JPH05127748A - Unmanned carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely prevent a flank collision accident at the time of a spin turn by providing a photoelectric sensor on the flank of a carriage body. CONSTITUTION:Right and left independent drive type wheels are installed on the unmanned carrier 1 at the center in the front-rear direction of the carrier body, and the carrier 1 travels along a guide path 6 while detecting obstacles in front of the carrier by the photoelectric sensor 5 on the front surface of the carrier body. Then a couple of front and rear photoelectric sensors 7 and 8 are installed on both right and left flanks almost above the wheels 2. Namely, light beams B are emitted forward and backward by those photoelectric sensors 7 and 8 to detects obstacles by the carrier body. Therefore, when a spin turn is made by rotating the right and left wheels 2 in mutually reverse directions, the wheels 2 are stopped, once one of the photoelectric sensors 7 and 8 detects the obstacle, in order to stop spin turn.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there is a tendency that an automated guided vehicle is used for transporting works in a factory. This automated guided vehicle is equipped with a photoelectric sensor on the front surface of the vehicle body, and this sensor detects an obstacle in front to prevent a collision accident. By the way, there are some automatic guided vehicles in which the left and right drive wheels are rotated in opposite directions to perform a spin turn. In such a vehicle, in order to prevent a collision accident on the side surface during a spin turn, it is necessary to detect a side obstacle, but effective measures have not yet been taken.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an unmanned guided vehicle having left and right independently driven wheels, which detects obstacles on the left and right side surfaces of a vehicle body substantially directly above the wheels. It is characterized in that each of the photoelectric sensors is installed and a light beam is emitted obliquely outward from the sensor with respect to the vehicle body.

[0004]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an automatic guided vehicle of the present invention. In this automatic guided vehicle 1, left and right independent drive type wheels 2 are installed in the center of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction, and a pair of left and right casters 3, 4 are installed in the front and rear portions of the vehicle body (see FIG. 2).
The photoelectric sensor 5 on the front surface of the vehicle body travels along the guideway 6 while detecting an obstacle ahead. When the left and right wheels 2 are rotated in opposite directions, the vehicle body will make a spin turn about the point P.

A pair of front and rear photoelectric sensors 7 and 8 are installed substantially right above the wheel 2 on both left and right sides.
Light beams B are emitted obliquely forward and backward from these sensors 7 and 8, respectively, to detect obstacles on the side of the vehicle body. These sensors 7 and 8 are installed in a recess 9 on the side surface of the vehicle body as shown in FIG.
A light beam B is emitted from one window 10 to the outside.

Since the automatic guided vehicle 1 is constructed in this way, when the left and right wheels 2 and 2 are rotated in opposite directions to perform a spin turn, one of the photoelectric sensors 7 and 8 When an obstacle is detected, the wheels 2 and 2 may be stopped to stop the spin turn.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the rear wheels 11 are left-right independent drive type, a photoelectric sensor 12 is installed above the wheels 11 and the light beam B is emitted obliquely forward from there. Just fire it.

[0008]

According to the present invention, an obstacle on the side of the vehicle body can be detected by a photoelectric sensor, so that a side collision accident during a spin turn can be reliably prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the arrangement of photoelectric sensors of the carrier vehicle.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Automated guided vehicle 2 Wheels 3,4 Castors 5 Photoelectric sensor 6 Taxiway 7,8 Photoelectric sensor 9 Recess 10 Window 11 Rear wheel 12 Photoelectric sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automated guided vehicle having left and right independently driven wheels, photoelectric sensors for detecting obstacles are installed on the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle body just above the wheels, respectively, and the sensors are connected to the vehicle body. On the other hand, an automated guided vehicle that emits a light beam diagonally outward.