JP2024111399A - Autonomous Mobile Robot - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an autonomous mobile robot which can autonomously travel while maintaining high work efficiency.SOLUTION: The autonomous mobile robot comprises acquisition means 33 which acquires self-position information, communication means 35a which can transmit the acquired self-position information to the other autonomous mobile robots; and generation means which can generate area information 100 indicating a prescribed area allowing another autonomous mobile robot 1 to be received therein, on the basis of received position information of this autonomous mobile robot 1. The autonomous mobile robot detours on the basis of the generated area information 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile robot capable of autonomously traveling within a facility.

In recent years, automation of various tasks performed in facilities such as factories and logistics warehouses has been progressing in order to improve work efficiency and productivity. For example, in factories and logistics warehouses, items were previously taken out of and put back into shelves between shelves on which parts, products, and other items were loaded and baskets handled by workers. However, with the spread of internet shopping, in logistics warehouses in particular, the work of taking out and putting back into shelves is now done in small quantities, and the number of basket carts moved has increased explosively. In order to reduce the burden on workers, autonomous mobile robots capable of autonomous driving that can move basket carts have been developed.

For example, the autonomous mobile robot shown in Patent Document 1, which is capable of autonomous travel and moves a cart, is equipped with a towing arm that can engage with the front end of the cart. By engaging the towing arm of the autonomous mobile robot with the cart, it is possible to tow and move the cart by the autonomous mobile robot's travel, which can significantly reduce the human burden of item transport work.

In addition, since each of these autonomous mobile robots travels autonomously, a management device capable of communicating with all of the autonomous mobile robots is installed, and this management device determines the travel route information for the autonomous mobile robots and prevents collisions between the autonomous mobile robots. In more detail, access points are installed in facilities such as logistics warehouses, and wireless communication means installed on each autonomous mobile robot communicates with the management device via the access points, and the operation of each autonomous mobile robot is controlled by the management device based on the aggregated information (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 5977157 (page 8, figures 1 and 2) JP 2022-45454 A (page 7, Figure 1)

In a system in which all autonomous mobile robots in a warehouse communicate with a management device, as in Patent Document 2, the management device must grasp the position information of all the autonomous mobile robots and perform integrated movement control to prevent collisions. This means that complex calculations must be performed to avoid collisions, and it may take time before the collision avoidance operation can begin. As a result, the autonomous mobile robot may be stopped or slowed down until the calculations are completed, which may prevent the autonomous mobile robot from traveling autonomously while maintaining high work efficiency.

The present invention was made with a focus on these problems, and aims to provide an autonomous mobile robot that can travel autonomously while maintaining high work efficiency.

In order to solve the above problems, the autonomous mobile robot of the present invention comprises:
An acquisition means for acquiring its own location information;
a communication means capable of transmitting the acquired position information of the autonomous mobile robot to another autonomous mobile robot;
a generating means for generating area information indicating a predetermined area in which the other autonomous mobile robot fits, based on the received position information of the other autonomous mobile robot;
Equipped with
The method is characterized in that a detouring operation is performed to detouring the generated area information.
According to this feature, collisions between autonomous mobile robots can be avoided by a simple collision avoidance program that performs detouring operations around area information in which other autonomous mobile robots are located, making it possible to maintain high work efficiency while allowing each autonomous mobile robot to travel autonomously.

the autonomous mobile robot is capable of transmitting the travel route information of its own to another autonomous mobile robot by using the communication means;
The generating means is characterized in that it is capable of generating the area information based on the position information of the other autonomous mobile robot and the received travel route information.
According to this feature, the area information is generated taking into consideration the travel route information as well as the position information transmitted from the other autonomous mobile robots, thereby making it possible to more reliably prevent collisions between autonomous mobile robots.

The area information is characterized in that it has a shape that protrudes to either the left or right in the traveling direction.
According to this feature, when the autonomous mobile robots pass each other, they always move away from each other to make a detour, so that a head-on collision can be reliably prevented with a simple program.

The autonomous mobile robot is characterized in that, in normal times, it travels along a passage with a set left-right width, and during a detour operation, it detours to the left or right within the left-right width of the passage, avoiding the area information.
According to this feature, it is possible to perform a detouring operation via the shortest route within a passage with a set left-right width.

the autonomous mobile robot is a transport vehicle towing a basket cart, and the area information indicates a predetermined area in which the basket cart can be accommodated;
The area information of a transport vehicle towing the cage cart is characterized in that it is wider than the area information of a transport vehicle not towing the cage cart.
According to this feature, it is possible to prevent the transport vehicle or the towing cart from colliding with the cart of another transport vehicle.

The autonomous mobile robot is equipped with a determination means for determining whether or not the basket cart is being towed, and is characterized in that, based on whether or not the basket cart is being towed, it switches between area information of a transport vehicle towing the basket cart and area information of a transport vehicle not towing the basket cart.
According to this feature, when the basket cart is not being towed, the area information becomes smaller, thereby reducing the wasteful detour actions of other autonomous mobile robots, and allowing the autonomous mobile robot to travel autonomously with high work efficiency.

The communication means of the autonomous mobile robot is characterized by communicating with other autonomous mobile robots using a cellular line.
According to this feature, as long as communication with a cellular base station can be established, communication can be carried out between autonomous mobile robots without using a communication network established within the facility in which the autonomous mobile robots are deployed. Regardless of the area of the facility's running surface, collisions between autonomous mobile robots can be prevented and each robot can move smoothly autonomously.

An acquisition means for acquiring its own location information;
A generating means for generating area information indicating a predetermined area in which the mobile device itself fits based on the acquired position information of the mobile device itself;
a communication means capable of transmitting the area information to other autonomous mobile robots;
The area information is transmitted in a timely manner to at least other autonomous mobile robots with which there is a risk of collision.
According to this feature, collisions can be avoided by a simple program in each autonomous mobile robot that transmits area information indicating a specified area in which the autonomous mobile robot fits to at least other autonomous mobile robots with which there is a risk of collision, thereby enabling each autonomous mobile robot to travel autonomously while maintaining high work efficiency.

The generating means is characterized in that it is capable of generating the area information based on the position information of the autonomous mobile robot itself and information on the traveling route of the autonomous mobile robot itself.
According to this feature, the area information is generated taking into consideration not only the position information of the autonomous mobile robot itself but also its own travel route information, thereby making it possible to more reliably prevent collisions between autonomous mobile robots.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transport vehicle which is an autonomous mobile robot in an embodiment of the present invention and pulls a basket cart. FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing various devices built into the transport vehicle. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a transport system for a basket cart using a transport vehicle. FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing each area within the facility. FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing generated area information of the transportation vehicle. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which transport vehicles collide head-on in an aisle area. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which one transport vehicle detours around area information of another transport vehicle. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the other transport vehicle detours around the area information of the first transport vehicle. 11 is a diagram showing how each of the guided vehicles returns to its normal travel route. FIG. FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing area information of a transport vehicle when towing a basket cart.

The following describes an embodiment of an autonomous mobile robot according to the present invention.

The transport vehicle, which is an autonomous mobile robot according to the first embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 10. In the following description, the lower left side of Fig. 1 is the front side of the transport vehicle, and the upper right side of Fig. 1 is the rear side of the transport vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, a transport vehicle 1, which is an autonomous mobile robot, travels on the floor surface in a factory, warehouse, logistics center, etc., and tows a basket cart 10. The basket cart 10 in this embodiment is composed of a bottom plate 11 that is rectangular in plan view and can carry items, a lattice-shaped panel 12 and a pair of side panels 13 that stand along three sides of the bottom plate 11, and swivel casters 15. An opening 16 is formed on the front side of the bottom plate 11 where the panel 12 and side panel 13 are not standing, through which items loaded on the bottom plate 11 can be put in and taken out. The opening 16 may be provided with a safety bar to prevent items loaded on the bottom plate 11 from falling, or a top-bottom or double-door door. Furthermore, the basket cart in this embodiment is just an example, and its shape is not limited, and may be configured with multiple shelves, for example.

The transport vehicle 1 has a vehicle body 2 capable of running on a floor surface, a number of wheels 30 arranged along the running direction of the vehicle body 2, and a drive motor 31 (see FIG. 2) that drives the drive wheels that make up the wheels 30. In addition, an engagement means (not shown) is provided at the rear end of the vehicle body 2. The engagement means can be engaged and disengaged by the drive means with a bent portion that is formed at the front end of the bottom plate 11 of the cart 10 and extends downward at a substantially right angle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 1 is equipped with a drive motor 31 for driving, an engagement mechanism 32 for driving the engagement means, an MPU 33, a memory unit 34, a communication unit 35, and a battery 36. The MPU 33 is a calculation device that controls the driving of the transport vehicle 1, controls the operation of the engagement mechanism, determines the driving route, etc.

The communication unit 35 includes both a wireless communication means 35a for communicating with a cellular communication standard, i.e., a base station, and a short-range communication means 35b for direct wireless communication with an operation terminal 4 (see FIG. 3), which is a tablet and will be described later. The short-range communication means 35b can be used to receive command signals and the like from the operation terminal 4 and to transmit data stored in the memory unit.

The transport vehicle 1 is also provided with a front sensor 8 capable of detecting the presence or absence of an object in front, and a back sensor 9 capable of detecting the presence or absence of an object in the rear. The front sensor 8 and the back sensor 9 are composed of ultrasonic sensors. The drive motor 31 is also provided with a rotary encoder (not shown) as an acquisition means for detecting the number of rotations and acquiring position information.

The MPU 33 rotates the drive motors 31 based on command signals from the operation terminal 4, and the drive wheels driven by each drive motor 31 roll on the floor surface to travel. By controlling the direction of rotation and the number of rotations of the drive motors 31, 31 provided for each drive wheel, the transport vehicle 1 can travel straight forward and backward and turn.

As shown in FIG. 2, a basket cart transport system 20 using a transport vehicle 1 is mainly composed of a plurality of transport vehicles 1, an operation terminal 4 communicatively connected to the transport vehicles 1, and a server 3 connected to the operation terminal 4 via the Internet.

The transport vehicle 1 can communicate with other transport vehicles via the base station BS according to the cellular communication standard by using the wireless communication means 35a constituting the communication unit 35. In addition, the short-range communication means 35b for direct wireless communication with the operation terminal 4 is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark).

In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 is capable of communicating with one operation terminal 4, receives instruction information such as shelf placement and shelf removal from the operation terminal 4, and the MPU 33 performs the necessary operations based on the received instruction information.

The operation terminal 4 has a function of being able to view a list of tasks for putting into or taking out of storage by communicating with the server 3. In addition, although not described in detail here, an operation can be performed to assign a transport vehicle 1 to each task. For example, an assignment operation can be performed to assign a transport vehicle 1A to the task of transporting a specific basket cart 10 from a first area A to a second area B shown in FIG. 4.

When an assignment operation is performed, task information is sent from the operation terminal 4 to the transport vehicle 1A using short-range communication means. The MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1A receives the task information and creates an optimal driving route taking into account its own position information and its own orientation information. In this embodiment, the MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1 stores map data of the facility, and the map data contains information defining each area, such as the waiting area W, the first area A, the second area B, the charging areas CH1 to CH3, and the other passage areas P, as shown in the image diagram of Figure 4, and grasps its own position information in each area using a rotary encoder or the like (acquisition means). The position information here is the coordinate information of a point corresponding to the map data, and is the center of the transport vehicle 1 in a planar view.

For example, if the transport vehicle 1A is stopped in the waiting area W, it moves from the waiting area W to the first area A, engages the engagement means with a specific basket cart 10 in the first area A, and tows the basket cart 10 to a specified position in the second area B. It prepares the necessary procedures, creates optimal travel route information, and starts autonomous travel using the travel route information.

When the transport vehicle 1A arrives within the area of the first area A, the MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1A performs image analysis on the image captured by an imaging device (not shown) to recognize the location of the basket cart 10, and after moving to a specified position relative to the basket cart 10, drives the engagement mechanism 32 to engage with the bent portion of the basket cart 10.

Then, the cart 10 is towed and autonomously driven to the area of the second area B. When the transport vehicle 1A arrives at a predetermined point within the area of the second area B, the MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1A drives the engagement mechanism 32 to disengage the cart 10 from the bent portion.

The transport vehicle 1 uses the front sensor 8 to avoid immovable obstacles ahead in the direction of travel, but since multiple transport vehicles can operate simultaneously within a facility, there is a risk that the travel paths of the transport vehicles 1, each of which is autonomously traveling, may overlap or intersect (hereinafter simply referred to as intersecting). If the distance between the transport vehicles 1 whose travel paths intersect is sufficient, there is no risk of them colliding, so the transport vehicles 1 monitor the distance between the transport vehicles 1 using their respective MPUs 33, and only when it is determined that there is a risk of collision, perform the collision avoidance process described below as appropriate.

Next, the collision avoidance process will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 9. The transport vehicle 1 communicates with other transport vehicles 1 stored in its own memory unit 34 at a frequency of once every predetermined interval (for example, 3 seconds). In detail, the memory unit 34 of the transport vehicle 1 stores the destination addresses, for example, IP addresses, of all transport vehicles 1 other than itself (sometimes referred to as all transport vehicles 1) operating in the same room in the facility, and the transport vehicle 1 periodically communicates with all the other transport vehicles 1 using the IP addresses of all the other transport vehicles 1.

The regular communication that the transport vehicle 1 performs at predetermined intervals contains its own current position information and its own travel route information, which is unilaterally transmitted to all other transport vehicles 1. When the MPU of the transport vehicle 1 receives regular communication from any of the other transport vehicles 1 (sometimes referred to as other transport vehicles 1), it generates area information of the other transport vehicle 1 from the position information and travel route information. The travel route information is, for example, information indicating the travel direction of the transport vehicle 1. This area information is then added to the map data stored in its own memory unit 34, or the area information of the transport vehicle 1 is updated on the map data. At this time, the area information of the other transport vehicles 1 does not need to include the identification information of the transport vehicle 1. This makes it possible to reduce the memory area and decision steps.

The area information is coordinate information of four points. The MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1 transmits to the other transport vehicle 1 information from the rotary encoder and position information, which is coordinate information of one point determined in accordance with the map data by various sensors. The MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1 regards the coordinate information of one point received from the other transport vehicle 1 as position information that is the center of the other transport vehicle 1 in a planar view, and generates (calculates) coordinate information of four points based on this position information (generation means).

As shown in FIG. 5, the coordinate information of the four points is located outside the four corners of the actual transport vehicle 1. In this embodiment, a close position that is a predetermined distance to the right and rear from the rear right corner 1d of the actual transport vehicle 1 is calculated as the rear right coordinate information 100d of the transport vehicle 1. For example, here, a position that is 50 mm to the right and rear from the rear right corner 1d of the transport vehicle 1 is the rear right coordinate information 100d. Also, a position that is a predetermined distance rearward from the rear left corner 1e of the actual transport vehicle 1 (for example, 50 mm as with the rear right side) and to the left by the left-right dimension of the transport vehicle 1 (for example, 350 mm) is calculated as the rear left coordinate information 100e of the transport vehicle 1.

In addition, a position that is a predetermined distance to the right from the front right corner 1f of the actual transport vehicle 1 (e.g. 50 mm, like the rear right side) and four times the front-to-rear dimension of the transport vehicle 1 (e.g. 1600 mm) in the forward direction from the front right corner 1f of the actual transport vehicle 1 is calculated as coordinate information 100f of the front right side of the transport vehicle 1. Similarly, a position that is four times the front-to-rear dimension of the transport vehicle 1 in the forward direction from the front left corner 1g of the actual transport vehicle 1 and four times the left-to-right dimension of the transport vehicle 1 in the left direction from the front left corner 1g of the actual transport vehicle 1 is calculated as coordinate information 100g of the front left side of the transport vehicle 1.

In this way, the coordinate information of the four points constituting the area information of the other transport vehicle 1 generated by the transport vehicle 1 indicates the area in the map data in which the other transport vehicle 1 exists, and in the traveling direction (forward), it can be said that at the same time, it indicates part of the future travel route information of the other transport vehicle 1. The coordinate information of the four points constituting this area information is calculated according to the left-right width information of the passage along which the transport vehicle 1 travels, and the coordinate information of the front left and rear left is calculated so as to fill the space between the other transport vehicle 1 located at the center and the left side of the passage in the traveling direction. Furthermore, the left-right width is set for the passage in the map data in which the transport vehicle 1 can travel. In other words, the travelable range of the transport vehicle 1 is set on data that is different from the actual passage.

The MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1 receives regular communications from the other transport vehicles 1 and performs collision avoidance processing of the area information 100 of the other transport vehicles 1 that is surrounded by the coordinate information of the four points reflected in its own map data. At this time, a collision with the other transport vehicle 1 can be avoided by performing a detouring operation so as not to travel inside the area information 100 of the other transport vehicle 1, i.e., the area surrounded by the coordinates of the four points.

Next, the collision avoidance process when the transport vehicles 1A and 1B collide on both sides of the path P1 in the direction of travel will be described with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 9. The MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1B refers to the coordinate information of the four points of the other transport vehicle 1A that it has generated (hereinafter referred to as "area information of the transport vehicle 1A") and its own current position information, and prepares for a detouring operation if the area information of the transport vehicle 1A falls below a predetermined distance from the current position of the transport vehicle 1B. At this time, the MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1B also refers to the coordinate information of the other transport vehicle 1B that it has generated (hereinafter referred to as "area information of the transport vehicle 1B") and its own current position information, and prepares for a detouring operation if the area information of the transport vehicle 1B falls below a predetermined distance from the current position of the transport vehicle 1A.

The MPU 33 of transport vehicle 1B, which has received regular communication from transport vehicle 1A, determines a detour route based on the area information of transport vehicle 1A as an impassable area, and starts the detour operation. As shown in FIG. 7, transport vehicle 1B first moves diagonally forward toward the left side of its own travel direction in passage P1, since the right side of its own travel direction in passage P1 is occupied by area information 100 of transport vehicle 1A.

Similarly, the MPU 33 of transport vehicle 1A, which receives regular communication from transport vehicle 1B, determines that the area information of transport vehicle 1B is an impassable area, decides to make a detour, and starts the detour operation. As shown in FIG. 8, transport vehicle 1A first moves diagonally forward toward the left side of its own travel direction, since the right side of the passage in its own travel direction is occupied by the area information 100 of transport vehicle 1B.

The MPU of transport vehicle 1A and the MPU 33 of transport vehicle 1B then move forward diagonally forward, and if they determine that they will not enter the other vehicle's area information 100, which is constantly updated based on the periodic communications that are sent sequentially, they return to the original travel route, in this case the center of passage P1, as shown in Figure 9, and the detour operation ends.

As described above, the transport vehicle 1 of the present invention uses a simple collision avoidance program that performs a detouring operation to go around the area information 100 in which the other transport vehicles 1 are located, which is generated based on the acquired position information of the other transport vehicles 1. This makes it possible to avoid collisions without performing complex calculations to avoid collisions, and therefore allows each transport vehicle 1 to travel autonomously while maintaining high work efficiency.

In addition, when the area information of another transport vehicle 1 and its own position information are in a predetermined positional relationship, a detouring operation is performed to bypass the area information of the other transport vehicle 1. In other words, instead of a configuration in which movement control is performed to comprehensively prevent collisions by grasping the position information of all transport vehicles using a management device, for example, each transport vehicle 1 independently performs collision avoidance processing based on the distance between the transport vehicles 1 using the MPU 33. In this way, collisions between transport vehicles 1 can be prevented by a simple collision avoidance processing program that performs a detouring operation to bypass the area information 100 generated based on the position information unilaterally transmitted from the other transport vehicles 1. Furthermore, since no complex calculations are performed to avoid collisions, each transport vehicle 1 can be driven autonomously while maintaining high work efficiency.

In addition, since the area information 100 is shaped to protrude to one side of the other transport vehicle 1's travel direction, when the transport vehicles 1 pass each other, they always move away from each other to make a detour, so a simple program can reliably prevent head-on collisions. Furthermore, by having the transport vehicles 1 normally travel in the center of a passage with a set left-right width, it is possible to ensure a space to avoid when making a detour.

In addition, the position information received from the other transport vehicle 1 is compared with its own current position information, and calculations for detouring are started when the distance between them falls below a predetermined distance. This allows the transport vehicles 1 to detouring without slowing down the travel speed of the vehicles 1 moving forward from opposite directions as much as possible. Also, because of this configuration, the calculations themselves are few, and the calculation load for detouring and collision avoidance is low.

In addition, the coordinate information (100f, 100g) of two points in the traveling direction (forward) of the transport vehicle 1 moving forward from the opposing direction is set forward of the actual position of the transport vehicle 1, so that contact between the opposing transport vehicles 1 can be reliably prevented from occurring between the time when the detouring operation actually begins and the time when the movement diagonally forward toward the left side of the traveling direction is completed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 takes action to avoid the area information 100 indicated by the coordinate information of four points generated from the position information received from other transport vehicles 1. In other words, since the avoidance operation plan is not determined by mutual coordination between nearby transport vehicles 1, the collision avoidance process is simple and the calculation time is extremely short.

In addition, the wireless communication means 35a (communication means) of the transport vehicle 1 communicates with other transport vehicles 1 using a cellular line, so if communication with the cellular communication base station BS can be ensured, communication can be performed between transport vehicles 1 without using a communication network established within the facility in which the transport vehicles 1 are deployed. This prevents collisions between transport vehicles 1 and allows each vehicle to travel smoothly and autonomously, regardless of the floor area of the facility.

In addition, the MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1 can generate area information indicating a specified area in which the basket cart 10 fits when another transport vehicle 1 travels while towing the basket cart 10. As shown in FIG. 10, the area information 110 of a specified width in which the basket cart fits is wider than the area information 100 surrounded by the coordinate information of four points in a state in which the basket cart 10 is not being towed as shown in FIG. 5. Specifically, it is wider by the front-to-rear dimension of the towing basket cart 10. Note that the left-to-right width of the area information of the transport vehicle 1 traveling while towing the basket cart 10 may be wider than the area information 100 shown in FIG. 5.

In more detail, the rear right coordinate information 110d of the area information in which the basket cart 10 fits is set to a position that is a specified distance (e.g., 50 mm) rearward from the rear right corner 10d of the basket cart 10 towed by the transport vehicle, and the position obtained by orthogonally intersecting this rear right coordinate information 110d with the front left coordinate information 100g of the transport vehicle 1 is set as the rear left coordinate information 110e of the area information in which the basket cart 10 fits. This makes it possible to prevent the transport vehicle 1 or the towing basket cart 10 from colliding with the basket cart 10 of another transport vehicle 1.

The MPU 33 of the transport vehicle 1 constitutes a determination means for determining the presence or absence of the towing cart 10 based on the detection information by the back sensor 9 that detects an object behind the vehicle. The MPU 33 is capable of transmitting the presence or absence information of the towing cart 10 together with the position information to the other transport vehicles 1. The MPU 33 switches between the area information 110 and the predetermined area information 100 that only the other transport vehicles 1 can accommodate based on the presence or absence information of the towing cart 10. In this way, when the cart 10 is not being towed, the area information 100 becomes smaller, so that the waste of the detouring operation performed by the transport vehicle 1 can be reduced, and the transport vehicle 1 can be autonomously driven with high work efficiency. Note that the determination means is not limited to this, and for example, the presence or absence of the towing cart 10 may be determined by determining the engaged state and disengaged state of the engagement means.

In the above embodiment, the collision avoidance process was described for when vehicles pass each other head-on, but this is not the only case. Collisions can also be avoided by using similar collision avoidance processes when crossing or overtaking.

In addition, the coordinate information of the four points of the other transport vehicles 1 generated by the transport vehicle 1 can be set and changed as appropriate for the width of the passage P1 along which the transport vehicle 1 and the other transport vehicles 1 travel.

The coordinate information of the four points constituting the area information of the other transport vehicle 1 generated by the transport vehicle 1 indicates the area in the map data in which the other transport vehicle 1 exists, and is generated by extending it forward of the actual other transport vehicle 1 based on the information on the travel direction (forward) that is part of the travel route information received from the other transport vehicle 1. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent collisions between autonomous mobile robots regardless of the travel speed of the transport vehicle 1. In addition, when approaching the other transport vehicle 1 from behind, for example, a detouring operation can be started at a position close to the rear of the actual other transport vehicle 1, and the detouring can be performed without slowing down the travel speed of the transport vehicle 1 as much as possible.

Next, we will explain the transport vehicle, which is an autonomous mobile robot according to Example 2. Note that we will omit explanations of configurations that are the same as those in Example 1.

The transport vehicle 1 generates area information for its own transport vehicle 1 from its own current position information and its own travel route information. Then, this area information is transmitted to other transport vehicles 1 by regular communication at predetermined intervals. When the MPU of the transport vehicle 1 receives regular communication from any of the other transport vehicles 1 (sometimes referred to as other transport vehicles 1), it adds the received area information of the other transport vehicle 1 to the map data stored in its own memory unit 34, or updates the area information of the other transport vehicle 1 on the map data. The transport vehicle 1 performs a detouring operation to detour around the area information of the other transport vehicle 1.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the autonomous mobile robot is not limited to a transport vehicle that transports items, but may also be, for example, a cleaning robot.

The transport vehicle is not limited to one that pulls and moves a tilted cart, but may be one that pushes and moves a tilted cart in the direction of travel. The cart transported by the transport vehicle is not limited to a basket cart, but may be, for example, a flat cart or a hand cart.

In addition, the position information of other transport vehicles generated by a transport vehicle is not limited to four-point coordinate information, but may be, for example, three-point coordinate information or five or more points coordinate information, as long as it is possible to define area information in which the transport vehicle can fit.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the transport vehicle periodically transmits its current location information to other transport vehicles at a predetermined interval, but this is not limited to the above. For example, if there is a transport vehicle within a predetermined distance by a sensor or the like, the transport vehicle may be configured to transmit its current location information only to this transport vehicle.

In addition, a configuration in which transport vehicles communicate with each other using cellular communication, as in the transport vehicles in the above embodiment, is preferable because it allows transport vehicles to be introduced or added without being affected by the infrastructure within the facility, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the configuration may be such that transport vehicles can communicate with each other using short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

In addition, the area information of other transport vehicles generated by transport vehicle 1 is not limited to a shape that protrudes to the left in the direction of travel as in the above embodiment, but may also have a shape that protrudes to the right in the direction of travel.

In addition, the configuration of the transport system 20 that transports the basket carts is not limited to that described above. For example, the server 3 connected to the operation terminal 4 may be omitted, or conversely, task instruction information may be sent directly from the server 3 to the transport vehicle 1, thereby omitting the operation terminal 4.

In addition, when the transport vehicle 1 generates area information for other transport vehicles 1, the transport vehicle 1 may store the area information in association with the identification information of the transport vehicle corresponding to the area information, thereby making it possible to distinguish between the transport vehicles and grasp their respective area information.

Furthermore, the transport vehicle 1 is not limited to a configuration in which it runs in the center of an aisle with a set left-right width.

1 (1A, 1B) Transport vehicle (autonomous mobile robot)
4 Operation terminal 9 Back sensor (detection means)
10: basket cart 20: transport system 30: wheels 33: MPU (acquisition means/generation means)
34 Storage section 35 Communication section 35a Wireless communication means 35b Short range communication means 100d-g Coordinate information 100 Area information 110 Area information P1 Passage

Claims (9)

An acquisition means for acquiring its own location information;
a communication means capable of transmitting the acquired position information of the autonomous mobile robot to another autonomous mobile robot;
a generating means for generating area information indicating a predetermined area in which the other autonomous mobile robot fits, based on the received position information of the other autonomous mobile robot;
Equipped with
The autonomous mobile robot performs a detouring operation to detouring around the generated area information. the autonomous mobile robot is capable of transmitting the travel route information of its own to another autonomous mobile robot by using the communication means;
2. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein said generating means is capable of generating said area information based on said position information of other autonomous mobile robots and said received travel route information. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the area information is a shape that protrudes to either the left or right in the direction of travel. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 3, characterized in that the autonomous mobile robot travels along a passage with a set left-right width in normal times, and when making a detour, makes a detour to the left or right side within the left-right width of the passage, avoiding the area information. the autonomous mobile robot is a transport vehicle towing a basket cart, and the area information indicates a predetermined area in which the basket cart can be accommodated;
2. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein area information of a transport vehicle towing the basket cart is wider than area information of a transport vehicle not towing the basket cart. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 5, characterized in that the autonomous mobile robot is equipped with a determination means for determining whether the basket cart is being towed, and switches between area information of a transport vehicle towing the basket cart and area information of a transport vehicle not towing the basket cart based on whether the basket cart is being towed. An autonomous mobile robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the communication means of the autonomous mobile robot communicates with other autonomous mobile robots using a cellular line. An acquisition means for acquiring its own location information;
A generating means for generating area information indicating a predetermined area in which the mobile device itself fits based on the acquired position information of the mobile device itself;
a communication means capable of transmitting the area information to other autonomous mobile robots;
An autonomous mobile robot characterized in that said area information is transmitted in a timely manner to at least other autonomous mobile robots with which there is a risk of collision. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 8, characterized in that the generating means is capable of generating the area information based on the position information of the autonomous mobile robot itself and its own travel route information.

Images