JP7347910B2 - Remote control system for cargo handling vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a remote control system for cargo handling vehicles, and particularly to a remote control system configured such that one or more remote operators can each remotely control a plurality of cargo handling vehicles.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a remote control system is known that includes a notification section that notifies a remote operator that the operation of a remotely controllable forklift has stopped (for example, see Patent Document 1). The notification unit consists of a lamp or the like, and is installed on the roof of the forklift to improve visibility. This system can also display on the screen of a smartphone or tablet as a remote control device that the operation has stopped.

JP2019-167212A

By the way, when one remote operator is responsible for remotely controlling multiple cargo handling vehicles of the same type, it is now possible to see at a glance which cargo handling vehicle the person is currently remotely controlling. Preferably. However, to the applicant's knowledge, no such remote control system currently exists.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control system that can notify a remote operator of which cargo handling vehicle is being remotely controlled. Take it as a challenge.

In order to solve the above problems, a remote control system according to the present invention includes a remote control device used by a remote operator and a plurality of cargo handling vehicles that can be remotely controlled via the remote control device. The system is such that each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles can autonomously pick up and place cargo at the destination without remote control, but cannot travel to the destination without remote control. In addition, each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles has a communication unit that communicates with a remote control device, a notification unit that can take a plurality of notification states, and a communication unit that controls the communication unit and the notification unit. The controller is configured to control (1) autonomously picking up and placing cargo at the destination, and (2) communicating via the communication unit when the cargo is being picked up and placed autonomously at the destination. (3) After sending the completion signal to the remote control device and receiving the operation start signal indicating the start of remote control from the remote control device, and (3) receiving the operation start signal via the communication unit. The present invention is characterized in that the notification state of the notification unit is made different during the period from when the operation end signal indicating the end of the remote operation is received from the remote control device.

The remote control device of the remote control system transmits an operation start signal to one of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles until it sends an operation end signal to the one of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles. Preferably, it is not possible to send an operation initiation signal to another one of them.

Each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles included in the remote control system further includes a cargo handling device and an imaging unit directed toward the cargo handling device, and the control unit receives an operation start signal and then receives an operation end signal. Until then, it is preferable to continue transmitting a video signal related to the video shot by the imaging unit to the remote control device via the communication unit.

The number of remote control devices included in the remote control system may be plural. In this case, each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles can be remotely controlled via one of the remote control devices.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a remote control system that can notify a remote operator of which cargo handling vehicle is being remotely controlled.

1 is a diagram showing an overview of a remote control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a remote control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in a certain operation phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in yet another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment; . FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in yet another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment; . FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in yet another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment; . FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in yet another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment; . FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in yet another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment; . FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device, and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in yet another operational phase of the remote control system according to the first embodiment; . It is a figure showing an outline of a remote control system concerning a 2nd example of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in a certain operation phase of a remote control system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing (A) a screen displayed on a display unit of a remote control device and (B) a notification state taken by a notification unit of a cargo handling vehicle in another operational phase of the remote control system according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the notification part of the remote control system based on the modification of this invention.

Embodiments of the remote control system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First example]
[System configuration]
FIG. 1 shows an overview of a remote control system 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the remote control system 1A allows a remote operator U1 to remotely control one or more cargo handling vehicles (for example, three cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3). Note that each of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 can autonomously pick up and store cargo at a destination (hereinafter referred to as "pickup, etc.") without remote control. Therefore, the remote operator U1 only needs to remotely control the travel to the destination.

As shown in FIG. 2, the remote control system 1A according to the present embodiment includes a remote control device 10 used by a remote operator U1, and five cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 of the same type. ing. All of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 are forklifts called reach-type forklifts. In addition, in this specification, the code|symbol 20 may be used when the five cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 are not distinguished.

The remote control device 10 includes a communication section 11, an operation section 12, a display section 13, and a control section 14.

The communication unit 11 can perform wireless communication with a communication unit 21 of a cargo handling vehicle 20, which will be described later, according to a predetermined protocol.

The operating unit 12 includes a plurality of levers that are directly operated by the remote operator U1 when remotely controlling the cargo handling vehicle 20. The plurality of levers include a lever for moving the cargo handling vehicle 20 forward/reverse and a handle for steering.

The display section 13 consists of a touch panel display. The display unit 13 can present various information to the remote operator U1. Further, the display unit 13 can also receive various commands from the remote operator U1.

The control unit 14 is composed of a microcomputer, etc., and mainly performs the following operations.
(1) A signal corresponding to the operation applied to the operation unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as a “remote operation signal”) is transmitted to one of the cargo handling vehicles 20 via the communication unit 11.
(2) A signal corresponding to the command received by the display unit 13 (hereinafter referred to as a “command signal”) is transmitted to one of the cargo handling vehicles 20 via the communication unit 11.
(3) Display on the display unit 13 a screen corresponding to a signal (a status signal and a video signal to be described later) received from the cargo handling vehicle 20 via the communication unit 11.

Note that the control unit 14 can always grasp the current operating state of the cargo handling vehicle 20 based on the status signal received from the cargo handling vehicle 20.

The cargo handling vehicle 20 includes a communication section 21 , a notification section 22 , an imaging section 23 , a traveling device 24 , a cargo handling device 25 , and a control section 26 .

The communication unit 21 can perform wireless communication with the communication unit 11 of the remote control device 10 according to a predetermined protocol.

The notification section 22 consists of a color liquid crystal display of about 10 inches. The notification unit 22 is for notifying the remote operator U1 and those around the cargo handling vehicle 20 of the operating state of the cargo handling vehicle 20, and is installed in a conspicuous position of the cargo handling vehicle 20 (for example, at the rear end of the head guard). attached. The cargo handling vehicle 20 may include a plurality of notification sections 22 attached to different positions.

The imaging unit 23 consists of a CCD camera. The imaging unit 23 is attached to the upper end of the backrest so that the imaging surface faces forward and downward. Therefore, the tip of the fork (cargo handling device 25) will always appear in the image generated by the imaging unit 23.

The traveling device 24 includes a drive wheel that is also a steering wheel, a drive mechanism that drives the drive wheel to cause the cargo handling vehicle 20 to travel, and a steering mechanism that changes the direction of movement of the cargo handling vehicle 20 by changing the direction of the drive wheel. one or more driven wheels.

The cargo handling device 25 includes a mast, a pair of left and right forks that move up and down along the mast, and a backrest.

The control unit 26 is composed of a microcomputer, etc., and mainly performs the following operations.
(1) The drive mechanism and steering mechanism of the traveling device 24 are operated based on the remote control signal received from the remote control device 10 via the communication unit 21.
(2) The cargo handling device 25 is operated without depending on a remote control signal.
(3) The notification state of the notification unit 22 is changed according to the operating state of the cargo handling vehicle 20.
(4) A signal corresponding to the operating state of the cargo handling vehicle 20 (hereinafter referred to as a "status signal") is transmitted to the remote control device 10 via the communication unit 21 periodically or at the timing when the operating state changes.
(5) A signal corresponding to the video generated by the imaging unit 23 (hereinafter referred to as a “video signal”) is transmitted to the remote control device 10 via the communication unit 21.

[System operation]
Next, the operation of the remote control system 1A according to this embodiment will be specifically explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10. In addition, in the initial state, the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 are all waiting at predetermined waiting locations, and the notification units 22 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 are , it is assumed that a screen consisting of only a white background is displayed.

(Starts remote control device 10)
When the remote operator U1 starts the remote operating device 10, symbols S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 corresponding to the waiting cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 are displayed on the display unit 13 of the remote operating device 10. A screen having the following information is displayed (see FIG. 3(A)). At this time, the notification units 22 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 continue to display a screen consisting only of a white background (see FIG. 3(B)).

(Select cargo handling vehicle F1, F2, F3)
When the remote operator U1 selects the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3 by touching the symbols S1, S2, S3, the remote operator U1 becomes responsible for the remote control of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, and the remote operating device 10 displays a screen having an area A1 related to the cargo handling vehicle F1, an area A2 related to the cargo handling vehicle F2, and an area A3 related to the cargo handling vehicle F3 (see FIG. 4(A)). At the same time, the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 of the selected cargo handling vehicle F1, F2, F3 changes from a screen consisting only of a white background to a screen consisting of a white background and characters corresponding to the remote operator U1. In the embodiment, the screen changes to a screen consisting of the characters "U1" (see FIG. 4(B)). That is, the control sections 26 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3 change the notification state of the notification section 22.

Each area A1, A2, A3 includes a sub-area a1 for displaying the identification number of the cargo handling vehicle, a sub-area a2 for displaying the identification number of the cargo handling operation, etc., and a sub-area a2 for displaying the operating status of the cargo handling vehicle. sub-area a3. For example, the characters "F1" are displayed in the sub-area a1 of the area A1, and the characters "Standby" are displayed in the sub-area a3 of the area A1. At this stage, no cargo handling work is assigned to the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3. For this reason, an "assign" button for allocating cargo handling work is displayed in sub-area a2 of areas A1, A2, and A3.

When the remote operator U1 touches the assignment button displayed in the area A1, a list of unfinished cargo handling operations that can be assigned to the cargo handling vehicle F1 is displayed. The remote operator U1 can select one cargo handling task to be assigned to the cargo handling task F1 from the list. The same applies to cargo handling operations F2 and F3.

In this embodiment, the displayed list of uncompleted cargo handling operations includes cargo handling task W0001 that moves the cargo placed at position P1 to position P2, and cargo handling task W0001 that moves the cargo placed at position P3 to position P4. It is assumed that the work W0002 and the cargo handling work W0003 to move the cargo placed at position P5 to position P6 are included.

(Assign cargo handling work to cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3)
When the remote operator U1 assigns the cargo handling task W0001 to the cargo handling vehicle F1, the cargo handling task W0002 to the cargo handling vehicle F2, and the cargo handling task W0003 to the cargo handling vehicle F3 in the above-described procedure, the control unit 14 of the remote operating device 10: The content of the assigned cargo handling work is transmitted as a command signal to the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3, and the display section 13 is controlled to display a remote control start button in the sub-area a3 of the areas A1, A2, and A3.

As a result, the screen shown in FIG. 5(A) is displayed on the display unit 13 of the remote control device 10. This screen displays the identification number of the cargo handling work assigned to sub-area a2 of areas A1, A2, and A3, and a remote control start button is displayed in sub-area a3 of areas A1, A2, and A3. This screen differs from the screen shown in FIG. 4(A) in that the screen shown in FIG.

Furthermore, when the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3 are assigned the cargo handling work, the background color of the screen displayed on the notification section 22 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3 switches from white to blue (Fig. 5(B) )reference). That is, the control sections 26 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3 change the notification state of the notification section 22.

The remote operator U1 notices that the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3 has changed to blue, and that the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3 are now in a state where they can be remotely controlled. You can know what happened. Moreover, the remote operator U1 can also know that the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3 are now in a state where they can be remotely controlled also by the display of the remote control start button in the areas A1, A2, A3.

(Starts remote control of cargo handling vehicle F1)
When the remote operator U1 touches the remote control start button in the area A1, the control unit 14 of the remote control device 10 transmits a command signal to that effect (this is particularly referred to as an "operation start signal") to the cargo handling vehicle F1. .

The control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 that has received the operation start signal starts the imaging unit 23 and starts transmitting a video signal corresponding to the image generated by the imaging unit 23 to the cargo handling operation device 10. Then, the control unit 14 of the remote control device 10 that has received the video signal switches the screen displayed on the display unit 13 to one that mainly shows the video generated by the imaging unit 23 (see FIG. 6(A)). Thereby, the remote operator U1 can drive the cargo handling vehicle F1 to the position P1, which is the first destination (loading position), by operating the operation unit 12 while viewing the video. At this time, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 operates the traveling device 24 based on the remote control signal received from the remote control device 10.

Further, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 that has received the operation start signal changes the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 from blue to red (see FIG. 6(B)). That is, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 changes the notification state of the notification unit 22.

As shown in FIG. 6(A), the screen displayed on the display unit 13 includes an area A4 that displays the identification number (letters "F1" in this embodiment) of the cargo handling vehicle that is the target of remote control. , and an area A5 for displaying a remote control end button. In area A4, the characters and/or the background of the characters are red.

The screen displayed on the display unit 13 further includes an area A6 that displays the operating state of the cargo handling vehicle that is not the target of remote control. In area A6, a blue symbol S6 corresponding to the operating state (waiting for remote operation) of cargo handling vehicle F2 and a blue symbol S7 corresponding to the operating state (waiting for remote operation) of cargo handling vehicle F3 are displayed.

Since the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 is red, the remote operator U1 cannot know that the cargo handling vehicle being remotely operated is the cargo handling vehicle F1. can. Further, the remote operator U1 can know that the cargo handling vehicle being remotely operated is the cargo handling vehicle F1 because the characters "F1" are displayed in the area A4 and the background is red. can.

(Ended remote control of cargo handling vehicle F1)
When the cargo handling vehicle F1 arrives at the position P1 under the remote control of the remote operator U1 and the remote operator U1 touches the remote control end button, the control unit 14 of the remote control device 10 sends a command signal indicating this (this In particular, a signal (referred to as an "operation end signal") is transmitted to the cargo handling vehicle F1.

The control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 that has received the operation end signal stops the imaging unit 23 and stops transmitting the video signal to the cargo handling operation device 10. Further, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 operates the cargo handling device 25 in accordance with the received command signal (contents of cargo handling work W0001) to start picking up the cargo placed at the position P1. Further, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 changes the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 from red to white (see FIG. 7(B)). That is, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 changes the notification state of the notification unit 22.

In response to the stoppage of the transmission of the video signal, the control unit 14 of the cargo handling operation device 10 switches the screen displayed on the display unit 13 to a screen similar to the screen before remote control (FIG. 7(A) reference). The screen shown in FIG. 5 differs from the screen before remote control shown in FIG. 5(A) in that the sub-area a3 of area A1 displays that the item is being picked up. Note that the remote control start button is still displayed in sub-area a3 of areas A2 and A3.

(Starts remote control of cargo handling vehicle F2)
When the remote operator U1 touches the remote control start button in the area A2, the control unit 14 of the remote control device 10 transmits an operation start signal to the cargo handling vehicle F2.

The control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 that has received the operation start signal starts the imaging unit 23 and starts transmitting a video signal corresponding to the image generated by the imaging unit 23 to the cargo handling operation device 10. Then, the control unit 14 of the remote control device 10 that has received the video signal switches the screen displayed on the display unit 13 to one that mainly displays the video generated by the imaging unit 23 (see FIG. 8(A)). Thereby, the remote operator U1 can drive the cargo handling vehicle F2 to the position P3, which is the first destination (loading position), by operating the operation unit 12 while viewing the video. At this time, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 operates the traveling device 24 based on the remote control signal received from the remote control device 10.

Furthermore, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 that has received the operation start signal changes the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 from blue to red (see FIG. 8(B)). That is, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 changes the notification state of the notification unit 22.

Since the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 is red, the remote operator U1 cannot know that the cargo handling vehicle being remotely operated is the cargo handling vehicle F2. can. Further, the remote operator U1 can know that the cargo handling vehicle being remotely controlled is the cargo handling vehicle F2 because the characters "F2" are displayed in the area A4 and the background is red. can.

(Cargo removal by cargo handling vehicle F1 is completed)
When the cargo handling vehicle F1 completes picking up cargo while the remote operator U1 is remotely controlling the cargo handling vehicle F2, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 sends a status signal indicating this (in particular, a "picking up etc." signal). At the same time, the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 is changed from white to blue (see FIG. 9(B)). That is, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F1 changes the notification state of the notification unit 22.

Further, the control unit 14 of the remote control device 10 that has received the cargo pickup completion signal controls the display unit 13 to change the color of the symbol S6 displayed in the area A6 from white to blue (see FIG. 9(A). )reference).
(Ended remote control of cargo handling vehicle F2)
When the cargo handling vehicle F2 arrives at the position P3 under the remote control of the remote operator U1 and the remote operator U1 touches the remote control end button, the control unit 14 of the remote operating device 10 transmits an operation end signal to the cargo handling vehicle F2. do.

The control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 that has received the operation end signal stops the imaging unit 23 and stops transmitting the video signal to the cargo handling operation device 10. Further, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 operates the cargo handling device 25 in accordance with the received command signal (contents of the cargo handling work W0002) to start picking up the cargo placed at the position P3. Further, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 changes the background color of the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 from red to white (see FIG. 10(B)). That is, the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F2 changes the notification state of the notification unit 22.

In response to the stoppage of the transmission of the video signal, the control unit 14 of the cargo handling device 10 switches the screen displayed on the display unit 13 (see FIG. 10(A)). The screen shown in the same figure is shown in FIG. This is different from the screen before remote control shown in (A). Note that the remote control start button is still displayed in sub-area a3 of area A3.

Even if loading by the cargo handling vehicle F1 is completed while the remote operator U1 is remotely controlling the cargo handling vehicle F2, the remote operator U1 must return the cargo handling vehicle F1 to the cargo handling vehicle F1 until the remote operator U1 has finished remotely controlling the cargo handling vehicle F2. remote control cannot be started. That is, the remote control device 10 transmits an operation start signal to one (F2) of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles until it transmits an operation end signal to the one (F2) of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles. It can be said that the configuration is such that the operation start signal cannot be transmitted to another one of the vehicles (F1).

As described above, in the remote control system 1A according to the present embodiment, remote control is started at (1) when cargo is autonomously being picked up at the destination, and (2) after cargo picking, etc. is completed. (3) while the remote control is being performed, that is, from the time the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle 20 transmits the loading completion signal to the time it receives the operation start signal; The notification state of the notification unit 22 differs from when the control unit 26 of the cargo handling vehicle 20 receives the operation start signal until it receives the operation end signal. Therefore, according to the remote control system 1A according to the present embodiment, the remote operator U1 can easily determine which cargo handling vehicle he is currently remotely controlling based on the red color of the notification unit 22. can be grasped. Further, according to the remote control system 1A, the remote operator U1 can easily understand which cargo handling vehicle he should remotely control next based on the blue color of the notification unit 22.

In addition, in the remote control system 1A according to the present embodiment, the display unit 13 of the remote control device 10 at the hand of the remote operator U1 corresponds to the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 of the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3. (See especially FIGS. 6, 8, and 9). Therefore, according to the remote control system 1A according to the present embodiment, even if the remote operator U1 is unable to visually recognize the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3, the remote operator U1 can use the cargo handling vehicle that he/she is currently remotely operating. It is possible to easily understand which vehicle it is.

[Second example]
FIG. 11 shows an overview of a remote control system 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the remote control system 1B is configured such that a remote operator U1 remotely controls one or more cargo handling vehicles (for example, three cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3), and a remote operator U2 This enables remote control of one or more cargo handling vehicles (for example, two cargo handling vehicles F4 and F5).

The remote control system 1B according to this embodiment differs from the remote control system 1A in that it further includes a remote control device 10 used by a remote operator U2. In the following description, the reference numeral 10' is used for convenience when referring to the remote control device 10 used by the remote operator U2.

After the remote operator U1 is responsible for remotely controlling the cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, and F3, for example, when the remote operator U2 starts the remote operating device 10' in the situation shown in FIG. A screen having symbols S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 corresponding to cargo handling vehicles F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 is displayed on the display unit 13 of 10' (see FIG. 12(A)). However, the symbols S1, S2, and S3 are less conspicuous than the symbols S4 and S5.

When the remote operator U2 selects the cargo handling vehicles F4 and F5 by touching the symbols S4 and S5, the remote operator U2 will be responsible for the remote control of the cargo handling vehicles F4 and F5, and the display unit 13 of the remote operating device 10' , a screen having an area A1 related to the cargo handling vehicle F4 and an area A2 related to the cargo handling vehicle F5 is displayed (see FIG. 13(A)). At the same time, the screen displayed on the notification unit 22 of the newly selected cargo handling vehicles F4 and F5 changes from a screen consisting only of a white background to a screen consisting of a white background and characters corresponding to the remote operator U2. In the embodiment, the screen changes to a screen consisting of the characters "U2" (see FIG. 13(B)). That is, the control section 26 of the cargo handling vehicle F4, F5 changes the notification state of the notification section 22.

In this manner, in the remote control system 1B according to the present embodiment, a screen composed of characters (“U1” or “U2”) corresponding to the remote operator is displayed on the notification unit 22 of the cargo handling vehicle 20. Therefore, according to the remote control system 1B according to the present embodiment, the remote operators U1 and U2 can easily distinguish between cargo handling vehicles for which they are responsible for remote control and cargo handling vehicles for which they are not responsible for remote control. I can do it.

[Modified example]
Although the embodiments of the remote control system according to the present invention have been described above, the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The notification unit 22 of the cargo handling vehicle 20 is not limited to a color liquid crystal display. For example, the notification section 22 may be a multicolor type laminated signal light having two light emitting sections 22a and 22b (see FIG. 14). This notification section 22 can take the same notification state as a color liquid crystal display by switching the light emission states of the two light emitting sections 22a and 22b as follows.
(1) Upper light emitting part 22a
- Lights up in blue if remote operator U1 is in charge of remote control - Lights in red if remote operator U2 is in charge of remote control - Turns off if none of the above applies (2) Lower light emitting part 22b
- Lights up in white when cargo is being picked up at the destination, etc. - Lights up in blue from the time cargo pick-up is completed until remote control starts - Lights up in red while remote control is in progress luminescence

Remote control device 10 may be a smartphone or a tablet. In this case, the remote operator can remotely control the cargo handling vehicle 20 by tracing a lever-shaped or button-shaped symbol displayed on the screen of the touch panel display. That is, in this case, a physical lever as the operating section 12 can be omitted.

The cargo handling vehicle 20 is not limited to a reach-type forklift. The cargo handling vehicle 20 may be a forklift of another type, or may be a cargo handling vehicle other than a forklift.

The color indicating the operating state of the cargo handling vehicle 20 is not limited to white, blue, and red. Further, the remote control system according to the present invention may notify the operating state of the cargo handling vehicle 20 using visual information other than color.

1A, 1B Remote control system 10 Remote control device 11 Communication unit 12 Operation unit 13 Display unit 14 Control unit 20 Cargo handling vehicle 21 Communication unit 22 Notification unit 23 Imaging unit 24 Traveling device 25 Cargo handling device 26 Control unit F1, F2, F3, F4 , F5 Cargo handling vehicle U1, U2 Remote operator

Claims (4)

A remote control system comprising a remote control device used by a plurality of remote control operators and a plurality of cargo handling vehicles that can be remotely controlled via the remote control devices,
Each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles can autonomously pick up and store cargo at a destination without the remote control, but cannot travel to the destination without the remote control. It is configured as follows,
Further, each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles includes a communication unit that communicates with the remote control device, a notification unit that can take a plurality of visually different notification states, and a control unit that controls the communication unit and the notification unit. Equipped with a
The notification unit of the cargo handling vehicle is attached to the cargo handling vehicle so that it can be seen by people around the cargo handling vehicle and the remote operator,
The control unit of the cargo handling vehicle (1) when the cargo handling vehicle is autonomously picking up and depositing the cargo at the destination, and (2) via the communication unit of the cargo handling vehicle , a period from transmitting a loading, etc. completion signal indicating completion of loading and unloading to the remote operating device until receiving an operation start signal indicating the start of the remote controlling from the remote operating device; ) From the time when the operation start signal is received through the communication unit of the cargo handling vehicle until the operation end signal indicating the end of the remote control is received from the remote control device , The notification state of the notification unit is varied ,
Further, the control unit of the cargo handling vehicle changes the notification state of the notification unit of the cargo handling vehicle depending on the remote operator who is in charge of the remote control of the cargo handling vehicle.
A remote control system characterized by: The remote control device controls one of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles during a period from transmitting the operation start signal to one of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles to transmitting the operation end signal to the one of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation start signal cannot be transmitted to another one. Each of the plurality of cargo handling vehicles further includes a cargo handling device and an imaging unit directed toward the cargo handling device,
The control unit of the cargo handling vehicle transmits a video signal related to an image captured by the imaging unit of the cargo handling vehicle from the time when the operation start signal is received until the time when the operation end signal is received. 3. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control system continues to transmit information to the remote control device via a communication unit. The number of remote control devices is plural,
The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of cargo handling vehicles are remotely controlled via any one of the plurality of remote control devices.

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