JPS593767B2 - Automatic transport method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic transport system using an unmanned transport vehicle, and particularly to control when an unmanned transport vehicle automatically gets on and off an elevator device.

Conventionally, magnetic induction vehicles have generally been used as unmanned carriers.

When transporting luggage between multiple floors using this magnetically guided unmanned carrier, it is not possible to continuously lay a guide line into the elevator system, so it is necessary to install a guidance signal generator inside the elevator system. Furthermore, even if a guide wire is placed on the floor of the elevator equipment, the magnetic flux leaks to the iron plate on the floor and a sufficient signal cannot be obtained. There are technical problems such as the need to forcibly guide cars into the elevator system, resulting in a complicated and expensive system, and the disadvantage that the elevator system must also be dedicated. Additionally, when checking the opening and closing of elevator doors, an electromagnet, etc. was buried in the floor, and the excitation of the electromagnetic coil was controlled on and off by the door opening/closing signal, and the unmanned carrier was temporarily stopped. However, it also had drawbacks such as high construction costs and the trouble of changing the layout. The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and
To provide a simple and inexpensive automatic transport system capable of automatically and safely and reliably getting an unmanned transport vehicle into and out of an elevator device.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention uses an optically guided unmanned carrier as an unmanned carrier, uses a reflective guide band as the guide band, and uses a reflective guide band on the floor of the elevator car in correspondence with the reflective guide band. A reflective guiding band is installed on the surface,
A first reflective photoelectric switch that detects the presence or absence of the unmanned carrier vehicle is installed on the floor in front of the entrance of the elevator device, and a first reflective photoelectric switch that changes to a reflective state or a non-reflective state in conjunction with opening and closing of the door of the elevator device. a second reflective photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of the unmanned guided vehicle in the car of the elevator system; a second reflector that changes to a non-reflective state; fourth and fifth reflectors are provided on the outside and inside of the door; and a sixth reflector is provided on an inner wall of the car opposite to the door. a stop point on the floor of the car, and a third reflector corresponding to the first and second reflective photoelectric switches, and a third reflector corresponding to the first and second reflective photoelectric switches; a third reflective photoelectric switch corresponding to the body;
a fourth reflective photoelectric switch corresponding to the reflector; and a fifth reflective photoelectric switch corresponding to the fifth reflector; detects that the unmanned carrier has arrived in front of the entrance of the elevator system, and also detects the open/closed state of the door of the elevator system using the first reflector and the third reflective photoelectric switch. and when the door is closed, the automatic guided vehicle is temporarily stopped and processing is performed to open the door, and the fourth reflective photoelectric switch does not detect the fourth reflector. After confirming that the door is open, the unmanned carrier vehicle is run into the car, and when the door is open, the fourth reactive photoelectric switch does not detect the fourth reflector. After confirming that the door is open, the unmanned guided vehicle is driven into the cage, and when the unmanned guided vehicle detects the stopping point within the cage, the unmanned guided vehicle is opened. The traveling direction is automatically switched from forward traveling to backward traveling, and the second
The reflective photoelectric switch and the third reflector detect that the unmanned guided vehicle is placed in the car and close the door, and the second reflector and the third reflector The photoelectric switch detects that the door is closed and performs processing to temporarily stop the unmanned guided vehicle. However, when the unmanned guided vehicle does not actually stop, the fourth reflective photoelectric switch detects that the sixth door is closed. detects the reflector of the driverless vehicle, stops the driverless vehicle, confirms that the door is closed by the fifth reflective photoelectric switch and the fifth reflector, and closes the door of the driverless vehicle. When boarding is completed, the elevator device is raised and lowered, and when the elevator device arrives at a predetermined floor where it should stop, the door is opened, and the second reflector and the third reflector indicate that the door has been opened. The present invention is characterized in that the automatic transport vehicle is detected by a photoelectric switch, releases the temporary stopped state of the unmanned transport vehicle, and causes the unmanned transport vehicle to travel backward from inside the cage to outside.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

First, the unmanned carrier used in the present invention and its traveling system will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the unmanned carrier. This unmanned transport vehicle 1 has a 6-wheel structure, with intermediate wheels 2a and 2b being 7 drive wheels, front wheels 2c,
2d and rear wheels 2e and 2f constitute steered wheels. The steering mechanisms 3a and 3b for the front wheels 2c and 2d and the rear wheels 2e and 2f are connected to a single steering shaft 5 via rack and pinion mechanisms 4a and 4b.
are connected. A gear 6 is attached to the steering shaft 5 , and a steering angle is transmitted to the gear 6 from a steering motor 7 via a gear 8 . That is, by rotating the steering shaft 5 with the steering motor 7, two identical steering angles in opposite directions can be given to the front wheels 2c, 2d and the rear wheels 2e, 2f. The running driving force of the intermediate wheels 2a, 2b is transmitted from a running motor 9 via a gearbox 10 and a running shaft 11. Further, light receiving element rows 12a and 12b each having a large number of light receiving elements arranged in a row horizontally are installed at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, and light sources each consisting of a fluorescent lamp are installed in parallel with the light receiving element rows 12a and 12b. 13a and 13b are installed. The unmanned carrier vehicle configured as described above is configured to move visually along the reflective guide strip laid on the travel route while detecting it.

The traveling control system will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. FIG. 2A shows the relationship between the light receiving element array 12a, the light source 13a, and the reflection guide zone 14 at the front end of the automatic guided vehicle.
A reflection guide band 14 made of aluminum tape or stainless steel tape with high light reflectivity is pasted on the road surface 15 along the path of the automatic guided vehicle.

When the road surface is irradiated by the light source 13a, strong reflected light is obtained from the reflection guide zone 14 due to specular reflection. On the contrary, from the road surface 15, weak reflected light is obtained due to diffuse reflection due to the unevenness of the road surface and, in addition, because the reflectance is smaller than that of the reflection guiding band 14. The amounts of these reflected lights are received by light receiving elements al to Al2 built into each hood 16. This light receiving element is made of CdS (cadmium sulfide), for example, whose resistance value changes depending on the amount of light received. Light receiving element al~Al
In order to convert the amount of reflected light received at step 2 into a binary on/off signal, an appropriate threshold value is provided. Comparing this threshold with each of the light receiving elements al to Al2, the light receiving element located on the road surface 15 receives an off signal because the reflected light is weak, and the light receiving element located on the reflection guiding zone 14 receives a strong reflected light, so the light receiving element is turned off. Turns on signal. In this way, the road surface 15 and the reflection guiding zone 14 are identified by processing the intensity of the reflected light from the road surface. Next, FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the light receiving element and the steering angle.

Opposite steering angles are determined for each of the light receiving elements al to Al2. The light-receiving elements A6 and a7 have the smallest steering angle, and the steering angle increases as the light-receiving element approaches the left direction, that is, the light-receiving element a1, or the right direction, that is, approaches Al2. For example, when the light receiving element A6 is turned on, a steering angle command of 10 degrees to the left is output, and the light receiving element A6 is turned on.
When turned on, a steering angle command of 40 degrees is output. However, since the actual reflection guiding band 14 has a certain width, there are two locations where the light receiving element is turned on, as shown in FIG.
There is a high possibility that there will be one or more.

(In Figure 2, the two locations A6 and A7 are turned on.) Therefore,
In addition to the circuit that processes the on/off signal, a steering angle extraction circuit that selects one steering angle is required. The fourth circuit example is
As shown in the figure. The outputs of the light receiving elements al to Al2 are converted into on/off signals by the on/off processing circuit 17. Extraction circuit 18 that extracts one on-signal from among these on-off signals
A switch 19 is connected to. This switch 1
According to the command 9, the light receiving element that is turned on at the leftmost side is extracted, or the light receiving element that is turned on at the rightmost side is extracted. Other light receiving elements are ignored even if they are on. This logic is composed of gate circuits and the like. Thereby, the extracted light receiving element becomes a steering command. The switch 19 is effective in selecting the branching direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the reflection guiding band 14 branches left and right, if the switch 19 extracts the light-receiving element A3 that is turned on at the leftmost position, the unmanned carrier will enter the left branch and the most left branch. If the light-receiving element A7 that is turned on on the right side is extracted, the unmanned carrier will enter the right branch. Next, a control circuit for the automatic guided vehicle in response to a steering command will be explained with reference to FIG.

Reflected light from the road surface is detected by a light receiving element array 12a, converted into an on/off binary signal by an on/off processing circuit 17, and inputted to a steering angle extraction circuit 18 to select one steering angle. This steering angle is input to the servo circuit 20, passes through the amplifier circuit 21, and drives the steering motor 7. For example, a potentiometer 22 is attached to the steering motor 7 as an angle detector to detect the rotation angle. This rotation angle is fed back to the servo circuit 20, and steering is performed so that the rotation angle matches the steering angle command. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention using the unmanned transport vehicle 1 described above.

In Fig. 7, 14A is a reflective guide strip laid on the 1F floor of the 1st floor, 14B is a reflective guide strip laid on the 2nd floor floor of the 2nd floor, and multiple stop point signals are placed along the reflective guide strip 14A. Tapes 23 to 28 are provided, and a plurality of stop point signal tapes 29 to 35 are provided along the reflective guiding strip 14B.

Reference numeral 36 denotes an elevator device that moves up and down between a plurality of floors, and on the floor in front of the first and second floor entrances of this elevator device 36, a first detection device for detecting passage of the unmanned carrier 1 and the elevator device 36 are installed. First control devices 37A and 37B each comprising a first detected object are provided which operate in conjunction with the door.

Further, on the floor surface 39 of the car 38 of the elevator device 36, there is a second detection device that detects the loading of the unmanned carrier 1 and a second detected object that is interlocked with the door of the elevator device 36. control device 40, and a reflection guide zone 14A on each floor.
, 14B and a stop point signal tape 42 are provided, respectively. In this automatic transport system, the unmanned transport vehicle 1 automatically travels along the reflective guidance zone of each floor, for example, 14A, and automatically moves to the elevator device 3.
Ride inside the car 38 of No. 6 along the reflection guide zone 41, and after arriving at another floor, automatically get off from inside the car 38 along the reflection guide zone 41 and watch the reflection of the other floor again. The vehicle automatically travels along a guidance zone, for example 14B.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state when the unmanned carrier vehicle 1 gets into the elevator system in FIG. 7. The first control device 37 is provided with a reflective photoelectric switch 43 that is a first detection device and a reflective tape 44 that is a first detected object, such as Scotch Tape (trade name). 44 has a length that can sufficiently stop the unmanned guided vehicle 1, and is linked to the opening and closing of the elevator door 45, that is, by controlling the excitation of the rotary solenoid 46 on and off with the door opening/closing signal. The state is configured to change between a reflective state and a non-reflective state.

On the other hand, the unmanned carrier 1 has a reflective tape 47 that is a third detected object corresponding to the reflective photoelectric switch 43 that is the first detection device, and a reflective tape 44 that is the first detected object. A reflective photoelectric switch 48, which is a third detection device,
are respectively provided, and a reflective photoelectric switch 50 that is a fourth detection device and a reflective photoelectric switch 50 that is a fifth detection device correspond to the reflective tape 49 that is the fourth detected object attached to the elevator door 45. A photoelectric switch 51 is provided respectively. When the unmanned carrier 1 automatically travels along the reflective guidance zone 14 and arrives in front of the elevator device,
When the door 45 is closed as shown in the figure, the reflective photoelectric switch 48, which is the third detection device, detects the reflective tape 44 (which is in the reflective state in this case), which is the object to be detected. , the unmanned carrier 1 temporarily stops.

At the same time, the reflective photoelectric switch 43, which is the first detection device, detects the reflective tape 47, which is the third detected object, and detects that the unmanned carrier 1 has approached the entrance of the elevator system. , acts to open the door 45. When the door 45 is completely opened, the rotary solenoid 46 is actuated and the reflective tape 44, which is the first object to be detected, rotates to a non-reflective state, and the reflection is reflected to the reflective photoelectric switch 48, which is the third detection device. When the reflected light from the tape ceases to be incident, the unmanned carrier 1 starts traveling and travels along the reflection guide zone 14 into the car of the elevator system. Note that the reflective tape 49 that is the fourth detected object and the reflective photoelectric switch 50 that is the fourth detection device are different from the reflective tape 44 that is the first detected object and the reflective photoelectric switch that is the third detection device. After detecting that the door 45 is open with the switch 48, the unmanned carrier 1
This is to prevent the door 45 from colliding with the door 45. 9th
The figure is a perspective view showing a state in which the transport vehicle 1 is loaded into a car 38 of an elevator system.

The second control device 40 is provided with a reflective photoelectric switch 52 that is a second detection device and a reflective tape 53 that is a second detected object.
By controlling the excitation of the rotary solenoid 54 on and off in conjunction with the opening and closing of the rotary solenoid 54, that is, with the door opening/closing signal,
The state is configured to change to a reflective state or a non-reflective state. On the inner surface of the door 45, a reflective tape 55, which is a fifth detected object corresponding to the reflective photoelectric switch 51, which is the fifth detection device, is further attached to the car 38.
A reflective tape 56, which is a sixth object to be detected, corresponding to a reflective photoelectric switch 50, which is a fourth detection device, is attached to the inner wall surface on the opposite side of the door 45 of the car 38. Obstacle detection devices 57 and 58 are provided below the entrance side. c. Note that there is a slight gap between the reflective guide strip 14 laid on the floor surface of each floor and the reflective guide strip 41 laid on the floor surface 39 of the car 38, but the optical guidance type unmanned carrier 1 detects the reflection ratio between the reflection guidance belt and the running road surface and travels along the reflection guidance belt as described above, so it is possible to run even if there is a slight gap as described above, and it is possible to travel on each floor. It can easily travel from the floor to the floor of the car. When the unmanned carrier vehicle 1 gets into the car 38 of the elevator device, it detects the stop point signal tape 42,
After this detection, the running direction of the unmanned carrier 1 is switched from forward to reverse. Further, the reflective photoelectric switch 52, which is the second detection device, detects the reflective tape 47, which is the third detected object, and acts to close the door 45. When the door 45 starts to close, the rotary solenoid 54 is activated, the reflective tape 53, which is the second object to be detected, rotates and enters the reflective state, and the reflective photoelectric switch 48, which is the third detection device, detects the reflected light from the reflective tape 53, and a reverse command is issued. A given unmanned carrier 1 is temporarily stopped while it is in an operating state.
At the same time, a reflective photoelectric switch 51, which is a fifth detection device, detects a reflective tape 55, which is a fifth object to be detected, which is attached to the inner surface of the door 45, and it is determined that the door 45 is closed. confirm. Note that when the unmanned carrier 1 gets into the car 38, the car 38 may be damaged due to a malfunction of the detection means.
Since there is a risk of colliding with the inner wall of 1 from colliding with the inner wall of the car 38. When the unmanned carrier vehicle 1 has completely entered the car 38, the elevator device moves up and down to move the unmanned carrier vehicle 1.

When the elevator device arrives at a predetermined floor and stops, the door 45 automatically begins to open, and when it is fully opened, the rotary solenoid 54 operates and the reflective tape 53, which is the second detected object, rotates. It becomes a non-reflective state, and the reflected light from the reflective tape 53 does not enter the reflective photoelectric switch 48, which is the third detection device, and the stop is temporarily released and the unmanned guided vehicle 1 moves backward and the reflected light is reflected from inside the car 38. Descend along the guide zone 41. FIG. 10A is an overall control block diagram for automatically getting the unmanned carrier into and out of the elevator system.

In Fig. 10, 43A and 44A are the reflective photoelectric switch, which is the first detection device, and the first
43B and 44B are reflective photoelectric switches that are the first detection device installed on the 2nd floor of the second floor and reflective tapes that are the first detected objects. 52 and 53 are the elevator equipment. A reflective photoelectric switch, which is a second detection device, and a reflective tape, which is a second object to be detected, are installed inside the car.

Further, 59 is an elevator central control device, 60 is an elevator door device, 61 is an elevator floor information detection device, and 62 is an elevator vertical control device. The elevator central control device 59 receives a detection signal from a reflective photoelectric switch 43A or 43B, which is a first detection device installed on each floor, and a detection signal from a reflective photoelectric switch 43A or 43B, which is a second detection device installed in the car of the elevator device 36. A detection signal from the reflective photoelectric switch 52 and a detection signal from the elevator floor information detection device 61 are respectively input, and the elevator central control device 59 processes these signals to An operation command is given to the reflective tape 44A or 44B, which is a detected object, and a reflective tape 53, which is a second detected object provided in the car of the elevator device 36, and an opening/closing command is given to the elevator door device 60. Elevator vertical control device 62
Outputs operation commands to each.

FIG. 11A is a flowchart showing the operation of the above-mentioned automatic transport system, in which HV is an unmanned transport vehicle and EV is an elevator device.

Furthermore, FIG. 12 shows a control system program for an unmanned transport vehicle in the above-mentioned automatic transport system.

In FIG. 12, 7, 12a, 13a, 14, 15,
16, 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22 are a steering motor, a light-receiving element array, a light source, a reflective guiding band, a road surface, a hood, an on/off processing circuit, a steering angle extraction circuit, a servo circuit, and an amplification circuit, as shown in FIG. The circuit is a potentiometer.

Further, 9 is the traveling motor, 48, 50, and 51 are reflective photoelectric switches which are the third, fourth, and fifth detection devices, respectively, 63 is a destination setting circuit, 64 is a signal processing circuit, and 65 is a motor. 1 drive circuit, 66 is an OR gate.
The difference from FIG. 6 is that the unmanned carrier is equipped with reflective photoelectric switches 48,'-50,5, which are the third, fourth, and fifth detection devices.
If any one of the 1 detection signals is input,
The unmanned carrier is configured to temporarily stop. That is, the signal from the on/off processing circuit 17, the destination command from the destination setting circuit 63, and the detection signal from each reflective photoelectric switch 48, 50, 251 are input to the signal processing circuit 64, and the output of this signal processing circuit 64 is The motor 1 drive circuit 65 is controlled by the motor 1 drive circuit 65, and the travel motor 9 is rotationally controlled to cause the unmanned carrier to travel. According to this embodiment, by using an optically guided unmanned vehicle, an optical detection device, and an optical detected object, the unmanned guided vehicle can be safely and reliably placed in an elevator system by sending and receiving optical signals. Since it is possible to get on and off the train, it is easy to install equipment and change the layout, and an automatic transport system between floors can be provided with a simple configuration and at low cost.

Further, since there is no need to provide a guide or the like, the elevator device is not exclusive to unmanned carriers and can be effectively utilized. In addition, in the above embodiment, the reflection guidance of an unmanned carrier
We have described the case where aluminum tape and stainless steel tape are used as the 4th band, but since the optical guidance type detects the guide band based on the reflection ratio between the road surface and the guide band, it is possible to It is also possible to use paint, board material, cloth tape, synthetic resin tape, tiles, etc. as the guide band.

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically and safely and reliably get the vehicle into and out of an elevator system using an optically guided unmanned carrier vehicle, and
An automatic transport system between floors can be provided with a simple configuration and at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a bottom view showing an example of an optically guided unmanned guided vehicle; A graph showing the relationship between the operation of the light-receiving element and the steering angle of an optically guided unmanned guided vehicle. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the steering angle extraction circuit. Figure 5 is the steering angle extraction effect when the reflective guidance band is branched. 6 is a control system block diagram of an optically guided unmanned vehicle in response to a steering command, FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the following. is the seventh
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the state when the unmanned carrier vehicle gets into the elevator device in the automatic transportation system shown in the figure.
A perspective view showing a state in which an unmanned guided vehicle enters an elevator system in the automatic transportation system shown in FIG.
Figure 7 shows an overall control block diagram for an unmanned carrier to get in and out of the elevator system in the automatic transport system shown in Figure 7. Chart, Figure 12 is a control system block diagram of the unmanned guided vehicle in the automatic transportation system shown in Figure 7.
4A, 14B, 41...Reflection induction band, 36...
... Elevator equipment, 38 ... Car,
39... Floor surface, 42... Stop point signal tape, 43... Reflective photoelectric switch which is the first detection device, 44... First Reflective tape as the detected object, 47...Reflective tape as the third detected object, 48...Reflective photoelectric switch as the third detection device, 49... . . . Reflective tape as the fourth detected object, 50 . . . Reflective photoelectric switch as the fourth detection device, 51 . . . Reflective photoelectric switch as the fifth detection device. Switch, 52...Reflective photoelectric switch which is the second detection device, 53-...The second detected object, 55...Fifth cedar Reflective tape that is the Sakiguchi body, 56...Reflective tape that is the sixth detected body.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A guide strip laid on a multi-story travel path, an unmanned carrier that detects this guide strip and automatically travels along it, and a tower mounted on this unmanned carrier that ascends and descends between the multiple floors. and an elevator device, in which an optically guided unmanned carrier is used as the unmanned carrier, a reflective guide band is used as the guide band, and the floor surface of the car of the elevator device is a first reflective photoelectric switch for detecting the presence or absence of the unmanned guided vehicle on the floor in front of the entrance/exit of the elevator system; Alternatively, a first reflector that changes to a non-reflective state is provided,
A second reflective photoelectric switch for detecting the installation of the unmanned carrier vehicle in the car of the elevator device, and a second reflective photoelectric switch that changes to a reflective state or a non-reflective state in conjunction with opening and closing of a door of the elevator device. a reflector, fourth and fifth reflectors are provided on the outside and inside of the door, and a sixth reflector is provided on the inner wall of the car on the opposite side to the door,
A stopping point is provided on the floor of the car, and the unmanned guided vehicle is further provided with a third reflector corresponding to the first and second reflective photoelectric switches, and a third reflector corresponding to the first and second reflector. a corresponding third reflective photoelectric switch; a fourth reflective photoelectric switch corresponding to the fourth and sixth reflectors;
A fifth reflective photoelectric switch corresponding to the fifth reflector is provided, and the first reflective photoelectric switch and the third reflector cause the automatic guided vehicle to move in front of the entrance/exit of the elevator device. In addition to detecting that the vehicle has arrived, the first reflector and the third reflective photoelectric switch detect the open/closed state of the door of the elevator device, and when the door is closed, the automatic guided vehicle and then performs processing to open the door, confirms that the door is opened by the fourth reflective photoelectric switch not detecting the fourth reflector, and then opens the unmanned guided vehicle. When the car is driven into the car and the door is open, the fourth reflective photoelectric switch does not detect the fourth reflector, confirming that the door is open, and then leaving the car as it is. When the unmanned guided vehicle travels within the cage and the unmanned guided vehicle detects the stopping point within the cage, the traveling direction of the unmanned guided vehicle is automatically switched from forward running to backward running, and The second reflective photoelectric switch and the third reflector detect that the unmanned guided vehicle is placed in the car and close the door, and the second reflective photoelectric switch and the third reflector The fourth reflective photoelectric switch detects that the door is closed and performs processing to temporarily stop the unmanned guided vehicle, but when the unmanned guided vehicle does not actually stop once, the fourth reflective photoelectric switch detects that the door is closed. detects the sixth reflector and temporarily stops the unmanned guided vehicle, and also confirms that the door is closed by the fifth reflective photoelectric switch and the fifth reflector; When the loading of the transport vehicle into the car is completed, the elevator device is raised and lowered, and when the elevator device reaches a predetermined floor where it should stop, the door is opened, and the second reflector indicates that the door is open. Detected by the third reflective photoelectric switch,
An automatic transport system characterized in that the unmanned transport vehicle is temporarily released from a stopped state and the unmanned transport vehicle is caused to travel backward from inside the cage to outside.