Search

KR-102962257-B1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE OPERATION

KR102962257B1KR 102962257 B1KR102962257 B1KR 102962257B1KR-102962257-B1

Abstract

An industrial transport vehicle operation system and a method thereof are disclosed. An industrial transport vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) that carries parts in a vehicle production plant and transports them along a set driving path; a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) installed at each of a plurality of nodes existing on a process line and the driving path to control surrounding automated equipment; and an operation server that operates the AGV and controls the automated equipment through the PLC, collects PLC memory data from the PLC, and sets PLC control conditions for controlling the automated equipment for each section by querying the PLC memory data based on the movement position of the AGV when setting the driving path.

Inventors

  • 박경동
  • 윤상원

Assignees

  • 현대자동차 주식회사
  • 기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20201216

Claims (18)

  1. An Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) that loads parts and transports them along a set route in a vehicle manufacturing plant; A PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) installed at each of a plurality of nodes existing on the process line and the said operation path to control surrounding automation equipment; and An operation server that controls the operation of the AGV and the automation equipment through a PLC, collects PLC memory data from the PLC, and, when setting the driving path, queries the PLC memory data based on the movement position of the AGV to set PLC control conditions for controlling the automation equipment for each section; The above PLC includes a PLC memory controller that stores a conditional statement-based program for controlling the operation of the above automation equipment and stores log information based on the current operating status of the automation equipment and its operation history in the PLC memory, An industrial transport vehicle operation system characterized by the PLC memory controller identifying the operating status of the automation equipment and the movement position of the AGV, and controlling the operation or stop of the automation equipment according to whether the conditions set in the PLC memory are satisfied.
  2. In paragraph 1, The above AGV is A communication module that receives the driving path according to the work assignment of the above-mentioned operating server and transmits the moving position during operation; and A drive module that stores a factory map and a coordinate system for each movable node, and controls movement along a transport path by controlling a drive device; An industrial transport vehicle operation system including
  3. In paragraph 1, The above route is An industrial transport vehicle operation system comprising a plurality of nodes that must be operated sequentially from a starting point of the above AGV to one or more waypoints and an end point.
  4. In paragraph 3, The above route is An industrial transport vehicle operation system comprising a supply path for transporting parts from a parts warehouse to a process line based on a factory map coordinate system, and a return path for returning the AGV in the reverse order.
  5. delete
  6. delete
  7. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 4, The above operating server is A PLC communication module that connects to the above PLC to collect the respective configured PLC memory data; AGV communication module that collects real-time movement location by establishing communication with the above AGV; A path setting unit for generating an operation path of the AGV for transferring parts by the above process line; An operation condition setting unit that sets memory addresses of PLC memory and PLC control conditions for the functional operation of automation equipment by section according to the above operation path, and sets AGV operation conditions for linkage with the above PLC control conditions; A database (DB) for storing various programs and PLC memory data for the operation of the above AGV; and A control unit that controls the operation of each part for the operation of the above AGV, and controls the operation of the automation equipment by transmitting PLC control conditions by specifying the PLC memory address of the above PLC for each section according to the movement position of the above AGV; An industrial transport vehicle operation system including
  8. In Paragraph 7, The above-mentioned operating condition setting unit An industrial transport vehicle operation system comprising an operator interface (User Interface, UI) programmed with an input environment for setting PLC control conditions and AGV operation conditions for each node of the above-mentioned driving path.
  9. In paragraph 8, The UI of the above-mentioned driving condition setting section is An industrial transport vehicle operation system that displays a screen on a display for setting PLC control conditions by an operator, including a starting point condition setting module, a waypoint condition setting module, and an ending point condition setting module for the above-mentioned driving route.
  10. In paragraph 8, The UI of the above-mentioned driving condition setting section is An industrial transport vehicle operation system that refers to collected PLC memory data to query PLC control conditions registered at a starting point, waypoint, and end point based on the movement position on the driving path of the AGV and displays them to the operator.
  11. In paragraph 8, The UI of the above-mentioned driving condition setting section is An industrial transport vehicle operation system that pre-monitors whether the PLC memory value according to the above PLC control condition setting matches the operation of the above AGV through a check, and if it does not match, distinguishes the occurrence of an error by color, displays it, and alarms the operator.
  12. In paragraph 8, The UI of the above-mentioned driving condition setting section is An industrial transport vehicle operation system that sets an interlock control condition to temporarily stop the AGV or process equipment when the process equipment is in operation before the AGV enters the end point of the operation path.
  13. In a method for an operating server of a vehicle manufacturing plant to operate an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) that transports parts, a) A step of selecting an AGV considering the type and size of the part when planning a part transfer operation and generating an operation path from a starting point to an ending point; b) A step of collecting each PLC memory data from a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) installed at each of the multiple nodes existing on the above-mentioned driving path and controlling surrounding automation equipment; c) a step of querying the PLC memory data above and setting PLC control conditions for the operation of automation equipment for each section based on the movement position of the AGV; and d) a step of transmitting the PLC control conditions matched to the memory address of the PLC for each of the above sections, and transmitting the driving path and operation conditions for each section to the AGV; comprising, The above step c) includes a step of checking whether the operation of the AGV for each section and the PLC control conditions are mutually compatible when setting the PLC control conditions, wherein A method for operating an industrial transport vehicle, wherein the step of checking for compliance includes the step of alarming for a change in the setting of a condition and displaying on a display to change the PLC condition setting if any of the set PLC control conditions are not met.
  14. In Paragraph 13, The above step c) is, An industrial transport vehicle operation method comprising the step of adding an interlock control condition to selectively stop the equipment via the AGV or PLC immediately before entering a specific node based on the above movement position.
  15. delete
  16. delete
  17. In Paragraph 13, After step d) above, An industrial transport vehicle operation method further comprising the step of changing and transmitting the PLC memory value of the corresponding section PLC to a value corresponding to the operation of the AGV when a stop event occurs during the operation of the above AGV.
  18. An industrial transport vehicle (Autonomous mobile robot) that loads parts and transports them along a set route in a vehicle production plant; A PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) installed at each of a plurality of nodes existing on the process line and the said operation path to control surrounding automation equipment; and The operating server controls the operation of the above AMR and the above automation equipment through a PLC, and collects PLC memory data from the PLC, and when setting the above operation path, queries the PLC memory data based on the movement position of the above AMR to set PLC control conditions for controlling the above automation equipment for each section; The above PLC includes a PLC memory controller that stores a conditional statement-based program for controlling the operation of the above automation equipment and stores log information based on the current operating status of the automation equipment and its operation history in the PLC memory, An industrial transport vehicle operation system characterized by the above PLC memory controller identifying the operating status of the automation equipment and the movement position of the AMR, and controlling the operation or stop of the automation equipment according to whether the conditions set in the PLC memory are satisfied.

Description

System and Method for Automatic Guided Vehicle Operation The present invention relates to an industrial transport vehicle operation system and a method thereof, and more specifically, to an industrial transport vehicle operation system and a method thereof that performs PLC memory control according to the movement position of the industrial transport vehicle. Generally, in smart factory-based vehicle production plants, automated processes are modularized to assemble various components. Additionally, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are operated to facilitate the flexible transfer of parts between processes. Since interruptions in the supply of parts during automated operations cause line stoppages and negatively impact yield, it is crucial to transport parts to the right place at the right time through the operation of AGVs. Typically, after loading goods, the AGV moves to a destination along a guide line installed on the floor. For example, the AGV is equipped with a sensor that detects the magnetic force of the magnetic guide line and moves along the transport path of the parts. In the said transport path, a plurality of nodes that the AGV must pass through from the starting point to the destination are sequentially set. Meanwhile, when introducing AGVs for conventional factory line operations, there is a problem in that stopping events frequently occur due to interference and collisions with process equipment during the operation of AGVs, as there is a lack of AGV operation technology that meets the operating conditions of various surrounding equipment for each process. In addition, conventionally, there is a problem in that the operator does not immediately know when a stop event of the AGV occurs, or even if the operator does know the stop event, it is difficult to identify the cause. The matters described in this background technology section are written to enhance understanding of the background of the invention and may include matters that are not prior art already known to those skilled in the art to which this technology belongs. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an industrial transport vehicle operation system applied to a production line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an industrial transport vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 and 4 show examples of PLC condition setting and interlock function setting screens through the UI of the AGV operation condition unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an AGV operation method of an operation server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an industrial transport vehicle (AMR) operation system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by similar reference numerals. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "…part," "…unit," and "module" as used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Throughout the specification, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components shall not be limited by said terms. These terms are intended only to distinguish a component from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of said component is not limited by said terms. Throughout the specification, when it is stated that one component is 'connected' or 'joined' to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected to or joined to the other component, or that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is 'directly connected' or 'directly joined' to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Throughout the specification, the terms used are merely for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Throughout the specification, terms related to 'c