Automatic guided vehicle and method for controlling travel thereof

摘要

An automatic guided vehicle has a detector for detecting a distance between the vehicle and an object and then outputting a distance signal, and a controller for controlling the speed of the vehicle according to the distance signal and for operating in one of a succeeding vehicle mode under which the distance between the vehicle and a preceding automatic guided vehicle is small and a preceding vehicle mode under which the distance maintained therebetween will be larger. A travel control method for controlling a travel of the automatic guided vehicle includes the steps of: dividing an entire travel path into sections, and operating the vehicle in one of the modes in each section. The succeeding vehicle mode allows the vehicle to travel in a group with a small distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the preceding vehicle mode allows a group of the vehicles to be disorganized and the vehicles to travel at a predetermined speed so that the distance therebetween is larger.