Patent ID: 7809466
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A transportation system, comprising: prediction means for predicting whether unloading at a load port of a destination point becomes possible or not within a predetermined time from arrival of a transportation vehicle at the load port; and assignment means for assigning a transportation command to the transportation vehicle such that, if it is predicted that unloading at the load port becomes possible within the predetermined time, an article is transported to the load port as the destination point, and if it is predicted that unloading at the load port becomes possible after the predetermined time, the article is transported to a buffer as the destination point, wherein the prediction means calculates an estimated arrival time corresponding to a time when the transportation vehicle loaded with the article as a first transportation vehicle arrives at the load port, wherein the prediction means calculates an estimated removal time corresponding to a time when a second article is transported from the load port by a second transportation vehicle, wherein the estimated removal time is calculated by adding a period of time required for the second transportation vehicle to arrive at the load port, and a period of time required for transferring the second article from the load port to the second transportation vehicle, to an estimated time when the second article is transported from a processing device to the load port, wherein the assignment means assigns the transportation command such that, if the estimated removal time is earlier than a time after elapse of the predetermined time from the estimated arrival time, the article is transported to the load port as the destination point, and if the estimated removal time is later than the time after elapse of the predetermined time from the estimated arrival time, the article is transported to the buffer as the destination point, and wherein a plurality of pieces of processing equipment and a plurality of buffers are provided along a travel route for transportation vehicles, and a controller issues a transportation command for the transportation vehicle to transport the article.