Traveling vehicle system and self-diagnosis method for the traveling vehicle system

• US 8,712,600 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US13/080,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20110251735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/33.4, 701/36, 701/53, 701/117, 701/420, 701/31.4, 701/37, 726/28, 705/4, 705/305, 370/401, 340/540, 340/988, 340/426.11, 340/426.25, 340/459, 318/561
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67288 Monitoring of warpage, curvature, damage, defects or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67294 using identification means, e.g. labels on substrates or labels on containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67724 by means of a cart or a vehicule
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67733 Overhead conveying

Abstract

Self-diagnosis of a system including a travel route and a plurality of traveling vehicles traveling along the travel route in accordance with instructions from a ground controller is performed. The ground controller provides an instruction to the traveling vehicle regarding a position designated for performing detection using an abnormal condition detection sensor based on an absolute coordinate for uniquely identifying a position on the travel route. The traveling vehicle performs detection at the designated position using the abnormal condition detection sensor, and reports detection data including a detection position and detection time to the ground controller.

Claims

1. A traveling vehicle system comprising:

a plurality of traveling vehicles for traveling along a travel route; and

a ground controller configured to provide instructions to at least one of the plurality of traveling vehicles, wherein the instructions specify one or more positions on the travel route for collection of data specifying a current condition of a portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions;

wherein the at least one of the plurality of traveling vehicles is further configured to report, to the ground controller, the collected data that specifies the current condition of the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions; and

wherein the ground controller is further configured to perform operations comprising;

determining, based on the data specifying the current condition and data specifying previous conditions, travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of conditions of infrastructure of the portion of the travel route over multiple time periods;

determining an extrapolated travel route infrastructure condition value indicative of an extrapolation of the determined travel route infrastructure condition values to a future time;

generating, based on the extrapolated travel route infrastructure condition value, a prediction of a future condition of the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions, with the future condition pertaining to a time that is subsequent to a time in which the data is collected;

determining, by the ground controller, that the future condition of the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions is an abnormal condition; and

in response to determining that the future condition is the abnormal condition,

generating an instruction to perform a maintenance operation on the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions.

2. The traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the ground controller is further configured to provide the instructions during a predetermined control cycle;

and

wherein the at least one of the plurality of traveling vehicles is configured to carry out velocity control in the predetermined control cycle to arrive at the one or more positions on the travel route specified by the instructions.

3. The traveling vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store the data collected, the data collected comprising data indicative of one or more of velocities and accelerations of the plurality of traveling vehicles.

4. The traveling vehicle system of claim 1,

wherein the at least one of the plurality of traveling vehicles comprises abnormal condition detection sensors for detecting an abnormal condition related to traveling and for detecting an abnormal condition related to transfer, and

wherein the one or more positions comprise one or more of a joint between travel rails on the travel route, a diverging point, a merging point, and a curve segment for collecting the data with the abnormal condition detection sensors.

5. The traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein generating the instruction to perform the maintenance operation:

generating an instruction to perform a maintenance operation on infrastructure that is located on the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions.

6. The traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of traveling vehicles comprise vibration sensors and sound volume sensors for collection of the data;

wherein the ground controller is further configured to perform an operation comprising performing frequency analysis of the data collected from the vibration sensors and from the sound volume sensors; and

wherein generating, based on the data collected, the prediction of the future condition comprises;

generating, based on the frequency analysis performed on the data collected, the prediction of the future condition.

7. A method comprising:

providing an instruction to a traveling vehicle regarding one or more positions for collection of data along a travel route in a traveling vehicle system;

receiving, from the traveling vehicle, the data collected by the traveling vehicle at the one or more positions, with the collected data specifying a current condition of a portion of the travel route in the traveling vehicle system that is associated with the one or more positions;

determining, based on the data specifying the current condition and data specifying previous conditions, travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of conditions of infrastructure of the portion of the travel route over multiple time periods;

determining, by a processing device, an extrapolated travel route infrastructure condition value indicative of an extrapolation of the determined travel route infrastructure condition values to a future time;

generating, by the processing device based on the extrapolated travel route infrastructure condition value, a prediction of a future condition of the portion of the travel route in the traveling vehicle system, with the future condition occurring at a time that is subsequent to a time in which the data is collected;

determining that the future condition is an abnormal condition; and

in response to determining that the future condition is the abnormal condition,

generating an instruction for performance of a maintenance operation on the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the instruction comprises:

providing the instruction during a predetermined control cycle.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing the data collected, the data collected comprising data indicative of one or more of a velocity and an acceleration of the traveling vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more positions comprises at least one of a joint between travel rails on a travel route in the traveling vehicle system, a diverging point, a merging point, and a curve segment.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the instruction to perform the maintenance operation comprises:

generating an instruction to perform a maintenance operation on infrastructure that is located on the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing time series analysis of the data specifying the current condition and data specifying previous conditions;

wherein determining the travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of the conditions of the portion of the travel route over multiple time periods comprises;

determining, based on the time series analysis performed, the travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of the conditions of the portion of the travel route over the multiple time periods.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing frequency analysis on the data collected;

wherein generating, based on the data collected, the prediction of the future condition comprises;

generating, based on the frequency analysis performed on the data collected, the prediction of the future condition.

14. One or more computer-readable storage devices storing instructions that are executable to cause one or more computers in a traveling vehicle system to perform operations comprising:

providing an instruction to a traveling vehicle regarding one or more positions for collection of data along a travel route in the traveling vehicle system;

receiving, from the traveling vehicle, the data collected by the traveling vehicle at the one or more positions, with the collected data specifying a current condition of a portion of the travel route in the traveling vehicle system that is associated with the one or more positions;

determining, based on the data specifying the current condition and data specifying previous conditions, travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of conditions of infrastructure of the portion of the travel route over multiple time periods;

determining an extrapolated travel route infrastructure condition value indicative of an extrapolation of the determined travel route infrastructure condition values to a future time;

generating, based on the extrapolated travel route infrastructure condition value, a prediction of a future condition of the portion of the travel route in the traveling vehicle system, with the future condition occurring at a time that is subsequent to a time in which the data is collected;

determining that the future condition is an abnormal condition; and

in response to determining that the future condition is the abnormal condition,

generating an instruction for performance of a maintenance operation on the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein providing the instruction comprises:

providing the instruction during a predetermined control cycle.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the data collected, the data collected comprising data indicative of one or more of a velocity and an acceleration of the traveling vehicle.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the one or more positions comprises at least one of a joint between travel rails on a travel route in the traveling vehicle system, a diverging point, a merging point, and a curve segment.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein generating the instruction to perform the maintenance operation comprises:

generating an instruction to perform a maintenance operation on infrastructure that is located on the portion of the travel route that is associated with the one or more positions.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing time series analysis of the data specifying the current condition and data specifying previous conditions;

wherein determining the travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of the conditions of the portion of the travel route over multiple time periods comprises;

determining, based on the time series analysis performed, the travel route infrastructure condition values indicative of the conditions of the portion of the travel route over the multiple time periods.