JPH04360207A - Storage medium for guiding moving vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a storage medium whose burying work can easily be executed and positional correction in a transmitting/receiving coil can simply be executed. CONSTITUTION:The storage medium is provided with a storing means 11 arranged correspondingly to the traveling route of a moving vehicle, a communication means 12 for transmitting/receiving information to/from a moving vehicle and a jacket case 14 for storing respective means 11, 12. In said storage medium, the outer shape of the case 14 is constituted as a cylindrical shape. The transmitting/receiving coil 12a constituting the means 12 is arranged on a position parallel with the circular surface 14a of the case 14 and eccentric from the center of the surface 14a.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a storage means installed in correspondence with the travel route of a moving vehicle and for storing travel control information of the moving vehicle, and for transmitting and receiving information between the moving vehicle and the moving vehicle. The present invention relates to a storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle, which is comprised of a communication means and an exterior case that houses the communication means.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Such a storage medium is used to appropriately provide travel control information to a moving vehicle that travels unmanned along a predetermined travel route. For example, when a moving vehicle follows a guide line, stop information such as the distance to a stop position is stored as travel control information in a storage medium installed in front of a station. Further, branch information such as a branch destination address is stored as travel control information in a storage medium installed before the branch point. The moving vehicle performs close proximity wireless communication with the storage medium using electromagnetic induction, and reads out the travel control information.

[0003] Generally, the above-mentioned storage medium is used by being embedded in the road surface of a moving vehicle. In other words, the location where the storage medium is installed on the buried surface such as the driving road surface is cut to match the shape of the storage medium to form a recess, and the storage medium is fitted into the recess so that the surface of the storage medium and the buried surface are flush with each other. Process it accordingly.

[0004] Since conventional storage media have a rectangular shape, that is, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, there are the following problems in the above-mentioned installation work.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] That is, it is difficult to perform cutting to form a rectangular parallelepiped recess on the embedding surface to match the shape of the storage medium. In other words, in a cutting process in which a buried surface is dug with a tool having a rotating blade such as a drill, it is difficult to dig into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this case, after forming a larger recess and burying the storage medium, the gap is filled with resin or the like, but such work is time-consuming.

[0006] There is also the problem of positional accuracy in embedding the storage medium. When the moving vehicle comes above the storage medium burial location,
In order to perform accurate close proximity wireless communication with the storage medium,
It is necessary that the transmitting/receiving coil of the mobile vehicle and the transmitting/receiving coil of the storage medium face each other with as little misalignment as possible. In particular, the degree of electromagnetic coupling between the two coils, that is, the positional relationship, is important in order to perform communication with weak transmission power in order to suppress the power consumption of the storage medium and extend the battery life.

For example, in a system in which a moving vehicle follows a guide line, the distance from the guide line to the storage medium is determined so as to satisfy the above conditions. However, because the traveling trajectory of the moving vehicle deviates slightly from the guidance line, particularly at curved portions, the transmitting and receiving coil of the moving vehicle may not pass directly above the transmitting and receiving coil of the storage medium. In such a case, it would be convenient if the positional deviation between both coils could be corrected by a simple method.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a storage medium that is easy to bury and that allows for easy correction of the position of transmitting and receiving coils. There is a particular thing.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle of the present invention is provided with a storage means installed corresponding to the traveling route of the moving vehicle and for storing traveling control information of the moving vehicle, and a storage medium for guiding the moving vehicle. The device is equipped with a communication means for exchanging information between the two, and an outer case that houses them, and the first characteristic configuration is that the outer shape of the outer case is configured in a cylindrical shape. be.

[0010] A second characteristic configuration is that the transmitting/receiving coil constituting the communication means is provided parallel to the circular surface of the outer case, and the center of the transmitting/receiving coil and the center of the surface are eccentric. At the point.

[0011]

[Operation] According to the first characteristic structure, since the external shape of the outer case is cylindrical, it is easier to form a recess for embedding the storage medium on the embedding surface, compared to a case of a rectangular parallelepiped shape. be. For example, a circumferential cut groove is formed at a predetermined position on the buried surface using a drill with a cylindrical rotating blade,
By cutting out the inside of the circumference, a cylindrical recess can be easily formed on the buried surface.

[0012] As is clear from the above, the cylindrical shape of the outer case outer shape referred to herein is not limited to a cylinder in the strict sense, but also includes cases where the outer circumferential surface is slightly tapered or stepped. It is. In addition, it generally has a shape similar to a disk, which is thinner than its diameter.

According to the second feature, by rotating the storage medium with the storage medium inserted into the cylindrical recess formed in the buried surface, the center position of the transmitting and receiving coil can be adjusted around the rotation axis. Moving. Therefore, for example, the distance from the guide line to the center of the transmitter/receiver coil changes.

[0014]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle can be easily installed by being buried in the road surface, etc., and the center position of the transmitter/receiver coil can be corrected by simply rotating it. We have now provided the following.

[0015]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. First, an outline of the entire transport facility using the storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle according to the present invention will be explained. As shown in the simplified plan layout diagram of FIG. 2, a guide line L is laid in a loop shape along the travel route of the moving vehicle A, and a plurality of guide lines L are laid out in a loop shape along the traveling route of the moving vehicle A. Stations ST are provided along the guide line L. This constitutes a transport facility that performs load transport work while automatically moving the mobile vehicle A between the stations ST.

[0016] There is an I
A storage medium T, also called a D tag, is buried in the road surface,
Each storage medium T stores travel control information such as the travel speed at a curve, an address after branching, an address after merging, and a distance to a stop position at station ST. As the moving vehicle A approaches the location where the storage medium T is installed, it performs close proximity wireless communication with the storage medium T through electromagnetic induction and reads its travel control information. Based on this information, driving controls such as turning, branching, merging, and stopping are performed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the moving vehicle A has a running wheel on the front side of the vehicle body that is driven for propulsion by a running motor 1 and also serves as a steering wheel, which is driven for steering by a steering motor 2. 3, and a pair of left and right driven wheels 4 are provided on the rear side of the vehicle body. A tracking sensor 5 for detecting the guide line L is provided in front of the running wheels 3. In addition, the guide line L
is installed on the magnetic tape running road surface, and the follow-up sensor 5 is composed of a magnetic sensor.

A communication device 6 is provided at the front right side of the vehicle body for communicating with the storage medium T buried in the road surface mentioned above. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the driving device 7 for the driving motor 1 and the steering motor 2 is controlled based on the driving control information read from the storage medium T via the communication device 6 and the detection information of the tracking sensor 5. A controller 8 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the storage medium T includes a storage means 11 for storing traveling control information, a communication means 12 for exchanging information with the moving vehicle A, and a power source battery 13. Equipped with The storage means 11 is made of a rewritable semiconductor memory, and can store various travel control information as described above.

[0020] This storage means 11 can be read and written from an external device via the communication means 12 without contact. For example, the procedure in which the mobile vehicle A communicates with the storage medium T using the communication device 6 and reads out stored information in the storage means 11 is as follows. The moving vehicle A transmits a response request signal to the storage medium T at regular intervals while traveling. On the other hand, the storage medium T is maintained in a state where it can receive this response request signal.

Therefore, when the moving vehicle A approaches the location where the storage medium T is installed and the transmitting/receiving coil 6a of the communication device 6 and the transmitting/receiving coil 12a of the communication means 12 are in a positional relationship that substantially opposes each other, the storage medium T is moved. It receives a response request signal from car A and returns a response. In this way, when communication is established between the mobile vehicle A and the storage medium T, the storage information of the storage medium T is read by the mobile vehicle A.

[0022]Writing of travel memory information to the storage medium T can also be performed from the mobile vehicle A in a non-contact manner in the same manner as described above. However, any information can also be written to the storage medium T using a portable dedicated terminal (not shown) having the same functions as the communication device 6 of the mobile vehicle A. Further, the storage means 11 is composed of a CMOS-RAM, and the stored information is held by a battery 13. The communication means 12 is also C
It is configured with MOS-IC to save power.

As described above, once the storage medium T is buried in the running road surface, maintenance such as battery replacement is not required for a long period of time, and the running pattern of the mobile vehicle A can be changed simply by rewriting the stored information from the outside without contact. This allows for easy adaptation to changes.

As shown in the internal structure diagram of FIG.
A circuit board unit 12b on which the transmitting/receiving coil 12a, the circuit components of the communication means 12, and the storage means 11 are mounted.
, and a battery 13 are housed therein. When embedding the storage medium T in the running road surface of the moving vehicle A, the outer case 1 is buried in the running road surface.
A cylindrical recess corresponding to the outer shape of 4 is formed, and the storage medium T is fitted into the recess. Then, the circular surface 14a of the exterior case 14 is made flush with the running road surface.

The transmitter/receiver coil 12a is a circular loop coil wound spirally, and is attached to the surface 1 of the outer case 14.
4a. And the center is Figure 1
As shown in FIG. 2, it is provided at a position offset by a distance d from the center of the surface 14a of the exterior case 14. Therefore, when the storage medium T is rotated with the storage medium T fitted in the recess, the center position of the transmitting/receiving coil 12a moves on the circumference of the radius d centered on the center of the outer case surface 14a.

Therefore, by rotating the storage medium T as described above, the transmitting/receiving coil 12a is removed from the guiding line L.
The distance to the center position can be corrected within a range of ±d. This position correction is performed by actually driving the mobile vehicle A when burying the storage medium T, so that the transmitting/receiving coil 6a of the mobile vehicle A is positioned directly above and opposite to the transmitting/receiving coil 12a of the storage medium T as much as possible. It is something. the result,
Communication is now possible with weak transmission power, which contributes to power saving and also prevents mutual interference from occurring when a plurality of storage media T are installed close to each other.

Other embodiments will be listed below. (2) The outer shape of the storage medium storage case does not have to be strictly cylindrical, but may have a tapered outer circumferential surface or a step (step) as shown in FIG. A collar portion) may be formed. In short, if the surface is disc-shaped, a cylindrical embedding recess can be easily formed in accordance with the embedding surface, and the storage medium can be rotated. Alternatively, the storage means, communication means, battery, etc. may be integrally molded with resin to form a cylindrical outer shape.

■ The storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle of the present invention is:
It can be used not only for guiding moving vehicles that follow a guiding line such as branching or stopping as in the above embodiment, but also for guiding moving vehicles that autonomously travel between storage media without a guiding line. It may be something that can be done.

■ Correcting the center position of the transmitter/receiver coil by rotating the storage medium is not limited to correcting the distance from the guide line, that is, correcting the positional deviation in the lateral direction with respect to the moving vehicle, but also correcting the center position of the transmitting/receiving coil by rotating the storage medium. It can also be used to correct misalignment.

[0030] The location where the storage medium is buried is not limited to the road surface, but may also be buried in a vertical surface such as the side of a station. In this case, close proximity wireless communication is performed with a communication device attached to the side of the moving vehicle, and by rotating the storage medium, vertical positional deviation between the transmitting and receiving coils can be corrected.

[0031] Note that although reference numerals are written in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Planar layout diagram of conveyance equipment

[Figure 3] Plan view showing the schematic structure of the mobile vehicle

[Figure 4] Side view showing communication between a moving vehicle and a storage medium

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the shape of a storage medium for guiding a moving vehicle according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

11. Storage means 12 Communication means 12a Transmitting/receiving coil 14 Exterior case 14a Surface

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A storage means (1) installed corresponding to the travel route of the mobile vehicle and storing travel control information of the mobile vehicle.
1), a communication means (12) for exchanging information with the mobile vehicle, and an exterior case (14) for storing them, the storage medium for guiding a mobile vehicle, the storage medium comprising: 14) A storage medium for guiding a mobile vehicle having a cylindrical outer shape. 2. A transmitting/receiving coil (12a) constituting the communication means (12) is provided parallel to the circular surface (14a) of the outer case (14), and the center of the transmitting/receiving coil (12a) The storage medium for guiding a mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the center of the surface (14a) and the center of the surface (14a) are eccentric.