Patent ID: 11914396
Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 3:
4. An operation management method of a plurality of autonomous travel vehicles which autonomously travel on a circuit, the method comprising:
creating an operation schedule for each of a plurality of operating vehicles which are autonomously traveling on the circuit;
providing the operation schedule of one lap for each of the operating vehicles when the operating vehicle passes an operation schedule updating location provided on the circuit;
creating, as the operation schedule, a normal operation schedule in which a stopping time at a stop provided along the circuit and a target velocity of each of the operating vehicles are determined so that operation intervals of the plurality of operating vehicles are an equal interval to each other;
creating, when a non-operable notification is output from any of the plurality of operating vehicles, a substitute vehicle introduction operation schedule for one lap based on the stopping time and the target velocity determined by the normal operation schedule, as the operation schedule to be provided, to each of the operating vehicles other than a non-operable vehicle which has output the non-operable notification, when the operating vehicle passes the operation schedule updating location for a first time after the non-operable notification is output, wherein the substitute vehicle introduction operation schedule is determined, based on the stopping time and the target velocity determined in the normal operation schedule, in such a manner that an operation interval between one of the plurality of operating vehicles that is immediately preceding the non-operable vehicle and another one of the plurality of operating vehicles that is immediately following the non-operable vehicle is defined to become twice an operation interval between other operating vehicles;
receiving vehicle information from the plurality of operating vehicles and an inactive vehicle which is the autonomous travel vehicle for which an operation is suspended;
judging, upon reception of the non-operable notification, whether or not a substitute vehicle which can be introduced to the circuit can be chosen from the inactive vehicle while the operating vehicles other than the non-operable vehicle travel one lap of the circuit based on the substitute vehicle introduction operation schedule;
causing, when it is judged that the substitute vehicle can be chosen, the substitute vehicle to be introduced between an operating vehicle which is immediately preceding the non-operable vehicle and an operating vehicle which is immediately following the non-operable vehicle, while the plurality of operating vehicles are traveling on the circuit based on the substitute vehicle introduction operation schedule; and
creating, when is it judged that the substitute vehicle cannot be chosen, an advancement operation schedule different from either the normal operation schedule or the substitute vehicle introduction operation schedule, and providing the advancement operation schedule to each of the operating vehicles other than the non-operable vehicle when the operating vehicle passes the operation schedule updating location for a second time after the non-operable notification is output.