JPH06345397A - Automated guided vehicle with transfer equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry an object to either direction, right or left, with respect to the proceeding direction of an automated guided vehicle by providing an expansion-driving mechanism and a pivotal-driving mechanism for a fork device between the right and left legs and providing wheels for lateral shifting in the midst of a letter-L-shaped fork of the fork device in such a manner that the wheels can freely emerge or retract. CONSTITUTION:An automated guided carrier which automatically travels along a guide line laid on a floor surface has a planer-type guided vehicle main body 1 equipped with driving wheels 8 for carrying, while the main body 1 incorporates a guided-steering device, a travel driving device, and a hydraulic unit. An L-shaped fork part main body 2, which incorporates an elevation driving mechanism at the end part of its vertical part, is arranged at an open part of this guided vehicle main body 1. Wheels for shifting a spear of the fork device are installed under the middle of the horizontal part of the fork part main body 2 in such a manner that the wheels can freely emerge or retract, and the emerging/retracting motion of the wheels is linked with the operation of a hydraulic cylinder, or a driving source of the elevation driving mechanism. The vertical part of this fork part main body 2 is supported by a sliding unit 6 and a pivotal-driving device.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle equipped with a transfer device which automatically travels along a guide line laid on a floor and can transfer and transfer pallets or the like left and right with respect to the traveling direction. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Forklift trucks must be used at the work site, which requires time and labor for loading and unloading. However, there is a shortage of manpower at this time, especially in the so-called "3K workplace" logistics department that handles heavy loads. It has become a serious problem, and recently, due to efforts to reduce time, an automatic transfer system using an unmanned forklift truck is becoming popular.

In this type of automatic transfer system for directly picking up a transferred object such as a pallet on the floor and directly placing it on the floor, the transferred object is automatically moved along a guide line conventionally laid on the floor. Front fork type or side fork type unmanned forklift trucks for picking and conveying are used.

[0004]

However, the front fork type unmanned forklift truck used for this kind of purpose has a fork portion when the direction of directly picking up the transported object such as a pallet is different from the traveling route of the vehicle. In order to direct the object to the direction of the transported object, the car must be turned, and it is difficult to save space because it requires a large space for transporting and transferring loads such as pallets on the left and right of the traveling route.
Due to layout restrictions, there was a problem that it could not be used for transportation and transfer work in a small warehouse.

Further, in the case of a forklift having an automatic reversing device for a forklift that can be used even in a narrow space, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-171800, since the fork portion is located outside the vehicle body, the transported object is In the case of heavy goods, since the forklift truck falls, the weight of the vehicle body must be increased, or a fall prevention device must be provided, which requires a lot of labor and cost. Furthermore, JP-A-6
An unmanned guided vehicle having a fork disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-75400 has a pair of left and right outriggers projecting from a vehicle body, and a fork that is projected from the outriggers to pick up a transported object increases the vehicle body weight, There are drawbacks such as being able to pick up the transported object only to the left or right with respect to the traveling direction.

The present invention has been invented to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides an unmanned conveyance work which is fast, reliable, efficient, and safe even in a narrow space, and which can reduce the cost. That is the purpose.

[0007]

The automatic guided vehicle of the present invention comprises:
A device invented to achieve the above object, including an induction steering device, a traveling drive device, a control device, a battery unit,
An unmanned guided vehicle equipped with a safety device and a hydraulic unit that travels along a guide line laid on the floor, with a transfer device extending and retracting between the right and left legs of the vehicle body. Means and a transfer device turning drive means are provided vertically, and below the L-shaped picking portion main body of the transfer device, a transfer device lateral movement wheel and the transfer device lateral movement wheel appearing / withdrawing / immersion means are provided. The picking part body supporting part is installed and an inverted L-shaped picking part body supporting part is provided to support the picking part body. Further, the horizontal end part of the picking part body supporting part is used as the extension drive means and the swing drive means. The vertical part end is fitted to one end of the picking part main body supporting part, and the picking part main body elevating and lowering drive means is mounted on the picking part main body to transfer / transfer the transferred object to a predetermined position. Achieve the above objectives by being able to publish Is an automated guided vehicle to be.

[0008]

According to the above-mentioned automatic guided vehicle with the transfer device, when the object to be conveyed such as a pallet is directly removed from the floor, the automatic guided vehicle equipped with the battery is first installed along the guide wire embedded on the floor. When the vehicle automatically travels and reaches the target loading station, the automatic guided vehicle stops.

Next, the entire transfer device of the automatic guided vehicle is turned 90 degrees to the right or left by the turning drive means,
After the turning, the picking portion main body of the transfer device is lowered by its ascending / descending driving means, and after the lowering, the transfer device lateral movement wheels mounted on the lower side of the picking portion main body appear and disappear by landing / retracting means, Then, the entire transfer device is advanced and extended by the transfer device expansion / contraction drive means, and the tip end portion of the picking portion main body sneaks into the insertion port of the transferred object such as a pallet, and holds the transferred object. After the placement and holding of the transported object is confirmed by the optical sensor, the entire transfer device is slightly retracted and retracted by the transfer device extension / contraction drive means, and is retracted between the left and right legs of the transport vehicle. After that, the picking part body is raised by the elevating drive means while the tip end part of the picking part body holds and holds the transported object, and after being raised, the transfer device lateral movement wheel is retracted by the retracting / retracting means. , And then the whole transfer device is moved to the right or left 9
After turning 0 degrees, the entire transfer device is stored in the main body of the carrier, and the automatic carrier automatically travels to the target unloading station.

On the other hand, when an object to be conveyed such as a loaded pallet is placed directly on the floor surface, the automatic guided vehicle automatically travels along a guide line buried on the floor surface and reaches a target unloading station. Then, the automatic guided vehicle stops. Then, the entire transfer device is rotated 90 degrees rightward or leftward by the turning drive means, the picking part main body is lowered by the elevating drive means after turning, and the transfer device lateral movement wheel is lowered by the turning drive means. The landing and landing is carried out by the hoisting and immersing means, and then the entire transfer device is extended and advanced by the telescopic drive means to the floor surface direct placing position, and after the floor surface directly placing position is reached, the transported object is unloaded. After unloading, the transfer device is slightly retracted back and forth between the left and right legs of the transport vehicle, and after the transfer, the entire transfer device is raised by the elevating drive means, and after the transfer, the transfer device lateral movement wheels are The transfer device is swung by the retracting / immersive means, and then the transfer device is turned 90 degrees to the right or left, and the entire transfer device is housed in the main body of the transport vehicle to automatically travel to the target loading station. Hereinafter, the above-described operation is repeated.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a side view of an automated guided vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a plan view of the automatic guided vehicle of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a principle diagram of a retracting / withdrawing mechanism of wheels for lateral movement of a fork device, and (a) is a principle diagram of an immersing mechanism of wheels for lateral movement of a fork device, (B)
4 is a principle diagram of the retracting mechanism of the wheels for lateral movement of the fork device, FIG.
FIG. 1 is an operation diagram of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention, 1 is a main body of an unmanned guided vehicle, 2 is a fork portion main body, 3 is a leg portion of the guided vehicle main body 1, 4 is a wheel for lateral movement of a fork device, and 5 is a wheel. 4 haunting
An immersing mechanism, 6 is a two-stage slide unit, 7 is a fork part main body supporting part, 8 is a vehicle drive wheel, 9 is a bumper, 10 is an emergency stop button, 11 is a traveling indicator light, and W is a transported object.

The automated guided vehicle 1 is mainly composed of the guided vehicle body 1,
Induction steering device (not shown), traveling drive device (not shown), control device (not shown), battery unit (not shown), guided vehicle drive wheel 8, bumper 9, hydraulic unit ( (Not shown), an automatic guided vehicle that is configured by a traveling indicator light 11, a fork device, and the like, and automatically travels along a guide line buried on the floor surface. Avoid detailed description.
The fork device as an embodiment of the present invention includes a fork part main body 2, a two-stage slide unit 6, a fork device lateral movement wheel 4, the wheel retracting / withdrawing mechanism 5, a fork part main body supporting part 7, a fork part main body elevating / lowering device. Drive mechanism (not shown) and fork device turning drive mechanism (not shown)
It consists of

The fork portion main body 2 is an L-shaped fork, and is composed of four wheels 4 for lateral movement of the fork device, a hydraulic cylinder 12, a piston rod 13 and a toggle joint mechanism 14 below the horizontal middle portion thereof. The wheel retracting / retracting mechanism 5 is mounted, and the retracting / retracting mechanism 5 uses the expansion / contraction motion of the hydraulic cylinder 11, and pressure oil is fed from a hydraulic unit (not shown). , Fig. 3
As shown in (b), the tip of the piston rod 13 of the hydraulic cylinder 12 is the toggle joint mechanism 1.
When the wheel 4 is pushed, the wheel 4 is retracted, and when the tip of the piston rod 13 is retracted and reduced, the wheel is retracted. Further, a vertical portion end portion of the L-shaped fork portion main body 2 is internally provided with a fork portion elevating / lowering drive mechanism, and the elevating / lowering drive mechanism 8 utilizes the extension / contraction motion of the hydraulic cylinder 12, and the hydraulic unit 16 is used. The piston rod 13 of the hydraulic cylinder 12 by controlling the pressure oil from
Is configured to be expanded and contracted to raise and lower the fork portion main body 2. Further, the other end of the vertical portion of the fork portion main body 2 is internally fitted and supported by the fork portion main body supporting portion 7. The hydraulic unit is a commonly used hydraulic unit including a hydraulic pump driven by an electric motor. Although the fork portion main body raising / lowering drive mechanism is provided in the vertical portion of the fork portion main body 2, it may be provided in the fork portion main body supporting portion 7.

The fork portion main body supporting portion 7 is formed in an inverted L shape, and the end portion of the horizontal portion is engaged with a two-stage slide unit 6 and a fork device turning drive mechanism 9 described later, and the end portion of the vertical portion is the fork. The fork main body 2 is supported by being fitted onto the end of the vertical portion of the main body 2. Further, the two-stage slide unit 6 is generally used as an extension / contraction drive mechanism for a loading platform of a stacker crane using an electric motor, and its operation will not be described in detail.
Means utilizing hydraulic pressure can also be used. Further, the fork device turning drive mechanism is composed of a sprocket, a chain, an electric motor, and the like, and is configured to turn the entire transfer device by 90 degrees in the right or left direction in response to a signal from the control device. . Further, one optical sensor (not shown) is mounted on the lower rear portion of the horizontal portion of the fork portion main body supporting portion 7 for confirming the presence of a conveyed object such as a pallet, and the other optical sensor is It is internally provided on the rear side of the horizontal portion of the fork main body 2.

Next, the operation of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention having the above-described structure will be described with reference to FIG. 4. When directly carrying a floor surface of an object to be transported such as a pallet, first, the floor surface is to be placed on the floor surface. The battery-equipped gate-type automatic guided vehicle automatically travels along the buried guide wire in the posture shown in (a), and when it reaches the target loading station, the automatic guided vehicle stops.

Next, as shown in (b), the entire fork device turns 90 degrees to the right or left by the fork device turning drive mechanism, and the fork part main body 2 of the fork device after turning turns the fork part body lifting drive mechanism. To descend,
After being lowered, it is mounted on the lower side of the fork main body 2 4
The individual fork device lateral movement wheels 4 are landed and landed by the retracting and retracting mechanism 5, and then the entire fork device is extended and extended by the two-stage slide unit 19 to the insertion port of the transported object W such as a pallet. The tip end of the part main body 2 goes under and holds the object W to be transferred. After the placement and holding of the transported object W is confirmed by the sensor, the entire fork device is moved to the above-mentioned 2 as shown in (c).
The step slide unit 19 slightly retracts and retreats between the legs 3 of the carrier. Thereafter, the fork main body 2 is lifted by the elevating drive mechanism while the front end of the fork main body 2 of the fork device holds and holds the transported object W.
After the ascent, the fork device lateral movement wheel 4 is retracted by the retracting / retracting mechanism 5, and then the fork device is turned 90 degrees in the right or left direction, and the fork device as a whole is shown in (d). It is stored in the carrier body,
The automated guided vehicle automatically travels to the target unloading station.

On the other hand, when an object W to be conveyed such as a loaded pallet is placed directly on the floor surface, the automatic guided vehicle automatically travels along the guide line buried on the floor surface in the posture shown in (a). When the target unloading station is reached, the automatic guided vehicle stops. Then, the whole fork device is turned 90 degrees to the right or left by the turning drive mechanism as shown in (b), and after turning, the fork portion main body 2 is lowered by the lifting drive mechanism, and after the lowering, After the wheels 4 for lateral movement of the fork device are landed and landed by the retracting and retracting mechanism 5, the entire fork device is extended and advanced by the two-stage slide unit 19 to the floor direct placement position, and after reaching the floor surface direct placement position. , The transported object W is unloaded. As shown in (c), after unloading, the whole fork device is slightly retracted to the space between the legs 3 of the carrier, and after the fork unit main body 2 is lifted by the lifting drive mechanism, The fork device lateral movement wheels 4 are retracted by the retracting / retracting mechanism 5, and then the entire fork device is turned 90 degrees to the right or left, and the entire fork device is conveyed as shown in (d). It is stored in the car body and automatically travels to the desired loading station. Hereinafter, the above-described operation is repeated.

Although the shape of the main body of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention is illustrated as a gate type, it can be implemented in a shape like a basket of a basket basket, and the wheels for lateral movement of the fork device appear and disappear.
The immersing mechanism and the elevating and lowering drive mechanism are exemplified by hydraulic cylinders, but a pneumatic type, an electric motor or the like can be used, and wheels are used as the means for lateral movement, but a roller or the like can be used. The above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely examples, and other details are not described, but the present invention can be implemented in various modes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0019]

According to the automatic guided vehicle with the transfer device of the present invention, as described above as one embodiment, the fork device telescopic drive mechanism and the fork device are provided between the right leg portion and the left leg portion of the vehicle body. A turning drive mechanism is located, a plurality of wheels for lateral movement of the fork device and a mechanism for retracting / withdrawing the wheels are mounted on the lower center of the horizontal portion of the L-shaped fork part main body of the fork device, and an inverted L A fork device lifting / lowering drive mechanism is mounted on the character-shaped fork portion main body supporting portion, a horizontal portion end portion of the fork portion main body supporting portion is engaged with the extension / contraction driving mechanism and the turning drive mechanism, and a vertical portion end portion is the fork. It is mounted on one end of the main unit to transfer and transfer objects to a specified position, so even in a narrow passage, it can be transferred or transferred to the left or right of the traveling direction. Since it is possible to save space, Since a transfer device such as an oak lift does not project outside the dolly, the weight of the dolly body is increased in preparation for a heavy load, and it is not necessary to spend a lot of effort and cost such as providing a fall-prevention means, and the cost can be reduced. Further, four transfer device lateral movement wheels are mounted on the lower side of the fork device to prevent the load from being suspended in an unstable state. It can be safely transported and transferred, and since the unmanned carrier does not need to change the direction, the amount of movement is small, so transfer and transfer efficiency is high, and it is easy to transfer and transfer loads. It has great effects such as no need to modify the floor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an automated guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automatic guided vehicle of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a principle view of a retractable / retractable mechanism of a wheel for lateral movement of a fork device.

4 is an operation diagram of the automatic guided vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Gate type unmanned guided vehicle body 2 Fork device body 4 Wheels for lateral movement of fork device 5 Wheel retracting / immersive mechanism 6 Two-stage slide unit 7 Fork body support 12 Hydraulic cylinder 13 Piston rod 14 Toggle joint mechanism W Transported object

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic guided vehicle equipped with a transfer device, which is equipped with an induction steering device, a traveling drive device, a control device, a battery unit, a safety device, and a hydraulic unit and travels along a guide line laid on the floor. , A transfer device extension / contraction drive means and a transfer device turning drive means are vertically provided between the right leg part and the left leg part of the vehicle body, and the transfer device is transferred to the lower side of the L-shaped picking part main body. Wheels for lateral movement of equipment and wheels for lateral movement of the transfer equipment
Immersing means is provided, and an inverted L-shaped picking part main body supporting part is provided to support the picking part main body,
Further, the horizontal part end of the picking part main body support part is engaged with the expansion drive means and the swivel drive means, the vertical part end part is fitted to one end part of the picking part main body support part, and the picking part main body ascends and descends. An automatic guided vehicle with a transfer device, characterized in that a driving means is mounted on the picking section main body so that an object to be transferred can be transferred and transferred to a predetermined position.