JPH0630809U - Automated guided vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] An object of the present invention is to provide a control device for an automated guided vehicle, which is capable of easily escaping and easily passing through the step even if it is caught at the step. When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is detected to be stopped in a state where a step area including a stepped portion 2a is detected by detecting the mark plates 3 and 4 by a sensor 5, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is detected. The control unit 6 controls the automatic guided vehicle 1 to execute the retry control of moving the vehicle backwards and moving it forward again so that the traveling speed is gradually increased every time the number of retries increases.
Is controlled.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a control device for an automated guided vehicle, and is particularly useful when applied to a case where a stepped portion is provided on the traveling path of the automated guided vehicle.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 An automated guided vehicle system has been proposed as a kind of logistics system in factories for the purpose of labor saving. The automatic guided vehicle in this type of system is configured to travel along a predetermined traveling path at a predetermined traveling speed based on route data indicating a traveling pattern stored in the control unit.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The traveling path of the automatic guided vehicle is not always flat as a whole, and often has a step portion in the middle thereof. Therefore, it may not be possible to pass through the step at the traveling speed initially set by the route data.

In this case, the speed of the automatic guided vehicle is increased so as to allow the vehicle to pass through the step, and the vehicle is moved forward again. However, the driving wheel slips or the driving force acts in the direction to escape the step. Otherwise, it may not be possible to drive any further.

On the other hand, the higher the traveling speed of the automatic guided vehicle, the greater the risk of collapse of the loaded cargo, and therefore the traveling speed cannot be increased indefinitely.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional art, and an object thereof is to provide a control device for an automatic guided vehicle that can escape and then easily pass through the step even if it is caught at the step.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The structure of the present invention to achieve the above object is a step detecting means for detecting that an automatic guided vehicle has entered a predetermined step area including a step on the traveling path of the automatic guided vehicle. While the step detecting means detects that the automatic guided vehicle has entered the stepped area, and when it is not detected that the automatic guided vehicle has passed through the stepped portion, the automatic guided vehicle is once retracted and is moved forward again, It is characterized by having a control unit for controlling the automatic guided vehicle so that the traveling speed is gradually increased each time the number of times of backward movement and forward movement is increased until it is detected that the vehicle has passed the stepped portion, and is repeated a predetermined number of times. And

[0008]

[Action]

 According to the present invention configured as described above, when it is detected that the automatic guided vehicle cannot enter and exit the step area, the vehicle is moved backward and then moved forward again to increase the number of repetitions of this operation. At the same time, it is gradually increased and repeated a predetermined number of times.

[0009]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, mark plates 3 and 4 indicating a step area are attached to the entrance and exit of the step 2a of the traveling path 2 of the automated guided vehicle 1. When detecting the mark plates 3 and 4, the sensor 5 sends a detection signal indicating this to the control unit 6. The control unit 6 controls the rotation speed and direction of the electric motor 7 for traveling so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels at a predetermined traveling speed based on the route data indicating the traveling pattern stored in the storage unit, and the drive wheels (Fig. The steering wheel (not shown) is steered by driving a steering motor (not shown) while controlling the rotation angle of the steering electric motor 8 along the traveling path 2.

Further, the control unit 6 carries out step overcoming control. The step-over control is a control in which, when a state in which the automated guided vehicle 1 cannot pass through the step portion 2a is detected, the vehicle guides the vehicle backward once and advances toward the step portion 2a again (hereinafter referred to as a retry). Moreover, each time the number of such backward and forward operations is gradually increased, the traveling speed of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is gradually increased and this operation is repeated a predetermined number of times.

The step area can be specified as an area from the detection of the mark plate 3 by the sensor 5 to the detection of the mark plate 4 by the entry of the automated guided vehicle 1. The unmanned guided vehicle 1 is located in the step area. Even if it exists, the driving speed is not increased, or the driven wheels are rotating but the driven wheels are stopped. Therefore, the driving wheels are stolen (the driving motor 7 is locked by being caught on the step 2a). It is possible to detect that the vehicle is in a state in which it is impossible to get over the stepped portion 2a due to the state) and the slip. For this reason, the present embodiment has encoders 9 and 10 that detect the rotation speed of the traveling motor 7 and the rotation speed of the driven wheels and send out respective detection signals to the control unit 6. The control unit 6 inputs the output signals of the encoders 9 and 10, and at the same time, when it is detected that the automated guided vehicle 1 is in the step area, the control section 6 executes the step overpass control, but not in the step area. In this case, it is determined that the traveling electric motor 7 is in a stalled state, and its rotation is stopped in order to prevent the traveling electric motor 7 from being burnt.

Further, the retry control is performed five times in this embodiment, and an error is displayed on the alarm 11 when the step 2a cannot be passed at the fifth time. At this time, the traveling speed of the automated guided vehicle 1 is increased by 0.25 km / h from the set value of the route data for the second time, and then 0.5 km / h and 1 km / h for the third time and thereafter, and the retry is performed. It is configured to do.

The running speed of the automated guided vehicle 1 must be the upper limit of whichever is the maximum speed or the running speed at which the load collapse occurs. Therefore, this upper limit value is set in the control unit 6 so that the traveling speed at the last retry (fifth time in this embodiment) does not exceed this upper limit value.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a control procedure at the time of control for overcoming a step in the control section 6. As shown in the figure, first, it is judged whether or not it is a step area (see judgment block 12). Specifically, when the sensor 5 detects the mark plate 3 but not the mark plate 4, it is determined to be a step area.

As a result, when it is determined that it is the step area, the slip state and the stall state of the driving wheels are determined (see determination blocks 13 and 14). As a result of these judgments, if none of the above is true, the normal traveling is performed according to the route data (see processing block 15), while if either of the states is performed, the back traveling is performed (see processing block 16). Car 1 is moved backward once.

Next, it is judged how many times the retry control is (refer to the judgment block 17), the first time the vehicle is advanced again at the speed set by the route data and the retries are executed, and the second time and thereafter are each 0.25 km. Retry by increasing the traveling speed in increments of / h, 0.5 km / h, 1 km / h (see processing blocks 18, 19, 20, 21). If the step portion 2a cannot be passed even in the fifth retry, an error stop is performed (see processing block 22).

[0018]

[Effect of device]

 As described in detail in connection with the embodiments above, the stepped area can be detected and retry control can be performed so that the stepped portion can be passed, so that the automatic guided vehicle is guaranteed to travel favorably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 unmanned guided vehicle 2 traveling path 2a stepped portion 3,4 mark plate 5 sensor 6 control unit

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A step detecting means for detecting that an automatic guided vehicle has entered a predetermined step area including a stepped portion on a traveling path of the automatic guided vehicle, and the step detection for detecting that the automatic guided vehicle has entered the stepped area. On the other hand, when it is not detected that the vehicle has passed through the step portion, the unmanned guided vehicle is moved backward and forward again, and the backward and forward movements are performed until it is detected that the vehicle passes the step portion. And a control unit for controlling the automatic guided vehicle such that the traveling speed is gradually increased every time the number of times increases and the predetermined number of times is repeated, and a control unit for the automatic guided vehicle.