Transportation vehicle system and method for assigning travel path to transportation vehicle
AssigneeMurata Machinery, Ltd.
InventorHidekazu Ohta
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
From among a plurality of interconnected segments of a travel route of a transportation vehicle, an operator manually assigns a plurality of segments that form a path for the transportation vehicle to actually travel, such assignment is received, a travel instruction is generated in accordance with the plurality of assigned segments, and the transportation vehicle is instructed to travel in accordance with the travel instruction.
Claims5
A transportation vehicle system, comprising:
- a plurality of automated transportation vehicles;
- a ground controller;
- and
- a travel route for the transportation vehicles to travel, the travel route comprising at least an inter-bay route and intra-bay routes, and being formed of a plurality of interconnected segments,
- wherein the transportation vehicle travels along selected segments of the travel route, and
- wherein the ground controller includes
- assigning means for an operator to manually assign a plurality of segments that form a path for the transportation vehicle to actually travel;
- generating means for generating a travel instruction in accordance with the plurality of assigned segments;
- and
- execution means for instructing the transportation vehicle to travel in accordance with the travel instruction,
- wherein the assigning means includes a monitor for displaying the travel route of the transportation vehicles, and input means provided for the operator to manually assign the plurality of segments on the monitor, and
- wherein the monitor is a color monitor, and the assigning means displays, on the color monitor, the segments assigned by the operator in a color that is different from a color of other segments.
A method for assigning a travel path to a transportation vehicle, in order to assign the travel path to the transportation vehicle in a system that includes a plurality of automated transportation vehicles, a ground controller, and a travel route for the transportation vehicles to travel, the travel route including an inter-bay route and intra-bay routes and being formed of a plurality of interconnected segments, the transportation vehicles arranged to travel along selected segments of the travel route, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving assignment of a plurality of segments that form the path for the transportation vehicles to actually travel from among the plurality of interconnected segments of the travel route of the transportation vehicles, said assignment being manually made by an operator through assigning means of the ground controller;
- generating a travel instruction in accordance with the plurality of assigned segments by generating means of the ground controller;
- and
- assigning, through assigning means of the ground controller, the transportation vehicles to travel in accordance with the travel instruction,
- wherein in response to the receiving of the assignment of the plurality of segments by the assigning means, the assigning means displays on a color monitor the segments assigned by the operator in a color that is different from a color of other segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.