JP-7856614-B2 - Conveying system

Inventors

• 卯路 彰

Assignees

• 三菱ロジスネクスト株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20230927

Claims (5)

1. In a transport system equipped with a manned transport vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle, The aforementioned unmanned aircraft, A camera unit that photographs the face of the operator operating the aforementioned manned transport vehicle, A transport system characterized by comprising: a sleepiness determination unit that determines the degree of sleepiness of the operator based on a facial image of the operator taken by the camera unit; and an age determination unit that determines the age of the operator based on a facial image of the operator taken by the camera unit, and an alarm unit that alerts the operator operating the manned transport vehicle based on the degree of sleepiness and the age.
2. The transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm unit, when the degree of drowsiness is above a predetermined level and the age is below a predetermined age, alarms are issued not only to the operator but also to the area around the manned transport vehicle.
3. The transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm unit emits sound, light, and water, or a combination thereof, as the alarm.
4. The aforementioned unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a projection unit that projects images onto a passageway, The transport system according to claim 2, characterized in that the alarm unit is configured to project an alarm image from the projection unit to sound an alarm around the manned transport vehicle.
5. The transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to travel along a taxiway for guiding the movement of the manned transport vehicle.

Description

This invention relates to a transport system comprising a manned transport vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle. Manned transport vehicles (such as forklifts) used in facilities like factories and warehouses are designed to move and operate when an operator is on board and controlling them. Forklifts are also configured to perform loading and unloading operations using their forks. Furthermore, a transport system is known that uses an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of hovering in the air to guide a manned transport vehicle operated by an operator (see Patent Document 1, etc.). In this transport system, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is equipped with a projector that projects guidance images onto the road surface. The guidance images, for example, display arrows indicating a specific direction and are projected onto the road surface in front of the manned transport vehicle. This allows the operator of the manned transport vehicle to be guided to the loading/unloading position by viewing the guidance images. Incidentally, conventional transport systems had a problem: they couldn't prevent operators of manned transport vehicles from falling asleep while operating them. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-52629 A perspective view showing the transport system.A side view showing the transport system.A plan view showing the transport system.A block diagram showing the transport system.A schematic diagram showing the eye area of a facial image.A schematic diagram showing the entire face image, where (A) represents an operator in their 30s and (B) represents an operator in their 60s.A flowchart illustrating the control procedure for preventing drowsiness. The following describes an embodiment of the transport system according to the present invention, based on the drawings. The configuration of the transport system will be explained based on Figures 1 to 6. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the transport system S includes a manned transport vehicle 1 operated by an operator O. The manned transport vehicle 1 is configured to move and operate when operated by the operator O. In this embodiment, the manned transport vehicle 1 is a counterbalanced forklift, configured so that the vehicle can move and the forks can be raised and lowered when operated by the operator O. The transport system S is equipped with multiple shelves R installed within a facility such as a factory or warehouse. Each shelf R has multiple tiers in the height direction, and is configured to store goods L at predetermined positions on the tiers. The manned transport vehicle 1 loads and unloads goods L at predetermined positions on the shelves R. The shelves R are spaced at predetermined intervals to allow the manned transport vehicle 1 to travel and handle goods, and a passage P is formed between each shelf R (Figures 1 and 3). The transport system S includes an unmanned aerial vehicle 2 capable of hovering in mid-air. The unmanned aerial vehicle 2, also known as a drone, is configured to fly to a predetermined hovering position and to hover at that position through the rotation of rotors located at the ends of multiple arms. The transport system S includes a control device 3 for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 (Figure 4). The control device 3 includes a memory unit 30. The memory unit 30 stores a map M consisting of shelves R and passageways P installed within the facility, and cargo L placed within the facility. Furthermore, the storage unit 30 stores the cargo handling tasks T performed by the manned transport vehicle 1 as a cargo handling schedule J. Specifically, the cargo handling schedule J consists of multiple cargo handling tasks T, such as task T1 for retrieving cargo L from a predetermined location on a predetermined shelf R, task T2 for placing cargo L at a predetermined location on the predetermined shelf R, task T3 for placing cargo L at a shipping location, and task T4 for retrieving cargo L from a receiving location, all set in a predetermined order. The cargo handling tasks T also include location information for cargo L and cargo handling (retrieval or placement) information for cargo L. The management device 3 includes a cargo handling instruction unit 34, which is configured to display the cargo handling tasks T of the cargo handling schedule J transmitted from the storage unit 30 on a display unit 11 located in the driver's seat of the manned transport vehicle 1. The display unit 11 is, for example, composed of a touch panel display. The cargo handling instruction unit 34 displays the cargo handling task T that the manned transport vehicle 1 should perform on the display unit 11. The operator O operates the manned transport vehicle 1 to perform cargo handling according to the cargo handling task T displayed on the display unit 11. When the cargo handling task T is completed, the operator O presses the end button displayed on the display unit 11, and an end signal is sent to the cargo handling instruction unit 34. Upon