JP7736615B2 - Transport system and transport method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying system and a conveying method.

Conventionally, in warehouses and the like, a transport system has been known in which an automated transport device receives an item to be transported at a storage location (e.g., a storage shelf) and transports it to a withdrawal location (shipping location).

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an operation control system that, when a loading and unloading location for workpieces is specified, creates a travel plan including a route from the loading location to the unloading location, evaluates the relationship between the planned routes of each autonomous mobile unit, and, if there is a possibility of interference between the routes of each autonomous mobile unit, issues instructions to the autonomous mobile units to avoid the interference.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-242489

In the system described in embodiment 1 of Patent Document 1, when a centralized control device issues a transport request to a waiting autonomous mobile body, the autonomous mobile body searches for a route connecting the specified loading and unloading locations as a combination of unit routes, extracts the unit route combination with the shortest distance, and creates a travel plan. Furthermore, if the travel route of the planned travel plan contains a virtual obstacle set on a route that has already been adopted by another autonomous mobile body, the autonomous mobile body re-plans the travel plan to avoid the virtual obstacle. The autonomous mobile body then begins transport after a travel plan has been created to avoid the virtual obstacle.

In other words, the system of embodiment 1 creates a travel plan to prevent interference with other autonomous mobile bodies along the entire route from the loading location to the unloading location before the autonomous mobile body begins transportation. Therefore, as the travel route becomes longer, it becomes necessary to predict interference with other autonomous mobile bodies in the distant future, which can make interference prediction difficult or reduce prediction accuracy. Furthermore, virtual obstacles that prevent other autonomous mobile bodies from entering are set along the long travel route included in the travel plan, which can significantly impede the movement of other autonomous mobile bodies and reduce operational efficiency.

Furthermore, the system described in embodiment 2 of Patent Document 1 creates a travel plan in the same manner as embodiment 1, and then the autonomous mobile unit begins transport without recreating a travel plan to avoid virtual obstacles. After the autonomous mobile unit begins transport, the system constantly monitors the position of the autonomous mobile unit and, as necessary, issues instructions from the centralized control unit to the autonomous mobile unit to avoid interference with other autonomous mobile units.

In other words, the system of embodiment 2 creates a travel plan without considering interference with other autonomous mobile bodies before the autonomous mobile body begins transport, and discards the travel plan and sets a new travel route when it determines that interference with other autonomous mobile bodies will occur during transport.

Furthermore, the system of embodiment 2 allows for interference with other autonomous mobile bodies when a travel plan for the autonomous mobile body is created, and when it determines that interference with other autonomous mobile bodies will occur during transport, it discards the travel plan created at the start of transport and sets a new travel route, which creates the problem of travel being halted until the travel plan is discarded and a new travel route is set. Furthermore, the position of each autonomous mobile body must be constantly monitored to avoid interference between autonomous mobile bodies, which creates the problem of an extremely large processing load.

The object of the present invention is to provide a transport system and transport method that can reduce transport time loss over the entire course traveled by an automated transport device.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a conveying system that sets a travel route for an automated conveying device and moves it to a destination position. The conveying system includes a movement request receiving unit and a section travel route setting unit. The movement request receiving unit receives a movement request for the automated conveying device. The section travel route setting unit sets a section travel route of a predetermined length that constitutes part of a travel route from the current position of a first automated conveying device to the destination position, based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel route of the first automated conveying device does not overlap with the section travel route set for another second automated conveying device. Additionally, while the automated conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route, the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route, with the end position of the first section travel route as the start position of the next second section travel route.

A transport method according to another aspect of the present invention is a transport method in which one or more processors set a travel route for an automated transport device and move it to a destination position, the transport method comprising: receiving a movement request for the automated transport device; setting, based on the movement request, a section travel route of a predetermined length that constitutes part of the travel route from the current position of a first automated transport device to the destination position, such that the section travel route for the first automated transport device does not overlap with the section travel route set for another second automated transport device; and repeatedly executing, while the automated transport device is traveling along the first section travel route, a process of setting the second section travel route with the end position of the first section travel route as the start position of the next second section travel route.

This invention makes it possible to reduce the loss of transport time over the entire route traveled by the automated transport device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fleet management server according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a warehouse to which the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the transport system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of order information used in the transport system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of set order information used in the transport system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a part of an area of a warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a travel route in the conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a transport process executed in the transport system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a transport process executed in the transport system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Note that the following embodiment is an example of a specific embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Transport system 10]
As shown in FIG. 1 , a transportation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fleet management server 1, an order management server 2, and an automated guided vehicle 3 (AGV, also called an unmanned guided vehicle). The fleet management server 1 and the order management server 2 can communicate with each other via a communication network N1 such as a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. The fleet management server 1 and the automated guided vehicle 3 can communicate with each other via a communication network N2 such as a wireless LAN. The order management server 2 can communicate with a customer terminal 4 via a communication network N3 such as the Internet.

The conveying system 10 is a system in which multiple paths along which the automated conveying device 3 can travel are set, and the automated conveying device 3 is instructed to select one of the paths as a travel route to convey the object from a storage location to a destination location. Specifically, the conveying system 10 is applied to, for example, a warehouse (logistics warehouse) that stores goods (objects to be conveyed). When the conveying system 10 receives a product order from a customer (customer terminal 4), it outputs a conveying instruction to the automated conveying device 3. Upon receiving the conveying instruction, the automated conveying device 3 moves to the storage location (storage shelf) of the product, receives the product from a worker, and conveys the product to a shipping location. The customer terminal 4 is an information processing device such as a personal computer or smartphone. For example, a customer can use the customer terminal 4 to access a website (order page) operated by the order management server 2 to place an order for a product.

The order management server 2 can accept orders for the products from each of multiple customer terminals 4, and aggregates the received order information and outputs it to the operations management server 1. The operations management server 1 manages the operation of each of multiple automated transport devices 3 and outputs transport instructions (driving instructions) to each automated transport device 3 based on the order information. Based on the transport instructions, the automated transport device 3 autonomously travels along a predetermined travel route, picks the product included in the order information from a storage shelf, and transports it to the shipping location. The autonomous travel method of the automated transport device 3 is not particularly limited and can be any well-known method, such as using magnetic tape installed on the floor and markers that specify travel operations (control information).

Furthermore, the automated transport device 3 is equipped with, for example, multiple containers (storage units), and by storing customer-ordered products in each container, it is possible to transport multiple customer products together in a single picking run (a run that travels from the waiting area, circling each shelf, to the shipping area). For example, if the automated transport device 3 is equipped with two containers, the automated transport device 3 can transport the ordered products of two customers together. The fleet management server 1 outputs the transport instructions corresponding to the order information of one or more customers to each automated transport device 3.

In this embodiment, as an example, an example will be described in which the conveyance system 10 is applied to warehouse W1 shown in Figure 3. Warehouse W1 shown in Figure 3 has multiple storage shelves (storage locations) for storing products (transportation targets). Figure 3 shows 16 storage shelves T1 to T16.

Warehouse W1 also has waiting locations set up for the automated transport devices 3. For example, warehouse W1 has waiting location P1 where AGV1 waits, waiting location P2 where AGV2 waits, and waiting location P3 where AGV3 waits. Each automated transport device 3 waits at a designated waiting location when it has not received a transport instruction from the fleet management server 1.

When each automated transport device 3 receives a transport instruction from the fleet management server 1, it moves from its waiting location to the storage shelf where the ordered items are stored. For example, when AGV1 receives a transport instruction from the fleet management server 1 that includes order information for an item on storage shelf T1, it moves to storage shelf T1, receives the ordered item from the worker in charge of picking, and then moves to the shipping location along a preset travel route.

In this embodiment, the transport system 10 corresponds to the transport system of the present invention, but the transport system of the present invention may be composed of the fleet management server 1 alone, or may include one or more of the components of the fleet management server 1, the order management server 2, and the automated transport device 3.

[Order management server 2]
1, the order management server 2 is a server including a control unit 21, a memory unit 22, an operation/display unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The order management server 2 is not limited to a single computer, but may be a computer system in which multiple computers operate in cooperation. Furthermore, the various processes executed by the order management server 2 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

The communication unit 24 is a communication interface that connects the order management server 2 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection and executes data communication with the fleet management server 1 via the communication network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. The communication unit 24 is also a communication interface that connects the order management server 2 to the communication network N3 via a wired or wireless connection and executes data communication with one or more customer terminals 4 via the communication network N3 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

The operation display unit 23 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various types of information. Specifically, the storage unit 22 stores data such as product information D1 and order information D2. Product information D1 includes information about products stored in the warehouse. Order information D2 includes information about customer orders. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of product information D1, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of order information D2.

As shown in Figure 4, product information D1 includes information such as the corresponding "product ID," "product name," and "shelf ID" for each product. The product ID is product identification information, and the product name is the name of the product. The shelf ID is identification information for the storage shelf on which the product is stored. In this embodiment, the shelf IDs registered may be, for example, "T1" indicating storage shelf T1, "T2" indicating storage shelf T2, and "T3" indicating storage shelf T3.

Product information D1 is stored in advance in the storage unit 22, for example, through a registration operation by the warehouse manager. The manager can also update product information D1 as needed. Product information D1 may also be registered on the fleet management server 1.

As shown in Figure 5, order information D2 includes information such as the corresponding "unit order ID," "customer ID," "ordered item," "quantity," and "order date and time" for each order. The unit order ID is identification information for a single order, and the customer ID is identification information for the customer who ordered the item. The ordered item is the name of the item ordered by the customer, and the quantity is the number of ordered items. The order date and time is information about the date and time when the order was received from the customer.

Order information D2 is registered by the control unit 21 each time the order management server 2 receives an order from a customer terminal 4.

In another embodiment, some or all of the product information D1 and order information D2 may be stored in another server accessible from the order management server 2 via the communication network N3.

The memory unit 22 also stores control programs such as a transport program that causes the control unit 21 to execute the transport process described below (see Figures 18 and 19). For example, the transport program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided on the order management server 2 and stored in the memory unit 22.

The control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile memory unit in which control programs such as BIOS and OS that cause the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory unit that stores various information and is used as temporary storage memory (work area) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the order management server 2 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or memory unit 22.

Specifically, the control unit 21 accepts product orders from the customer terminal 4. When the control unit 21 accepts an order from the customer terminal 4, it registers the order details in order information D2. The control unit 21 also outputs the order information D2 to the fleet management server 1. For example, the control unit 21 outputs order information D2 (see Figure 5) that aggregates multiple orders accepted over a predetermined period of time to the fleet management server 1. In this way, the control unit 21 outputs order information D2 to the fleet management server 1 at a predetermined interval.

In another embodiment, the control unit 21 may output the order information D2 to the fleet management server 1 when it receives an output request for the order information D2 from the fleet management server 1. For example, the fleet management server 1 may output an output request for the order information D2 to the order management server 2 based on the operational status of the automated conveyance device 3.

Furthermore, when the control unit 21 outputs the order information D2 to the fleet management server 1, the control unit 21 may delete the order information D2 from the memory unit 22.

[Fleet management server 1]
1, the fleet management server 1 is a server including a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, an operation/display unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The fleet management server 1 is not limited to a single computer, but may be a computer system in which multiple computers operate in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, various processes executed by the fleet management server 1 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

The communication unit 14 is a communication interface that connects the fleet management server 1 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection and executes data communication with the order management server 2 via the communication network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. The communication unit 14 is also a communication interface that connects the fleet management server 1 to the communication network N2 via a wired or wireless connection and executes data communication with one or more automatic transport devices 3 via the communication network N2 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD or SSD that stores various types of information. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores data such as set order information D3. The set order information D3 includes information about set orders that combine unit orders. Figure 5 shows an example of set order information D3.

As shown in Figure 5, the set order information D3 includes information such as the corresponding "set order ID," "unit order ID," and "shelf ID" for each set order that combines unit orders. The set order ID is identification information for the set order that combines unit orders. The control unit 11 combines unit orders to generate a set order based on information such as the product storage location, the current location of the automatic conveyor device 3, and operation rules.

Set order information D3 is included in the transport instructions sent to the automated transport device 3. For example, when AGV1 receives a transport instruction including set order information D3 for "SET1," AGV1 moves to the location of shelf ID "T3" included in set order information D3. AGV1 then receives the products with unit order IDs "O1," "O2," "O3," and "O4" from the worker.

When the control unit 11 acquires order information D2 (see Figure 5) from the order management server 2, it references product information D1 (see Figure 4) and generates set order information D3 (see Figure 6).

In another embodiment, some or all of the order information D2 and set order information D3 may be stored in another server accessible from the fleet management server 1 via the communication network N1. In this case, the control unit 11 of the fleet management server 1 may obtain the information from the other server and execute various processes such as the transportation process described below (see Figures 18 and 19).

The memory unit 12 also stores control programs such as a transportation program that causes the control unit 11 to execute the transportation process described below (see Figures 18 and 19). For example, the transportation program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the fleet management server 1 and stored in the memory unit 12.

The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile memory unit that pre-stores control programs such as BIOS and OS that cause the CPU to execute various types of arithmetic processing. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory unit that stores various types of information and is used as temporary storage memory (work area) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the fleet management server 1 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or memory unit 12.

In conventional systems, when each autonomous mobile unit completes travel on a unit route, the system assigns the autonomous mobile unit a route that avoids interference with routes previously adopted by other autonomous mobile units. Specifically, when a route is previously adopted by a certain autonomous mobile unit, the system sets a virtual obstacle on the route to prohibit other autonomous mobile units from entering the route. With this configuration, if the assigned route is long, other autonomous mobile units are excluded from entering over a wide area, which increases the frequency with which other autonomous mobile units are re-routed to take detours, resulting in increased losses at intersections. On the other hand, if the assigned route is short, the distances for acceleration and deceleration on the route become shorter, reducing the maximum speed that can be set. The system in Patent Document 1 does not take these issues into consideration, resulting in lost transport time.

Furthermore, when re-planning a trip, conventional systems extract the next shortest route after the initially planned route. However, they do not evaluate whether the re-planned route actually has the shortest travel time. For example, avoiding interference with an autonomous mobile unit whose route was previously set could result in increased interference with other autonomous mobile units, lengthening the travel time for all autonomous mobile units.

In contrast, the conveying system 10 according to this embodiment can reduce the loss of conveying time over the entire course traveled by the automated conveying device, as described below.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 11 includes various processing units, such as a transportation request receiving unit 111, an overall travel route setting unit 112, a section travel route length determination unit 113, a section travel route setting unit 114, a reserved travel route setting unit 115, a control information setting unit 116, an output processing unit 117, an overlap determination unit 118, an intersection determination unit 119, an avoidance information creation unit 120, an appropriateness evaluation unit 121, and an avoidance information determination unit 122. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes in accordance with the transportation program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured as electronic circuits. The transportation program may also be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

The transportation request receiving unit 111 receives transportation requests (picking orders) for products (transportation targets). Note that a transportation request is an example of a movement request in the present invention. Specifically, the transportation request receiving unit 111 receives order information D2 corresponding to orders from multiple customers from the order management server 2. For example, the transportation request receiving unit 111 receives order information D2 (see Figure 5) that includes orders from customers CUSTOM1 and CUSTOM2. The transportation request receiving unit 111 is an example of a movement request receiving unit in the present invention.

The control unit 11 generates set order information D3 based on order information D2. For example, when the transport request receiving unit 111 receives order information D2 (see Figure 5) including four orders (unit orders) from customers CUSTOM1 and CUSTOM2, the control unit 11 references product information D1 (see Figure 4) and generates set order information D3 (see Figure 6) for "SET1." For example, the control unit 11 aggregates multiple products stored in the same area, out of the multiple products included in order information D2, into a single order (set order) to generate set order information D3. The control unit 11 also generates set order information D3 assigned to each of the multiple containers loaded on the automatic transport device 3.

The overall travel route setting unit 112 sets the overall travel route from the current position of the automatic transport device 3 to the storage location (storage shelf) based on the transport request received by the transport request receiving unit 111.

Here, the control unit 11 acquires the current positions of all automatic transport devices 3. Each automatic transport device 3 transmits information such as its current position, traveling speed, traveling direction, and traveling status (traveling or waiting) to the fleet management server 1 in real time. Based on the information transmitted from each automatic transport device 3, the control unit 11 designates one automatic transport device 3 and assigns set order information D3 to it.

The overall travel path setting unit 112 sets the travel start position and destination position for the assigned automated guided vehicle 3. Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of a portion of warehouse W1. Symbols A to R indicate points within warehouse W1, and the straight lines connecting each point indicate the paths along which the automated guided vehicle 3 can travel. For example, if the control unit 11 assigns set order information D3 for "SET1" to AGV1, as shown in Figure 8, the overall travel path setting unit 112 sets point P as the travel start position for AGV1 and point I as the destination position.

Once the travel start position and destination position for the AGV 1 are set, the overall travel route setting unit 112 sets the initial travel route, which is the overall travel route. Specifically, the overall travel route setting unit 112 performs an operation simulation for all automated guided vehicles 3 and sets the overall travel route and control information that will minimize the total travel time for all automated guided vehicles 3.

For example, the overall travel path setting unit 112 first observes the travel status (current position, travel speed, reserved travel path, predicted arrival time on the reserved travel path) of other automated guided vehicles 3 (here, AGV2 and AGV3). For example, as shown in Figure 9, AGV2 is moving from point C on storage shelf T1 to point R at the shipping location, the aisle from points C to B to E is set as the reserved travel path, and the predicted arrival time at point E is t2. In this case, the overall travel path setting unit 112 prohibits AGV1 from entering the section of the aisle from points C to B to E between times t0 and t2.

Next, the overall travel route setting unit 112 performs operation simulations in parallel for all automated guided vehicles 3, and sets an overall travel route for AGV1 to move from point P to point I so that the total transport time for all AGVs is shortest while prohibiting AGV1 from entering the passage section from points C → B → E between times t0 and t2. Here, as shown in Figure 10, the overall travel route setting unit 112 sets the passage from points P → N → L → J → G → H → I as the overall travel route R10 (initial travel route) for AGV1. Note that R20 in Figure 10 indicates the overall travel route (initial travel route) set for AGV2.

The section driving route length determination unit 113 determines the length of the section driving route (reserved driving route) based on information about the portion of the overall driving route set by the overall driving route setting unit 112 that is within a predetermined judgment length from the section start position. There are several possible methods for determining the length of the section driving route (first to fifth determination methods), as shown below, and the section driving route length determination unit 113 can adopt any of these methods.

(First determination method)
In the first determination method, the positions of specific intersections at which a plurality of automated guided vehicles 3 are likely to intersect are registered in advance, among multiple intersections at which a plurality of passages intersect. Then, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets a first length as the section travel route length when the specific intersection does not exist within the determination length from the section start position in the overall travel route set by the overall travel route setting unit 112, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section travel route length when the specific intersection exists within the determination length from the section start position.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, points B, E, and H, which are merging points from storage shelves T1, T2, and T3, are registered as specific intersections. The section travel route length determination unit 113 determines whether the specific intersection exists within four sections (the section to the marker position four sections ahead) of the current position for the overall travel route R10. The length of four sections from the current position is an example of the determined length. If the specific intersection does not exist within four sections from the current position, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the section travel route length to "4" (the first length). Furthermore, if the specific intersection exists within four sections from the current position, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the section travel route length to "2" (the second length). In the example of FIG. 11, since the specific intersection does not exist within four sections from the current position P of AGV1, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the length from the current position P to point G, four sections ahead (the section travel route length "4") (first length). The control unit 11 uses an operation simulation to predict the time it will take for AGV1 to arrive at point G, and prohibits other AGVs from entering until then.

(Second determination method)
In the second determination method, a high-speed travel path along which the automated guided vehicle 3 travels at high speed and a low-speed travel path along which the automated guided vehicle 3 travels at low speed are registered in advance for the multiple paths. Then, the section travel path length determination unit 113 sets a first length as the section travel path length when the low-speed travel path is not included in a portion of the overall travel path set by the overall travel path setting unit 112 within the determination length from the section start position, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section travel path length when the low-speed travel path is included in a portion of the overall travel path set by the overall travel path setting unit 112 within the determination length from the section start position.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, vertical passages (passage from points A to P, passage from points B to Q) are registered as high-speed travel passages, and horizontal passages (passage from points A to C, passage from points D to F, passage from points G to I, passage from points J to K, passage from points L to M, passage from points N to O, and passage from points P to R) are registered as low-speed travel passages. If the low-speed travel passage is not included within four sections from the current position, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the section travel route length to "4" (the first length). Furthermore, if the low-speed travel passage is included within four sections from the current position, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the section travel route length to "2" (the second length). In the example of FIG. 11, since the low-speed travel passage is not included within four sections from the current position P of AGV1, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the length from the current position P to point G, four sections away, to "4" (the section travel route length "4") (first length).

(Third determination method)
In the third determination method, high-speed travel areas in which the automatic guided vehicle 3 is to travel at high speed and low-speed travel areas in which the automatic guided vehicle 3 is to travel at low speed are registered in advance. Then, the section travel path length determination unit 113 sets a first length as the section travel path length when a portion of the entire travel path set by the entire travel path setting unit 112 that is within the determination length from the section start position is not included in the low-speed travel area, and sets a second length that is shorter than the first length as the section travel path length when a portion of the entire travel path set by the entire travel path setting unit 112 that is within the determination length from the section start position is included in the low-speed travel area.

For example, as shown in Figure 13, the passage from points A to I is registered as a low-speed travel area, and the passage from points J to R is registered as a high-speed travel area. If the section within four sections from the current position is not included in the low-speed travel area, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the section travel route length to "4" (the first length). Also, if the section within four sections from the current position is included in the low-speed travel area, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the section travel route length to "2" (the second length). In the example of Figure 11, because the section four sections from the current position P of AGV1 is not included in the low-speed travel area, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the length from the current position P to point G, four sections away (the section travel route length "4") (first length).

(Fourth determination method)
In the fourth determination method, the section driving route length determination unit 113 sets a first length as the section driving route length when there is no right/left turn point within the determined length from the section start position in the overall driving route set by the overall driving route setting unit 112, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the section driving route length when there is a right/left turn point within the determined length from the section start position.

In the example of Figure 11, the section four sections from the current position P is a straight route and does not contain any right or left turns in that section, so the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the length from the current position P of AGV1 to point G, four sections away (the section travel route length "4") (first length).

(Fifth determination method)
In the fifth determination method, the section travel path length determiner 113 determines a high-density area where the probability of an intersection occurring is higher than a threshold value based on the current positions of all of the automatic guided devices 3. Then, when a portion of the entire travel path set by the entire travel path setting unit 112 that is within the determined length from the section start position is not included in the high-density area, the section travel path length determiner 113 sets a first length as the section travel path length, and when a portion of the entire travel path set by the entire travel path setting unit 112 that is within the determined length from the section start position is included in the high-density area, the section travel path length determiner 113 sets a second length that is shorter than the first length as the section travel path length.

For example, if the area including the passage from points A to I is a high-density area and the area including the passage from points J to R is a low-density area, the area four sections from AGV1's current position P is a low-density area, so the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the length from AGV1's current position P to point G, four sections away, as the section travel route length "4" (first length).

Using any of the above methods, the section travel route length determination unit 113 determines the length of the section travel route (section travel route length).

The section travel route setting unit 114 sets a section travel route on the overall travel route from the section start position to the section travel route length determined by the section travel route length determination unit 113. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the section travel route setting unit 114 sets the route (the passage from points P → N → L → J → G) with a length from the current position P to point G, four sections away (the section travel route length "4"), as section travel route R11 on the overall travel route R10 corresponding to AGV1. Furthermore, the section travel route setting unit 114 sets the route (the passage from points C → B → E) with a length from the current position C to point E, two sections away (the section travel route length "2"), as section travel route R21 on the overall travel route R20 corresponding to AGV2.

The reserved driving route setting unit 115 sets the section driving route set by the section driving route setting unit 114 as the reserved driving route. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the reserved driving route setting unit 115 sets the section driving route R11 from points P → N → L → J → G corresponding to AGV1 as the reserved driving route. In addition, the reserved driving route setting unit 115 sets the section driving route R21 from points C → B → E corresponding to AGV2 as the reserved driving route.

The control information setting unit 116 sets control information that defines the operation of the automated transport device 3 in association with markers on the section travel route.

Specifically, the control information setting unit 116 sets control information including information specifying the direction of travel toward the next marker position (straight ahead, left turn, right turn, etc.) at each marker position, as well as information such as the travel speed, acceleration, stopping, and turning at each marker position. For example, the control information setting unit 116 associates the control information with the marker on the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit 114 and sets first speed information when the section travel route length is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference length, and sets second speed information slower than the first speed when the section travel route length is less than the predetermined reference length. The reference length may be the same as the judgment length. For example, the control information setting unit 116 sets control information that sets a high travel speed for the reserved travel route of section travel route R11 corresponding to AGV1. On the other hand, the control information setting unit 116 sets control information that sets a low travel speed for the reserved travel route of section travel route R21 corresponding to AGV2.

The output processing unit 117 outputs the travel route information, including the overall travel route and the section travel routes, and the control information to the automated transport device 3. Here, the output processing unit 117 outputs the travel route information and the control information to each of AGV1 and AGV2. Upon receiving the travel route information and the control information, each of AGV1 and AGV2 begins traveling along the reserved travel route.

When the automated transport device 3 starts traveling along the reserved travel route, the control unit 11 sets the reserved travel route along which the automated transport device 3 will next travel. Specifically, the control unit 11 executes the following process.

For example, at a first time point while the AGV1 is traveling along the section travel route R11 of the overall travel route R10, the section travel route length determination unit 113 sets the end point (point G) of the section travel route R11 as the section start position of the next section travel route R12 after that section travel route R11, and determines a second section route length, which is the section travel route length of the section travel route R12, based on information about the portion of the overall travel route R10 that is within the determined length from the end point of the section travel route R11. Furthermore, the section travel route setting unit 114 provisionally sets a route on the overall travel route R10 that has the second section route length from the end point of the section travel route R11 as the section travel route R12.

In this case, the overlap determination unit 118 determines whether the portion of the overall travel route R10 of AGV1 within the determined length from the end point (point G) of the section travel route R11 overlaps with the reserved travel route of AGV2. If the overlap determination unit 118 determines that the portion of the overall travel route R10 of AGV1 within the determined length from the end point (point G) of the section travel route R11 does not overlap with the reserved travel route of AGV2, the section travel route length determination unit 113 determines the second section route length based on information about the portion of the overall travel route R10 within the determined length from the end point of the section travel route R11. Furthermore, the section travel route setting unit 114 provisionally sets a section travel route R12 on the overall travel route R10 from the end point of the section travel route R11, with the second section route length.

Furthermore, if the overlap determination unit 118 determines that the portion of the overall travel route R10 of AGV1 within the determined length from the end point (point G) of the section travel route R11 overlaps with the reserved travel route of AGV2, the overall travel route setting unit 112 resets the overall travel route. The reset overall travel route corresponds to the second overall travel route of the present invention. Then, after the overall travel route setting unit 112 resets the overall travel route, the overlap determination unit 118 further determines whether the portion of the reset overall travel route R10 of AGV1 within the determined length from the end point of the section travel route R11 overlaps with the reserved travel route of AGV2. If the overlap determination unit 118 determines that the portion of the reset overall travel route R10 of AGV1 within the determined length from the end point of the section travel route R11 does not overlap with the reserved travel route of AGV2, the section travel route length determination unit 113 determines the second section route length based on information regarding the portion of the reset overall travel route R10 within the determined length from the end point of the section travel route R11, and the section travel route setting unit 114 sets a section travel route R12 on the reset overall travel route R10 from the end point of the section travel route R11 to the length of the second section travel route.

Furthermore, if the overlap determination unit 118 determines that the portion of the reset overall travel route R10 of AGV1 within the determined length from the end point of the section travel route R11 overlaps with the reserved travel route of AGV2, the overall travel route setting unit 112 further resets the overall travel route. The reset overall travel route corresponds to the third overall travel route of the present invention.

In addition, the intersection determination unit 119 determines whether AGV1 intersects with AGV2 on the overall travel route R10.

For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 11 provisionally sets the next reserved driving route at timing (t1) before AGV1 arrives at point G, the end point of section driving route R11. Here, because specific intersection H is located within four sections (determined length) from point G, the section driving route length determination unit 113 sets the section driving route length to "2" (the second length), and the reserved driving route setting unit 115 provisionally sets section driving route R12 from points G → H → I corresponding to AGV1 as the reserved driving route. Similarly, the reserved driving route setting unit 115 provisionally sets section driving route R22 from points E → H → K corresponding to AGV2 as the reserved driving route.

The intersection determination unit 119 determines whether AGV1 will intersect with AGV2. If AGV1 will intersect with AGV2, the control unit 11 executes the following avoidance method. Furthermore, if AGV1 will not intersect with AGV2, the output processing unit 117 sets the provisionally set reserved travel route as the official reserved travel route, and outputs the travel route information and the control information to AGV1. In the example shown in Figure 14, the section travel route R12 of AGV1 intersects with the section travel route R22 of AGV2, so the control unit 11 executes the following avoidance method.

Specifically, when the intersection determination unit 119 determines that AGV1 will intersect with AGV2 on the overall travel route R10, the avoidance information creation unit 120 creates multiple avoidance information candidates to prevent AGV1 and AGV2 from intersecting. The multiple avoidance information candidates include avoidance information candidates based on multiple different avoidance methods. The avoidance information creation unit 120 creates multiple different avoidance methods (first to third avoidance methods).

(First avoidance method)
The first avoidance method is a method of avoiding intersections by changing the control information set by the control information setting unit 116. Specifically, the control information includes information on the traveling speed of the automated guided vehicle 3 at each point on the traveling route, and the intersection is avoided by changing the traveling speed of the automated guided vehicle 3 at each point on the traveling route. For example, as shown in FIG. 15 , the avoidance information creation unit 120 changes the traveling speed of AGV2 from point B to point H to speed V2, which is twice the traveling speed V1 from point C to point B. The traveling speed of AGV1 is set to speed V1. The avoidance information creation unit 120 may also change the traveling speed V1 of AGV1.

(Second avoidance method)
The second avoidance method is a method of avoiding intersections by changing the overall travel route set by the overall travel route setting unit 112. For example, as shown in Fig. 16 , the avoidance information creation unit 120 changes the section travel route R12 from points G → H → I that is provisionally set for AGV1 to a section travel route R12 from points G → D → E → H → I. Note that the avoidance information creation unit 120 may also change the section travel route R22 from points E → H → K that is provisionally set for AGV2.

(Third avoidance method)
The third avoidance method is a method in which the automatic guided vehicle 3 is stopped at a predetermined position on the travel route in accordance with the control information set by the control information setting unit 116. For example, as shown in Fig. 17 , the avoidance information creation unit 120 sets control information to stop AGV1 for a predetermined time (e.g., one second) before intersection H. Note that the avoidance information creation unit 120 may also set control information to stop AGV2 for a predetermined time (e.g., one second) before intersection H.

As described above, the avoidance information creation unit 120 creates multiple different avoidance methods (avoidance information candidates). By having the automated guided vehicle 3 travel using the avoidance method, it is possible to avoid the intersection of AGV1 and AGV2 at intersection H.

The appropriateness evaluation unit 121 evaluates the appropriateness of each of the multiple avoidance information candidates created by the avoidance information creation unit 120 by simulating the operation of all automated guided vehicles 3. Specifically, the appropriateness evaluation unit 121 determines whether intersections can be avoided for each of the multiple avoidance information candidates created by the avoidance information creation unit 120 by simulating the operation of all automated guided vehicles 3.

For example, the appropriateness evaluation unit 121 determines (evaluates) the total transport time of all automatic transport devices 3 for each of the multiple avoidance information candidates created by the avoidance information creation unit 120 through an operation simulation of all automatic transport devices 3.

The avoidance information determination unit 122 determines one of the multiple avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information based on the evaluation result (total transport time) of the appropriateness evaluation unit 121. For example, the avoidance information determination unit 122 determines the avoidance information candidate that results in the shortest total transport time for all automatic transport devices 3 as the avoidance information.

Furthermore, a priority order may be set for each of the plurality of different avoidance methods, and the avoidance information determination unit 122 may determine one of the plurality of avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information based on the evaluation result of the appropriateness evaluation unit 121 and the priority order set for each of the plurality of different avoidance methods.

The avoidance information determination unit 122 may also extract, from the plurality of avoidance information candidates, the avoidance information candidate whose evaluation result satisfies a predetermined standard and has the highest priority as a secondary candidate, and may further determine, from the avoidance information candidates extracted as the secondary candidates, one of the avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information based on the evaluation result of the appropriateness evaluation unit 121.

When the avoidance information determination unit 122 determines avoidance information, the output processing unit 117 outputs the travel route information and control information for the reserved travel route corresponding to the avoidance information to the automated transport device 3. When AGV1 and AGV2 acquire the travel route information and control information, they each begin traveling along the reserved travel route that has been set. The control unit 11 sequentially sets the travel route information and control information corresponding to the reserved travel route, allowing each automated transport device 3 to continue traveling.

[Transportation process]
18 and 19, the transportation process executed in the transportation system 10 will be described. Specifically, in this embodiment, the transportation process is executed by the control unit 11 of the fleet management server 1. The control unit 11 can also execute multiple transportation processes in parallel in response to multiple transportation requests output from the order management server 2.

The present invention can be understood as a transport method that executes one or more steps included in the transport process. One or more steps included in the transport process described here may be omitted as appropriate. The steps in the transport process may be executed in a different order as long as the same effects are achieved. While the example described here is one in which the control unit 11 executes each step in the transport process, another possible embodiment is a transport method in which one or more processors execute each step in the transport process in a distributed manner.

First, in step S1, the control unit 11 determines whether a delivery request has been received from the order management server 2. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether order information D2 (see Figure 5) has been received from the order management server 2. When the control unit 11 receives order information D2, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the control unit 11 generates set order information D3 (see Figure 6). Specifically, the control unit 11 generates set order information D3 based on order information D2 (see Figure 5) and product information D1 (see Figure 4).

Next, in step S3, the control unit 11 assigns the set order information D3 to one automatic transport device 3. Specifically, the control unit 11 acquires information in real time about the current position, traveling speed, traveling direction, traveling status (traveling or waiting), etc. of all automatic transport devices 3, and assigns the set order information D3 to one designated automatic transport device 3 based on the information. Here, the control unit 11 assigns the set order information D3 for "SET1" to AGV1.

Next, in step S4, the control unit 11 sets the overall driving route, which is the initial driving route of the AGV1.

First, the control unit 11 sets a travel start position P and a destination position I for the automated guided vehicle 3 (see Figure 8). Next, based on the reserved travel route (the passage from points C to B to E) set for the other AGVs 2, the control unit 11 prohibits AGV 1 from entering the section of the passage from points C to B to E from time t0 to t2. Next, the control unit 11 performs an operation simulation in parallel for all automated guided vehicles 3, and sets an overall travel route for AGV 1 to move from point P to point I so as to minimize the total transport time for all AGVs while prohibiting AGV 1 from entering the section of the passage from points C to B to E from time t0 to t2. Here, as shown in Figure 10, the control unit 11 sets the passage from points P to N to L to J to G to H to I as the overall travel route R10 for AGV 1.

Next, in step S5, the control unit 11 sets a section travel route. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines the length of the section travel route using any of the first to fifth determination methods described above, and sets a section travel route with the determined section travel route length. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 11 sets the section travel route R11 to the overall travel route R10 corresponding to AGV1 as a route (the passage from points P → N → L → J → G) with a length from the current position P to point G, four sections away (the section travel route length "4"). Furthermore, the control unit 11 sets the section travel route R21 to the overall travel route R20 corresponding to AGV2 as a route (the passage from points C → B → E) with a length from the current position C to point E, two sections away (the section travel route length "2").

Next, in step S6, the control unit 11 sets the set section driving route as the reserved driving route. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 11 sets the section driving route R11 from points P → N → L → J → G corresponding to AGV1 as the reserved driving route, and sets the section driving route R21 from points C → B → E corresponding to AGV2 as the reserved driving route.

Next, in step S7, the control unit 11 sets control information that defines the operation of the automatic transport device 3 in association with the markers on the section travel route. For example, the control unit 11 sets high-speed control information for the reserved travel route of section travel route R11 corresponding to AGV1, and sets low-speed control information for the reserved travel route of section travel route R21 corresponding to AGV2.

Next, in step S8, the control unit 11 outputs the travel route information, including the overall travel route and the section travel routes, and the control information to the automated transport device 3. For example, the control unit 11 outputs the travel route information and the control information to each of AGV1 and AGV2.

Once AGV1 and AGV2 have acquired the travel route information and control information, they will begin traveling along the reserved travel route.

When the automated transport device 3 begins traveling along the reserved travel route, in step S9 (see Figure 19), the control unit 11 provisionally sets the next section travel route along which the automated transport device 3 will travel while the automated transport device 3 is traveling. For example, the control unit 11 provisionally sets the section travel route R12 from points G → H → I corresponding to AGV1 as the reserved travel route, and provisionally sets the section travel route R22 from points E → H → K corresponding to AGV2 as the reserved travel route.

Next, in step S10, the control unit 11 determines whether AGV1 intersects with AGV2 on the reserved travel route. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether AGV1 intersects with AGV2. If AGV1 intersects with AGV2 (S10: Yes), the process proceeds to step S11. If AGV1 does not intersect with AGV2 (S10: No), the process proceeds to step S101.

In step S101, the control unit 11 outputs the travel route information and control information corresponding to the provisionally set reserved travel route to the AGV 1. After step S101, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S11, the control unit 11 creates multiple avoidance information candidates for avoiding intersection between AGV1 and AGV2. For example, the control unit 11 creates avoidance information candidates for the first avoidance method (see FIG. 15), the second avoidance method (see FIG. 16), and the third avoidance method (see FIG. 17).

Next, in step S12, the control unit 11 evaluates the appropriateness of each of the multiple avoidance information candidates created by simulating the operation of all automatic transport devices 3. For example, the control unit 11 determines (evaluates) the total transport time of all automatic transport devices 3 for each of the multiple avoidance information candidates created by simulating the operation of all automatic transport devices 3.

Next, in step S13, the control unit 11 determines one of the multiple avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information based on the evaluation result (total transport time). Specifically, the control unit 11 determines one of the multiple avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information based on the evaluation result (total transport time) and the priorities set for each of the multiple avoidance methods.

Next, in step S14, the control unit 11 sets control information corresponding to the determined avoidance information.

Next, in step S15, the control unit 11 outputs the travel route information and the control information regarding the reserved travel route corresponding to the avoidance information to the automated transport device 3. Upon acquiring the travel route information and the control information, each of AGV1 and AGV2 begins traveling along the next reserved travel route.

Next, in step S16, the control unit 11 determines whether the automatic transport device 3 has arrived at the delivery location. If the automatic transport device 3 has arrived at the delivery location (S16: Yes), the control unit 11 ends the transport process. The control unit 11 repeats steps S9 to S15 until the automatic transport device 3 arrives at the delivery location (S16: No).

As described above, the conveying system 10 according to this embodiment receives a transport request for a transport object, and based on the received transport request, sets a section travel route of a predetermined length (variable length) that constitutes part of the travel route from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position, so that the section travel route of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel route set for the second automatic conveying device, which is another automatic conveying device. Furthermore, while the automatic conveying device is traveling along a section travel route, the conveying system 10 repeatedly executes a process of setting the next section travel route, with the end position of the section travel route as the start position of the next section travel route.

For example, if the overall travel route is a route in the order of points "1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9," the first section travel route is "1 → 2 → 3 → 4," the second section travel route is "4 → 5 → 6 → 7," and the third section travel route is "7 → 8 → 9," the conveyance system 10 sets a second section travel route at point "3" that continues from the end position "4" of the first section travel route. Note that because the start position of the second section travel route is the same as the end position of the first section travel route, the conveyance system 10 does not add point "4" and automatically adds the route "5 → 6 → 7." The conveyance system 10 repeatedly performs this process.

For example, when the AGV reaches point "3" on the first section travel route "1 → 2 → 3 → 4," the transport system 10 sets the second section travel route "4 → 5 → 6 → 7," but the AGV adds "5 → 6 → 7" through internal processing. Next, when the AGV reaches point "6" on the second section travel route "4 → 5 → 6 → 7," the transport system 10 sets the third section travel route "7 → 8 → 9," but the AGV adds "8 → 9" through internal processing. Furthermore, by dynamically adjusting (lengthening or shortening) the length of this additional section travel route depending on the simulated situation, stable travel control can be achieved even with a large number of vehicles.

The conveying system 10 according to this embodiment also receives a transport request for the transport object, and sets an overall travel route from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the storage location based on the received transport request. The conveying system 10 also determines the length of a section travel route based on information about a portion of the overall travel route that is within a predetermined determination length from the section start position, and sets a section travel route on the overall travel route from the section start position with the section travel route length. The conveying system 10 also sets the section travel route as a reserved travel route.

With the above configuration, it is possible to set reserved travel routes with longer distances and reserved travel routes with shorter distances based on the overall travel route. In this way, the length of the reserved travel route can be adjusted for each section of the overall travel route, making it possible to reduce loss of transport time over the entire course traveled by the automated transport device.

The conveying system 10 according to this embodiment also receives a request for transport of the object and, based on the received request, sets an overall travel route from the current position of the first automated conveying device to the storage location. The conveying system 10 also sets control information that defines the operation of the automated conveying device when traveling along the overall travel route. The conveying system 10 also determines whether the first automated conveying device will intersect with the second automated conveying device on the overall travel route, and, if it determines that the first automated conveying device will intersect with the second automated conveying device on the overall travel route, creates multiple avoidance information candidates that prevent the first and second automated conveying devices from intersecting. The conveying system 10 also evaluates the appropriateness of each of the multiple avoidance information candidates created by simulating the operation of all of the automated conveying devices, and, based on the evaluation results, selects one of the multiple avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information.

With the above configuration, multiple automated guided vehicles 3 are first assigned an overall travel route from the travel start position to the destination position, and each automated guided vehicle 3 begins traveling. Then, while the automated guided vehicles 3 are traveling, near-future intersections are predicted as they occur. The transport system 10 may also predict whether or not intersections between AGVs will occur using real-time position information, travel conditions, and other information for all AGVs. When an intersection is predicted, multiple avoidance information candidates are created, and operation simulations are performed for all automated guided vehicles 3 for each of the multiple avoidance information candidates, and a reserved travel route is reset to minimize the transport time. This allows for accurate prediction of intersections even when the destination position is far away. Furthermore, when an intersection is predicted, operation simulations are performed for all automated guided vehicles 3, and a reserved travel route is reset to minimize the transport time, thereby reducing the overall transport time lost for multiple automated guided vehicles.

As described above, the transport system 10 does not set a single route (overall driving route) in response to a transport request, but instead uses the overall AGV driving status based on the section driving routes in real time to predict whether or not intersections will occur, and dynamically generates non-overlapping driving routes. Furthermore, by dynamically setting section driving routes of variable length and generating and instructing high-speed, efficient section driving routes, the transport system 10 minimizes overall stoppage time due to intersections and achieves the shortest transport time.

Specifically, the transport system 10 divides the route into multiple section travel routes and instructs the AGVs to travel along each route at the appropriate timing. Furthermore, the transport system 10 uses the overall AGV travel status in real time, based on the shortest route, to predict whether or not intersections will occur, and dynamically generates non-overlapping travel routes. Furthermore, when an intersection occurs, the transport system 10 uses simulations to select the appropriate method for detouring, adjusting speed, or waiting to stop.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Operation management server 2: Order management server 3: Automatic transport device 4: Customer terminal 10: Transport system 11: Control unit 12: Memory unit 13: Operation display unit 14: Communication unit 111: Transport request reception unit 112: Overall travel route setting unit 113: Determination unit 114: Section travel route setting unit 115: Reserved travel route setting unit 116: Control information setting unit 117: Output processing unit 118: Overlap determination unit 119: Intersection determination unit 120: Avoidance information creation unit 121: Suitability evaluation unit 122: Avoidance information determination unit

Claims (17)

A conveyance system that sets a travel route for an automatic conveyance device and moves it to a destination position,
a movement request receiving unit that receives a movement request for the automatic transport device;
a section travel path setting unit that sets a section travel path of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel path from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel path of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel path set for another second automatic conveying device;
a section travel route length determination unit that determines the length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
a reserved travel route setting unit that sets the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit as a reserved travel route;
Equipped with
the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
Positions of specific intersections at which a plurality of the automated guided vehicles are likely to intersect are registered in advance among a plurality of intersections at which a plurality of paths intersect,
the section travel route length determination unit sets a first length as the length of the section travel route when the specific intersection does not exist within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the length of the section travel route when the specific intersection exists within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route.
Conveying system. A conveyance system that sets a travel route for an automatic conveyance device and moves it to a destination position,
a movement request receiving unit that receives a movement request for the automatic transport device;
a section travel path setting unit that sets a section travel path of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel path from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel path of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel path set for another second automatic conveying device;
a section travel route length determination unit that determines the length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
a reserved travel route setting unit that sets the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit as a reserved travel route;
Equipped with
the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
a high-speed travel path for the automatic transport device to travel at high speed and a low-speed travel path for the automatic transport device to travel at low speed are registered in advance;
the section travel route length determination unit sets a first length as the length of the section travel route when the low-speed travel passage is not included within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the length of the section travel route when the low-speed travel passage is included within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route.
Conveying system. A conveyance system that sets a travel route for an automatic conveyance device and moves it to a destination position,
a movement request receiving unit that receives a movement request for the automatic transport device;
a section travel path setting unit that sets a section travel path of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel path from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel path of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel path set for another second automatic conveying device;
a section travel route length determination unit that determines the length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
a reserved travel route setting unit that sets the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit as a reserved travel route;
Equipped with
the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
a high-speed travel area where the automatic transport device is to travel at high speed and a low-speed travel area where the automatic transport device is to travel at low speed are registered in advance;
the section travel route length determination unit sets a first length as the length of the section travel route when a portion from a start position of the section travel route within the determined length is not included in the low-speed travel area, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the length of the section travel route when a portion from a start position of the section travel route within the determined length is included in the low-speed travel area.
Conveying system. A conveyance system that sets a travel route for an automatic conveyance device and moves it to a destination position,
a movement request receiving unit that receives a movement request for the automatic transport device;
a section travel path setting unit that sets a section travel path of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel path from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel path of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel path set for another second automatic conveying device;
a section travel route length determination unit that determines the length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
a reserved travel route setting unit that sets the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit as a reserved travel route;
Equipped with
the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
the section travel route length determination unit sets a first length as the length of the section travel route when no right or left turn point exists within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route, and sets a second length shorter than the first length as the length of the section travel route when the right or left turn point exists within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route.
Conveying system. A conveyance system that sets a travel route for an automatic conveyance device and moves it to a destination position,
a movement request receiving unit that receives a movement request for the automatic transport device;
a section travel path setting unit that sets a section travel path of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel path from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel path of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel path set for another second automatic conveying device;
a section travel route length determination unit that determines the length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
a reserved travel route setting unit that sets the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit as a reserved travel route;
Equipped with
the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
The section travel route length determination unit
determining a high-density area where the probability of an intersection occurring is higher than a threshold based on the current positions of all of the automatic guided vehicles;
When a portion of the section traveling route within the determination length from the start position is not included in the high-density area, a first length is set as the length of the section traveling route, and when a portion of the section traveling route within the determination length from the start position is included in the high-density area, a second length shorter than the first length is set as the length of the section traveling route.
Conveying system. a control information setting unit that sets control information that defines an operation of the first automatic transport device in association with a marker on the section travel route;
an output processing unit that outputs travel route information including the travel route and the section travel route, and the control information to the first automatic transport device;
The transport system according to claim 1 , further comprising: A conveyance system that sets a travel route for an automatic conveyance device and moves it to a destination position,
a movement request receiving unit that receives a movement request for the automatic transport device;
a section travel path setting unit that sets a section travel path of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel path from the current position of the first automatic conveying device to the destination position based on the movement request received by the movement request receiving unit, so that the section travel path of the first automatic conveying device does not overlap with the section travel path set for another second automatic conveying device;
a section travel route length determination unit that determines the length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
a reserved travel route setting unit that sets the section travel route set by the section travel route setting unit as a reserved travel route;
a control information setting unit that sets control information that defines an operation of the first automatic transport device in association with a marker on the section travel route;
an output processing unit that outputs travel route information including the travel route and the section travel route, and the control information to the first automatic transport device;
Equipped with
the section travel route setting unit repeatedly executes a process of setting the second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
the control information setting unit sets information of a first speed in association with the marker on the section traveling route set by the section traveling route setting unit when the section traveling route length is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference length, and sets information of a second speed smaller than the first speed in association with the marker on the section traveling route set by the section traveling route setting unit when the section traveling route length is less than the predetermined reference length.
Conveying system. a control information setting unit that sets control information that defines the operation of the automatic transport device when it travels along the travel route;
an intersection determination unit that determines whether the first automatic transfer device intersects with the second automatic transfer device on the travel path;
an avoidance information creation unit that creates a plurality of avoidance information candidates for avoiding intersection between the first automatic guided vehicle and the second automatic guided vehicle when the intersection determination unit determines that the first automatic guided vehicle will intersect with the second automatic guided vehicle on the travel route;
an appropriateness evaluation unit that evaluates the appropriateness of each of the plurality of avoidance information candidates created by the avoidance information creation unit through operation simulations of all of the automatic transport devices;
an avoidance information determination unit that determines one of the plurality of avoidance information candidates as avoidance information based on an evaluation result of the appropriateness evaluation unit;
The transport system according to claim 1 , further comprising: the appropriateness evaluation unit determines whether or not intersection avoidance has been achieved for each of the plurality of avoidance information candidates created by the avoidance information creation unit through an operation simulation of all of the automatic guided vehicles.
The transport system according to claim 8 . the appropriateness evaluation unit determines a total of transportation times of all of the automatic transport devices for each of the plurality of avoidance information candidates created by the avoidance information creation unit through an operation simulation of all of the automatic transport devices.
The transport system according to claim 8 or claim 9 . the plurality of avoidance information candidates include avoidance information candidates according to a plurality of different avoidance methods;
The transport system according to any one of claims 8 to 10 . the plurality of different avoidance methods include a first method of avoiding intersection by changing the control information set by the control information setting unit.
The transport system of claim 11 . the control information includes a travel speed of the automatic guided vehicle at each point on a travel route;
The first method is a method of avoiding intersections by changing the travel speed of the automated guided vehicle at each point on the travel route.
The transport system of claim 12 . the plurality of different avoidance methods include a second method of avoiding the intersection by changing the travel route;
The transport system according to any one of claims 11 to 13 . the plurality of different avoidance methods include a third method of stopping the automated guided vehicle at a predetermined position on the travel path.
The transport system according to any one of claims 11 to 14 . the plurality of different avoidance methods are each assigned a priority;
the avoidance information determination unit determines one avoidance information candidate from the plurality of avoidance information candidates as the avoidance information based on the evaluation result of the appropriateness evaluation unit and the priorities set for each of the plurality of different avoidance methods.
The transport system according to any one of claims 11 to 15 . A transport method for setting a travel route for an automatic transport device and moving it to a destination position,
one or more processors,
receiving a movement request for the automatic transport device;
setting a section travel route of a predetermined length that constitutes a part of a travel route from the current position of the first automatic transporting device to the destination position based on the movement request, so that the section travel route of the first automatic transporting device does not overlap with the section travel route set for another second automatic transporting device;
determining a length of the section travel route based on information about a portion within a predetermined determination length from the start point of the section travel route;
setting the set section travel route as a reserved travel route;
repeatedly executing a process of setting a second section travel route by setting an end position of the first section travel route as a start position of a next second section travel route while the automatic conveying device is traveling along the first section travel route;
When the positions of specific intersections at which a plurality of the automated guided vehicles are likely to intersect among a plurality of intersections at which a plurality of paths intersect are registered in advance, if the specific intersection does not exist within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route, a first length is set as the length of the section travel route, and if the specific intersection does exist within the determined length from the start position of the section travel route, a second length shorter than the first length is set as the length of the section travel route;
A conveyance method that carries out the above.