Shinko Electric Company, Ltd.

Takami Egawa

Shinichiro Endo

Masaaki Toda

Junpei Kanazawa

The present invention provides a transport management method and apparatus for controlling the transport of a plurality of unmanned vehicles traveling over a travel grid formed from a plurality of nodes provided at stationary positions, and connection routes connecting the intervals between these nodes. The transport management apparatus according to the present invention has a first function for searching for a travel route for each unmanned vehicle in which an unmanned vehicle does not travel in the opposite direction over the same connection route as another unmanned vehicle and a second function for solving the progression impossibility of an unmanned vehicle using a node passing sequence change process, detour route search process or passing route search process, in the case when a progression impossibility of any unmanned vehicle is detected following simulation of the timed movements of each unmanned vehicle based on travel routes obtained by means of the aforementioned first function. As a result, the carrier efficiency therein is improved.

Transport management control apparatus and method for unmanned vehicle

A control system for an unmanned carrier vehicle, capable of automatically and independently traveling along a guiding line laid on a floor, provides a steering angle control unit and/or a velocity control unit. Herein, when the unmanned carrier vehicle is deviated from the guiding line, its deviation is detected. By performing a time-differentiation on the deviation, a deviation direction of the unmanned carrier vehicle is computed. In addition, a steering angle of a steering wheel of the unmanned carrier vehicle is detected by a sensor provided at a wheel of the unmanned carrier vehicle. Based on a result of a fuzzy inference to be performed on the deviation, deviation direction and steering angle, the steering angle control unit controls the steering angle of the unmanned carrier vehicle. Similarly, the velocity control unit controls a traveling velocity of the unmanned carrier vehicle. Incidentally, the fuzzy inference is performed in accordance with the predetermined fuzzy control regulation.

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Ise, Japan

Takami Egawa