Transport operation control apparatus and transport operation control method

A transport operation control apparatus that controls transport operation of a plurality of vehicles traveling a circuit along a predetermined path, comprising:

• a first instructor that transmits an instruction for transport operation to each vehicle such that a time interval at which each of the plurality of vehicles passes an arbitrary point on the path becomes approximately constant;
• a determiner that selects any one or more vehicles among the plurality of vehicles as one or more vehicles to be changed and determines to interchange the one or more vehicles to be changed with as many vehicles for replacement as the number of the one or more vehicles to be changed;
• a second instructor that transmits an instruction to each of the one or more vehicles for replacement such that the vehicle for replacement travels a circuit along the path between a corresponding one of the one or more vehicles to be changed and a vehicle traveling ahead of the corresponding vehicle to be changed, or between the corresponding vehicle to be changed and a vehicle traveling behind the corresponding vehicle to be changed;
• a third instructor that transmits an instruction for transport operation to each of all remaining vehicles other than the one or more vehicles to be changed among the plurality of vehicles and each of the one or more vehicles for replacement such that over a time period from when each of the one or more vehicles for replacement starts traveling on the path until the vehicle for replacement finishes one lap of the path, a time interval at which each of all the remaining vehicles and the one or more vehicles for replacement passes an arbitrary point on the path becomes approximately constant;
• and
• a fourth instructor that instructs each of the one or more vehicles to be changed to leave the path after a corresponding one of the one or more vehicles for replacement finishes the one lap of the path.