JPH02232183A - Operation control equipment for work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an error of reading reference position information by a stain and/or external light of disturbance by providing in a reference member a plural number of sources of light positioned with a preset space respectively in longitudinal and lateral directions of a work vehicle and arranging a sensor reading a position of projection light of each source as the basic position information as viewed from a plane. CONSTITUTION:A reference member provides a plural number of light sources 4 positioned with a preset space respectively in longitudinal and lateral directions of a work vehicle A, and a position of projection light of the sources 4 is read as basic position information as viewed by a plane by a sensor 13. As a result, an influence of external light of disturbance can be prevented from being received. And, even and error of reading the basic position information is eliminated by a stain or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a work vehicle that automatically travels to a work station is provided with a work device, and at the station there is a A reference member is provided that displays reference position information of the reference member, and the work device is provided with a sensor that reads the display information of the reference member, and the work vehicle is configured to operate the work device based on the information read by the sensor. The present invention relates to operation control equipment for a working vehicle that is equipped with an actuation amount correction means that automatically corrects the amount.

[Conventional technology]

The operation control equipment for this type of work vehicle described above is provided with reference position information on the work equipment that is displayed by a reference member provided at the station even if the stopping position of the work vehicle at the station deviates from the reference position with respect to the work equipment. By reading the information with a sensor, the operating amount of the work equipment is automatically corrected so that the work can be performed appropriately.

Conventionally, for example, a cross-shaped mark that intersects each of the front and rear directions of the work vehicle and the width direction of the work vehicle is printed on the surface of the reference member, and the marks are read by an image sensor, etc., so that settings can be stored in advance. The direction and amount of deviation with respect to the reference are calculated based on the reading position of the marked mark, and the operating amount of the working device is automatically corrected based on the calculated direction and amount of deviation (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. (See Publication No. 60-258613).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional configuration, a cross-shaped mark printed on the surface of the reference member was displayed as the reference position information, so there was a risk of misreading the reference position information due to dirt etc. caused by use. .

In addition, since the conventional configuration is essentially a light reflective type, there is a risk of misreading the reference position information if the brightness at the time of reading differs depending on the lighting installed in the work environment. It is necessary to install a floodlight or the like to keep the light constant.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to prevent erroneous reading of reference position information due to disturbance light caused by dirt, illumination, etc.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the work vehicle operation control equipment according to the present invention, a work vehicle that automatically travels to a work station is provided with a work device, and the station displays reference position information of the work device with respect to the station in a plan view. A reference member is provided, the work device is provided with a sensor that reads display information of the reference member, and the work vehicle is provided with an actuation amount that automatically corrects the actuation amount of the work device based on the information read by the sensor. A correction means is provided, and its characteristic configuration is as follows.

That is, the reference member includes a plurality of light sources located at set intervals in each of the longitudinal direction of the working vehicle and the lateral direction of the working vehicle, and the sensor detects the projected light position of each of the plurality of light sources. The present invention is configured to be read as reference position information in plan view.

[For production]

The position of the projected light from multiple light sources located at set intervals in each of the front and rear directions of the work vehicle and the width direction of the work vehicle is read by a sensor as reference position information in plan view, so it is not affected by ambient light. You can do it like this. Further, there is no possibility that the reference position information will be read incorrectly due to dirt or the like.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As a result, there is no risk of misreading the reference position information due to dirt or ambient light, and the reference member can now be used stably for a long period of time.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a traveling guide (L) using light reflective tape with a set width is attached to a work vehicle (A) equipped with a load transfer manipulator (1) as a work device. A plurality of load transfer stations (ST) as work stations are installed on the lateral side of the travel guide (L).

In other words, the working vehicle (A) is connected to the traveling guide (L).
The steering is controlled based on the detection information of the steering control sensor (2) that detects deviation in the width direction of the vehicle body, and the vehicle automatically travels along the traveling guide (L) to the designated station (ST). The station (ST) is automatically stopped by the load transfer manipulator (1).
It is configured to automatically transfer the load (N) between the vehicle and the work vehicle (A).

However, the steering control sensor (2) is provided at each of the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, and controls the steering based on the detection information of the sensor located on the front side of the vehicle. It is now possible to automatically travel along L). Although not described in detail, a one-dimensional image sensor or the like is used as the steering control sensor (2).

Also, although not explained in detail, a load (N) transferred to a work vehicle (A) at one station (ST) is unloaded at another station (ST), or is transferred to a work vehicle (A) at one station (ST).
) is transferred to the work vehicle (A) again and transported to the next station (ST).

At the station (ST), when the work vehicle (A) stops at the designated station (ST),
In order to detect a deviation from a reference position of the manipulator (1) in plan view with respect to a preset station (ST) and automatically correct the amount of operation thereof, the reference position of the manipulator (1) with respect to the station (ST) is set. A reference member (3) for displaying position information is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the surface of the reference member (3) is painted black in order to eliminate the influence of ambient light such as lighting, and the reference member (3) is A light source (4) using four red LEDs is placed at a set interval in each of the . It is embedded from the back side so that it is projected upward. In the figure, (E) is a dry cell as a power source for the light source (4).

However, the work vehicle (A) is located at the proper stopping position at the station (ST) in the vehicle body longitudinal direction, vehicle body width direction,
And, when the maniplate (1) is stopped with no inclination in plan view and is operated with a preset and stored actuation amount, the center of gravity (X) of the four light sources (4)
, Y) is the center (xo, Y@) on the captured image of the image sensor (13), and a line connecting the two light sources (4) located in the vehicle longitudinal direction and vehicle body width direction is A state corresponding to each of the X-axis and y-axis on the captured image is defined as a reference position (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the work vehicle (A) is
It is equipped with a pair of left and right propulsion wheels (6) that can be driven and stopped individually by a pair of electric motors (5), and a pair of left and right idle wheels (7) provided at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, respectively. Based on the detection information of the direction control sensor (2), the pair of electric motors (5) are operated to change speeds so as to differentiate the rotational speeds of the pair of left and right propulsion wheels (6) to perform steering. It has become.

Also, a work vehicle (A) for each station (ST)
A stop mark (8) for indicating the stop position of the vehicle is provided on the traveling road side on the side of the travel guide (L), and the information on the stop mark (8) is provided on the work vehicle (A). A mark sensor (9) is provided to read the mark.

As shown in FIG. 1, various information such as the destination information of the work vehicle (A) and the operation command information of the work device (1) is exchanged between the station (ST) and the work vehicle (A). Optical communication device (10a), (10b) for communication
are provided in each of the work vehicle (A) and the station (ST). In addition, the communication device on the station side (
10b) is connected to a central control device (11) that manages the operation of the working vehicle (A), and is connected to a communication device (10) on the working vehicle side.
a) is for controlling the traveling of the working vehicle (A) and the operation of the load transfer manipulator (1);
It is connected to the work vehicle controller (l2) using a microcomputer installed in A).

To explain the load transfer manipulator (1),
It is configured in a so-called multi-joint type, and has a two-dimensional image sensor (3) at its tip as a reading sensor for reading display information of the load gripper (1a) and the reference member (3). is attached. still,
Although not described in detail, the manipulator (1) controls the operating amount of an electric motor provided at each joint based on detection information of an encoder that detects the operating amount and various control information stored in advance. Then, cargo transfer work will be carried out.

However, as will be described in detail later, the work vehicle controller (
12), based on the information read by the image sensor (13), that is, the light receiving position information of the four light sources (4), the amount of correction of the operating amount is determined, and the amount of correction determined is applied to the maniplate (1). controller (l4
), so that even if the work vehicle (A) deviates from the proper stopping position with respect to the station (ST), the load gripping tool (1a) can properly grip the load.

In other words, using the work vehicle controller (12),
an actuation amount correction means (100) that automatically corrects an actuation amount of the manipulator (1) as a working device based on information read by the image sensor (13) as a sensor for reading display information of the reference member (3); It will be configured.

Incidentally, as the two-dimensional image sensor (13), an ITV using COD is generally used. Therefore, the projection light from the reference member (3) is set to red so that the light receiving sensitivity of the two-dimensional image sensor (13) becomes high.

Next, the configuration of the operation amount correction means (100) will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging information of the image sensor (13) is input to the working vehicle controller (12), is binarized based on its brightness, and is converted into the four light sources (4). ) coordinates (Xt++Y
++) will be required.

Next, based on the determined coordinates (x++, Y++), the centers of gravity (X, Y) of the four light sources (4) and the inclination (θ) with respect to the X axis in plan view are determined from the following equations.

X+z The value of corresponds to the amount of deviation in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the value of the y-coordinate corresponds to the amount of deviation in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and the inclination (θ) with respect to the X axis corresponds to the inclination in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Become.

Then, based on the value of the center of gravity (X, Y) and the value of the inclination (θ), by correcting the amount of operation of each joint that is set and stored in advance, when the work vehicle (A) is stopped, Even if the posture deviates from the reference position with respect to the station (ST), the load gripping tool (1a) of the maniplate (1)
This allows the load to be gripped properly.

[Another example]

In the above embodiment, four red LEDs are used as the plurality of light sources.
Although the case where the light of one LED is used is shown as an example, the light of one LED may be divided into four using an optical system such as a reflecting mirror, or the light may be divided into four and projected using an optical fiber or the like. Further, as long as there are three or more light sources, it is possible to determine each of the vehicle body longitudinal direction, vehicle body width direction, and inclination, so any number may be used. Further, visible light or infrared light of a color other than red can be used as the projection light, and the specific configuration of the light source and the color of the projection light can be changed in various ways.

Further, the specific configuration of each part of the working device (1) and the working vehicle (A) necessary for implementing the present invention can be changed in various ways depending on the configuration of the equipment to which the present invention is applied.

Incidentally, although reference numerals are written in the claims section for convenient comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the operation control equipment for a working vehicle according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the control configuration, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of displacement detection, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reference member, and Fig. 4 5 is a schematic plan view of the work vehicle stopped at the station, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the same. (A)...Work L (ST)...Station, (1)...Working device, (3)...
... Reference member, (4) ... Light source, (13)
...Sensor (100) ...Operation 1 correction means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A work vehicle that automatically travels to a work station (ST) (
A) is provided with a working device (1), and the station (
ST) includes the station (ST) of the working device (1).
A reference member (3) that displays reference position information in plan view with respect to ST) is provided, and the work device (1) includes a sensor (13) that reads the display information of the reference member (3).
is provided, and the work vehicle (A) is provided with the sensor (13
) is an operation control equipment for a work vehicle, which is provided with an operation amount correction means (100) that automatically corrects the operation amount of the work device (1) based on read information of the reference member (3).
comprises a plurality of light sources (4) located at set intervals in each of the longitudinal direction of the working vehicle and the lateral direction of the working vehicle, and
The sensor (13) is an operation control equipment for a working vehicle configured to read the projection light position of each of the plurality of light sources (4) as reference position information in the planar view.