GB2129161A

GB2129161A - Automatic control of vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2129161A
Application number: GB08229451A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew George Hay
Original assignee: INDUSTRY SECRETARY OF STAT
Current assignee: INDUSTRY SECRETARY OF STAT
Priority date: 1982-10-14
Filing date: 1982-10-14
Publication date: 1984-05-10
Also published as: GB2129161B

Abstract

Automatic transportation apparatus comprises a fleet of vehicles, each vehicle (1) having a control unit (4) governing its velocity and direction of travel, and an infrared transmitter (3). The position of each vehicle is detected by one or more cameras (11) adapted to detect the infra-red transmitters. A processing unit (13) receives signals from the cameras (11) and calculates the position, velocity, and direction of travel of each of the vehicles in turn. The processing unit then instructs a central transmitter (15) to send signals to the vehicles to control their movement. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Automatic control of vehicles This invention relates to automatic transportation apparatus in which the movement of one or more vehicles is automatically and remotely controlled.

Automatic transportation systems are known and used in many applications which require the repeated movement of one or more vehicles. An especially suitable application is the movement of materials within a factory or warehouse. These known systems are used for the positioning of items into prescribed "pidgeon holes" and a withdrawal of items therefrom. The making up of batches of items, or the making up of composite loads, is however a process which usually relies on human intervention. This is because the variations required, and the variable routes required, are too complex to allow a simple automatic solution to be created. Known vehicles used normally run on rails and are governed in response to signals received from trip switches, photo-electric cells, or other position sensors present on the floor of the factory or warehouse.It is therefore difficuit readily to change the route along which the vehicles move in order to accommodate the variable routes required by a genuinely flexible automatic system. The close down of the transportation system whilst rails are re-layed and position switches re-positioned is a sufficient disincentive to prevent the widespread automation of processes requiring frequent changes of route.

It is an object of the present invention to provide automatic transportation apparatus which is flexible in that different routes can be easily achieved.

Accordingly, there is provided automatic transportation apparatus comprising one or more vehicles each having a control unit which controls the velocity and direction of travel of the vehicle, each vehicle having one or more transmitters; one or more cameras adapted to view the area of movement of the vehicles and to detect the position of the one or more transmitters; a processing unit adapted to receive electronic signals from the one or more cameras thereby to calculate the position, velocity and direction of travel of the one or more vehicles; and a central transmitter adapted to receive electronic signals from the processing unit and to transmit signals to the control units thereby to control the movement of the one or more vehicles.

Conveniently, the one or more transmitters are adapted to transmit in the infra-red region of the electro-magnetic spectrum. Alternatively, the one or more transmitters may transmit in the visible region thereof and may conceivably be laser sources.

The one or more cameras are mounted to view the whole of the area of movement of the vehicles.

Where the area of movement is too large to be viewed by a single camera, a plurality of cameras may be employed with each camera viewing a section of the area of movement. Where a plurality of cameras is employed, the area of movement is conveniently divided up notionally into lanes with one camera viewing each lane.

The processing unit receives electronic signals from the one or more cameras and interprets the signals to calculate the position of the one or more vehicles. For each vehicle in turn the processing unit compares the current position of the vehicle with the previous position of that vehicle or with an average of several previous readings. The processing unit thereby calculates the velocity of the vehicle and also its direction of travel. The position, velocity and direction of travel of each vehicle in turn is compared against preprogrammed values for that respective vehicle considering the position, velocity and direction of other vehicles. The processing unit calculates if any adjustment to the velocity or direction of travel of the vehicle is required and generates output signals accordingly.

Conveniently the central transmitter is adapted to transmit in the infra-red region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Alternatively, the central transmitter may transmit in the visibie or radio region thereof.

The one or more vehicles are conveniently trolleys adapted to run on a flat surface.

Accordingly, there is provided means for steering each trolley, thereby obviating the need for rails, channels or other permanent structures on the floor of the factory or warehouse.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic diagram of automatic transportation apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to the figure, the apparatus comprises a trolley 1 mounted on wheels 2 and carrying an infra-red transmitter 3. Also carried on the trolley 1 is a control unit 4, a motor 5 and a steering unit 6. The control unit 4 communicates with the motor 5, steering unit 6 and transmitter 3 by means of lines 7, 8 and 9 respectively. The control unit may additionally receive radio signals by means of an associated aerial 10.

A camera 11 views the area of movement of the trolley 1 and communicates by means of line 12 with the processing unit 13. The processing unit in turn communicates via line 14 with a central radio transmitter shown generally at 1 5.

In use the trolley 1 is driven along by the motor 5 and steered by the steering unit 6. When the processing unit 13 requires information concerning the whereabouts of the trolley 1, it sends an output signal via line 14 to the central transmitter 1 5 which transmits a radio signal to the control unit 4. This causes the control unit 4 to send a signal via line 9 to actuate the infra-red transmitter 3. The position of the transmitter 3 is detected by the camera 11 and electronic signals are sent back to the processing unit 1 3 by means of line 12. The processing unit 1 3 interprets the signals from the camera into data concerning the position of the trolley 1.It then compares the position of the trolley with the previous recorded position to calculate the approximate velocity and direction of travel of the trolley. If the calculated position, velocity or direction of travel of the trolley differ from the preprogrammed preferred values a signal is sent to the central transmitter 1 5. Radio signals are sent by the transmitter 1 5 to the control unit 4 instructing it to adjust the motor 5 and/or steering unit 6.

Where there is more than one trolley the processing unit 13 repeats the above sequence for each trolley in turn. As the time taken for the above sequence to be carried out is very small it is envisaged that several trolleys may be controlled by the processing unit 13.

It can be seen from the above that the movement of the trolley 1 can be remotely controlled without any need for rails, switches or any other hardware on the surface on which the trolley runs. Changes to the programmed route of the trolley may therefore be made without any modification to the trolley or the warehouse or factory. The route changes may be affected merely by re-programming the processing unit 1 3. Any modification to the system of operation could therefore be developed and improved off line without requiring any modifications to the running control programme. The factory or the warehouse and all its vehicles can be simulated in software and new software control programmes for the vehicle fleet developed.

Claims

1. Automatic transportation apparatus comprising one or more vehicles each having a control unit which controls the velocity and direction of travel of the vehicle, each vehicle having one or more transmitters; one or more cameras adapted to view the area of movement of the vehicles and to detect the position of the one or more transmitters; a processing unit adapted to receive electronic signals from the one or more cameras thereby to calculate the position, velocity and direction of travel of the one or more vehicles; and a central transmitter adapted to receive electronic signals from the processing unit and to transmit signals to the control units thereby to control the one or more vehicles.

2. Automatic transportation apparatus according to claims 1 wherein the one or more transmitters are adapted to transmit in the infra red region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

3. Automatic transportation apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the one or more transmitters are laser sources.

4. Automatic transportation apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the processing unit is adapted to calculate the current position of any one of the one or more vehicles and to compare that calculated position with the previous calculated position for that one vehicle, thereby to calculate its velocity and direction of travel.

5. Automatic transportation apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the processing unit is adapted to compare the calculated position of any one of the one or more vehicles with the average of a plurality of previous calculated positions thereby to calculate its velocity and direction of travel.

6. Automatic transportation apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the central transmitter is adapted to transmit in the infra red region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

7. Automatic transportation apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the central transmitter is adapted to transmit in the radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

8. Automatic transportation apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the one or more vehicles comprise one or more trolleys adapted to run on a flat surface, each trolly including means for steering the trolley.

9. Automatic transportation apparatus according to claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described.

10. Automatic transportation apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.