Article transport facility, route setting method, and route setting program
AssigneeDaifuku Co., Ltd.
InventorsMakoto Kono, Keisuke Takeno, Kazuhiro Iwamitsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reference cost and a variable cost are included in a link cost for setting a set route for causing a setting vehicle to travel to a destination on a travelable route. A controller obtains an adjusted variable cost by adjusting a variable cost using a priority adjustment value set higher as a priority for arriving more quickly at a destination decreases, determines a link cost for each link in a candidate route, which is a candidate for a set route for a setting vehicle, based on the adjusted variable cost and the reference cost, obtains a route cost for each candidate route based on the link costs, and sets the set route based on the route costs of the candidate routes.
Claims10
An article transport facility comprising:
- a plurality of article transport vehicles configured to transport articles while traveling along a specified travelable route;
- and
- a controller configured to control the article transport vehicles,
- wherein:
- the travelable route includes a plurality of nodes at which a route branches or routes merge, and a plurality of links that are each a route portion connecting a pair of nodes,
- the controller executes route setting control to set a set route based on a link cost set for each of the links, the set route is a route along which a setting vehicle, which is one of the plurality of article transport vehicles, travels to a destination on the travelable route,
- each of the link costs includes a reference cost and a variable cost,
- a target vehicle is any one article transport vehicle that passes through a link, a target link is the link through which the target vehicle passes, and another vehicle is an article transport vehicle other than the target vehicle,
- the reference cost is a value set based on a reference transit time indicating an amount of time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link while the other vehicle is not present in the target link,
- a setting time is a time at which the route setting control is executed,
- an other vehicle cost is a value set according to an amount by which the time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link increases per other vehicle present in the target link,
- a target other vehicle is another vehicle deemed to be present in the target link, and
- a priority adjustment value is a value set according to a traveling purpose of an article transport vehicle and furthermore set so as to increase continuously or stepwise as a priority for arriving more quickly at the destination decreases,
- in the route setting control, the controller obtains the variable cost based on the number of target other vehicles and the other vehicle cost, obtains an adjusted variable cost by adjusting the variable cost using the priority adjustment value that is in accordance with the traveling purpose of the setting vehicle, determines the link cost for each link in a candidate route based on the adjusted variable cost and the reference cost, the candidate route is a candidate for the set route from the position of the setting vehicle at the setting time to the destination, obtains a route cost for each candidate route based on the link costs, and sets the set route based on the route cost of each candidate route.
A route setting method for, in an article transport facility that comprises a plurality of article transport vehicles that transport articles while traveling along a specified travelable route and a controller that controls the article transport vehicles, setting a set route for causing a setting vehicle, which is one of the article transport vehicles, to travel to a destination on the travelable route, by causing the controller to execute route setting control,
- the travelable route including a plurality of nodes at which a route branches or routes merge, and a plurality of links that are each a route portion connecting a pair of nodes,
- a link cost set for each of the links including a reference cost and a variable cost,
- wherein:
- a target vehicle is any one article transport vehicle that passes through a link, a target link is the link through which the target vehicle passes, and another vehicle is an article transport vehicle other than the target vehicle,
- the reference cost is a value set based on a reference transit time indicating an amount of time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link while the other vehicle is not present in the target link,
- a setting time is a time at which the route setting control is executed,
- an other vehicle cost is a value set according to an amount by which the time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link increases per other vehicle present in the target link,
- a target other vehicle is another vehicle deemed to be present in the target link, and
- a priority adjustment value is a value set according to a traveling purpose of an article transport vehicle and furthermore set so as to increase continuously or stepwise as a priority for arriving more quickly at the destination decreases,
- the route setting method comprising:
- obtaining the variable cost based on the number of target other vehicles and the other vehicle cost;
- obtaining an adjusted variable cost by adjusting the variable cost using the priority adjustment value that is in accordance with the traveling purpose of the setting vehicle;
- determining the link cost for each link in a candidate route based on the adjusted variable cost and the reference cost, the candidate route is a candidate for the set route from the position of the setting vehicle at the setting time to the destination;
- obtaining a route cost for each candidate route based on the link costs;
- and
- setting the set route based on the route cost of each candidate route.
A route setting program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instruction for, in an article transport facility that comprises a plurality of article transport vehicles that transport articles while traveling along a specified travelable route and a controller that controls the article transport vehicles, causing the controller to set a set route for causing a setting vehicle, which is one of the article transport vehicles, to travel to a destination on the travelable route, by execution of route setting control by the controller,
- the travelable route including a plurality of nodes at which a route branches or routes merge, and a plurality of links that are each a route portion connecting a pair of nodes,
- a link cost set for each of the links including a reference cost and a variable cost,
- wherein:
- a target vehicle is any one article transport vehicle that passes through a link, a target link is the link through which the target vehicle passes, and another vehicle is an article transport vehicle other than the target vehicle,
- the reference cost is a value set based on a reference transit time indicating an amount of time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link while the other vehicle is not present in the target link,
- a setting time is a time at which the route setting control is executed,
- an other vehicle cost is a value set according to an amount by which the time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link increases per other vehicle present in the target link,
- a target other vehicle is another vehicle deemed to be present in the target link, and
- a priority adjustment value is a value set according to a traveling purpose of an article transport vehicle and furthermore set so as to increase continuously or stepwise as a priority for arriving more quickly at the destination decreases,
- the route setting program, when executed by at least one processor of the controller, causes the controller to:
- obtain the variable cost based on the number of target other vehicles and the other vehicle cost;
- obtain an adjusted variable cost by adjusting the variable cost using the priority adjustment value that is in accordance with the traveling purpose of the setting vehicle;
- determine the link cost for each link in a candidate route based on the adjusted variable cost and the reference cost, the candidate route is a candidate for the set route from the position of the setting vehicle at the setting time to the destination;
- obtain a route cost for each candidate route based on the link costs;
- and
- set the set route based on the route cost of each candidate route.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.