Travel control method, travel control device, and mobile robot for mobile robot systems

• US 5,488,277 A
• Filed: 07/08/1992
• Issued: 01/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Company Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Company Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Yuji, Onishi, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): IP, SHIK LUEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US07/912,977
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 318/587, 318/568, 318/586, 318/585, 364/424.01-426, 364/450, 364/449, 395/80-99, 901/1, 901/3, 901/9, 180/167-169
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31003 Supervise route, reserve route and allocate route to vehicle, avoid collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0263 using magnetic strips
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

In the travel control method in the mobile robot system including a plurality of mobile robots and the control station for controlling these mobile robot, the control station directs one of a plurality of mobile robots to the destination robot, responding to the direction, searches the route to the destination directed by the control station and sends the result to the control station. The control station which receives this in formation checks if the travel path searched by the mobile robot is already reserved by other mobile robots or not by the reservation table. If not, the control station informs the reserve completion to said mobile robot. The mobile robot which received the information of the reservation completion travels automatically along the travel path which is already reserved. In addition, said control station, when there are other mobile robots which disturb the travel of each mobile robot, directs the robot to wait or to take an alternate route according to the situation, or directs other mobile robots that disturb the travel to halt.

Claims

1. A mobile robot adapted to move along a travel path, said path having sections and having associated therewith a path indicia means, said robot including:

a first sensor for detecting and measuring distances to surfaces along said path;

a first memory means for storing data corresponding to distances from the travel path to said surfaces;

first means for controlling the travel of the mobile robot so that the distances measured by said first sensor agree with the data stored in said first memory means;

a second sensor for detecting said indicia means associated with the travel path;

a second means for controlling the travel of said mobile robot so that said second sensor moves along said indicia means according to the output of said second sensor;

a second memory means for storing data indicating which of said first and second travel controlling means is used for every section of the travel path; and

means for reading the data in said second memory means and activating the travel controlling means indicated by the data.