JP2003212112A - Automatic guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic guided vehicle capable of operating a branching device if electric trouble occurs. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic guided vehicle 13 travels on a track 12 having a branch track 12b. The branching device 2 is provided so that branching rollers 26 may be alternatively brought to a substantially contact state with guiding grooves 142b, 142c formed along the track 12. The branching device 2 is capable of being driven by a motor 6 and also by a manual shaft 29, and provided with a drive transmission mechanism transmitting rotational driving force from the motor shaft 6a of the motor 6 to the drive shaft 19 of the branching roller 26. The drive transmission mechanism is provided with a plurality of gears 8, 17, 18, 27, 37 interlocked with the rotation of the motor shaft 6a. The manual shaft 29 is so constructed as to be able to manually rotate the plurality of gears 37, and as to serve as a shaft that can be stopped by a brake 38 of the branching device 2 and also as the separate driving means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

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 traveling on a track having a branch road, and more particularly to a manual drive means for a branching device provided in the automated guided vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a branch path provided with a branching device and installed on a track, it is unnecessary to switch the track side.
There are known unmanned guided vehicles (hereinafter referred to as guided vehicles) that allow the user to select a route by themselves. In a carrier vehicle that travels on a track having a bifurcated branch, branching rollers are provided on the branching device on the left and right in the running direction. Then, by driving the branching device, only one of the left and right branching rollers is
Advance to the orbital side. On the other hand, a guide groove is formed on the track of the branching portion, and the branching roller advanced by the driving of the branching device is configured to fit into the guide groove and come into contact therewith. The guide groove is provided along the main path and the branch path (bypass track) at the branch portion. Then, depending on the route selected by the carrier, one of the left and right branch rollers is advanced to the track side, and the branch roller is fitted into the guide groove on the track to guide the carrier. .

As an example of such a branching device, left and right branching rollers are fixed to the same rotary shaft in a phase of 90 degrees,
One of the branch rollers is advanced to the track side by the rotation of the rotary shaft. That is, when one branch roller is retracted to the branching device side, the other branch roller is always in the state of advancing to the track side. Correspondingly, on tracks other than the branch part, a relief groove wider than the guide groove provided on the track of the branch part is provided to prevent the branch roller that has advanced to the track side from contacting the track. There is.
By using the branching device as described above, the structure of the branching device is simplified as compared with the case where both branching rollers can be independently advanced and retracted.

[0004]

The rotation of the rotary shaft is
Since the operation is performed only by the motor provided in the branching device, if the electric power is not supplied to the motor due to an electrical trouble in the motor control circuit or the like, the branching device cannot be operated. Further, as described above, one of the branch rollers is always advanced to the track side.
Therefore, even if a shunt position for maintenance is provided on the branch road, if the motor control mechanism fails while the branch roller corresponding to the main path is advanced, guide the guided vehicle to the branch road. I can't. Therefore, the present invention provides an automatic guided vehicle capable of operating the branching device even if an electrical trouble occurs.

[0005]

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, the means for solving the problems will be described. That is, in the first aspect of the present invention, an unmanned guided vehicle that travels on a track having a branch path, in which one of a pair of branch rollers is selectively fitted into a guide groove formed along the track. The branching device can be driven by a motor and manually driven by another driving means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the branching device is provided with a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force from the rotation shaft of the motor to the drive shaft of the branch roller.
A plurality of gears that interlock with the rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor are provided, and the separate drive means is a manual shaft that allows at least one of the plurality of gears to be manually rotatable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the shaft that can be braked by the brake of the branching device and the manual shaft that is the separate driving means are used in common.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An automated guided vehicle 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First,
A guided vehicle system 1 using a contactless power supply method to which an automated guided vehicle 13 is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a guided vehicle system 1.

In FIG. 1, a track 12 is laid on the moving path of an unmanned guided vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a carrier) 13, and a feeder line in which a conductive wire such as a copper wire is covered with an insulating material along the track 12. 5/5 are placed. A plurality of stations 10 and 10 are arranged on the side of the track 12 so that the transport vehicle 13 can move between the stations 10 and 10 to transport articles from one station 10 to the other station 10.

A power supply device 11 is provided at one end of the power supply lines 5 and 5 so that power is supplied to the power supply lines 5 and 5 at a predetermined frequency (high frequency). Then, the carrier vehicle 13 receives the electric power by using the electromagnetic induction by the high frequency current supplied from the electric power supply device 11, and obtains the electric power.

The transport vehicle 13 has a pickup unit 9 for obtaining electric power from the power supply lines 5 and 5. The transport vehicle 13 has a pair of left and right pickup units 9 and 9.
Are arranged in at least one pair. And the carrier 13
Moves on the track 12 using the electric power extracted by the pickup unit 9.

The track 12 is a main path 1 which is an annular track.
2a and a branch path 12b formed in the main path 12a. Here, the connection between the main path 12a and the branch path 12b is referred to as branch sections 14a and 14b. Main route 12a
The power supply lines 5 and 5 are installed on the branch line 12b and the pair of power supply lines 5 and 5 form an outward path and a return path, and a power supply path 50 is formed as a whole. And
In order to enable power supply anywhere on the track 12, the transport vehicle 13 is provided with a pair of power supply lines 5 on at least one of the left and right sides of the track 12.

The carriage 13 may be a ceiling carriage or a floor carriage as long as the carriage has a track. In the following, an example in which the transport vehicle 13 is a ceiling carriage will be described. First, the configuration of the transport vehicle 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. 2 is a perspective view showing the automatic guided vehicle 13, FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing the automatic guided vehicle 13, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the traveling portion 21 and the track unit 120 at the branching portion. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 13 is provided with a traveling portion 21 at the upper portion and an article support portion 22 at the lower portion. The running portion 21 includes a central main frame 31 and wheel supporting portions 32, 32 located in front of and behind the main frame 31.
Composed of and. As shown in FIG. 3, the wheel support 32
32 and the main frame 31 are pivotal fulcrum shafts 33.3
3, the wheel support portions 32 are rotatable with respect to the main frame 31. In addition, below the traveling unit 21, an article support unit 22 configured to be able to carry luggage is provided. The traveling unit 21 and the article supporting unit 22 are connected by the coupling body 36, and the article supporting unit 22 is supported by the traveling unit 21. Also,
A pair of pickup units 9 are provided on the left and right of the connecting body 36.
・ 9 are fixed to the left and right respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, a motor 16 is provided in the traveling section 21 as a driving means for the transport vehicle 13, and the motor 16 is attached to the main frame 31. In addition, the drive wheel 2 is coaxial with the motor shaft of the motor 16.
5 are provided, and the drive wheels 25 are rotated by the drive of the motor 16.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the wheel support portion 3
Traveling wheels 23, 23 having left and right axles are arranged on the left and right sides of the lower part of 2, and the axles are fixed to the wheel support portion 32. The traveling wheels 23 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the front and rear wheel support portions 32, and the traveling portion 21 as a whole is provided with four traveling wheels 23 on the front, rear, left and right sides. The traveling wheels 23, 23 ... Include the traveling rails 40, 40 or the traveling rail 140, which will be described later, formed on the track 12.
The carriage 13 is supported on the track 12 by abutting against the a 140b 140c. As shown in FIG. 2 (not shown in FIG. 4), a pair of guide wheels 24, 24 having vertical axles are provided on the left and right sides of the upper portion of the wheel support 32, respectively. ing. Left and right guide wheels 24
24 ... Vertical parts 41, which will be described later, formed on the track 12.
The transport vehicle 13 is allowed to travel along the track 12 to the left and right without being misaligned while being substantially in contact with 41.

Next, the track 12 on which the transport vehicle 13 travels will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 5 shows a traveling unit 2
1 is a front view showing the orbit unit 20 of the non-branching portion, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the branching portion 14a. The track 12 is fixed to the ceiling. The track 12 is configured by connecting a plurality of track units, and
As shown in FIG. 5, the track unit 120 is a branch unit and the track unit 20 is a non-branch unit. In addition, as shown in FIG.
1 and a horizontal portion 142 bridging between the upper ends of the horizontal portions, and is formed in an inverted U-shape in cross section. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the track unit 20 also includes the left and right vertical portions 41,
It has a horizontal portion 42 bridging the upper ends of the horizontal portions, and is formed in an inverted U-shape in cross section.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the track unit 20 is provided with a portion projecting inward in the left-right direction from the lower end of the vertical portion 41, 41 to form a pair of traveling rails 40, 40. There is. The upper surface of the traveling rail 40 is formed to be a horizontal plane.
The traveling wheels 23, 23 ...
Is designed to travel on the traveling rails 40 and 40.
In the present embodiment, the track unit 120 has a bifurcated structure, so that three running rails corresponding to the running rails 40 of the track unit 20 are formed, as shown in FIG. 140a / 140b / 1
40c.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the track unit 20 is provided with a gap 36 between the traveling rails 40, 40, and a connecting member 36 for connecting the traveling portion 21 and the article supporting portion 22 to each other. Passable. Similarly, track unit 1
A gap is also provided between the traveling rails 120 and 120 in 20 so that the connecting body 36 can pass through.

In the horizontal section 42 of the track unit 20,
As shown in FIG. 5, the running surface 43 is provided on the lower surface of the left and right central portions.
Are formed. The drive wheels 2 provided on the transport vehicle 13
5 is urged upward by an urging means (not shown) also provided on the transport vehicle 13 so as to contact the traveling surface 43. The transport vehicle 13 travels along the track 12 by the drive rotation of the drive wheels 25. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal surface 142 of the track unit 120 also has a traveling surface 143 formed on the lower surfaces of the left and right central portions, and the drive wheels 25 contact the traveling surface 143. .

As shown in FIG. 5, the inner surfaces of the vertical portions 41, 41 of the track unit 20 are formed on the contact surfaces of the guide wheels 24, 24 ... Provided on the upper portion of the wheel supporting portion 32. The guide wheel 24 is provided on the transport vehicle 13 so as to be substantially in contact with the vertical portion 41. The guide wheel 24 and the vertical portion 41 prevent the positional deviation of the transport vehicle 13 in the track direction from left to right. Similarly, the vertical portions 141 and 14 of the track unit 120
A contact surface of the guide wheels 24, 24 ... Is also formed on the inner surface of 1.

Next, the branching device 2 provided on the transport vehicle 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the branching device 2, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the branching device 2. As shown in FIG.
A branching device 2 shown in FIG. 8 is provided. By the branching device 2, the carrier vehicle 13 traveling on the track 12 is moved to the branching part 14
In the a / 14b, the branch path 12b and the main path 12a can be selectively selected.

First, the wheel support portion 3 for supporting the branching device 2
The configuration of No. 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the wheel support portion 32 includes right and left vertical portions 44 and a horizontal portion 45 bridging the lower ends of the vertical portions 44 in a front view, and is formed in a concave shape as a whole. ing. The vertical portion 44 includes a lower running wheel support member 46 and an upper guide wheel support member 47.
Composed of and. The traveling wheels 23 are supported by bearings provided on the traveling wheel support member 46, and the guide wheels 24 are supported by bearings provided on the guide wheel support member 47. The traveling wheel support portion 46 and the guide wheel support portion 47 are fixedly provided, and the vertical portion 44 and the horizontal portion 45 are fixed.
Both are fixed.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a support frame 3 bridging the vertical portions 44, 44 is provided above the vertical portion 44 (guide wheel instruction portion 4). The branching device 2 is supported by the support frame 3.

Inside the wheel support portion 32, the guide wheel support member 47 is fixedly provided with a guide rail 48 extending vertically as shown in FIGS. A support base 49 for the branch rollers 26, 26 is provided inside the wheel support portion 32, beside the guide rail 48. The support 5 is slidably contacted with the guide rail 48 on the support base 49.
0 is fixed, and the support base 49 is configured to be vertically movable along the guide rail 48. Branch rollers 26, 26 having vertical axles are provided above the support base 49, and the axles are rotatably provided on the support body 49.

Next, the guide means for selecting the transport vehicle 13 at one of the main route 12a and the branch route 12b at the branch portions 14a and 14b will be described with reference to FIGS. The guide means includes guide grooves 142b and 142c provided on the track 12, and branch rollers 26, 26 ... Provided on the branch device 2. The branching device 2 is
This is a device for selectively moving up and down the support bodies 49 provided on both the left and right sides of the wheel support portion 32. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when one support base 49 is at the uppermost position, the other support base 49 is at the lowermost position. As shown in FIG. 5, the track unit 120 that forms the track 12 is formed with concave guide grooves 142b and 142c that open downward. The width of the guide grooves 142b, 142c is formed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the branch roller 26, and the branch roller 26, 26 that has moved to the uppermost position has the width of the guide groove 142b, 142c.
The side wall of 142c is in a substantially contact state.
Since the branching roller 26 is regulated by both side walls formed in the guide groove, the transport vehicle 13 traveling on the branching portions 14a and 14b is guided along the path by the guide groove. Branching portion 14a
In the track unit 120 of FIG. 6, the guide grooves 142b and 142c are located on the left and right sides of the running surface 143 on the merging side (opposite side). The merging side is the main route 1
This means the side where the 2a and the branch path 12b merge, and is the lower side of the track unit 120 in FIG.
The cross section of the track unit 120 shown in FIG. 4 is a cross section on the merging side. The left and right widths of the guide grooves 142b and 142c are formed so that the guide rollers 142b and 142c are substantially in contact with the branch roller 26. One guide groove 142b is provided along the main path 12a, and the other guide groove 142c is provided along the branch path 12b. Therefore, on the bifurcated side (the upper side in FIG. 7), the guide grooves 142b and 142c are formed on the traveling surface 143
It is only on one of the left and right sides.

Also, in the track unit 20, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide groove 142b.
Escape grooves 42b and 42c corresponding to 142c are provided. The escape grooves 42b and 42c are the guide grooves 142b and 14b.
The left and right width is wider than 2c, and the relief grooves 42b / 4
The branch roller 26 is prevented from coming into contact with the side wall of 2c. On the track unit 20 which is a non-branching part, the carrier 1
3, the guide groove and the guide by the branch roller 26 are unnecessary. The mechanism for vertically moving the support base 49 provided with the branching roller 26 will be described later, but the support base 49 is configured so that the uppermost position and the lowermost position can be selectively switched.
Whether 3 is running on the diverging part or the non-branching part,
Either one of the supports 49 is always at the uppermost position. Therefore, in the non-branching portion, the guide grooves 142b and 142c are formed.
The escape rollers 42b and 42c are wider than the branch rollers 26 so that the branch roller 26 does not act on the track 12.

The arrangement of the support frame 3 supporting the branching device 2 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The support frame 3 is provided between the guide wheel support parts 47, 47 so that the support base 49 can move up and down.
It is provided on one side of the front and rear. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the support frame 3 is provided on the front end side of the guide wheel support portions 47, 47. Also, as shown in FIG.
Wheel support 3 with support frame 3 and branching device 2
2 and 32, the support frame 3 is outside (front and rear sides)
Thus, the main frame 31 is rotatably provided.

Next, the drive means and drive transmission mechanism of the branching device 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, on the front side of the support frame 3, a motor 6 that is a drive unit of the branching device 2 is provided. The motor 6 has a speed reducer built therein. A gear case 7 is provided on the rear side of the left and right center of the support frame 3, and accommodates gears and shafts that form the drive transmission mechanism of the branching device 2. Inside the gear case 7, a motor shaft 6a extends rearward from the motor 6, and a gear 8 is fixed to the rear end of the motor shaft 6a. Further, the transmission shaft 1 is arranged in parallel with the motor shaft 6a.
A gear case 5 is rotatably provided on the gear case 7. A gear 17 that meshes with the gear 8 fixed to the motor shaft 6a is fixed to the front end of the transmission shaft 15, and a bevel gear 18 is fixed to the rear end of the transmission shaft 15. A drive shaft 19 extending in the horizontal direction is rotatably provided on the gear case 7 behind the transmission shaft 15. The drive shaft 19 includes the branch rollers 26, 26.
Is a drive shaft for vertically moving the support base 49 provided with. A bevel gear 27 that is meshed with the bevel gear 18 that is fixed to the transmission shaft 15 is fixed to the drive shaft 19. As described above, the drive force of the motor 6 is transmitted to the drive shaft 19.

The drive shaft 19 and the support base 49 are connected via a crank mechanism, and the rotational movement of the drive shaft 19 is converted into vertical movement of the support base 49. Both ends of the drive shaft 19 are configured to project from the gear case 7, and a crank mechanism having the same structure is provided at both ends of the drive shaft 19. Therefore, one side of the drive shaft 19 will be described. At one end of the drive shaft 19, the crank arm 28
The crank arm 28 is rotated around the drive shaft 19 by the rotation of the drive shaft 19. On the other hand, the support base 49 has a long groove 49 that opens toward the drive shaft 19.
a is formed, and a cylindrical slider 51 is housed in the long groove 49a. The long groove 49a is formed in the front-rear direction so that the slider 51 can move substantially only in the front-rear direction with respect to the support base 49. Slider 5
Reference numeral 1 denotes an end portion on the drive shaft 19 side, which is the crank arm 28.
It is fixed to. An end portion of the drive shaft 19 and an end portion of the slider 51 are provided on different sides of the crank arm 28 on both sides, and the slider 51 makes a circular motion by the rotation of the drive shaft 19.

The vertical width of the long groove 49a is formed slightly longer than the outer diameter of the slider 51. When the slider 51 makes a circular motion and comes into contact with the upper surface or the lower surface of the long groove 49a, the support base 49 is pushed by the slider 51 and moves upward or downward, and the height position changes. As described above, the support base 49 is allowed to move up and down only by the guide rails 48 fixed to the guide wheel support member 47. Therefore, even if the slider 51 pushes up the upper surface or lower surface of the long groove 49a by the circular movement of the slider 51, the slider 51 does not move back and forth. The support base 49 is driven by the branching device 2 to guide the guide rails 4 provided on the guide wheel support member 47.
8 will move up or down. By forming the vertical width of the long groove 49a slightly longer than the outer diameter of the slider 51, when the slider 51 comes into contact with the upper surface or the lower surface of the long groove 49a while rotating, the slider 51 can be rotated.
However, the long groove 49a can rotate smoothly without being affected by the upper and lower surfaces of the long groove 49a.

At both ends of the drive shaft 19, the crank arms 28, 28 are fixed in a point-symmetrical manner with respect to the drive shaft 19, and the phases thereof are shifted by 180 degrees. Therefore, when one support base 49 is in the uppermost position, the other support base 49 is in the lowermost position. With the above configuration, the left and right support bases 49, 49 are selectively moved to the uppermost position.

Another structure in the drive transmission from the transmission shaft 15 to the crank arm 28 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a branching device having another structure. Figure 9
As shown in FIG. 6, instead of the drive shaft 19, the drive shafts 59, 59 extending in the horizontal direction are provided behind the transmission shaft 15.
Is rotatably provided on the gear case 7. Drive shaft 59.5
Although 9 is located coaxially in a side view, both shafts are provided separately so that the ends of both shafts do not come into contact with each other. Drive shaft 59
A crank arm 28 is fixed to each end of the support 59 on the side of the support base 49. Further, the bevel gear 18 provided on the transmission shaft 15 is provided at the end portion of the drive shafts 59, 59 on the transmission shaft 15 side.
Bevel gears 27, 27 that mesh with are fixedly installed. With the above configuration, when the transmission shaft 15 is rotated by driving the motor 6, the drive shafts 59, 59 rotate in opposite directions. The crank arms 28, 28 are fixed in point symmetry with respect to the drive shafts 59, 59 in a side view, and the phases thereof are shifted by 180 degrees. Therefore, when one support base 49 is in the uppermost position, the other support base 49 is in the lowermost position. Compared with the case of the configuration of the present embodiment, the crank arm 28, 28 (drive shaft 59, 59) is different in the direction of rotation in the opposite direction, but the action in the vertical movement of the support base 49 is the same. . Therefore, even with the above configuration, the left and right support bases 49, 49 are selectively moved to the uppermost position.

Next, regarding another drive means of the branching device 2,
This will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. As described above, the motor 6 is provided on the support frame 3 as a drive unit of the branching device 2. The branching device 2 is provided with a manual shaft 29 in addition to the motor 6 as driving means. A handle 29a is fixed to the front end of the manual shaft 29 in order to easily rotate the manual shaft 29 manually.

The manual shaft 29, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
It is arranged so as to be parallel to the transmission shaft 15. The rear part of the manual shaft 29 is inserted into the gear case 7 and is rotatably provided in the gear case 7. As described above, the gear case 7 accommodates the drive transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational drive force from the motor shaft 6a to the drive shaft 19. At the rear end of the manual shaft 29, a gear 37 that meshes with the gear 17 fixed at the front end of the transmission shaft 15 is fixed. The transmission shaft 15 can be rotated by rotating the manual shaft 29. Therefore, by rotating the motor shaft 6a of the motor 6 by rotating the manual shaft 29,
The transmission shaft 15 can be rotated. The support base 49 can be moved up and down, that is, the branch rollers 26 can be moved up and down. In addition, the handle 29a facilitates transmission of a force sufficient to rotate a rotor (not shown) in the motor 6 from the motor shaft 6a to the manual shaft 29 in the motor 6 including the speed reducer.
It is formed to be long in a direction orthogonal to the manual shaft 29 and wider than the manual shaft 29.

As described above, first, the branch portion 14a
In 14b, the branching device 2 selectively brings the branching rollers 26, 26 of the branching device 2 into left and right substantially in contact with the guide grooves 142b, 143c formed along the track 12.
The branching device 2 can be driven by a motor 6, and
A manual shaft 29 is provided as another manual driving means and can be driven by the manual shaft 29.

Therefore, even if an electric trouble occurs in the control circuit of the motor 6, the branching device 2 can be driven manually. If the branching device 2 cannot be driven, the left and right branching rollers 26 cannot be selectively switched, and even if the transport vehicle 13 is pushed by manpower to run, the course cannot be changed at the branching portions 14a and 14b. By providing the transport vehicle 13 with another drive means for the branching device 2 manually, when trouble occurs, it is possible to manually change the course at the branching portions 14a and 14b, and the transport vehicle 13 is eliminated from the main part on the track 12. can do. In this way, the troubled transport vehicle 13 is prevented from interfering with the other transport vehicles 13 on the track 12, and the transport work by the transport vehicles 13 other than the defective vehicle is prevented from being delayed. be able to.

As described above, the branching device 2 is provided with
A drive transmission mechanism that transmits a rotational drive force from the motor shaft 6a to the drive shaft 19 of the branch roller 26 is provided, and the drive transmission mechanism includes gears 17, 18, 27, 37 that interlock with the rotation of the motor shaft 6a. Is provided. In particular, the gears 17, 18 and 27 are gears for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor shaft 6a to the drive shaft 19. Also, the gear 37
A manual shaft 29, which is formed by extending a brake shaft of a brake 38, which will be described later, is fixed to this. Then, a gear 27, which is one of the interlocking gears, can be rotated by a manual shaft 29 which is another manual driving means.

Therefore, the drive means of the branching device 2 can be constructed with a simple structure.

Next, the brake of the branching device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
A brake 38 is provided on the side of the motor 6 on the front side of the support frame 3. Here, the manual shaft 29 is a brake shaft of the brake 38, and the brake 38 is configured to be able to brake the manual shaft 29. Then, by braking the manual shaft 29, the transmission shaft 15 is stopped via the gears 37 and 17, and the drive of the branching device 2 is stopped.

The brake 38 is constructed as follows. A substantially cylindrical core 52 whose axis is coaxial with the manual shaft 29.
Are fixed to the support frame 3. Between the core 52 and the manual shaft 29, bearings are provided in the front and rear,
The manual shaft 29 is rotatable with respect to the core 52.
A brake shoe (not shown) is provided on the rear end surface of the core 52. On the other hand, the manual shaft 29 has a core 52
A disc 55 is fixedly provided on the front side of the disc. Disk 5
5 is formed in a convex shape in plan view, and the inner side of the shaft center is formed thicker than the outer side. The armature (rotor) 53 is attached to the disc 55 via a leaf spring (not shown).
Are provided so as to be urged toward the disc 55 side.
A gap is formed between the armor chair 53 and the core 52. In the core 52, a permanent magnet (not shown) is arranged at a portion opposite to the armor chair 53 side. Also,
A coil is wound around the core 52 so as to generate a magnetic force opposite to that of the permanent magnet when energized, and cancels the magnetic force of the permanent magnet when energized. With such a configuration, when the core 52 is not energized, the armor chair 53 is attracted to the core 52 side by the permanent magnet, the armature chair 53 comes into close contact with the brake shoe provided on the core 52, and the brake is applied. It is designed to work. That is, when the core 52 cannot be energized due to an electrical trouble, the rotation of the brake shaft (manual shaft 29) fixed to the disc 55 is stopped. As a result, when the manual shaft 29 is stopped, the gear 37
・ Motor shaft 6a, drive shaft 19 via 17/8/27
Is stopped, and the vertical movement of the support base 49 is stopped. While the core 52 is energized, the core 52 is excited to cancel the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, and the armature 53 moves toward the disc 55 side by the action of the leaf spring, so that the disc 55 is kept rotatable. . Therefore, the brake shaft (manual shaft 29) freely rotates, and the support base 49 moves up and down.

With the above construction, the manual shaft 29 can be braked by the brake 38. Further, the manual shaft 29 constitutes another drive means of the branching device 2 as described above. That is, the manual shaft 29 serves as both the separate drive means of the branching device 2 and the shaft that can be braked by the brake 38.

The branching device 2 always requires a braking means in order to stop the rotation of the gear due to inertia after the driving of the motor 6 is stopped. To stop the drive of the branching device 2,
It suffices if any one of the gears forming the drive transmission mechanism can be stopped. That is, the shaft fixed to any one of the gears may be stopped by the braking means. In the brake 38, a shaft used for the brake is extended forward to form a manual shaft 29 that can be manually operated.

Therefore, it is not necessary to newly install a shaft in the branching device 2 as another drive means of the branching device 2. Then, using the shaft provided in the brake 38 of the branching device 2,
Since the separate driving means of the branching device 2 is configured, the number of members of the branching device 2 is reduced and the size is reduced.

[0044]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic guided vehicle which travels on a track having a branch path, wherein the branch roller is selectively brought into substantially contact with a guide groove formed along the track. Since the branching device is equipped with a branching device that can be driven by a motor and can be manually driven by another driving means, even if an electrical trouble occurs in the control circuit of the motor of the branching device, the branching device is manually branched. The device can be driven. If the branch device cannot be driven, the left and right branch rollers cannot be selectively switched, and even if the carrier vehicle is pushed manually to run, the course cannot be changed at the branch part. By providing a separate drive means,
When a trouble occurs, it is possible to manually change the route at the branch portion, and the transport vehicle can be excluded from the main portion on the track. In this way, the troubled transport vehicle can be prevented from interfering with other transport vehicles on the track, and the delay of the transport work by the transport vehicles other than the faulty vehicle can be prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the branching device is provided with a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force from the rotary shaft of the motor to the drive shaft of the branch roller.
Since a plurality of gears that interlock with the rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor are provided and the separate drive means is a manual shaft that allows at least one of the plurality of gears to be manually rotatable, it is possible to separate the branching device with a simple configuration. The drive means can be configured.

As described in claim 3, since the shaft that can be braked by the brake of the branching device is also used as the manual driving shaft that is the separate driving means, a new branching device is used as the separate driving means of the branching device. There is no need to install it in. Further, since the separate drive means of the branching device is configured by using the shaft provided in the brake of the branching device, the number of members of the branching device can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a track guided vehicle system 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an automatic guided vehicle 13.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing an automatic guided vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a traveling unit 21 and a track unit 120 at a branching unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a traveling unit 21 and a track unit 20 which is a non-branching unit.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a branch portion 14a.

7 is a perspective view showing a branching device 2. FIG.

8 is a plan view showing the branching device 2. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a branching device having another configuration.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 branching devices 6 motor 8 ・ 17 ・ 18 ・ 27 ・ 37 Gear 12 orbits 12b Fork road 13 Transport vehicles 26 branch rollers 29 Manual axis 38 brakes 142b ・ 142c Guide groove

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An unmanned guided vehicle that travels on a track having a branch path, wherein one of a pair of branch rollers is selectively engaged with a guide groove formed along the track. The branching device can be driven by a motor and can be driven by a separate driving means manually.
An automated guided vehicle characterized by that. 2. The branching device includes a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting a rotational driving force from a rotation shaft of the motor to a drive shaft of the branch roller, and the drive transmission mechanism includes a rotation transmission device for rotating the rotation shaft of the motor. The automated guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of gears that are interlocked with each other are provided, and the separate drive means is a manual shaft that allows at least one of the plurality of gears to be manually rotatable. 3. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the shaft that can be braked by the brake of the branching device also serves as a manual shaft that is the separate drive means.