JPH0431126B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention controls operation instructions such as stopping, passing, and transfer operations of an unmanned vehicle that runs on its own along a guide line laid on a running road surface. The present invention relates to a method of controlling operation, and particularly to an improvement in a method of arranging mark plates for operation instructions at operation instruction points arranged at key points on a driving road surface.

[Prior art] The traveling attitude of an unmanned vehicle is controlled by guide lines laid on the running road surface, and operation instruction points are placed at strategic points along the running road surface, and the unmanned vehicle is notified when it reaches the operation instruction point. BACKGROUND ART A driving system for an unmanned vehicle that provides operational instructions such as passing, changing gears, stopping, and transferring operations is well known. In this case, the unmanned vehicle has (1) a pick-up device that cooperates with the guide line, (2) a drive mechanism consisting of steering wheels, drive wheels, a drive motor, a brake device, etc., and (3) a mark plate that forms the operation instruction point. It is equipped with a plate detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of a plate, and (4) an operation instruction point detection device that performs operation instruction control according to a mark plate detection signal from this plate detection sensor. In such conventional unmanned vehicle driving systems, mark plates forming operation instruction points are usually made of a plurality of rectangular iron plates arranged in multiple rows, for example, two in each row, in the direction of travel of the unmanned vehicle. One mark plate pattern is formed by placing the mark plates at appropriate combination positions, and the operation instruction contents corresponding to this mark plate pattern are registered in advance in the memory means of the operation instruction point detection device. A system has been adopted in which the operation of unmanned vehicles is controlled by reading out the operation instruction contents corresponding to the mark plate pattern detected from the plate detection sensor at each operation instruction point.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an unmanned vehicle and two operation instruction points placed on a traveling road surface in an unmanned vehicle driving system using the conventional unmanned vehicle operation control method described above. In this case, the plurality of plate detection sensors provided in the unmanned vehicle 1 are configured to detect the presence or absence of a plate at all array positions of the mark plate m at each operation instruction point M1, M2. The sensors have an equal number of sensors, and are arranged on the underside of the unmanned vehicle 1 so that each sensor can detect the presence or absence of the corresponding mark plate m. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 3, six plate detection sensors S1 to S6 are provided in the unmanned vehicle 1. On the other hand, the total number of arrangement positions for each of the two operation instruction points M1 and M2 is six, and by arranging mark plates m at three of these positions, each forms an individual mark plate pattern. Then, during the traveling process of the unmanned vehicle 1, the plate detection sensors S1 to S
6 detects the mark plate m at each operation instruction point M1, M2, the mark plate m is placed at a certain pitch interval P in the traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle 1 to prevent false detection such as double detection. Each column is arranged. Moreover, when the unmanned vehicle 1 reaches the intermediate position between the two operation instruction points M1 and M2, the plate detection sensors S1 to S1 of the unmanned vehicle 1
S6 detects a mark plate pattern that combines a part of the mark plate m of the preceding operation instruction point M1 and a part of the mark plate m of the subsequent operation instruction point M2, and determines that the operation instruction point is not a regular operation instruction point. In order to avoid receiving operation instructions by mistake, please follow the instructions as shown in the diagram.
Front row mark plate position at front stage operation instruction point M1 and rear stage operation instruction point M2
A distance of at least 2P+α (α is the detection width length of each plate detection sensor as seen in the running direction) is maintained between the position of the mark plate in the last row and the mark plate pattern is not read between the two points. was.

[Problems to be solved]

However, on a road surface, it may be necessary to give different operating instructions to the unmanned vehicle at two or several positions that are very close to each other. For example, when transferring workpieces to and from a transfer station using an unmanned vehicle, as multiple transfer stations approach each other, the operation instruction points for each transfer station must also be moved closer together. In such cases, the conventional operation control method, which sets a separation distance of at least 2P+α, cannot be applied. That is, there is a disadvantage that it is impossible to give many driving instructions to the unmanned vehicle 1 in a short section.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling the operation of an unmanned vehicle that can eliminate such disadvantages.

[Solution]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, the present invention provides a method for controlling the operation of an unmanned vehicle, in which operation instructions are given to an unmanned vehicle, which is self-propelled along a guide line laid on a traveling road surface, at important points along the traveling road. Mark plates of a certain number or less are arranged at key points in a certain number of array positions to form operation instruction points, and the unmanned vehicle is provided with the same number of plate detection sensors corresponding to each of the fixed number of array positions. provided, and when at least two operation instruction points are adjacent to each other, the preceding and following operation instruction points share a part of the arrangement position of the mark plate with each other, and the adjacent operation instruction points are partially overlapped with each other. The system is designed to give many driving instructions to an unmanned vehicle in as short a section as possible along the road surface. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention in which each operation instruction point has 3 rows and 6 mark plate arrangement positions, and two operation instruction points P1 and P2 have 2
FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an example of an operation control method in which mark plate arrangement positions of columns are shared.

In FIG. 1, the unmanned vehicle 10 includes six plate detection sensors S1 to S6, a microcomputer 14 to which plate presence/absence detection outputs from these plate detection sensors S1 to S6 are input via an interface 12, and a microcomputer 14 (not shown). The vehicle is equipped with a drive mechanism for traveling without a vehicle, a pick-up device (not shown) that cooperates with the guide line U laid on the traveling road surface, etc.
For example, it is possible to run in the direction of arrow A or in the opposite direction. The microcomputer 14 includes an interface 12, a ROM memory in which operation instructions corresponding to each of the mark plate patterns are registered in advance, and a RAM memory that stores outputs to the plate detection sensors S1 to S6. and each operation instruction point P1, P2 based on the registered contents of the memory means 16.
It is equipped with a CPU 18 that judges operation instructions such as
Based on the determined operation instructions, the operation of the travel drive mechanism and other transfer means is controlled.

On the other hand, two operation instruction points P1 and P2 are provided adjacent to each other on the running road surface, and at the front and rear operation instruction point P1 when viewed in the running direction of the unmanned vehicle 10, three plates, namely mark plates m1, m2, and m3, are provided. The mark plate patterns (m1, m2, m3) are formed by arranging the marks one by one at the arrangement position of each column. In addition, at the operation instruction point P2 in the latter stage, 3 of the mark plates m2, m3, and m4 are
mark plate pattern (m2, m3, m
4). Therefore, both operation instruction points P
1 and P2 share mark plates m2 and m3 arranged in two rows of mark plate arrangement positions to form respective mark plate patterns.

Operation instruction points P1, P with the above-mentioned configuration
2, when the unmanned vehicle 10 travels in the direction of arrow A and first reaches the operation instruction point P1 in the previous stage, the three plate detection sensors S1, S3, and S6 detect the mark plates m1, m2, and m3. "Yes" is detected and stored in the memory means 16 of the microcomputer 14 via the interface 12, and this mark plate pattern (m1, m
2, m3), the CPU 18 similarly reads the operation instruction contents from the contents previously registered in the memory means 16 and outputs an operation instruction signal.

Next, the unmanned vehicle 1 moves and the plate detection sensors S1, S3, S6 detect the corresponding mark plates m1,
When moving away from m2 and m3, these sensors S1 and S
3. All outputs of S6 are turned off. Then, when the unmanned vehicle 1 reaches the rear operation instruction point P2, the plate detection sensors S1, S4, S5 detect the presence of mark plates m2, m3, m4, and interface the memory means 16 of the microcomputer 14. 12, store the detection results;
This mark plate pattern (m2, m3, m
4) The CPU 18 also reads the operation instruction contents from the contents previously registered in the memory means 16 and outputs the operation instruction signal.

In the above case, the mark plate pattern (m1, m2, m
3) When reading (m2, m3, m4), one or both of the rearmost sensors S1 and S2 of the plate detection sensors S1 to S6 detect the mark plate, and the frontmost sensor S
When the two conditions that one or both of 5 and S6 detect the mark plate are met, the CPU 18 reads the operation instruction contents under the condition that it is determined that the official operation instruction point has been reached. However, if the CPU 18 is operated according to the AND logic conditions in advance,
easily achieved.

As mentioned above, since the two adjacent operation instruction points P1 and P2 share the mark plate arranged at some mark plate arrangement positions, the distance P is only three pitches, that is, the distance 3P. Two separate operation instructions can be given to the unmanned vehicle 10 during this time.

Figure 2 also shows that at two adjacent operation instruction points P1', P2', at the previous operation instruction point P1', mark plates m1', m2', m
Mark plate pattern (m
1', m2', m3', m4'), and mark plates m3',
This is another embodiment of the present invention in which a mark plate pattern (m3', m4', m5', m6') is formed by m4', m5', and m6'.
Operation instruction points P in the front and rear rows of 3' and m4'
This is an example where 1' and P2' are shared with each other. Each time the unmanned vehicle 10 travels in the direction of the arrow and reaches each operation instruction point P1', P2', the plate detection sensors S1, S3, S5, S6 are in the front stage, and the plate detection sensors S1, S2, S4, S5 are in the front stage. At the latter stage, the presence of each mark plate is detected,
The point that the microcomputer 14 issues a signal indicating the contents of each operation instruction based on the detection result is the same as in the embodiment shown in FIG. In this case as well, when one or both of the plate detection sensors S1 and S2 in the last row detect a plate, and one or both of the plate detection sensors S5 and S6 in the front row detect a plate, the normal The conditions for determining that the operation instruction point has been reached are required in the same way as in the previous embodiment. However, in this embodiment, a single row of mark plates m3',
In order to adopt a configuration in which m4' is shared by two operation instruction points, there are two
This is a longer distance than the case where two operation instruction contents are read during the distance 3P shown in FIG. 1. This latter embodiment may be adopted when it is more convenient in view of the arrangement of the operation instruction points.

In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the operation instruction point P
1' to the operation instruction point P2', for example, mark plates m2', m3',
The mark plate patterns (m2', m3', m4', m5') formed from m4' and m5' are also detected by plate detection sensors S1, S3, S4, and S6 as if they were patterns at regular operation instruction points. Occur. Obviously, such a mark plate pattern (m2', m3', m4',
m5') is not a mark plate pattern at a regular operation instruction point. When such a situation is predicted, the mark plate patterns (m2', m3', m4', m5') should be registered in advance in the memory means 16 of the microcomputer 14 of the unmanned vehicle 10 as not being regular patterns. For example, there is no risk that operation instructions corresponding to such irregular mark plate patterns (m2', m3', m4', m5') will be outputted from the microcomputer 14.

The present invention has been described above based on the two embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. However, in the configuration of the above embodiment, two mark plate arrangement positions are provided in one row at each operation instruction point. It is also possible to increase the number of rows as needed, and it is also possible to change the configuration of three rows to two or four or more rows. Even in such a modification, it is possible to share the arrangement of some mark plates between adjacent operation instruction points and place them in a short section, so that different operation instructions can be given to the unmanned vehicle one after another. In addition, if three or more operation instruction points are installed in a row and some mark plates are shared between adjacent points from the front stage to the rear stage, three or more operation instructions can be continuously given to an unmanned vehicle. Needless to say. In addition, the plate detection sensor installed in the unmanned vehicle changes its arrangement according to the increase/decrease or change of the arrangement position of the mark plate, and each sensor always detects whether or not there is a mark plate at the corresponding one mark plate arrangement position. Needless to say, it will be changed so that it can be detected.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the arrangement and arrangement of mark plates are improved at the operation instruction points that are substantially arranged along the travel route, and when the points are adjacent to each other, some By sharing mark plates, it is possible to give operation instructions to unmanned vehicles one after another over a short section of the traveling route, so for example, a transfer station can be installed secretly along the traveling route to transport and transfer workpieces by unmanned vehicles. It becomes possible to improve loading efficiency, etc. It is also possible to reduce the number of mark plates compared to conventional operation control methods. Another major feature of the unmanned vehicle is that the present invention is achieved without any hardware changes.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the unmanned vehicle operation control method according to the present invention along a traveling route;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view along a travel route for explaining a conventional operation control method. 10...Unmanned car, 14...Microcomputer,
P1, P2...Operation instruction point, m1 to m4, m
1' to m6'...Mark plate, S1 to S6...Plate detection sensor, U...Guiding wire.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A method for controlling the operation of an unmanned vehicle in which operation instructions are given to an unmanned vehicle that is self-propelled along a guide line laid on a traveling road surface at key points along the route, wherein The unmanned vehicle is provided with the same number of plate detection sensors corresponding to each of the predetermined number of arrangement positions, and at least two mark plates are arranged at array positions to form operation instruction points. A method for controlling the operation of an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that when two operation instruction points are adjacent to each other, the front and rear operation instruction points share a part of the arrangement position of the mark plate with each other. 2. According to claim 1, each of the operation instruction points is such that at least one mark plate is arranged at each of the front row and the rear row array positions as viewed in the direction of travel of the unmanned vehicle. A method for controlling the operation of unmanned vehicles.