Travelling vehicle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879384-B2
Application number	US-201514842081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2015
Priority date	Sep 2, 2014
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A travelling vehicle system includes an intermediate track; first tracks; second tracks; a first switching track which connects the intermediate track and one of the first tracks to an other one track; and a second switching track which connects the intermediate track and one of the second tracks to the other one track. When a travelling vehicle travels on the intermediate track, a travelling vehicle controller determines before the travelling vehicle enters the first switching track that the travelling vehicle can enter both the first and second switching tracks in the case of determining that the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling is connected to the intermediate track and determining that the intermediate track is connected to the second track selected by the travelling vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A travelling vehicle system comprising:
a track including an intermediate track, a plurality of first tracks and a plurality of second tracks;
a first switching track which connects the intermediate track and one of the plurality of first tracks to an other one track;
a second switching track which connects the intermediate track and one of the plurality of second tracks to the other one track;
a track controller which controls the first switching track and the second switching track;
a travelling vehicle which travels along the track;
a travelling vehicle controller provided in the travelling vehicle; and
a host controller which issues to the travelling vehicle a permission to enter the first switching track and the second switching track,
wherein
the travelling vehicle controller has
an acquisition part which acquires track information showing states of the first switching track and the second switching track,
a first track determination part which determines, by use of the track information, whether or not a first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling is connected to the intermediate track by the first switching track,
a second track determination part which determines, by use of the track information, whether or not the intermediate track is connected to a second track selected by the travelling vehicle by the second switching track, and
an entry determination part which determines whether or not the travelling vehicle can enter both the first switching track and the second switching track when the travelling vehicle travels on the intermediate track, and
when the first track determination part determines that the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling is connected to the intermediate track and the second track determination part determines that the intermediate track is connected to the second track selected by the travelling vehicle, the entry determination part determines, before the travelling vehicle enters the first switching track, that the travelling vehicle can enter both the first switching track and the second switching track.

2. The travelling vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein
the host controller has
a first track control part which outputs, to the track controller before the travelling vehicle enters the first switching track, first connection information for connecting the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling to the intermediate track and second connection information for connecting the intermediate track to the second track selected by the travelling vehicle, when the travelling vehicle travels on the intermediate track.

3. The travelling vehicle system according to claim 2 , wherein
the host controller further has
a first entry permission issuing part which issues, to the travelling vehicle after transmission of a first completion report showing completion of the connection between the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling and the intermediate track and transmission of a second completion report showing completion of the connection between the intermediate track and the second track selected by the travelling vehicle from the track controller, a first entry permission for permitting entry into both the first switching track and the second switching track, when the travelling vehicle travels on the intermediate track, and
the entry determination part further determines, after the first entry permission is issued in the host controller, that the travelling vehicle can enter both the first switching track and the second switching track, when the travelling vehicle travels on the intermediate track.

4. The travelling vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein
the travelling vehicle controller further has
a third track determination part which determines, by use of the track information, whether or not the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling is connected to a first track selected by the travelling vehicle by the first switching track, and
when the third track determination part determines that the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling is connected to the first track selected by the travelling vehicle, the entry determination part further determines, before the travelling vehicle enters the first switching track, that the travelling vehicle can enter the first switching track, when the travelling vehicle does not travel on the intermediate track.

5. The travelling vehicle system according to claim 2 , wherein
the host controller further has
a second track control part which outputs, to the track controller before the travelling vehicle enters the first switching track, third connection information for connecting the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling to the first track selected by the travelling vehicle, when the travelling vehicle does not travel on the intermediate track.

6. The travelling vehicle system according to claim 5 , wherein
the host controller further has
a second entry permission issuing part which issues, to the travelling vehicle after transmission of a third completion report showing completion of the connection between the first track on which the travelling vehicle is currently travelling and the first track selected by the travelling vehicle from the track controller, a second entry permission for permitting entry into the first switching track, when the travelling vehicle does not travel on the intermediate track, and
the entry determination part further determines, after the second entry permission is issued in the host controller, that the travelling vehicle can enter the first switching track, when the travelling vehicle does not travel on the intermediate track.

7. The travelling vehicle system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a report part which reports to the travelling vehicle about a connection state of the first switching track when the travelling vehicle is travelling on the first switching track.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Koumoto Homare

Classifications

• B61L15/0027

  Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• B61L27/0038

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L23/34

  for indicating the distance between vehicles or trains by the transmission of signals therebetween · CPC title

• B61L19/06

  Interlocking devices having electrical operation · CPC title