JP2001236869A - Fluid-switching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid-switching device that can be attached promptly according to the length, shape and other features of the object to be attached, exhibits buffer action, can shorten the delivery period from order receipt to delivery with a low price since it has small number of parts, and is very suitable for an unmanned conveyor truck or the like. SOLUTION: This fluid-switching device 1 comprises a piping material 2, which is fitted to the circumference of a bumper part 21, an object to be attached, which has elasticity and in which a fluid flows, a fluid source 3 which supplies a fluid into the piping material 2, and a flow meter 4 which is a fluid- monitor means, arranged along the channel of the piping material 2. Changes in the fluid due to the contacting of foreign matters with the piping material 2 are monitored with the flow meter 4, so that the change in the amount of the fluid is outputted as a detection signal of the matter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluid switch device used for, for example, an unmanned carrier, a robot, and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a switch device for detecting an obstacle, which is used for an unmanned transport vehicle, a bumper portion of a robot or the like, a switch device using a long mechanical contact switch or conductive rubber is known. These required a large amount of manufacturing time and various components to process the end portion and create the shape for various lengths and shapes. Moreover, the mechanical contact or the conductive rubber cannot provide a buffering effect, so that a buffer material must be attached to the unmanned carrier, which requires an extremely complicated operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and enables quick mounting in accordance with the length and shape of a body to be mounted, and has a cushioning effect. The present invention provides a fluid switch device which is suitable for use in an unmanned transport vehicle or the like which can be constructed at a low price because the delivery time from order receipt to delivery is short, since it exhibits a small number of parts.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid switch device which is attached to an outer peripheral portion of a body to be attached and has a resilient pipe member through which fluid flows, and a pipe member having a pipe member. A fluid source for supplying a fluid, and fluid monitoring means disposed in a pipe line of the piping material, wherein the fluid monitoring means monitors a change in fluid caused by contact of an object with the piping material, and detects a change in the fluid. Is output as an object detection signal. According to the present invention, a change in the fluid accompanying the contact of the object with the elastic pipe member, which is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the attached member and through which the fluid flows, is monitored by the fluid monitoring means, and the change in the fluid is monitored. Is output as an object detection signal, so that it can be quickly attached to the outer peripheral portion of the attached body, the cushioning effect at the time of collision can be exhibited by the elastic piping material, and the number of parts is small. Therefore, the delivery period from order receipt to delivery is short, and the price can be reduced. A fluid switch device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a fluid switch device, which is attached to an outer peripheral portion of an attached body, has elasticity and allows a fluid to flow therethrough, a fluid source that supplies a fluid into the piping material, Fluid monitoring means comprising a pipeline constriction disposed in the pipeline of the piping material and a differential pressure detecting unit connected to the pipeline on both sides of the pipeline constriction; It is characterized in that the differential pressure between the fluid pressures on both sides of the conduit throttle section is detected by the differential pressure detecting section and output as an object detection signal. According to the present invention, there is provided a configuration adopting a fluid monitoring means including a pipe narrowing section arranged in a pipe of a pipe material and a differential pressure detecting section connected to pipes on both sides of the pipe narrowing section. The same function as the case of the fluid switch device of the invention described in 1 can be exerted. A fluid switch device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a fluid switch device, which is attached to an outer peripheral portion of an attached body and has a resilient piping material through which a fluid flows, a fluid source for supplying a fluid into the piping material, Fluid monitoring means comprising a pair of pressure gauges disposed in the middle and at the end of the pipe of the piping material, and a change in fluid pressure accompanying contact of an object with the piping material is detected by the pair of pressure gauges, respectively. And it is configured to output as an object detection signal. According to the present invention, a fluid monitoring means comprising a pair of pressure gauges arranged in the middle and at the end of the pipe line of the piping material is adopted, and is similar to the fluid switch device according to the first aspect of the present invention. The effect can be exerted, and the influence of the ambient temperature can be offset to further improve the detection sensitivity. A fluid switch device according to a fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the fluid in the fluid switch device according to any one of the first to third aspects is air. According to this invention, it is possible to exhibit the same operation as the case of the fluid switch device according to the first to third aspects of the present invention. In addition, since the fluid is constituted by air, the recovery operation is unnecessary. Thus, the fluid switch device can be easily released to the atmosphere and the cost can be reduced.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which a fluid switch device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied to an unmanned carrier 20. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the fluid switch device 1. It is. The fluid switch device 1 according to the first embodiment includes:
A piping member 2 made of an elastic rubber tube or a soft vinyl tube through which air flows and which is attached to the bumper portion 21 of the automatic guided vehicle 20 as an attached body, and a fluid for supplying air into the piping member 2 A source (air compressor) 3 and a flow meter 4 serving as a fluid monitoring means disposed in a pipe line of the pipe member 2.
And a discharge valve 5 disposed at the end of the pipe of the pipe material 2. If the flow meter 4 has a configuration using a piezo film, for example, and the normal flow rate is a turbulent flow area, the detection sensitivity in the case of laminar flow area or no flow at all can be increased. In the present embodiment, although the configuration is made using air as the fluid, the present invention does not limit the type of fluid, other than air, for example,
Water, oil, etc. can be used. When air is used as the fluid as in the present embodiment, a recovery operation is not required, the fluid can be easily released to the atmosphere, and a fluid switch device with lower cost can be realized. In the fluid switch device 1, air is constantly flowed from the air source 3 into the pipe member 2 and is discharged from the discharge valve 5 to the atmosphere. Then, the flow rate is monitored by the flow meter 4. Automatic guided vehicle 20
When the pipe contacts the obstacle 30 shown in FIG. 1, the pipe 2 is deformed by the obstacle 30. This causes a change in the flow rate in the pipe section 2 monitored by the flow meter 4, and the flow meter 4 can obtain an object detection signal corresponding to the change in the flow rate. Therefore, the presence of the obstacle 30 can be detected accurately and promptly with the contact of the obstacle 30 with the elastic pipe member 2 attached to the bumper 21 and through which the fluid flows. Further, the mounting to the bumper portion 21 can be performed promptly, and the buffering function at the time of collision can be exhibited. Furthermore, since the number of parts is small, the delivery period from order receipt to delivery is short, and it is possible to construct a low price. (Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a fluid switch device 1A according to a second embodiment. The basic configuration is the same as that of the fluid switch device 1 according to the first embodiment. As a means, the throttle valve 11 which is a throttle portion is connected to the piping material 2.
And a differential pressure gauge 12 for detecting a differential pressure on both sides of the throttle valve 11 is connected. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Also by the fluid switch device 1A of the second embodiment, the differential pressure gauge 12 detects the differential pressure of the pipeline of the piping material 2 on both sides of the throttle valve 11, so that the automatic guided vehicle 20 can move the obstacle 3 shown in FIG.
Obstacles can be detected accurately and promptly when they come into contact with 0, and the same function as the fluid switch device 1 of the first embodiment can be exhibited. The differential pressure gauge 12
Are disposed at both ends of the pipe, the pressure in the pipe of the pipe material 2 can be maintained at a predetermined value, and the detection sensitivity is further improved. In the second embodiment, air is used as the fluid, but other fluids such as water and oil can be used as described above. (Embodiment 3) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a fluid switch device 1B according to a third embodiment. The basic configuration is the same as that of the fluid switch device 1 according to the first embodiment. As a means, a pair of pressure gauges 15 and 16
The fluid monitoring means is arranged at both ends of the pipeline. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. According to the fluid switch device 1A of the second embodiment as well, the operation of the fluid monitoring means using the pair of pressure gauges 15 and 16 allows the fluid switch device 1 of the first embodiment to operate.
The same action as described above can be exhibited. Further, the operation of the pair of pressure gauges 15 and 16 cancels out the influence of the ambient temperature, so that the detection sensitivity can be further improved. In the third embodiment, air is used as the fluid, but other fluids such as water and oil can be used as described above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to cope with various lengths and shapes of an object to be mounted simply by changing the cutting length and the mounting shape of the piping material, and to be flexible. Since the fluid always flows through the simple piping material and has a buffering effect, it is not necessary to attach a protection member on the attached body side, and it is possible to provide an inexpensive fluid switch device with a short delivery time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a fluid switch device and an unmanned carrier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the fluid switch device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a fluid switch device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a fluid switch device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fluid switch device 2 Piping material 3 Fluid source 4 Flow meter 5 Release valve 11 Throttle valve 12 Differential pressure gauge 20 Automatic guided vehicle 30 Obstacle

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pipe member having elasticity attached to an outer peripheral portion of an attached body and through which a fluid flows, a fluid source for supplying a fluid into the pipe member, and a pipe line of the pipe member. A fluid monitoring unit, wherein the fluid monitoring unit monitors a change in fluid caused by contact of an object with the pipe member, and outputs a change in the fluid as an object detection signal. Fluid switch device. 2. A pipe member which is attached to an outer peripheral portion of an attached body and has elasticity and through which a fluid flows, a fluid source for supplying a fluid into the pipe member, and a pipe line of the pipe member. A fluid monitoring means comprising a pipe narrowing section and a differential pressure detecting section connected to pipes on both sides of the pipe narrowing section, wherein fluid pressure on both sides of the pipe narrowing section accompanying contact of an object with the pipe material Wherein the differential pressure is detected by the differential pressure detector and output as an object detection signal. 3. A piping member attached to the outer peripheral portion of an attached body and having an elasticity and through which a fluid flows, a fluid source for supplying a fluid into the piping member, and a pipe in the piping member. Fluid monitoring means consisting of a pair of pressure gauges disposed at the end portion, the change in fluid pressure due to the contact of the object with the pipe material,
The fluid switch device is configured to be respectively detected by the pair of pressure gauges and output as an object detection signal. 4. The fluid switch device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is air.