JPS5962917A - Introduction method of unattended car - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To change easily the running path and equipment on ground, by installing a recursive reflecting mirror to a low position such as floor and utilizing this reflecting light to introduce the unattended car. CONSTITUTION:Plural recursive reflecting mirror 1 are installed discretely on a line along a path running the unattended car 2 on the floor, by directing the mirror surface in the incoming direction of the car 2. Further, a scanner 3 of laser spot is mounted on the front part of the car 2. The optical spot reflecting light reflected from the recursive reflecting mirrors 1 is received with the scanning of the scanner 3. Based on the reflecting light, the position and azimuth information of the car 2 is obtained to attain introduction control such as operation, running and stop. Thus, the change in the running path and equipment on ground are attained easily.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] ``Mihachi'' relates to a guidance control method for running/stopping, steering, etc. of an automatic guided vehicle, and proposes a guidance control method that is particularly easy to install ground-side equipment, change the traveling route, etc. It is something.

1Iυ1 and 11-J automated guided vehicles, which run unmanned on factory floors without relying on rails, are being developed. As a conventional guidance method, the Tokupass wire method is known, in which electric wires are buried under the floor and information is obtained by imitating the electromagnetic waves caused by the current flowing through the wires. There were drawbacks such as difficulty in maintenance and inspection, difficulty in changing routes, and there was also the problem of malfunction due to the reinforcement under the floor.

The present invention was made in order to solve the problems of the conventional method, and the FT and mirrors are installed on the floor or on the wall, while a light spot such as a laser beam is used for photographing and transporting the vehicle. The system is equipped with a scanning device that captures the reflected light from the retroreflector and performs guidance control such as steering, running/stopping, etc. based on this, making it easier to install ground-side equipment, change travel routes, etc. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for guiding an automatic guided vehicle.

The method for guiding an automatic guided vehicle according to [Unreleased III] is to install a retroreflector 11 as a guide means on the ground side, and a light spot scanning device is installed on the camera/transport unit, and by scanning,
The spot reflected light reflected from the retroreflector is calculated by 4Iυ, and the position of the transport vehicle is determined by 1fγj and/or direction information based on the Rk reflected light.

The present invention will be specifically explained below based on drawings showing embodiments thereof.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view schematically showing a factory floor and an automatic guided vehicle 2 running on it. are installed fff in a straight line with mirror surfaces facing the direction in which the transport vehicle 2 arrives. The left and right drives Q'611 of the conveyance vehicle 2 are controlled to rotate in a precise manner, thereby controlling steering, turning, etc. A laser spot scanning device 3 is mounted on the 1rT section of the transport vehicle 2.

Figure 2 shows the scanning device i! 73 is schematically shown. The laser emitted from the laser generator 30 is projected onto the floor via a scanning total reflection mirror 31 and a half mirror 32, and the reflected light from the retroreflection mirror 1 is reflected by the nozzle 32 and sent to the light receiving element 33. This is so that the light is received. The total reflection mirror 31 is supported by a horizontal shaft 31a, and is rotated repeatedly in the vertical direction by a motor connected to this shaft to scan the laser beam in the vertical direction or to scan the laser spot in the far and near directions on the floor surface. I'm trying to get it to scan. The scanning range of the laser beam is made to include a plurality of reflection areas 1, and the center of the scanning is set at an angle of depression α from the horizontal. A rotary encoder 35 is attached to the horizontal shaft 31a, and outputs data regarding the rotational angular position of the total reflection mirror 31 or the scanning position of the laser spot in the near and far direction, and provides this to the arithmetic and control unit 40.

The motor 34 and the rotary encoder 35 are supported by a frame 39, and this frame is supported by a vertical shaft 31b inclined at an angle α from the vertical line toward the vehicle body +ifl. At 6, repeat 1 times in the left and right direction.
σ1 to cause the laser beam or laser spot to scan in the left and right direction. The scanning range of the laser beam is set so that it includes the reflecting mirror 1 and extends around the edges even if the moving vehicle 2 deviates from the traveling route defined by the position where the reflecting mirror 1 is disposed. The rotary encoder 37 is attached to the vertical axis 31bK (= J is cut, the rotation of the frame 39 is 11σ)
Output data regarding the angular position II° or the left-right scanning body 'f<r of the radar spot 1~, and calculate this 11j
The control device 4o is provided with the following information.

A half mirror 362 is provided in the pass range of the laser beam scanned as described above, and is arranged to reflect the reflected light from the reflecting mirror 1 to the light receiving element 33. The arithmetic and control unit 40 is also provided with the output of the light receiving element 33. As will be described later, the arithmetic and control unit 401 processes data 1 regarding the position of the transport vehicle 2 based on signals from the rotary encoder 35, 37 and the light receiving element 33, while the motors 34 and 36 are synchronized. <TMl control is also performed so that the left-right direction is the main scanning direction and the front-rear direction is the sub-scanning direction, so that the data processing 441 can be performed simply. Laser beam scanning by total reflection mirror 31 etc.*
1 sharp tc reciprocation 11i1J (oscillation) Regardless of the method of rotation (scanning laser spot only goes in one direction)
411i1J) method may also be used.

Next, the content of calculations by the calculation and control unit 40 will be explained.

(1) Detection of travel route and azimuth deviation (a) J-ray mirror 1. ■When the travel path is parallel to the one defined by...Figure 3, the arithmetic and control unit 1'j40 is a rotary encoder;
3 reads each time it captures reflected light. A plurality of reflecting mirrors 1a, l
b, angle θ3 at which reflected light from lc is obtained. θb, θ0
is equal to JJ, I, which does not deviate from the prescribed travel route (scanning m1).

Center line of the enclosure I! If o is the reference angle of 0°, θ3=
θb−θ. However, if there is a deviation as shown in FIG. ) and the left/right direction (positive/negative sign of the angle), and the soft square is configured to perform steering control based on the information, for example, so that the angle is θa-06.

(B) When the azimuth (progressing direction) is off even though it is on the prescribed path...Figure 4 In this case, the angles θa and θb at which the reflected light is obtained from each of the reflecting mirrors 1a, lb, and lc , θ. are equal and do not become Oo.

The arithmetic unit a+device 40 detects the direction deviation and performs steering control.

(2) Correction of travel distance 1*L integrated value In such a guided vehicle, information on the travel path N is obtained from the output of a pulse generator installed in the travel system, and based on this, the stop position and the revolving body 1m can be determined. The arithmetic and control unit 1'q40 is equipped with an odometer 4'?fk to ensure that the operation is carried out. However, it is necessary to prevent the cumulative error of the mileage C from occurring. A correction value is calculated at any time, and the correction value is added to or subtracted from the travel distance data obtained from the travel system to obtain a uniform travel distance.

Obtaining this correction value involves i'1 backward scanning. That is, the output of the rotary encoder 35 is read into the arithmetic and control unit 40 each time the light receiving element 33 captures reflected light.As shown in FIG. Assuming that the angle between the reflected light obtained from the reflecting mirror 1d and the horizontal line is δ1, calculate;
The reflected light angle θ2 at the time of walking tJ distance m (true value) is predicted and calculated as follows.

However, 11: Height of the total reflection canyon 31 from the floor From this, it is determined that the travel distance 1111 information from the travel system indicates that the distance traveled is 1 weight m.
77, the angle θ' is read. If the step from the reflective bell 1d at this time is X≦, then Xz=-□. X, -m=X2, insufficient running) When il is set to δ111, the correction value per unit running distance nr is as follows. Therefore, by multiplying the distance Kf of the odometer by iC(1+-), the traveling position Iρ can be specified accurately.

In the embodiment described above, the retroreflector was installed on the floor, but it is of course possible to install it on the ceiling. Similar guidance can be achieved by installing a retroreflector on a wall extending from a straight line to be defined as the detoured travel route and scanning the mirror with a light spot.

As mentioned above, in the case of unreleased #I, the installation of the ground side equipment 411 and construction work for changing the route are extremely easy and inexpensive, and moreover, The present invention has excellent effects such as information being obtained in just 11 seconds and maintenance being simple.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevational view schematically showing the state of implementation of the present invention;
The figure is a schematic diagram showing an optical scanning system, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are explanatory diagrams of the contents of data processing. 1...Retroreflector 2...Carrier 3...Scanning device Applicant Tsubaki Chain Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney Noboru Kono / Land 1 flash? East 41'7J

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In the method of guiding the movement of an automated guided vehicle, 11 retroreflectors are installed as guide means on the ground side, and a light spot scanning device is installed on the guided vehicle, and by scanning, the light spot can be detected from the retroreflector. Capturing the reflected light spot,
Particularly, the position and/or orientation information of the conveyance vehicle is obtained based on the reflected light. Jk, how to guide a guided vehicle.