Travelling vehicle system and method for controlling travelling vehicle

A travelling vehicle system comprising:

• a controller;
• and
• a plurality of travelling vehicles, each of which travels along a track partially including a blocking area including a branching section or a merging section, transmits a request for permission to pass through the blocking area to the controller, and passes through the blocking area when receiving passage permission from the controller, and stopping in front of the blocking area when receiving no passage permission, the controller canceling the passage permission for the travelling vehicle, to which the controller transmits the passage permission, after passage of the travelling vehicle through the blocking area;
• wherein
• the controller is configured or programmed to include:
• a first storage that stores a last permitted travelling vehicle, to which the passage permission is transmitted lastly and the passage permission for which is not canceled, for each direction in the branching section or the merging section included in the blocking area;
• a second storage that stores a last canceled travelling vehicle, the passage permission for which is canceled lastly, for each direction in the branching section or the merging section included in the blocking area;
• a third storage that stores the travelling vehicle, to which the passage permission in the same direction in the blocking area is transmitted lastly, as a forward travelling vehicle of a travelling vehicle waiting for the permission to pass through the blocking area at the time of transmission of the passage permission to the passage-permission waiting travelling vehicle;
• and
• a determiner that determines whether to give passage permission to the travelling vehicle waiting for the permission to pass through the blocking area based on whether the forward travelling vehicle of the passage-permission waiting travelling vehicle coincides with the last permitted travelling vehicle or the last canceled travelling vehicle for the blocking area.