JP2005161939A - Track rail type automatic traveling truck - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a track rail type automatic traveling truck capable of reducing the weight, the size and the cost of the entire truck, reducing the running cost including the maintenance cost, and realizing reliable and smooth traveling even on a curved path. <P>SOLUTION: In the track rail type automatic traveling truck, a pair of right and left traveling wheels 5 and 5 are arranged on one side of the traveling direction of a truck body 1, and a traveling wheel 7 traveling on a track rail 6 installed on a floor is arranged in a center part on the other side, and a traveling guide mechanism 8 to perform the traveling movement and guide by allowing the traveling wheel 7 in the center part to be copied along the track rail 6 and a motor 9 for driving one traveling wheel are provided. The pair of right and left traveling wheels 5 and 5 are linked to a steering guide mechanism 18 which is fitted to the track rail 6 for copy-traveling movement in a steering manner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic traveling carriage used when, for example, a workpiece is transported between various processing apparatuses that are scattered in a factory, and more specifically, a plurality of automatic traveling carriages before and after the traveling direction of the carriage body. The present invention relates to a track rail type automatic travel bogie configured to be capable of reciprocating drive along a track rail laid on the floor surface by driving and rotating at least one of the wheels.

  As this type of automatic traveling carriage, conventionally, a plurality of floor surface traveling wheels and their wheel drive mechanisms are provided, a sensor for detecting a traveling route through a tape or a drawing mark attached to the floor surface, and the sensor. A non-track rail type unmanned automatic traveling cart that enables the cart body to travel both in a straight line and in a curved line by providing a steering control device that controls the rotational speed of the left and right traveling wheels based on the detection result of the travel route. And a plurality of floor surface traveling wheels and a wheel driving mechanism for driving and rotating at least one of the wheels before and after the traveling direction of the body of the carriage as described above, and the carriage along the track rail laid on the floor surface 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a track rail type automatic traveling carriage dedicated for linear conveyance that is configured so that a main body can be linearly driven in a reciprocating manner and linearly connects between processing devices.

  Among them, as a track rail type automatic traveling carriage dedicated for linear conveyance, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a pair of left and right traveling wheels 52, 52 and 53 for traveling on the floor are provided on both sides of the traveling direction of the carriage main body 51. , 53, and a pair of left and right traveling wheels 52, 52 on one side in the traveling direction are linked to left and right synchronously driven motors 57, 57 via sprockets 54, 55 and a chain 56, respectively. A traveling guide mechanism 60 composed of a pair of cam followers (rollers) 59 and 59 that are in sliding contact with both side surfaces 58a of the track rail 58 laid on the floor surface FL is provided at the center on both sides in the traveling direction. The carriage main body 51 is configured to travel and move along the track rail 58 by the linear traveling guide action and the driving action of the traveling wheels 52 and 52. Those of four-wheel type was is common.

  In the case of the above-described untracked rail type unmanned automatic traveling carriage, in order to enable driving traveling on a curved path, the peripheral speed difference between the inner and outer wheels is calculated based on the sensor and the detection result of the traveling path by the sensor. A complicated and expensive steering control device or the like that performs correction control is required, and the entire cart is not only increased in weight and size, but also becomes very expensive.

  On the other hand, the track rail type automatic traveling cart does not require the above-mentioned sensor or a complicated steering control device that corrects and controls the peripheral speed difference between the inner and outer wheels, making the entire cart lighter, smaller and less expensive. However, it is not possible to connect the processing devices linearly from the viewpoint of the overall layout in the factory.For example, when both devices that deliver workpieces are bent at right angles to each other, If the center is slightly offset, it is not possible to carry the workpiece as expected by simply laying one track rail and running the carriage along it, and laying a combination of two or more track rails. It is necessary to adopt a line system that uses a connection system, such as running a carriage along each track rail, resulting in very high line equipment costs and when connecting workpieces. It takes, there is a drawback that it is inevitable that the transfer efficiency is very poor.

  Further, in the case of a four-wheel type track rail type automatic traveling carriage as shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, if the floor surface FL has an uneven portion or an inclined portion, the four traveling wheels 52, 52 and 53, 53 does not contact the floor FL evenly, so-called one-side contact phenomenon occurs, an abnormal load is applied to some wheels, and one-side wear tends to occur. Therefore, it is necessary to perform maintenance such as repair and parts replacement in a short cycle, and there is a problem that the running cost including the maintenance cost becomes very high.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the running weight including maintenance while reducing the weight, size and cost of the entire carriage, while maintaining a straight path. It is not limited to providing a track rail type automatic traveling cart that can be surely and smoothly traveled even on a curved route.

  The track rail type automatic traveling cart devised to achieve the above object has a pair of left and right traveling wheels for traveling on the floor on one side of the traveling direction of the cart body. A traveling guide that travels on a track rail laid on the floor surface is disposed in the central portion on the other side in the traveling direction, and the traveling wheel of the central portion travels along the track rail. A track rail type automatic traveling bogie provided with a mechanism and a wheel drive mechanism for driving either one of the pair of left and right running wheels, wherein the pair of left and right running wheels are respectively vertically aligned with respect to the bogie main body. The track body is supported so as to be pivotable around the left and right, and can be steered separately. Imitate along A steering guide mechanism that moves in a row is supported so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and each of the movable part around the vertical axis of the steering guide mechanism and the vertical axis around the pair of left and right traveling wheels is provided. The movable part is linked by a steering link.

  According to the automatic traveling vehicle according to the present invention having the above-described characteristic configuration, as in the case of a conventional non-track rail type unmanned automatic traveling vehicle, a sensor for detecting a traveling route and an inner / outer wheel for enabling curved traveling This eliminates the need for a complicated steering control device that corrects and controls the peripheral speed difference of the vehicle, so that the entire bogie can be reduced in weight, size, and cost. Even if there are irregularities or slopes on the surface, each wheel is evenly grounded to the floor and all the wheels are evenly loaded, so it is possible to wear all the wheels almost on average. As a result, the maintenance cycle can be lengthened, and the maintenance cost required for repair or part replacement accompanying partial wear of some traveling wheels can be reduced to reduce the running cost.

  In addition, a pair of left and right traveling wheels are tilted along the curved portion of the track rail using a change in posture when the steering guide mechanism that fits on the track rail and moves by following the curved portion of the track rail. The so-called steering (steering) function can be exerted, so that the cart can be surely and smoothly traveled even on a curved route while having a simple and inexpensive structure by the link mechanism, and therefore the layout in the factory. In spite of this, there is no need to adopt a connection type line configuration, and there is an effect that it is possible to realize an improvement in conveyance efficiency by reducing the line equipment cost and eliminating the time for connecting workpieces.

  Particularly, in the track rail type automatic traveling vehicle according to the present invention, as described in claim 2, the wheel drive mechanism that drives one of the pair of left and right traveling wheels is driven on the side driven by the wheel driving mechanism. By adopting a structure that supports the wheel so as to be rotatable around the longitudinal axis integrally with the wheel, the wheel drive mechanism is also copied and steered integrally with the running wheel that is steered with respect to the track rail when the curved portion is running. Therefore, it is not necessary to incorporate a special structure for absorbing steering as the wheel drive mechanism, and the weight, size and cost of the entire carriage can be promoted.

  Further, the travel guide mechanism and the steering guide mechanism in the track rail type automatic steering cart according to the present invention have a configuration in which a pair of cam followers (rollers) are in sliding contact with both side surfaces of the track rail. However, as described in claim 3, it is possible to reduce the number of parts by configuring the track rail so that the track rail fits into a recess formed over the entire length of the track rail and moves along the recess. Thus, further cost reduction can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a plan view of the entire track rail type automatic traveling carriage according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal front view taken along line XX of FIG. . 1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a cart body. The cart body 1 includes a chassis 2 having a rectangular shape in plan view, a plate-like cover 3 fixed to the upper surface of the chassis 2, and the traveling of the chassis 2. It consists of bumpers 4 and 4 connected and fixed in the front and rear direction.

  A pair of left and right traveling wheels 5 and 5 are disposed on one side of the traveling direction in the lower part of the bogie body 1 and rotate in sliding contact with the floor surface FL. A pair of small diameters that rotate in sliding contact with the upper surfaces of both side portions of the recess 6A formed in the central portion in the width direction of the track rail 6 laid on the floor surface FL and extending over the entire length thereof are provided in the central portion in the horizontal width direction of the cart body 1. A traveling guide mechanism 8 is provided, in which a substantially single traveling wheel 7 composed of the ring bodies 7a, 7a is disposed, and the central traveling wheel 7 is moved along the track rail 6 along the track rail 6. A motor 9 serving as a wheel drive mechanism is directly connected to one of the pair of left and right traveling wheels 5, 5.

  The pair of left and right traveling wheels 5, 5 are supported at the lower end portions of the rotating members 11, 11 that are supported by the carriage body 1 so as to be rotatable around the longitudinal axes a, a via bearing members 10, 10. The motor 9 is supported so as to be rotatable about the horizontal shafts 12 and 12 and can be steered separately on the left and right sides. The rotating member 11 is fixed and integrated so as to rotate around the center a.

  On the other hand, the pair of small-diameter wheels 7a, 7a constituting the single traveling wheel 7 in the central portion are supported by the carriage main body 1 through the bearing member 13 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis b. A disc-like member 16 is fixed to the lower end portion of the rotating member 14 so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis 15, and is extended to the lower end surface of the rotating member 14 in the front-rear direction of the carriage body 1. The disc-like member 16 is fitted into the recess 6A of the track rail 6 at the front and rear positions separated from the longitudinal axis b by the same distance, and the rollers 17 and 17 are slidably rotated as the carriage body 1 travels. Are supported by the rollers 17 and 17 and the plate-like member 16 to constitute the travel guide mechanism 8.

  Similarly to the traveling guide mechanism 8, the track rail 6 is provided at the lower portion of the cart body 1 corresponding to the central portion between the pair of left and right traveling wheels 5, 5 configured to be steerable separately on the left and right. A steering guide mechanism 18 is provided that fits into the recess 6 </ b> A and moves along the track rail 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the steering guide mechanism 18 is fixed to a lower end surface of a rotating member 20 that is supported by the carriage body 1 via a bearing member 19 so as to be rotatable around a longitudinal axis c. The carriage main body 1 travels by being fitted into the recess 6A of the track rail 6 at a longitudinal position spaced apart from the longitudinal axis c by the disk-like member 21 extending forward and backward in the running direction. Accordingly, the rollers 22 and 22 are pivotally supported so as to rotate in sliding contact with each other.

  A movable link (movable portion) 23 that can swing around the longitudinal axis c from the rotating member 20 in the steering guide mechanism 18 toward one side in the traveling direction is integrally projected, and a pair of left and right Movable links (movable parts) 24, 24 swingable around the longitudinal axis a, a are also integrally projected from the rotating members 11, 11 on the traveling wheels 5, 5 side in the same direction. The movable links 23, 24, 24 are pivotally connected by turnbuckle steering links 25, 25, whereby the pair of left and right traveling wheels 5, 5 are connected to the track rail 6 via the steering guide mechanism 18. It is configured to be steered along.

  In addition, on the other side in the traveling direction of the carriage main body 1 in which the single traveling wheel 7 is arranged at the central portion, a fall prevention member 26 that moves in close proximity to the floor surface FL protrudes on both sides in the width direction. The amount is adjustable. The cart body 1 is provided with a plurality of limit switches 27A and 27B, a control box 28, and the like that control deceleration control and stop control when the cart moves forward and backward.

Next, the traveling operation of the track rail type automatic traveling vehicle configured as described above will be described.
In the straight path portion where the track rail 6 is laid in a straight line, the pair of left and right traveling wheels 5 and 5 and the single traveling wheel 7 in the center are both shown in FIG. 1 by the traveling guide mechanism 8 and the steering guide mechanism 18. Accordingly, the carriage moves in a straight line along the track rail 6. At this time, even if the floor surface FL has an uneven portion or an inclined portion, the three front and rear wheels 5, 5, and 7 are evenly grounded to the floor surface FL and receive a substantially equal load. Hardly occurs, and it is possible to wear all three wheels 5, 5, and 7 on average. Therefore, the maintenance cycle can be lengthened, and the running cost can be reduced by reducing the maintenance cost required for repair or part replacement accompanying partial wear of some wheels.

  Further, in the curved path portion 6R in which the track rail 6 is laid in a curved shape, the single traveling wheel 7 is steered by the traveling guide mechanism 8 in accordance with the degree of bending of the track rail 6, as shown in FIG. At the same time, the movable link 23 in the steering guide mechanism 18 is tilted in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the track rail 6, and the tilt force is moved via the links 25, 25 to the movable link 24 on the pair of left and right traveling wheels 5, 5. , 24 and the rotating members 11, 11 are rotated about the longitudinal axes a, a, whereby the pair of left and right traveling wheels 5, 5 are bent and curved at the curved path portion 6R of the track rail 6. The steering function that is tilted to the attitude corresponding to the direction will be exhibited, and the cart is a curved path part while being an inexpensive steering structure using a simple link mechanism Also ensures the R, it is possible to smoothly travel.

  In this way, a single track rail 6 and a single carriage can be used to travel in a straight line or in a curved line, and as in a conventional non-track rail type unmanned automatic traveling cart, Since a complicated steering control device that corrects and controls the travel speed detection sensor and the peripheral speed difference between the inner and outer wheels is not necessary, the weight of the entire bogie can be reduced, the size can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. Regardless of the layout in the factory, there is no need to use a transfer-type line configuration, line equipment costs can be reduced, and workpiece transfer time is completely eliminated, improving transport efficiency. .

  In the implementation of the track rail type automatic traveling carriage according to the present invention, the output (horsepower) of the motor 9 that drives one traveling wheel 5 is necessary and sufficient to move the whole carriage and the total weight of the work to be loaded. It is desirable to set it to a minimum value so that even if the cart collides with people or things in the factory, it can be stopped immediately without causing harm or damage to them.

  For example, if the total weight is 50 kg and the rolling resistance value is 0.03, the carriage can be moved with a force of 50 × 0.03 = 1.5 kgf (≈14.7 N), but at the start of running (rise) If the required torque is taken into account and a motor with an output of 33 N (≈3.3 kgf) is used and the diameter of the running wheel is 100 mm, the cart is 33 × 2 (100 ÷ 50) = 66 N (≈6.7 kgf). Can be moved. As a result, the carriage is easily stopped by applying a force smaller than 98 N (≈10 kgf) with the collision with the person or the object during the traveling of the truck, which causes damage or damage to the person or the object. It is possible to provide an automatic traveling cart that is extremely safe and has nothing to do.

It is a top view of the whole track rail type automatic traveling cart concerning the present invention. It is a side view of an automatic traveling vehicle same as the above. It is a front view of an automatic traveling vehicle same as the above. It is a vertical front view in the XX line of FIG. It is a schematic plan view which shows a state when an automatic traveling vehicle same as the above travels the curved route part of a track rail. It is a top view of the whole conventional four-wheel type track rail type automatic traveling carriage. It is a side view of the conventional automatic traveling vehicle same as the above. It is a front view of the conventional automatic traveling vehicle same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bogie body 5,5 A pair of traveling wheel 6 Track rail 6A Concave part 7 Single traveling wheel 8 Traveling guide mechanism 9 Motor (wheel drive mechanism)
18 Steering guide mechanism 23, 24 Movable link (movable part)
25 Steering link FL Floor a, b, c Vertical axis

Claims (3)

A pair of left and right traveling wheels for traveling on the floor is arranged on one side in the traveling direction of the cart body, and a traveling wheel that travels on a track rail laid on the floor in the central portion on the other side in the traveling direction. And a travel guide mechanism that travels and guides the traveling wheels of the central portion along the track rail and a wheel drive mechanism that drives one of the pair of left and right traveling wheels. Rail-type automatic traveling cart,
The pair of left and right traveling wheels are supported so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis with respect to the carriage body, and are configured to be steerable separately to the left and right, and a central carriage between the pair of left and right traveling wheels. A steering guide mechanism that fits on the track rail and moves along the track rail is supported on the main body portion so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The vertical axis of the steering guide mechanism A track rail type automatic traveling carriage characterized in that a movable part around a center and each movable part around a longitudinal axis on the pair of left and right traveling wheels are linked by a steering link.   The wheel drive mechanism that drives one of the pair of left and right traveling wheels is supported so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis integrally with a traveling wheel driven by the wheel driving mechanism. Track rail type automatic traveling cart. 3. The travel guide mechanism and the steering guide mechanism are configured to fit and move in a recess formed in the center of the width of the track rail over the entire length thereof. Track rail type automatic traveling cart.

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