Unmanned transport vehicle, method of controlling unmanned transport vehicle, and storage medium
An unmanned transport vehicle according to an embodiment includes a vehicle body, a moving mechanism, and an operation control device. The vehicle body is combinable with a transport object. The moving mechanism causes the vehicle body to be moved. The operation control device controls an operation of the moving mechanism. The operation control device includes a pseudo-reference position setter, a path acquirer, an operation command generator, and a driving controller. The pseudo-reference position setter sets a pseudo-reference position serving as an operation reference position of a combination structure of the vehicle body and the transport object to be different from a vehicle body reference position that is an operation reference position of the vehicle body. The path acquirer acquires a movement path from a current position of the combination structure to a target position. The operation command generator determines an operation of the combination structure that moves along the movement path acquired by the path acquirer based on the pseudo-reference position and generates an operation command related to a vehicle body operation that implements the determined operation of the combination structure. The driving controller causes the moving mechanism to be driven based on the operation command.
1. An unmanned transport vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body combinable with a transport object;
a moving mechanism configured to cause the vehicle body to be moved; and
an operation control device configured to control an operation of the moving mechanism,
wherein the operation control device comprises:
a pseudo-reference position setter configured to set a pseudo-reference position serving as an operation reference position of a combination structure of the vehicle body and the transport object to be different from a vehicle body reference position that is an operation reference position of the vehicle body;
a path acquirer configured to acquire a movement path from a current position of the combination structure to a target position;
an operation command generator configured to determine an operation of the combination structure that is configured to move along the movement path acquired by the path acquirer based on the pseudo-reference position and generate an operation command related to a vehicle body operation that implements the determined operation of the combination structure; and
a driving controller configured to cause the moving mechanism to be driven based on the operation command, and
wherein the operation command generator is configured to:
obtain a combination structure operation related to the operation of the combination structure that is configured to move along the movement path acquired by the path acquirer; and
convert the combination structure operation into the vehicle body operation to generate the operation command by performing inverse conversion according to an inverse conversion equation relative to a conversion equation when the vehicle body reference position is converted into the pseudo-reference position.
2. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the operation command generator is configured to acquire the operation of the combination structure based on transport characteristics of the combination structure.
3. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the transport object comprises a traveling unit, and
the operation control device is configured to adjust a driving force for causing the moving mechanism to be driven based on a type of the traveling unit.
4. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the traveling unit comprises a plurality of casters, and
the operation control device is configured to detect a driving torque when the caster rotates and identify a type of caster based on the detected driving torque.
5. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
traveling directions of the plurality of casters are convertible, and
the pseudo-reference position setter is configured to set a central position of a circumscribed circle having a minimum radius with respect to the combination structure as the pseudo-reference position.
6. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
some of the plurality of casters are a plurality of fixed casters having a fixed traveling direction, and
a central point of the plurality of fixed casters is set as the pseudo-reference position.
7. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a combiner configured to couple the vehicle body with the transport object and fix a relative positional relationship between the vehicle body and the transport object.
8. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the combiner comprises:
a lift plate provided on the vehicle body and configured to lift the transport object; and
a lift mechanism configured to cause the lift plate to be lifted and lowered, and
the lift plate is provided on a bottom of the transport object, inserted into a guide part of a concave shape, and configured to have a relative positional relationship fixed with respect to the transport object.
9. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the combiner comprises a concave part or a convex part fittable to the transport object.
10. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the combiner comprises:
a connector configured to connect the vehicle body and the transport object; and
a posture fixer configured to fix a posture relationship between the vehicle body and the transport object.
11. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a recognizer configured to recognize transport characteristics of the transport object.
12. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the transport characteristics include combination information about a combination with the vehicle body.
13. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the transport characteristics include dimension information about dimensions of the transport object.
14. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the transport characteristics include pseudo-reference position information about the pseudo-reference position.
15. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the transport characteristics include traveling unit information about a traveling unit provided in the transport object.
16. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , further comprising:
an imager configured to image the transport object; and
an image database storing image information related to an image of the transport object,
wherein the recognizer is configured to match the image information related to the image obtained by the imager imaging the transport object against the image information stored in the image database to recognize the transport characteristics.
17. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a reader attachable to the transport object and configured to read RF tag information from an RF tag associated with a type of the transport object; and
a tag database storing a plurality of types of RF tag information and types of carts associated with the RF tag information,
wherein the recognizer is configured to search the plurality of types of RF tag information stored in the tag database for the RF tag information read by the reader and recognize the type of the transport object using the RF tag information that has been searched for.
18. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a shape characteristics measurer configured to measure shape characteristics of the transport object; and
a shape characteristics database storing a plurality of types of shape characteristics and transport characteristics associated with the shape characteristics,
wherein the recognizer is configured to search the shape characteristics database for the transport characteristics of the transport object having the shape characteristics measured by the shape characteristics measurer and recognize the type of the transport object using the shape characteristics that have been searched for.
19. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a shape estimator configured to estimate an external shape of the transport object based on a measurement result of a distance measurer;
a traveling unit position estimator configured to estimate a traveling unit in the transport object based on the measurement result of the distance measurer;
a load acquirer configured to acquire a load imposed on the transport object when the transport object moves; and
a type-of-traveling unit estimator configured to estimate a type of traveling unit based on the load acquired by the load acquirer.
20. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 11 , further comprising:
an input configured to input transport characteristics provided from an external device,
wherein the recognizer is configured to recognize the transport characteristics of the transport object based on the transport characteristics input by the input.
21. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 20 , wherein
the input is configured to input transport characteristics provided from a management device configured to manage a plurality of transport objects.
22. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 20 , wherein
the input is configured to input transport characteristics provided from the transport object.
23. The unmanned transport vehicle according to claim 20 , wherein
the external device is an input device configured to perform an input by an operation of an operator, and
the input is configured to input transport characteristics provided from the input device.
24. A method of controlling an unmanned transport vehicle, the method comprising:
setting a pseudo-reference position serving as an operation reference position of a combination structure of a vehicle body combinable with a transport object and the transport object to be different from a vehicle body reference position that is an operation reference position of the vehicle body in a case in which the vehicle body is not combined with the transport object;
acquiring a movement path from a current position of the combination structure to a target position serving as a transport destination;
determining an operation of the combination structure that moves along the movement path from the current position of the combination structure to the target position serving as a transport destination based on the pseudo-reference position and generating an operation command related to a vehicle body operation that implements the determined operation of the combination structure; and
causing a moving mechanism, which causes the vehicle body to be moved, to be driven based on the operation command,
wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining a combination structure operation related to the operation of the combination structure that is configured to move along the acquired movement path; and
converting the combination structure operation into the vehicle body operation to generate the operation command by performing inverse conversion according to an inverse conversion equation relative to a conversion equation when the vehicle body reference position is converted into the pseudo-reference position.
25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer to perform:
setting a pseudo-reference position serving as an operation reference position of a combination structure of a vehicle body combinable with a transport object and the transport object to be different from a vehicle body reference position that is an operation reference position of the vehicle body in a case in which the vehicle body is not combined with the transport object;
acquiring a movement path from a current position of the combination structure to a target position serving as a transport destination;
determining an operation of the combination structure that moves along the movement path from the current position of the combination structure to the target position serving as a transport destination based on the pseudo-reference position and generating an operation command related to a vehicle body operation that implements the determined operation of the combination structure; and
causing a moving mechanism, which causes the vehicle body to be moved, to be driven based on the operation command,
wherein the program further causes the computer to perform:
obtaining a combination structure operation related to the operation of the combination structure that is configured to move along the acquired movement path; and
converting the combination structure operation into the vehicle body operation to generate the operation command by performing inverse conversion according to an inverse conversion equation relative to a conversion equation when the vehicle body reference position is converted into the pseudo-reference position.