Conveyance system, conveyance method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11815883-B2
Application number	US-202017095956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2020
Priority date	Nov 25, 2019
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A conveyance system includes a plurality of conveyance robots, a storage unit, a stability information acquisition unit, a selection unit, and a system controller, which serves as a controller. The plurality of conveyance robots convey a wagon that accommodates a conveyed object. The storage unit stores robot information regarding features that the plurality of respective conveyance robots include. The stability information acquisition unit acquires stability information regarding stability when the conveyed object is conveyed. The selection unit selects one of the plurality of conveyance robots based on the robot information and the stability information that have been acquired. The system controller instructs the one conveyance robot that has been selected to convey the conveyed object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyance system comprising:
a plurality of conveyance robots configured to convey a wagon that accommodates at least one clearing tray after meals thereon have been eaten as a conveyed object; and
a server configured to
store robot information regarding features that the plurality of conveyance robots respectively include;
acquire an amount of leftover food as stability information regarding stability when the conveyed object is conveyed;
select one of the plurality of conveyance robots based on the robot information and the stability information that have been acquired; and
instruct the one of the plurality of conveyance robots to convey the conveyed object.

2. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to accept an input from a user regarding the stability information, thereby acquiring the stability information.

3. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein
the server is configured to store each of reference image data of the conveyed object and information regarding the stability that corresponds to the reference image data in advance,
the server is configured to acquire image data obtained by capturing images of the conveyed object as the stability information, and
the server is configured to compare the image data of the conveyed object with the reference image data to determine the stability of the conveyed object.

4. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein
the server stores features of a raising/lowering mechanism for raising and/or lowering the wagon that each of the plurality of conveyance robots includes as the robot information, and
the server is configured to select the one of the plurality of conveyance robots based on the features of the raising/lowering mechanism that each of the plurality of conveyance robots includes.

5. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein
the server stores respective information regarding operation accelerations for each of the plurality of conveyance robots as the robot information, and
the server is configured to select the one of the plurality of conveyance robots based on the information regarding the operation accelerations.

6. A conveyance method for selecting one of a plurality of conveyance robots configured to convey a wagon that accommodates at least one clearing tray after meals thereon have been eaten as a conveyed object and causing the one of the plurality of conveyance robots to convey the wagon, the conveyance method comprising:
storing robot information regarding features that the plurality of conveyance robots respectively include;
acquiring an amount of leftover food as stability information regarding stability when the conveyed object is conveyed;
selecting one of the plurality of conveyance robots based on the robot information and the stability information that have been acquired; and
instructing the one of the plurality of conveyance robots to convey the conveyed object.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a conveyance method for selecting one of a plurality of conveyance robots configured to convey a wagon that accommodates at least one clearing tray after meals thereon have been eaten as a conveyed object and causing the one of the plurality of conveyance robots to convey the wagon, the conveyance method comprising:
storing robot information regarding features that the plurality of conveyance robots respectively include;
acquiring an amount of leftover food as stability information regarding stability when the conveyed object is conveyed;
selecting one of the plurality of conveyance robots based on the robot information and the stability information that have been acquired; and
instructing the one of the plurality of conveyance robots to convey the conveyed object.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takai Tomohisa
• Yamaguchi Yuhei
• Toyoshima Satoshi
• Watanabe Yuta
• Taira Tetsuya
• Honda Mikio
• Oda Shiro
• Otsuki Nobuhisa

Classifications

• G05B19/41895 Primary

  using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] (control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00) · CPC title

• B65G1/0492

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B65G1/1375

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck · CPC title

• B66F9/063

  Automatically guided · CPC title

• G06T7/0002

  Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection · CPC title