Delivery vehicle and method and program for controlling drive of delivery vehicle

• US 9,405,292 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Nagasawa, Atsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/767,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20160004252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/26, 701/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0216 Vehicle for transporting goods in a warehouse, factory or similar
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes

Abstract

A traveling controller of a delivery vehicle includes a command generator and an acceptable value calculator. The acceptable value calculator calculates a command acceptable value based on a current position of the delivery vehicle. An acceptable value determiner of the command generator determines whether a command position generated by a command position generator exceeds the command acceptable value. When the command position is determined to exceed the command acceptable value, a command position changer of the command generator changes the command position to the command acceptable value.

Claims

1. A delivery vehicle comprising:

a command position generator that generates a command position to move the delivery vehicle to a target position by driving a servomotor;

an acceptable value calculator that calculates a predetermined acceptable value based on a current position;

an acceptable value determiner that determines whether the command position exceeds the predetermined acceptable value calculated by the acceptable value calculator; and

a command position changer that changes the command position when the acceptable value determiner determines that the command position exceeds the predetermined acceptable value.

2. The delivery vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a position detector configured to detect the current position, wherein the acceptable value calculator calculates the predetermined acceptable value based on the current position outputted from the position detector.

3. The delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command position changer changes the command position to the predetermined acceptable value or a predetermined position within a range which does not exceed the predetermined acceptable value.

4. The delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein

the command position generator generates the command position in predetermined cycles;

and

the acceptable value calculator acquires the current position in synchronization with generation of the command position.

5. The delivery vehicle of claim 4, wherein the predetermined acceptable value includes the amount of movement during one of the predetermined cycles.

6. The delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command position changer changes the command position at a timing when the command position generator generates the command position.

9. The delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command position changer changes the command position so as to advance the command position.

10. The delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command position changer changes the command position to a value calculated by adding at least an amount that the delivery vehicle travels at a command speed to the current position.

11. The delivery vehicle of claim 3, wherein the command position changer changes the command position to a value calculated by adding at least an amount that the delivery vehicle travels at a command speed to the current position and subtracting a tolerance.

7. A method to control driving of a delivery vehicle, the method comprising:

generating a command position to move the delivery vehicle to a target position by driving a servomotor;

calculating a predetermined acceptable value based on a current position;

determining whether the command position exceeds the predetermined acceptable value; and

changing the command position when it is determined that the command position exceeds the predetermined acceptable value.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a computer program that controls driving of a delivery vehicle, the program causing a computer to perform:

generating a command position to move the delivery vehicle to a target position by driving a servomotor;

calculating a predetermined acceptable value based on a current position;

determining whether the command position exceeds the predetermined acceptable value calculated in the acceptable value calculation process; and

changing the command position when it is determined in the acceptable value determination process that the command position exceeds the predetermined acceptable value.