JP2021160428A - Vehicle transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce the size and cost of a self-propelled vehicle transport device.SOLUTION: A vehicle transport device 1 comprises: a main body 2 on which front wheels W1 of a vehicle C are mounted; drive wheels 9 attached to the main body 2 in a state of being rotatable around a steering shaft 12; and drive means (in-wheel motor 11) for driving the drive wheel 9 each rotatably around an axis thereof. The drive wheels 9 are arranged coaxially side by side, and are each composed of a pair of wheels 10 that can rotate integrally around the steering shaft 12. The driving means can rotationally drive the pair of wheels 10 with different torques.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle transport device that automatically transports a vehicle.

When the vehicle is completed at the factory, for example, a large number of completed vehicles are mounted on a large transport vehicle and transported to the vehicle waiting area. In this case, a worker who drives the transport vehicle is required, which causes an increase in cost.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 below discloses a self-propelled vehicle transport device that automatically transports a vehicle. If such a vehicle transport device is used, a worker who drives a transport vehicle between the factory and the vehicle waiting area becomes unnecessary, so that the cost can be reduced.

JP-A-2019-78099

As shown in FIG. 10, a self-propelled vehicle transport device as described above usually includes a traveling motor 102 that rotationally drives the driving wheels 101 around its axis, and a steering motor 103 that steers the driving wheels 101. Is provided. By providing such a traveling motor 102 and a steering motor 103, the size and cost of the vehicle transport device are increased. In particular, since the vehicle transport device needs to be steered while the vehicle is mounted, the burden on the steering motor 103 is heavy, and a steering motor 103 having a large output is required, which further increases the size and cost of the vehicle transport device. Invite.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the size and cost of a self-propelled vehicle transport device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a main body on which the wheels of a vehicle are mounted, a drive wheel attached to the main body so as to be rotatable around a steering shaft, and the drive wheel around the axis. In a vehicle transport device including a drive means for rotationally driving, the drive wheels are arranged coaxially and consist of a pair of wheels that can rotate integrally around the steering shaft. Provided is a vehicle transport device capable of rotationally driving the pair of wheels with different torques.

In this vehicle transport device, the drive wheels can be steered by rotationally driving a pair of wheels constituting the drive wheels with different torques. As a result, a driving means (motor or the like) dedicated to steering is not required, so that the vehicle transport device can be miniaturized and the cost can be reduced.

The drive means can be configured by, for example, an in-wheel motor provided on the inner circumference of each wheel. By arranging the drive means (in-wheel motor) in the space around the inner circumference of the wheel in this way, the vehicle transport device can be further miniaturized.

When the above-mentioned vehicle transport device has only the front wheels or the rear wheels of the vehicle mounted on the main body, the front-rear dimension of the main body can be shorter than the wheelbase of the vehicle body, so that the vehicle transport device can be miniaturized. can.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the self-propelled vehicle transport device.

It is a top view which shows the automatic transport system which automatically transports a vehicle from a factory to a container yard. It is a side view of the vehicle transport device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the said vehicle transport device. It is a top view of the vehicle transport device. It is sectional drawing of the drive wheel unit of the said vehicle transporting apparatus. (A) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the training wheels of the vehicle transport device, and (B) is the same plan view. It is a top view which shows the state which the said vehicle transporting apparatus travels while making a curve. It is a top view of the vehicle arranged in a container yard and the vehicle transport device. It is a schematic diagram of the drive wheel unit of the vehicle transport device which concerns on another embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows typically the drive wheel, a traveling motor, and a steering motor of a vehicle transport device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle transport device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention transports the vehicle C completed at the factory F to the container yard Y, which is a vehicle waiting area. The vehicle transport device 1 reciprocates between the factory F and the container yard Y in accordance with a radio command (dotted line arrow) from the system control unit S. In the present embodiment, the vehicle C is a front-wheel drive vehicle, and only the front wheels of the vehicle C are mounted on the vehicle transport device 1 for transport.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vehicle transport device 1 includes a main body 2 on which the left and right front wheels W1 of the vehicle C are mounted, drive wheel units 3 provided on both sides of the main body 2 in the width direction, and a system control unit S. It has a receiver 4 that receives a radio command from. In the following description of each part of the vehicle transport device 1, the vehicle width direction (horizontal direction in FIGS. 3 and 4) of the vehicle C mounted on the vehicle transport device 1 is referred to as a "width direction", and the vehicle C is referred to as a "width direction". The front (left side of FIG. 2, lower side of FIG. 4) and rear (right side of FIG. 2, upper side of FIG. 4) are referred to as "front" and "rear", respectively.

The main body 2 of the illustrated example has a rectangular plate shape, and a wheel chock 5 for preventing the front wheel W1 of the vehicle C from rolling is provided on the upper surface thereof. Further, the main body 2 is equipped with a battery 6 that supplies electric power to the drive wheel unit 3 and a control unit 7 that controls the drive wheel unit 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drive wheel unit 3 includes a drive wheel 9, a drive means for rotationally driving the drive wheel 9 around an axis, and a casing 13 fixed to the main body 2 and accommodating the drive wheel 9 and the drive means. And.

The drive wheels 9 are composed of a pair of wheels 10 arranged coaxially. The outer diameters of the pair of wheels 10 are the same, and in the illustrated example, the same wheels 10 are used facing each other in the axial direction.

The drive means is composed of, for example, a motor provided for each wheel 10, and in the present embodiment, is composed of an in-wheel motor 11 arranged on the inner circumference of each wheel 10. The rotation shaft 11a of the in-wheel motor 11 is fixed to the axis of the wheel 10. Each in-wheel motor 11 is connected to a battery 6 and a control unit 7 (see FIG. 4), and is rotationally driven based on a command from the control unit 7. The main body 11b of each in-wheel motor 11 is fixed to a steering shaft 12 extending in the vertical direction. The steering shaft 12 is rotatably attached to the frame 14 fixed to the casing 13 via the bearing 15. The bearing 15 that supports the steering shaft 12 preferably supports loads in the radial direction and the thrust direction, and for example, tapered roller bearings are used. As described above, the drive wheel 9 composed of the pair of wheels 10 can rotate integrally with the main body 2 about the steering shaft 12. In the present embodiment, the drive wheels 9 can rotate 360 ° around the steering shaft 12.

The receiver 4 is provided at a position where it can receive radio waves from the system control unit S (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the receiver 4 is provided on the upper surface of the casing 13. One receiver 4 is provided above each drive wheel unit 3, for example. The receiver 4 is connected to the control unit 7 and transmits a command from the system control unit S to the control unit 7. The place where the receiver 4 is provided is not limited to the above, and may be arranged at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the vehicle C mounted on the main body 2 via, for example, a support.

The vehicle transport device 1 is provided with training wheels 8. The training wheels 8 are provided in front of or behind the axis of the drive wheels 9, and in the illustrated example, are provided in front of the axis of the drive wheels 9. The number of training wheels 8 is not particularly limited, and in the illustrated example, they are provided at two locations separated in the width direction. The training wheels 8 are composed of wheels having an outer diameter smaller than that of the wheels 10 of the drive wheels 9.

The training wheels 8 are attached to the main body 2 in a state of being rotatable around the axis of rotation and rotating around the axis of rotation in the vertical direction. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, both ends of the rotating shaft 31 fixed to the axial center of the training wheels 8 are attached to the rotating plate 33 via the radial bearing 32. The rotating plate 33 is attached to the main body 2 via a thrust bearing 34. As a result, the training wheels 8 are made rotatable around the axis by the radial bearing 32, and rotatably around the rotation axis in the vertical direction by the thrust bearing 34.

In the present embodiment, in the plan view shown in FIG. 6B, the axial center L1 and the axial center line L2 of the training wheels 8 are offset by δ1 and δ2 with respect to the rotation center O of the thrust bearing 34, respectively. ing. As a result, when the vehicle transport device 1 travels, the auxiliary wheel 8 rotates around the vertical rotation axis (rotation center O of the thrust bearing 34) due to friction with the ground, and the traveling direction of the auxiliary wheel 8 is the vehicle. It substantially coincides with the traveling direction of the transport device 1 (that is, the traveling direction of the drive wheels 9).

Hereinafter, a procedure for transporting the vehicle C by the vehicle transport device 1 described above will be described.

First, in the factory F (see FIG. 1), the front part of the vehicle C is raised by a lift means (not shown), and in this state, the main body 2 of the vehicle transport device 1 is made to slip below the front part of the vehicle C. Then, the front portion of the vehicle C is lowered by the lifting means, and the left and right front wheels W1 are mounted on the main body 2 of the vehicle transport device 1. At this time, by fitting the front wheel W1 between the wheel chocks 5, the front-rear movement of the front wheel W1 is restricted (see FIG. 2). The lift means may be provided in the factory F or may be mounted in the vehicle transport device 1.

When the front wheel W1 of the vehicle C is mounted on the main body 2 of the vehicle transport device 1, if the axis of the front wheel W1 is arranged behind the axis of the drive wheel 9, the main body 2 may be tilted to the rear side. .. Therefore, it is preferable to set the position of the wheel chock 5 so that the axis of the front wheel W1 is arranged in front of the axis of the drive wheel 9 (on the side of the auxiliary wheel 8). On the other hand, if the axis of the front wheel W1 is too close to the auxiliary wheel 8, an excessive load is applied to the small diameter auxiliary wheel 8, so that the axis of the front wheel W1 is preferably provided at a position closer to the axis of the drive wheel 9. Specifically, it is preferable that the axial center of the front wheels W1 is arranged behind the center of the drive wheels 9 and the auxiliary wheels 8 in the front-rear direction, and it is more preferable that the axes are arranged behind the front ends of the drive wheels 9.

In this way, the front wheels W1 (driving wheels) of the vehicle C are mounted on the vehicle transport device 1, and the vehicle transport device 1 is driven to transport the vehicle C with the rear wheels W2 (driven wheels) grounded (FIG. 1). See arrow P1). Specifically, the receiver 4 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the vehicle transport device 1 receives a command from the system control unit S, the command is transmitted to the control unit 7, and the control unit 7 responds to this command. It drives the driving means (in-wheel motor 11) of each driving wheel 9.

Here, the control of the drive wheels 9 when the vehicle transport device 1 is driven will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the vehicle transport device 1 is shown in a simplified manner, the left drive wheel is represented by "9L", the right drive wheel is represented by "9R", and the left wheels of the drive wheels 9L and 9R are represented by "9L". "10L" and the right wheel are represented as "10R". Further, in FIG. 7, the numbers surrounded by squares represent the magnitude of the torque of each wheel 10L and 10R.

When the vehicle transport device 1 is driven straight, each in-wheel motor 11 is controlled so that the left and right drive wheels 9L and 9R wheels 10L and 10R are driven with the same torque, as shown in FIG. 7A. Will be done. In the illustrated example, the torques of all the wheels 10L and 10R are set to "8".

Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the vehicle transport device 1 approaches the entrance of the curve, the torque of the right wheel 10R of each drive wheel 9L, 9R becomes larger than the torque of the left wheel 10L. , Each in-wheel motor 11 is controlled. In the illustrated example, the torque of the right wheel 10R of each of the drive wheels 9L and 9R is set to "8", and the torque of the left wheel 10L is set to "7". As a result, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 7B, each drive wheel 9 rotates about the steering shaft 12 (see FIG. 5) with respect to the main body 2 and is steered to the left from the straight direction (dotted line). reference).

Then, in the middle of the curve, as shown in FIG. 7C, the torque of the right drive wheel 9R is made larger than the torque of the left drive wheel 9L, so that the vehicle transport device 1 smoothly curves to the left. Drive to. At this time, the steering angles of the drive wheels 9L and 9R are fixed by making the torques of the wheels 10L and 10R of the drive wheels 9L and 9R substantially equal. In the illustrated example, the torque of both wheels 10L and 10R of the left drive wheel 9L is set to "7", and the torque of both wheels 10L and 10R of the right drive wheel 9R is set to "8". When the vehicle transport device 1 curves, the driven wheel 8 rotates around a rotation axis in the vertical direction due to friction with the ground and follows the traveling direction of the vehicle transport device 1.

Then, when approaching the exit of the curve, as shown in FIG. 7D, each in-wheel motor so that the torque of the left wheel 10L of each drive wheel 9L, 9R becomes larger than the torque of the right wheel 10R. The torque of 11 is controlled. In the illustrated example, the torque of the left wheel 10L of each of the drive wheels 9L and 9R is set to "8", and the torque of the right wheel 10R is set to "7". As a result, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 7D, the drive wheels 9L and 9R are steered to the right and return to the straight direction (see the dotted line).

After that, as shown in FIG. 7 (E), the vehicle transport device 1 travels straight by equalizing the torques of all the wheels 10L and 10R. In the illustrated example, the torques of all the wheels 10L and 10R are set to "8".

As described above, each drive wheel 9 is composed of a pair of wheels 10, and the torque of each wheel 10 is independently controlled by the drive means (in-wheel motor 11) to steer the drive wheels 9. Since it is not necessary to provide a driving means, the vehicle transport device 1 can be miniaturized and reduced in cost. Further, since the drive wheels 9 are strongly pressed against the ground by the weight of the vehicle C, a large driving force is required to steer the drive wheels 9, but as described above, the drive means (in-wheel motor 11). ) To steer the drive wheels 9 with different torques of the pair of wheels 10, for example, the load on the drive means is reduced as compared with the case where the steering shaft 12 is directly rotationally driven by a drive means such as a motor.

In this way, the vehicle transport device 1 travels on a predetermined route according to a command from the system control unit S, and transports the vehicle C to a predetermined position in the container yard Y (see arrow Q1 in FIG. 8). Then, the front portion of the vehicle C is raised by the lifting means, and in this state, the vehicle transport device 1 is moved forward and retracted from below the vehicle C (see arrow Q2 in FIG. 8). After that, the front part of the vehicle C is lowered by the lifting means, and the front wheel W1 is brought into contact with the ground. The lifting means may be provided in the container yard Y or may be mounted on the vehicle transport device 1.

The vehicle transport device 1 thus separated from the vehicle C is arranged between a large number of vehicles C arranged in the container yard Y in the front-rear direction. In the container yard Y, the vehicles C are preferably arranged as closely as possible, but since the front-rear distance L2 of the vehicle C depends on the front-rear dimension L1 of the vehicle transport device 1, the front-rear dimension of the vehicle transport device 1 It is preferable that L1 is as small as possible. In the present embodiment, since the vehicle transport device 1 is equipped with only the front wheels W1 of the vehicle C, the front-rear dimension L1 of the vehicle transport device 1 can be shorter than the wheelbase of the vehicle C, for example, the vehicle C. It can be 1/2 or less of the wheelbase. Therefore, the distance L2 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle C can be reduced, and the vehicle C can be densely arranged in the container yard Y.

After that, with the vehicle transport device 1 stopped in place, the in-wheel motor 11 rotationally drives the pair of wheels 10 of each drive wheel 9 in opposite directions with the same torque, thereby driving each drive wheel 9 to the same torque. Steer 90 ° in the field (see dotted line in FIG. 8). After that, by rotating each wheel 10 of each drive wheel 9 in the same direction with the same torque, the vehicle transport device 1 is driven in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 8). When the vehicle transport device 1 starts traveling in the width direction, the training wheels 8 rotate 90 ° around the rotation axis in the vertical direction due to friction with the ground, and the traveling direction becomes the width direction (see the dotted line in FIG. 8). At this time, the battery 6 and the control unit 7 and the like are arranged so that the center of gravity of the vehicle transport device 1 not equipped with the vehicle C is arranged between the axis of the drive wheel 9 and the axis of the auxiliary wheel 8 in the front-rear direction. By arranging the vehicle transport device 1, the traveling of the vehicle transport device 1 can be stabilized. As a result, the vehicle transport device 1 is retracted from the front-rear direction of the vehicle C (see arrows P2 in FIGS. 1 and 8).

When the vehicle transport device 1 comes out from between the vehicles C, the left and right drive wheels 9 are steered in the front-rear direction and then rotationally driven in opposite directions to rotate the vehicle transport device 1 by 90 ° on the spot (FIG. FIG. See the dotted line in 1). Then, after steering the left and right drive wheels 9 in the width direction, both drive wheels 9 are driven in the same direction to drive the vehicle transport device 1 to the factory F (see arrow P3 in FIG. 1). Then, a new vehicle C is mounted on the vehicle transport device 1 that has returned to the factory F, and the vehicle is transported to the container yard Y. By repeating the above, the vehicle C can be automatically transported from the factory F to the container yard Y.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described, but duplicate description will be omitted with respect to the same points as those of the above embodiments.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the driving means for driving the driving wheels 9 includes a motor 21 and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor 21 to each wheel 10. Specifically, the rotational driving force of the motor 21 is transmitted to the axle 25 via the rotary shaft 23 and the bevel gear 24. A clutch 22 is provided between the bevel gear 24 and each wheel 10 of the axle 25. The axle 25 is rotatably supported by the axle case 26 via a bearing 27. The axle case 26 has a tubular portion 26a extending upward, and a rotating shaft 23 is rotatably attached to the inner circumference of the tubular portion 26a via a bearing 28, and the tubular portion 26a is attached to the casing 13 via a bearing 29. It can be mounted freely. A brake 30 is provided between the axle case 26 and the axle 25.

In the drive wheel unit 3 shown in FIG. 9, when the motor 21 is driven, the pair of wheels 10 are rotationally driven via the rotating shaft 23, the bevel gear 24, and the axle 25. At this time, if both clutches 22 are connected, the pair of wheels 10 are rotationally driven with the same torque, so that the drive wheels 9 do not steer. On the other hand, when any of the clutches 22 is disengaged, the torque of the wheels 10 on the disengaged clutch 22 side is reduced, whereby both wheels 10, the axle 25, the axle case 26, etc. rotate integrally with the casing 13 and drive. The wheel 9 is steered. Further, by applying one brake 30 to forcibly reduce the torque of one wheel 10, the drive wheels 9 can be steered more positively.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where only the front wheels of the front-wheel drive vehicle are mounted on the vehicle transport device 1 and transported is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when transporting a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the vehicle may be transported with only the rear wheels of the vehicle mounted on the vehicle transport device 1 and the front wheels grounded. When transporting a four-wheel drive vehicle, two vehicle transport devices 1 may be used to mount the front wheels on one vehicle transport device 1 and mount the rear wheels on the other vehicle transport device 1. ..

Further, in the above embodiment, the vehicle transport device 1 provided with the two drive wheels 9 and the two auxiliary wheels 8 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one training wheel 8 may be provided at the center of the main body 2 in the width direction, or training wheels 8 may be provided at the front and rear of the drive wheel 9. Alternatively, two drive wheels 9 and further drive wheels 9 may be provided in front of or behind the two drive wheels 9 for three-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Alternatively, the number of drive wheels 9 may be one. For example, one drive wheel 9 may be provided at the center of the main body 2 in the width direction, and a pair of auxiliary wheels 8 may be provided near both ends in the width direction behind the drive wheels 9.

Further, the vehicle transported by the vehicle transport device is not limited to the completed vehicle, but includes, for example, a truck or the like before mounting the loading platform (so-called vehicle before mounting).

1 Vehicle transport device 2 Main body 3 Drive wheel unit 4 Receiver 5 Wheel chock 6 Battery 7 Control unit 8 Auxiliary wheel 9 Drive wheel 10 Wheel 11 In-wheel motor (drive means)
12 Steering shaft 13 Casing C Vehicle W1 Front wheels W2 Rear wheels F Factory S System control unit Y Container yard (vehicle waiting area)

Claims (1)

Vehicle transport including a main body on which the wheels of the vehicle are mounted, drive wheels attached to the main body so as to be rotatable around a steering shaft, and drive means for rotationally driving the drive wheels around an axis. In the device
The drive wheels are arranged coaxially side by side, and consist of a pair of wheels that can rotate integrally around the steering shaft.
A vehicle transport device in which the drive means can rotationally drive the pair of wheels with different torques.

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