) An example of merit of the present invention An example of merit when the above-described second case is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are schematic diagrams for explaining the merit when the second case of the present invention is applied. 7A shows a conventional example, and FIG. 7B shows an example to which the second case of the present invention is applied. 8A shows a conventional example, and FIG. 8B shows an example to which the second case of the present invention is applied.
Note that the second case is a case where the transport vehicle is scheduled to stop at the stop position but may pass through the stop position. And if the 2nd case of this invention is applied, as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance vehicle can carry out medium speed creep driving | running | working at the 2nd speed to the 2nd position just before a stop position. On the other hand, in the first case where it is determined in advance to stop at the stop position, the transport vehicle decelerates rapidly from the first speed at the first position and travels at a low speed creep at the third speed, and then stops at the stop position. Must. In the conventional case and the first case, the vehicle travels at the third speed at the second position immediately before the stop position. However, in the second case of the present invention, the vehicle travels at the second speed (> third speed) at the second position. Running at a speed faster than the third speed.

In FIG. 7, the traveling order is the order of the transportation vehicle B, the transportation vehicle A1 and the transportation vehicle A2 from the top. The transportation vehicle B and the transportation vehicle A1 travel in the straight direction, and the transportation vehicle A2 travels on a branched route. Trying to.
First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the transport vehicle B travels between the points P1 and P2, and the segment between the points P1 and P2 cannot be assigned to the transport vehicle A1. Therefore, the transport vehicle A1 is stopped at the point P2. Therefore, the segment between the point P2 and the point P3 cannot be assigned to the transport vehicle A2. As a result, the transport vehicle A2 stops at the point P3 and cannot follow the branched route.

On the other hand, in the second case of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7B, the transport vehicle can travel at the second medium speed until just before the position to be stopped. In the figure, the transport vehicle B travels between points P1 and P2. Since the transport vehicle A1 travels at a medium speed, the segment between the points P1 and P2 is temporarily allocated to the transport vehicle A1. Therefore, the transport vehicle A1 can travel at the second medium speed and pass the point P2, and in addition, the segment between the points P2 and P3 is released. Therefore, the segment between the points P2 and P3 is allocated to the transport vehicle A2, and the transport vehicle A2 can pass without stopping at the point P3. Furthermore, if the branch destination segment is assigned to the transport vehicle A2, the transport vehicle A2 can travel along the branched route.
In the conventional case, since the transport vehicle A1 is stopped at the point P2, the transport vehicle A2 must stop at the point P3 and cannot travel on the branched route. However, in the second case of the present invention, since the transport vehicle A1 passes through the point P2, the transport vehicle A2 can travel along the branched route, and can reach the destination quickly.

Next, the merit when the second case of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the traveling order is the order of the transport vehicle B, the transport vehicle A1, the transport vehicle A2, and the transport vehicle A3 from the top.
First, as shown in FIG. 8A, in the conventional case, the transport vehicle B travels between the points P1 and P2, and the subsequent transport vehicle A1, the transport vehicle A2, and the transport vehicle A3 have points P2, P3, respectively. , Suppose that it stops at P4. In this state, if the transport vehicle B passes the point P1, the segment between the points P1 and P2 is assigned to the transport vehicle A1, and the transport vehicle A1 starts to travel past the point P2. Thereby, the segment between the points P2 and P3 can be assigned to the transport vehicle A2. However, at this time, no segment is actually allocated to the transport vehicle A2, and the transport vehicle A2 is still stopped. Therefore, the transport vehicle A3 is also stopped in a waiting state. In other words, the condition that the transport vehicle can travel is that the preceding transport vehicle passes the point, the segment that is about to travel is released, and the released segment is newly allocated. In this way, traffic congestion frequently occurs when a plurality of transport vehicles travel.

On the other hand, in the second case of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8B, the transport vehicle can travel at the second medium speed until just before the position to be stopped. In the figure, the transport vehicle A1, the transport vehicle A2, and the transport vehicle A3 are traveling toward the point P1 at the second medium speed following the transport vehicle B. When the transport vehicle B passes the point P1, the transport vehicle A1, the transport vehicle A2, and the transport vehicle A3 travel to the vicinity of the point P1.
Therefore, according to the second case of the present invention, the succeeding transport vehicle can be driven at the medium second speed, and the traveling distance within the same time can be increased as compared with the conventional case.

(3) Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, a plurality of embodiments and modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.
(A) In the above embodiment, in the first case in which it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle A is stopped at a predetermined stop position, the transport vehicle A starts from the first speed at the first position before the stop position. Deceleration is started and the speed is reduced to the third speed at the position 1a. Then, the transport vehicle A travels at a low speed creep at a third speed from the position 1a to the stop position.
However, in the first case, the transport vehicle A does not necessarily perform low-speed creep travel. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another speed control of the transport vehicle in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the transport vehicle A starts sudden deceleration from the first speed at the first position before the stop position and stops at the stop position. At this time, the transport vehicle A does not perform the low-speed creep traveling at the third speed as shown in FIG.
(B) In the above-described embodiment, the second speed is set to 30 to 40% of the first speed (steady speed). However, the degree of the second speed may be changed according to a traffic jam situation. . For example, when the front of the transport vehicle is congested, the second speed is made smaller than 30% of the first speed. Conversely, when there is no traffic jam, the second speed is made larger than 40%.
(C) The path 2 may be suspended and provided on the ground.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a transport vehicle system in which a plurality of transport vehicles travel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor vehicle system A Conveyor vehicle A1 Conveyor vehicle A2 Conveyor vehicle A3 Conveyor vehicle B Conveyor vehicle 2 Path 3 Conveyor vehicle 4 Traveling rail 4a First traveling rail 4b Second traveling rail 6 Guide rail 6a First guide rail 6b Second guide rail DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Conveyor body 11 Drive travel part 12 Driven travel part 13 Main body frame 14 First drive wheel unit 15 Second drive wheel unit 16 Body frame 17 First drive wheel 18 First motor 19 First encoder 20 Second drive wheel 21 First 2 motor 22 2nd encoder 23 1st driven wheel 25 reflective tape 30 travel control unit 32 photoelectric sensor 40 system controller 42 controller main body 43 memory 44 speed management unit 45 blocking request determination unit 46 segment allocation unit

Claims (4)

A plurality of transport vehicles traveling along a predetermined route;
A controller having a speed management unit for managing the speed of the transport vehicle;
With
The speed management unit
In the first case where it is determined in advance that the transport vehicle is to be stopped at a predetermined stop position, the vehicle starts to decelerate from the first speed at the first position before the stop position, and Stop the transport vehicle,
The transport vehicle is scheduled to stop at the stop position, but in the second case where there is a possibility of passing the stop position, when stopping at the stop position, A transport vehicle system that starts deceleration at a second speed smaller than the first speed at a second position close to the stop position, and stops the transport vehicle at the stop position.   In the second case, the speed management unit starts decelerating from the first speed at a third position farther from the stop position than the first position, and starts from the stop position rather than the second position. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle system is driven at the second speed from a separated fourth position. The speed management unit, in the second case,
If it is found that the transport vehicle stops at the stop position before the transport vehicle reaches the second position, the vehicle starts to decelerate from the second speed at the second position, and the transport vehicle is stopped at the stop position. Let
3. The transport vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein when it is found that the transport vehicle does not stop at the stop position before the transport vehicle reaches the second position, acceleration is started toward the first speed. The path is constituted by a series of a plurality of segments having a predetermined length,
The plurality of transport vehicles include a first transport vehicle and a second transport vehicle that exists before the traveling direction of the first transport vehicle,
The controller is
A blocking request determination unit that receives a blocking request for requesting allocation to a new segment from the first transport vehicle, and determines whether to permit allocation of a segment according to the blocking request;
Based on the determination result of the blocking request determination unit, a segment allocation unit that allocates a segment that can travel to the first transport vehicle;
Further comprising
In the second case,
If the blocking request determination unit determines that the segment for which the first transport vehicle has made a blocking request and the segment allocated to the second transport vehicle at least partially overlap, the speed management The unit decelerates the first transport vehicle from the first speed to the second speed before reaching the first position, maintains the second speed to the second position, and the blocking request determination unit. Is determined to be a temporarily allocated state in which overlapping segments are temporarily allocated to the first transport vehicle until the second position where the distance between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle is a predetermined distance is reached.
In the temporary allocation state,
If the segment allocation unit releases the segment allocated to the second transport vehicle, the blocking request determination unit changes the temporary allocation state and allocates the overlapping segment to the first transport vehicle. The transportation vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the speed management unit permits the first transportation vehicle from the second speed.

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