JP6935792B2 - Transport information generator, transport system, control method, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport information generator, a transport system, and the like.

Conventionally, a technique for efficiently transporting an object to be transported is known in facilities such as warehouses and factories.

For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to reduce the movement loss time of the collection vehicle, "to display the collection information required for collection per round on the monitor and to match the collection work with the end of the round. In order to display the collection information for the next round on the monitor newly, the collection information provision points that can provide the collection information to the collection vehicle are scattered on the transport path. ”Disclosure of the picking system There is.

Further, Patent Document 2 describes "a route plan based on an evaluation index unique to each AGV" in order to create a route plan in a short time that minimizes the total transport time without causing a plurality of transport devices such as AGVs to collide with each other. A route optimization unit with an optimization function, a communication unit that communicates the route plan of all AGVs via radio, and a route that does not cause interference or deadlock as all AGVs while coordinating with other AGVs. It discloses a distributed control device that has a distributed coordination unit that can create a plan.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-263018 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-280213

However, in the conventional technique as described above, each transfer is sequentially executed, and there is room for improvement in this respect.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a transport information generating device and a transport system capable of improving the efficiency of transport by a transport moving device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the transport information generation device according to one aspect of the present invention includes (i) a first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport target, and a second position in which the transport target is unloaded. The first input unit that accepts the input of the basic transport information indicating the transport route including the information of the above, and (ii) the transport work shown in the plurality of basic transport information received by the first input unit. A first calculation unit that generates synthetic transport information indicating a transport route realized by the transport mobile device, and (iii) an output that outputs the synthetic transport information to a transport mobile device management device that controls the transport movement of the transport mobile device. It has a part and.

Similarly, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the transfer system according to one aspect of the present invention is a transfer system including a transfer transfer device, a transfer transfer device management device, and a transfer information generation device; The apparatus is a first input unit that accepts input of basic transport information indicating a transport route including information on (i) a first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport object and a second position in which the transport target is loaded and unloaded. And (ii) the first calculation of generating synthetic transport information indicating a transport route in which the transport work shown in the plurality of basic transport information received by the first input unit is realized by one of the transport moving devices. A unit and (iii) an output unit that outputs the combined transfer information to the transfer movement device management device; the transfer movement device includes a transfer movement device control unit; the transfer movement device. The control unit receives the synthetic transport information from the transport / move device management device, and causes the transport / move device to execute the transport operation based on the composite transport information.

Similarly, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the control method of the transport information generating device according to one aspect of the present invention is as follows: (i) the first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport target, and the transport target is loaded. The first input step of accepting the input of the basic transport information indicating the transport route including the information of the second position to be lowered, and (ii) the transport work shown in the plurality of basic transport information received by the first input step. A first calculation step for generating synthetic transport information indicating a transport route realized by one of the transport / move devices, and (iii) a transport / move device management device that controls the transport / movement of the combined transport information. Includes output steps to output to.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generator can generate synthetic transport information based on a plurality of basic transport information. Then, the transport moving device can execute the transport operation based on the synthetic transport information. The transport work by the transport moving device is more efficient when it is based on the synthetic transport information than when it is based on the individual basic transport information. Therefore, the transport information generator and the transport system can improve the efficiency of transport by the transport moving device.

The "basic transport information" is information indicating a transport route of a transport object. This transport path includes (i) a first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport object, and (ii) a second position in which the transport object is loaded and unloaded. In one embodiment, the basic transport information may include transporting one type of transport object from the first position to the second position. For example, the basic transport information has the content of "loading the cargo X at the position A, loading and unloading the cargo X at the position B via the route R". In other embodiments, the transport object, stacking position, or loading / unloading position of the basic transport information may be a plurality of different objects. For example, the basic transportation information is "loading cargo X at position A, loading cargo Y at position B, loading cargo Y at position B, and loading cargo X and cargo Y at position C via route R2". It may be the content.

In addition, the basic transportation information may include information such as the number of cargoes to be transported and the priority of transportation.

The "synthetic transport information" is information indicating a transport route of a transport object, which is generated based on a plurality of basic transport information. The transfer work based on the synthetic transfer information can be realized by one transfer moving device. In one example, the synthetic transport information is "loading cargo X at position A, via route R1, stacking cargo Y at position B, passing through route R2, loading and unloading cargo X at position C, and passing through route R3. Then, the cargo Y is loaded and unloaded at the position D. "

Depending on the underlying basic transport information, the synthetic transport information may be content that stacks or unloads different types of transport objects at the same position. Alternatively, the synthetic transport information may be content that stacks or unloads the same type of transport object at different positions.

"Improving the efficiency of transportation" means executing the transportation work based on the synthetic transportation information generated based on the plurality of basic transportation information, rather than executing the transportation work based on each of the plurality of basic transportation information. This means that some advantage will occur. Examples of such advantages include shortening the time required for transport work, shortening the travel distance of transport mobile devices, and reducing the number of transport mobile devices required to operate a transport system. ..

In one embodiment, the first calculation unit refers to the arrangement information of the route that the transport moving device can move, and generates the synthetic transport information.

According to the above configuration, for example, the transport route of the synthetic transport information can be configured from a route capable of moving the transport moving device. To give a more specific example, according to the above configuration, it is possible to generate synthetic transport information so that the transport moving device has a transport path that avoids obstacles that cannot be moved. Further, when managing a plurality of types of transport / move devices having different movable routes, it is possible to generate synthetic transport information according to the type of the transport / move device. For example, synthetic transport information can be generated by selecting a transport route in which each of the transport / moving device traveling on the floor surface and the transport / moving device flying in the air can move.

Here, the "arrangement information" is information indicating the arrangement of various objects existing in the place where the transport moving device moves. The placement information includes, for example, the placement of objects to be transported, the placement of passages, the placement of obstacles, and the like. In addition, the arrangement information may include information such as the number of arranged objects to be transported and whether or not the passage can be passed.

In one embodiment, in the transport information generation device, the first calculation unit generates the synthetic transport information based on a plurality of basic transport information in which at least a part of the transport routes are common.

According to the above configuration, the travel distance of the transport route of the synthetic transport information is shorter than the sum of the travel distances of the transport routes of the basic transport information. That is, the total moving distance required for the transport work is shortened, and the transport efficiency is improved. This is because when the transport work is performed based on the synthetic transport information, the number of times of moving the common portion of the transport routes of the individual basic transport information can be reduced. For example, the transport route of the synthetic transport information need only move once in the common portion of the transport routes of the individual basic transport information.

In one embodiment, the transport information generating device further includes a transport state information acquisition unit that acquires transport state information indicating a transport state of the transport movement device; the first calculation unit is a transport state information acquisition unit. The synthetic transport information is generated with reference to the acquired transport status information.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generating device can generate synthetic transport information based on the transport state of the transport moving device. For example, among a plurality of stacking positions in the synthetic transport information, the one closest to the transport moving device can be set as the first stack position. Therefore, the efficiency of transportation by the transportation moving device can be further improved.

Here, the "transport state information" is information indicating the state of the transport moving device. Examples of the transport information include the position of the transport movement device, whether or not the transport movement device is in the transport operation, and the like.

In one embodiment, in the transport information generation device, the transport state information acquisition unit acquires the transport state information of the plurality of the transport movement devices; and further, the first calculation unit obtains the transport state information of the plurality of the transport movement devices. With reference to the transport status information, the transport moving device that performs the transport work based on the composite transport information is selected.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generation device can select a transport / move device suitable for executing a transport operation based on the composite transport information from a plurality of transport / move devices. Examples of such a transfer / moving device include (i) a transfer / moving device that can start the transfer work based on the basic transfer information or the synthetic transfer information earliest, and (ii) the transfer work based on the synthetic transfer information that is completed earliest. Examples thereof include a transport moving device to be made to move, (iii) a transport moving device having the shortest total moving distance for executing a transport operation based on synthetic transport information, and the like.

In one embodiment, in the transport information generation device, the first calculation unit refers to the load capacity information of the transport object in the transport movement device and generates the synthetic transport information.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generation device can generate synthetic transport information so that, for example, the total of the transport objects is within the loadable amount of the transport moving device. That is, it is possible to more reliably generate synthetic transport information that can be realized in the transport moving device.

Here, the "loading capacity information" is information regarding the loading capacity of the transport moving device. Examples of the loading capacity information include the maximum load capacity of the transport mobile device, the load capacity of the transport mobile device at the present time, the remaining load capacity of the transport mobile device at the present time, and the like. The load capacity of the transport moving device may be acquired, for example, by actually measuring the weight of the transport object, or by referring to the weight information associated with the transport object.

In one embodiment, the transport information generator includes (i) a second input unit that receives input of object instruction information that indicates a transport object, and (ii) the object that is received by the second input unit. A second calculation unit that generates the basic transport information based on the instruction information, and (iii) a second output unit that transmits the basic transport information generated by the second calculation unit to the first input unit. Further prepare.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generator can generate basic transport information based on the object instruction information. To explain with a more specific example, the transport information generator having the above configuration is "at position A" based on the object instruction information of "moving the cargo X from position A to position B". It is possible to generate basic transportation information such as "loading cargo X, passing through route R1, and loading and unloading cargo X at position C". Then, synthetic transport information can be generated based on a plurality of such basic transport information. That is, the synthetic transport information can be output only by inputting the object instruction information.

In one embodiment, the transport information generator is based on (i) a third input unit that accepts input of the synthetic transport information and (ii) a time zone during which the transport operation by the transport moving device is performed. 3 A third calculation unit that determines whether or not the combined transport information received by the input unit needs to be corrected and generates the corrected transport information when the correction is required is further provided; the output unit is provided with the combined transport information. Instead, the modified transport information is output to the transport movement device management device that controls the transport movement of the transport movement device.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generator can modify the synthetic transport information as necessary based on the time zone in which the transport work is executed. For example, based on information such as "On Monday afternoon, the transport moving device is congested at position A" and "On Sunday, temporary cargo is placed at position B, so it cannot pass through". Whether or not correction is necessary is determined. Such information may be input by the operator or may be acquired by operating the transport system. Further, as is clear from the above-mentioned example, it is preferable that the determination of whether or not the synthetic transport information needs to be corrected is based on the transport route in addition to the time zone.

In one embodiment, in the transport information generation device, the third calculation unit calculates the expected transport time according to the time zone by learning the history of the past transport work by the transport movement device, and calculates the forecast. Generate modified transport information based on transport time.

According to the above configuration, the transport information generation device can learn and calculate the expected transport time according to the time zone from the history of the past transport work by the transport movement device. That is, it is possible to calculate the expected transport time according to the time zone based on the history of the transport work obtained by operating the transport system. Therefore, the expected transport time can be calculated more accurately, and the necessity of correcting the synthetic transport information can be determined more accurately.

In one embodiment, in the transport system, when an obstacle exists on the transport path of the transport work while the transport movement device is executing the transport work based on the synthetic transport information: The transport movement device control unit , The combined transport information is fed back to the transport information generation device; the transport information generator generates modified transport information obtained by modifying the synthetic transport information, and outputs the modified transport information to the transport movement device management device. The transport / movement device control unit receives the modified transport information from the transport / move device management device, and causes the transport / move device to execute the transport operation based on the modified transport information.

According to the above configuration, when an obstacle exists on the transport path included in the synthetic transport information, the transport moving device can feed back the synthetic transport information to the transport information generator and receive the corrected transport information. .. That is, when there is an obstacle that was not expected at the stage of generating the synthetic transport information, the transport operation can be performed by the transport route that avoids the obstacle by receiving the corrected transport information.

In one embodiment, in the transport system, the combined transport information is prioritized; while the transport moving device is performing the transport work based on the synthetic transport information, it is on the transport path of the transport work. When an obstacle is present, the transport / moving device control unit selects whether to feed back the synthetic transport information to the transport information generator or issue a warning to the obstacle according to the priority. do.

According to the above configuration, the transport moving device corrects the composite transport information (that is, changes the transport route) or issues a warning according to the high or low priority included in the composite transport information. Can be selected. For example, when the priority included in the synthetic transport information is high and an obstacle can be moved by a warning (for example, when the obstacle is a person), the transport moving device issues a warning to move the person. be able to. Therefore, the synthetic transport information having a high priority can be executed more quickly.

The transport information generator may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control program of the transport information generator that realizes the transport information generator by operating the computer as each of the means. , And a computer-readable recording medium on which it is recorded are also included in the scope of the present invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport information generator and a transport system capable of improving the efficiency of transport by the transport moving device.

It is an exemplary schematic diagram of the transport information generation apparatus in the Embodiment which concerns on one aspect of this invention. It is an exemplary schematic diagram of a transport system in an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the main part of the transport information generation apparatus in embodiment which concerns on one aspect of this invention. It is a flow chart which shows the processing example of the transfer information generation apparatus in embodiment which concerns on one aspect of this invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a processing example when the transport information generation device according to the embodiment of the present invention selects the optimum transport movement device. (A) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the transport moving device at a certain time point. (B) is a table showing the transport state of each transport moving device at the time shown in (a). (C) is a table showing which transport moving device is most suitable for new basic transport information. It is a flow chart which shows the processing example after receiving the synthetic transport information in the transport system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter, also referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described with reference to the drawings. The data appearing in the present embodiment are described in natural language, but more specifically, the data is specified in a pseudo language, a command, a parameter, a machine language, etc. that can be recognized by a computer.

§1 Application example An example of a situation in which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 schematically shows a transport information generation device according to the present embodiment. The function of the transport information generation device 1 can be summarized as "generating synthetic transport information based on a plurality of basic transport information". That is, the transport information generation device 1 is a device that converts into a transport route that can be executed by one transport movement device based on a plurality of transport routes.

In the present embodiment, the first input unit 101 receives basic transport information. This basic transport information indicates a transport route of the transport target, and also includes a stacking position (first position) and a loading / unloading position (second position) of the transport target. The first calculation unit 102 generates synthetic transport information based on a plurality of such basic transport information. The synthetic transport information indicates a transport route that allows a single transport work device to execute a plurality of transport operations based on the plurality of basic transport information. The first output unit 103 outputs the combined transport information to the transport movement device management device 3. The transport / move device management device 3 sends the combined transport information to the transport / move device control unit 41. The transport / move device control unit 41 causes the transport / move device 4 to execute a transport operation based on the synthetic transport information (see also FIG. 2 after the output by the first output unit).

By executing the above processing, the transport information generating device 1 can improve the efficiency of transport by the transport moving device 4. That is, in the prior art, the transport / moving device performs the transport work based on each basic transport information, but by using the transport information generation device 1, the transport / move device 4 can perform the combined transport information. It came to carry out the transport work based on.

§2 Configuration example [Conveyance system configuration example]
A configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The transport system 1000 can be implemented, for example, in an automated factory or warehouse. The transport system 1000 includes a transport information generation device 1, a transport movement device management device 3, and a transport movement device 4. Further, the transport system 1000 includes a comprehensive management platform 2 in an arbitrary configuration.

The transfer information generation device 1 includes a synthetic transfer information generation unit 13, and also includes an input / output interface 11, a basic transfer information generation unit 12, and a correction transfer information generation unit 14 in an arbitrary configuration. The input / output interface 11 mediates input / output between the transport information generation device 1 and another device. The input / output interface 11 is an interface to a field network such as Ethernet (registered trademark). The basic transport information generation unit 12 generates basic transport information based on the object instruction information. The synthetic transport information generation unit 13 generates synthetic transport information based on the basic transport information. The modified transport information generation unit 14 generates modified transport information based on the synthetic transport information. The detailed configurations of the basic transport information generation unit 12, the synthetic transport information generation unit 13, and the modified transport information generation unit 14 will be described later in the item of [Configuration example of transport information generation device].

The transport / move device management device 3 is a device that comprehensively manages the transport / move device 4. The combined transport information generated by the transport information generation device 1 is transmitted to the transport / move device control unit 41 of the transport / move device 4 via the transport / move device management device 3.

The transport moving device 4 is a device responsible for transporting an object to be transported. The transport moving device 4 may be, for example, an autonomous mobile robot, a wireless transport vehicle, a flying object (drone), or the like. Although four transport moving devices 4 are drawn in FIG. 2, the number of the transport moving devices 4 is not particularly limited as long as it is one or more. The transport moving device 4 includes a transport moving device control unit 41. The transfer movement device control unit 41 controls the transfer movement, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like.

The comprehensive management platform 2 gives the transport information generation device 1 the target object instruction information for instructing the transport target object. The object instruction information is, for example, information having the content of "moving the cargo X from the position A to the position B". The comprehensive management platform 2 may be a physical distribution management system such as ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning), MES (Manufacturing Execution System), WMS (Warehouse Management System), or the like.

In FIG. 2, the comprehensive management board 2, the transfer information generation device 1, and the transfer transfer device management device 3 are drawn in different blocks. However, these blocks may be implemented by the same entity. For example, the transfer information generation device 1 and the transfer transfer device management device 3 may be included in the same device, or may be operated by the same CPU or the like.

[Configuration example of transport information generator]
The configuration of the transport information generator according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The transport information generation device 1 includes a transport information generator control unit 10 and a storage unit 20. The transport information generator control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and controls each component according to information processing. The storage unit 20 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and stores data necessary for processing in the transport information generator control unit 10.

The transport information generation device control unit 10 includes a composite transport information generation unit 13, a basic transport information generation unit 12, and a modified transport information generation unit 14.

The synthetic transport information generation unit 13 includes a first input unit 101, a first calculation unit 102, and a first output unit 103. The first input unit 101 receives the basic transport information output from the second output unit as an input. The first calculation unit 102 generates synthetic transport information based on a plurality of basic transport information. When generating the synthetic transport information, the first calculation unit 102 refers to the arrangement information 201, the transport status information 202, and the loading capacity information 203. The first output unit 103 outputs the combined transfer information generated by the first calculation unit 102 to the modified transfer information generation unit 14 (third input unit 107).

The basic transfer information generation unit 12 includes a second input unit 104, a second calculation unit 105, and a second output unit 106. The second input unit 104 receives the object instruction information as an input. The second calculation unit 105 generates basic transport information based on the object instruction information received by the second input unit 104. The second output unit 106 outputs the basic transfer information to the synthetic transfer information generation unit 13 (first input unit).

The correction transfer information generation unit 14 includes a third input unit 107, a third calculation unit 108, and a third output unit 109. The third input unit 107 receives the synthetic transport information as an input. The third calculation unit 108 generates modified transfer information based on the synthetic transfer information received by the third input unit 107. When generating the modified transport information, the third calculation unit 108 refers to the time zone in which the transport work is performed. The third output unit 109 outputs the correction transfer information to the transfer movement device management device 3.

Further, the transport information generation device control unit 10 includes a transport status information acquisition unit 110 that acquires transport status information 202 indicating the status of the transport movement device 4. The transport state information 202 can be acquired, for example, via communication with the transport movement device 4.

The arrangement information 201, the transport state information 202, and the loading capacity information 203 are as described in the item of [Means for solving the problem].

§3 Operation example [From input of object instruction information to transmission of modified transport information]
An example of processing of the transport information generation device 1 from the input of the object instruction information to the transmission of the modified transport information will be described with reference to FIG. The processing procedure described below is only an example, and each processing may be changed as much as possible. Further, with respect to the processing procedure described below, steps can be omitted, replaced and added as appropriate according to the embodiment.

The flow chart of FIG. 4 is roughly defined as (i) generating basic transport information based on object instruction information, (ii) generating synthetic transport information based on a plurality of basic transport information, if possible. iii) If necessary, the synthetic transport information is modified to generate the modified transport information.

(S10)
In S10, the second input unit 104 receives the input of the object instruction information. The object instruction information may be received from the comprehensive management board 2 or may be directly input to the transport information generation device 1 via the operation input unit (not shown).

(S11)
In S11, the second calculation unit 105 generates basic transport information with reference to the arrangement information. As described above, the placement information includes information regarding the placement of the transported object and the route. Therefore, the second calculation unit 105, based on the object instruction information of "moving the cargo X from the position A to the position B", "stacks the cargo X at the position A and goes through the route R to the position B. It is possible to generate basic transportation information such as "loading and unloading cargo X with." The second input unit 104 and the second calculation unit 105 generate a plurality of basic transport information by repeating the steps of S10 and S11.

The basic transport information generated by the second calculation unit 105 is sent to the first input unit 101 via the second output unit 106. At this time, the sub-step in which the first input unit 101 receives the basic transport information corresponds to the "first input step" of the control method according to one aspect of the present invention.

(S12)
In S12, the first calculation unit 102 refers to the transport state information 202, which is information indicating the state of the transport / move device 4, and selects an appropriate transport / move device for executing the basic transport information. The transport status information 202 required at this time is acquired by the transport status information acquisition unit 110. The details of this step will be described later in the item of [Selecting an appropriate transport moving device].

Note that S12 can also be executed after the synthetic transport information is generated (for example, between S15 and S16). In this case, the first calculation unit 102 refers to the transport state information 202 and selects a transport movement device suitable for executing the composite transport information.

(S13)
In S13, the first calculation unit 102 determines whether or not there is a second basic transport information associated with the first basic transport information. Here, the first basic transport information and the second basic transport information are basic transport information that are different from each other. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to S14, and if NO, the process proceeds to S16.

As an example of the criteria for determining "whether or not the first basic transport information is associated with the second basic transport information", "the transport route of the first basic transport information and the transport route of the second basic transport information are at least Whether or not some of them are common. " As another example of the determination criteria, "the transport route of the first basic transport information and the synthetic transport information based on the second basic transport information is the transport route of the first basic transport information and the transport route of the second basic transport information. Is it shorter than the total of? "

(S14)
In S14, the first calculation unit 102 determines whether or not the total of the objects to be transported in the first basic transport information and the second basic transport information is within the range of the load capacity of the transport moving device 4. At the time of this determination, the loading capacity information 203 is referred to. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to S15, and if NO, the process proceeds to S16.

(S15)
In S15, the first calculation unit 102 generates synthetic transport information based on the first basic transport information and the second basic transport information. This step corresponds to the "first calculation step" of the control method according to one aspect of the present invention. The generated synthetic transport information is sent to the third input unit 107 via the first output unit 103.

(S16)
In S16, the third calculation unit 108 estimates how much the transport work is delayed based on the time zone in which the transport work is performed. For example, the third calculation unit 108 estimates how much the transport operation will be delayed based on the information input in advance by the operator. Alternatively, the third calculation unit 108 estimates how much the transport work is delayed by learning the history of the past transport work by the transport moving device 4. This learning can be done, for example, by neural networks, support vector machines, self-organizing maps, reinforcement learning.

Here, it is preferable that the third calculation unit 108 estimates how much the transport work is delayed based on the transport route of the synthetic transport information in addition to the time zone in which the transport work is performed. The information to be referred to when estimating the delay in the transportation work is "On Monday afternoon, the transportation movement device is congested at position A" and "On Sunday, temporary cargo is placed at position B, so it cannot pass. ”, Which includes the time zone and position is typical. Therefore, there is a tendency that the delay of the transport work can be estimated more accurately based on both the time zone in which the transport work is performed and the transport route of the synthetic transport information.

(S17)
In S17, the third calculation unit 108 determines whether or not the estimated delay is large. In one example, this determination is determined by whether or not the assumed transport time exceeds a predetermined threshold value (for example, twice the transport time estimated when there is no delay factor). The predetermined threshold value may be changed depending on the priority of the synthetic transport information. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to S18, and if NO, the process proceeds to S19.

(S18)
In S18, the third calculation unit 108 changes the transport route to generate the corrected transport information. The transport route in the modified transport information is, for example, a transport route that avoids traffic jams or obstacles.

(S19)
In S19, the third output unit outputs the modified transport information to the transport movement device management device 3.

The expression "composite transport information" in the steps after S16 may be read as "basic transport information" when the process of the transport information generation device 1 does not go through S15. Similarly, the "corrected transport information" in S19 may be read as "synthetic transport information" when it has passed through S15 and not through S18, and as "basic transport information" when it has not passed through S15 and S18. You can read it again.

[Selection of appropriate transport and moving device]
An example of the process of the step of selecting an appropriate transfer / moving device (S12 in FIG. 4) will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of such a process, and FIG. 6 is a diagram in which such a process is applied to a specific situation.

The following describes "a transport moving device that can start the transport work based on the basic transport information earliest (specifically, a transport moving device that can quickly reach the first position, which is the stacking position of the objects to be transported). It is a flow for selecting. However, the "appropriate transport and moving device" can also be selected by other criteria (see the description of [Means for Solving Problems]). Even in such a case, the transport moving device can be appropriately selected according to the following description.

(S121)
In S121, the transport state information acquisition unit 110 acquires the transport status information 202 indicating the status of the transport moving device 4. The transport state information 202 can be acquired, for example, by communicating with the transport moving device 4.

(S122)
In S122, the first calculation unit 102 selects a certain transport moving device 4 and determines whether or not the transport moving device 4 is executing the transport work. Since whether or not the transfer moving device 4 is executing the transfer operation can be included in the transfer state information 202, the first calculation unit 102 may make this determination with reference to the transfer state information 202. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to S123, and if NO, the process proceeds to S124.

(S123)
In S123, the first calculation unit 102 estimates the time required for the transport moving device 4 selected in S122 to move from the current position to the first position. Since the position of the transport moving device 4 can be included in the transport state information 202, the first calculation unit 102 may make this determination with reference to the transport state information 202.

(S124)
In S123, the first calculation unit 102 estimates the time required to complete the transfer work being executed by the transfer moving device 4 selected in S122. This estimation can be performed based on the transport state information 202.

(S125)
In S125, the first calculation unit 102 estimates the time required for the transfer moving device 4 selected in S122 to move from the end point of the ongoing transfer work to the first position. This estimation can also be performed based on the transport state information 202.

(S126)
In S126, the first calculation unit 102 calculates the time required for the transport moving device 4 selected in S122 to reach the first position. This required time is the time required for the transport moving device 4 to move to the first position when passing through S123 (that is, when the transport moving device 4 selected in S122 is not executing the transport work). On the other hand, when passing through S124 and S125 (that is, when the transport moving device 4 selected in S122 is executing the transport work), the transport moving device 4 ends the executing transport work, and further, the transport work is completed. Is the time required to move from the end position to the first position.

(S127)
In S127, the first calculation unit 102 determines whether or not the time required to reach the first position has been calculated for all the transport moving devices 4. If the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S128. If the determination is NO, the process proceeds to S122, and the time required to reach the first position is calculated for the other transport moving device 4 by repeating the steps up to S126.

(S128)
In S128, the first calculation unit selects the transport moving device 4 that reaches the first position earliest. Since the time required to reach the first position is calculated for all the transport moving devices 4 by repeating S122 to S126, the transport moving device 4 having the shortest required time may be selected from these.

[Specific example of selecting an appropriate transport / moving device]
The above-mentioned flow will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. (A) of FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the position of the transport moving device at a certain time point, and (b) shows the transport state of the transport moving devices (1) to (4) at the time point shown in (a). It is a table to represent.

In the schematic diagram of (a), the transport moving device can move on the broken line. It takes one minute for the transport moving device to move from a certain grid point to an adjacent grid point (1 block). The black squares represent the placement sections, where various transport objects are placed.

According to the table of (b), the transport moving device (1) is transporting the objects to be transported piled up by PickUp A to Goal A. Since Goal A is one block away from the current position of the transport moving device (1), the transport work is expected to be completed in one minute. Similarly, the transport moving device (2) is transporting the transport objects piled up by PickUp B to Goal B, and the transport work is expected to be completed in one minute. The transport moving device (3) is transporting the objects to be transported piled up by PickUp C to Goal C, and the transport work is expected to be completed in 3 minutes. The transport moving device (4) is not currently performing the transport work and is on standby.

Here, it is assumed that new basic transport information such as "transport the objects to be transported piled up by PickUp A to Goal A" is accepted. Since Goal A and Pick Up A are 9 blocks apart, it takes 9 minutes to move between them. That is, it takes 10 minutes for the transport moving device (1) to finish the transport work currently being executed and reach PickUp A. Similarly, it takes 12 minutes for the transport moving device (2), 15 minutes for the transport moving device (3), and 11 minutes for the transport moving device (4) to reach PickUp A. Therefore, under the circumstances shown in FIG. 6, the first calculation unit 102 selects the transport moving device (1) as an appropriate transport moving device.

[Since the start of transport work]
An example of processing after the transfer information generation device 1 outputs the combined transfer information to the transfer transfer device management device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. As explained in the item [From input of object instruction information to transmission of modified transport information], the notation of "synthetic transport information" in FIG. 7 is appropriately read as "basic transport information" or "corrected transport information". It can be changed.

(S20)
In S20, the transport / moving device control unit 41 receives the composite transport information from the transport / move device management device 3, and causes the transport / move device 4 to start the transport work based on the composite transport information.

(S21)
In S21, the transport / moving device control unit 41 determines the presence / absence of an obstacle on the transport path. This determination can be made by referring to the information from the image pickup device or the proximity sensor mounted on the transport moving device 4, for example. If the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S22, and if NO, the process proceeds to S26.

Here, the fact that the determination in S21 is YES means that "there is an obstacle on the transport path of the transport moving device 4 that was not expected at the time when the transport information generation device 1 generates the synthetic transport information." That's what it means. That is, the steps S23 to S25 are operations for dealing with unexpected obstacles.

(S22)
In S22, the transport / moving device control unit 41 determines whether the obstacle is a person or an object. This determination can be made, for example, by analyzing the image acquired by the imaging device. Alternatively, it can be performed by attaching an RFID tag storing an identifier to a worker or cargo and reading the identifier by communication. If the obstacle is a person, it shifts to S23, and if it is an obstacle, it shifts to S25.

(S23)
In S23, the transport moving device control unit 41 determines whether or not the priority of the transport target is high. Since the priority of the object to be transported can be included in the synthetic transport information, the transport movement device control unit 41 may make this determination with reference to the composite transport information. If the priority is high, the process proceeds to S24, and if the priority is low, the process proceeds to S25.

(S24)
In S24, the transport / moving device control unit 41 issues a warning to the person who is an obstacle to urge the person to move. For example, a voice saying "Please open a passage" is emitted via a notification unit (not shown). Since the person who is an obstacle moves according to this instruction, the state where there is an obstacle on the transport path of the transport moving device 4 is eliminated.

(S25)
In S25, the transport / moving device control unit 41 feeds back the combined transport instruction to the transport information generation device 1. The fed-back synthetic transport instruction is modified by the transport information generator control unit 10 (for example, by the third calculation unit 108), and the corrected transport information is generated. Specifically, the transport route is changed so as not to pass through a position that cannot be moved by an obstacle. The modified transfer information is sent to the transfer transfer device control unit 41 again via the transfer transfer device management device 3, and the transfer transfer device control unit 41 causes the transfer transfer device 4 to execute the transfer operation based on the modified transfer instruction. ..

(S26)
In S26, the transfer work of the transfer moving device 4 is completed. That is, all the stacking work and loading / unloading work included in the synthetic transport information are completed.

(S27)
In S27, the transport information generator control unit 10 updates the arrangement information 201 and the transport status information 202 and stores them in the storage unit 20. As a result, for example, the information regarding the position and the number of the objects to be transported included in the arrangement information 201 reflects the result of the transport work. Alternatively, for example, the position and status (whether or not the transport work is being executed) of the transport moving device 4 included in the transport status information 202 are also updated to those at the end of the transport work.

(S28)
In S28, the transport information generation device control unit 10 acquires the history of the transport work of the transport moving device 4. Further, the transport information generator control unit 10 adds and updates the history of the transport work obtained by the current transport work to the history of the transport work accumulated so far. To give a specific example, the history of the transport work such as "a traffic jam occurred at the position A" and "an obstacle existed at the position B" associated with the current transport work of the transport moving device 4 has been accumulated so far. It will be added to the history of the transportation work that has been received.

The timing at which S28 is executed is not limited to that shown in FIG. 7. That is, "acquisition of transport work history" and "update of transport work history" are not always performed at the end of the transport work. For example, the above processing may be performed at the same time as the feedback of the synthetic transport information is performed (that is, at the same time as S25).

[Example of realization by software]
The control block of the transport information generator 1 (particularly, the transport information generator control unit 10, the first input unit 101, the first calculation unit 102, the first output unit 103, the second input unit 104, the second calculation unit 105, the second The output unit 106, the third input unit 107, the third calculation unit 108, the third output unit 109, and the transport state information acquisition unit 110) are realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. It may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the transport information generator 1 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. Then, in the computer, the object of the present invention is achieved by the processor reading the program from the recording medium and executing the program. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, in addition to a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1: Transport information generator 4: Transport move device 41: Transport move device control unit 101: 1st input unit 102: 1st calculation unit 103: 1st output unit (output unit)
104: 2nd input unit 105: 2nd calculation unit 106: 2nd output unit 107: 3rd input unit 108: 3rd calculation unit 109: 3rd output unit (output unit)
110: Transport status information acquisition unit 201: Arrangement information 202: Transport status information 203: Loading capacity information 1000: Transport system S15: First calculation step

Claims (15)

A first input unit that accepts input of basic transport information indicating a transport route including information on a first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport target and a second position in which the transport target is loaded and unloaded.
A first calculation unit that generates synthetic transport information indicating a transport route that realizes the transport work shown in the plurality of basic transport information received by the first input unit by one of the transport moving devices.
An output unit that outputs the combined transport information to a transport / movement device management device that controls the transport movement of the transport / movement device.
A transport information generator comprising. The transport information generation device according to claim 1, wherein the first calculation unit refers to the arrangement information of the route to which the transport movement device can move, and generates the synthetic transport information. The transport information generation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first calculation unit generates the synthetic transport information based on a plurality of the basic transport information having at least a part of the transport routes in common. Further, a transport state information acquisition unit for acquiring transport status information indicating the transport status of the transport moving device is provided.
The transport information generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first calculation unit refers to the transport state information acquired by the transport state information acquisition unit and generates the synthetic transport information. The transport status information acquisition unit acquires transport status information of a plurality of the transport moving devices, and further
The transport information generation device according to claim 4, wherein the first calculation unit refers to the transport state information of the plurality of transport / move devices and selects the transport / move device that performs a transport operation based on the synthetic transport information. The transport information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first calculation unit refers to the loading capacity information of the transported object in the transport moving device and generates the synthetic transport information. A second input unit that accepts input of object instruction information that instructs the object to be transported,
A second calculation unit that generates the basic transport information based on the object instruction information received by the second input unit, and
A second output unit that transmits the basic transport information generated by the second calculation unit to the first input unit, and
The transport information generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising. A third input unit that accepts input of the synthetic transport information,
A third that determines whether or not the synthetic transport information received by the third input unit needs to be corrected based on the time zone in which the transport operation by the transport moving device is performed, and generates the corrected transport information when the correction is necessary. Calculation part and
With more
The one according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the output unit outputs the modified transport information in place of the synthetic transport information to a transport movement device management device that controls the transport movement of the transport movement device. Transport information generator. The third calculation unit calculates the expected transport time according to the time zone by learning the history of the past transport work by the transport moving device, and claims to generate the corrected transport information based on the predicted transport time. Item 8. The transport information generator according to item 8. A transport system that includes a transport mobile device, a transport mobile device management device, and a transport information generator.
The transport information generator is
A first input unit that accepts input of basic transport information indicating a transport route including information on a first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport target and a second position in which the transport target is loaded and unloaded.
A first calculation unit that generates synthetic transport information indicating a transport route that realizes the transport work shown in the plurality of basic transport information received by the first input unit by one of the transport moving devices.
An output unit that outputs the combined transport information to the transport movement device management device, and
Is equipped with
The transport moving device includes a transport moving device control unit.
The transport / moving device control unit receives the synthetic transport information from the transport / move device management device, and causes the transport / move device to execute a transport operation based on the composite transport information. When an obstacle exists on the transport path of the transport work while the transport moving device is executing the transport work based on the synthetic transport information.
The transport moving device control unit feeds back the combined transport information to the transport information generator, and then feeds back the combined transport information to the transport information generator.
The transport information generation device generates modified transport information obtained by modifying the synthetic transport information, outputs the modified transport information to the transport movement device management device, and outputs the modified transport information.
The transfer system according to claim 10, wherein the transfer transfer device control unit receives the modified transfer information from the transfer transfer device management device, and causes the transfer transfer device to execute a transfer operation based on the modified transfer information. A priority is set for the synthetic transport information, and the priority is set.
When an obstacle exists on the transport path of the transport work while the transport moving device is executing the transport work based on the synthetic transport information.
10. The transport system described in. A first input step that accepts input of basic transport information indicating a transport route including information on a first position in which the transport moving device loads the transport object and a second position in which the transport target is loaded and unloaded.
A first calculation step for generating synthetic transport information indicating a transport route in which the transport work shown in the plurality of basic transport information received by the first input step is realized by one of the transport moving devices, and
An output step for outputting the combined transport information to a transport movement device management device that controls the transport movement of the transport movement device, and
A method of controlling a transport information generator, including. A transport information generation program for operating a computer as the transport information generator according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the computer is used as the first input unit, the first calculation unit, and the output unit. Transport information generation program to make it work. A computer-readable recording medium in which the transport information generation program according to claim 14 is stored.

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