JP2021160488A - Automatic carrier vehicle for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable stable automatic carrying of a vehicle while reducing manufacturing costs of a carrier vehicle by firmly fixing the vehicle to the carrier vehicle in a state where some wheels are floated and supported, and thereby to enable efficient transportation of a large number of vehicles in a short time.SOLUTION: An automatic carrier vehicle 11 for a vehicle 1 includes: a drive unit 15 capable of driving while being grounded; a first power applying unit 16 that applies power to a part of the drive unit 15; and a mounting unit 17 to which some wheels 2 of the vehicle 1 can be mounted. The automatic carrier vehicle 11 further includes: a clamp unit 35 that enables automatic travel accompanying steering by controlling the drive unit 15 and the first power applying unit 16, and clamps a part of an under body 4 of the vehicle 1; and a second power applying unit 40 that applies power to the clamp unit 35.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle of a vehicle.

In recent years, even in the manufacturing industry, it is becoming more and more necessary to take measures to make up for the labor shortage in preparation for the coming aging society. For example, as a means for efficiently transporting completed vehicles such as automobiles mass-produced at a factory to a predetermined place such as a shipping place, the loading container is made large with a plurality of completed vehicles loaded in a loading container such as a container. A method of transporting by land to a port near the destination by a transport vehicle such as a truck, and then transshipping the loading container to a transport vessel and transporting by water to the destination is generally adopted (for example, patent documents). See 1).

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a self-propelled transport device provided with means for holding a part (one wheel) of a wheel of a vehicle by floating support and sandwiching the wheel. More specifically, in Patent Document 2, a movable shaft that can move along the horizontal direction is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wheel in a state where the outer peripheral surface of the wheel is in contact with the receiving plate inclined in the horizontal direction. By further moving the movable shaft toward the wheel from the state of being brought into contact with the wheel, the movable shaft enters the lower side along the outer peripheral surface of the wheel and is lifted while sandwiching the wheel. In this way, the movable shaft and the receiving plate cooperate with each other to hold the wheels in a floating state on the transport vehicle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-123258 International Publication No. 2013/111663

Based on the above-mentioned transport technology, in order to efficiently transport the completed vehicle with a small number of people, the transport vehicle should be self-propelled, and the transport vehicle should be manufactured at low cost to produce a large number of transport vehicles. It is considered necessary to prepare. Therefore, for example, if a structure capable of self-propelling with some wheels floating and held as described in Patent Document 2, stable automatic transportation of the completed vehicle is possible. In addition, since the remaining wheels of the completed vehicle can be used to transport the completed vehicle, the drive mechanism of the transport vehicle can be simplified, for example, by reducing the number of drive wheels, and the transport vehicle can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. It is expected to reduce the cost.

By the way, when the completed vehicle is transported with only some of the wheels mounted on the transport vehicle as described above, the completed vehicle is transported with only some of the wheels floating. In this case, the posture of the completed vehicle during transportation becomes unstable, so it is necessary to take measures to firmly fix the completed vehicle to the transport vehicle. Here, since the holding means described in Patent Document 2 holds the floating wheel while sandwiching the outer peripheral surface of the wheel in the horizontal direction and pushing up the wheel, the wheel is not firmly fixed.

The above-mentioned problems are not limited to the finished vehicle, and can also occur, for example, when transporting an unmounted vehicle that does not have an open loading platform or a box-shaped luggage compartment of a light truck.

In view of the above circumstances, in the present specification, by firmly fixing the vehicle to the transport vehicle with some wheels floating and supported, stable automatic transport of the vehicle while reducing the manufacturing cost of the transport vehicle. This makes it possible to efficiently transport a large number of vehicles in a short time, which is a technical issue to be solved.

The solution to the above problems is achieved by the automatic guided vehicle of the vehicle according to the present invention. That is, this automatic transport vehicle has a drive unit that can be driven by grounding, a first power supply unit that can apply power to a part of the drive unit, and a mounting unit that can mount a part of the wheels of the vehicle. A clamp part that enables automatic running with steering by controlling the drive unit and the first power application unit, and a clamp unit that clamps a part of the underbody of the vehicle, and a second power application that applies power to the clamp part. It is characterized by having more parts.

As described above, since the automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention is provided with the automatic traveling function accompanied by steering, the vehicle can be transported unmanned. Further, by providing a mounting portion on which a part of the wheels of the vehicle can be mounted, the vehicle can be transported using the remaining wheels of the vehicle as described above, so that the number of drive wheels can be reduced, for example. By simplifying the drive mechanism of the transport vehicle, the transport vehicle can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, in the automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, a clamp portion for clamping a part of the underbody of the vehicle and a second power applying portion for applying power to the clamp portion are provided. In this way, by providing the automatic guided vehicle with a clamp part that clamps a part of the underbody of the vehicle, the underbody of the vehicle is driven by driving the clamp part with some wheels of the vehicle mounted on the mounting part. Can be clamped and fixed. Further, since the completed vehicle is in a state of being positioned to some extent with some wheels mounted, the part to be clamped (a part of the underbody) is also installed at a predetermined position. Therefore, it is possible to easily clamp a part of the underbody to firmly fix the vehicle. Therefore, even when some wheels of the vehicle are mounted on the mounting portion and the remaining wheels are in contact with the ground, the vehicle can be transported in a stable posture and surely prevented from falling off from the automatic guided vehicle. It becomes.

Further, in the automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, a part of the underbody may be a locker or a member.

Since the underbody has a relatively large number of beam-shaped (beam-shaped) convex members exposed on the bottom surface regardless of the vehicle type, it can be easily clamped and fixed. Among them, the rocker (generally also referred to as a side sill) is located below the door of the underbody regardless of the vehicle type, and is located on the outermost side in the width direction. In addition, it extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and is easy to clamp from the width direction. Members have similar advantages. From the above points, it is possible to more easily and firmly fix the vehicle to the automatic guided vehicle by setting the target of the clamp by the clamp portion as a rocker or a member.

Further, in the automatic transport vehicle according to the present invention, the clamp portion includes a first pad portion, a second pad portion arranged at a position facing the first pad portion, and a first pad portion and a second pad portion. The second power applying unit may be a hydraulic pump.

By forming the clamp portion with the first and second pad portions and the hydraulic cylinder in this way, a huge clamping force can be easily output. Since the object to be clamped by the clamp portion according to the present invention is a part of the vehicle, a very large clamping force is required. Here, by forming the clamp portion with the first and second pad portions and the hydraulic cylinder, it is possible to easily obtain a clamp force of a size required for fixing the vehicle. Moreover, since the structure is relatively simple and compact, there is no particular space problem even if it is mounted on an automatic guided vehicle together with a hydraulic pump.

As described above, according to the present invention, by firmly fixing the vehicle to the transport vehicle with some wheels floating and supported, stable automatic transport of the vehicle while reducing the manufacturing cost of the transport vehicle. can do. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently transport a large number of vehicles in a short time.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the automatic vehicle transport system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the main part of the automatic guided vehicle along the AA cutting line in FIG. It is a side view of the state where the completed vehicle is mounted on the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. 1. It is a cross-sectional view of the clamp part along the BB cutting line in FIG. 4, and is the cross-sectional view which shows the state which the clamp part is located below the rocker. It is a cross-sectional view of the clamp part along the BB cutting line in FIG. 4, and is the cross-sectional view which shows the state which the clamp part is positioned at the height which can clamp a rocker. It is a cross-sectional view of the clamp part along the BB cutting line in FIG. 4, and is the cross-sectional view which shows the state which clamps a rocker. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of unloading of a vehicle using the automatic transfer system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of unloading of a vehicle using the automatic transfer system shown in FIG. 1, and is the figure which shows the state which the automatic transfer vehicle equipped with a vehicle stopped at a predetermined position in a yard. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of unloading of a vehicle using the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. 1, and is the figure which shows the state of unloading a vehicle from an automatic guided vehicle. It is a top view which shows the posture of the drive wheel after unloading of the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of unloading of a vehicle using the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. 1, and is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the automatic guided vehicle after unloading.

Hereinafter, the contents of the automatic vehicle transport system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an automatic vehicle transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic guided vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment includes an automatic guided vehicle 11, a receiving unit 12 of a satellite positioning system, and a detecting unit 13 that detects spatial information around the automatic guided vehicle 11. It includes a control unit 14 that controls the drive of the automatic guided vehicle 11. Hereinafter, details of each element will be described with a focus on the configuration of the automatic guided vehicle 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic guided vehicle 11 includes two drive wheels 15 as drive units, a power application unit 16 for applying power to each drive wheel 15, and front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 of the vehicle 1. It has a mounting portion 17 on which only one of the wheels (here, the front wheel 2 serving as the driving side wheel) can be mounted (see FIG. 4 to be described later). In this embodiment, each drive wheel 15 is housed in a casing 18. Further, these two casings 18 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 19. In this case, the mounting portions 17 are provided at predetermined positions in the width direction on the connecting portion 19, that is, at two locations in the width direction corresponding to the front wheels 2 of the vehicle 1 to be mounted. Therefore, in this case, the mounting portion 17 is arranged between the two drive wheels 15. In other words, the mounting portion 17 is arranged at a position where it overlaps with the two drive wheels 15 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body (see FIG. 4 described later). The width direction referred to here means a direction orthogonal to the vehicle body front-rear direction when the vehicle 1 is mounted, and corresponds to a direction in which the two drive wheels 15 are separated from each other in the automatic guided vehicle 11. .. Further, the vehicle 1 referred to here is not only a completed vehicle that is finally available for purchase by consumers, but also a mass-produced vehicle, which does not have an opening loading platform or a box-shaped luggage compartment of a light truck. In other words, vehicles that are not mounted (vehicles before mounting) are included.

Next, the details of the drive wheels 15 will be described. In this embodiment, the two drive wheels 15 are composed of two wheels 20 arranged in parallel with each other, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. Each wheel 20 is configured to be rotatable independently of each other, and is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 21 arranged between the wheels 20. The rotating shaft 21 is arranged in a state in which the longitudinal directions thereof are aligned with each other in the vertical direction when the automatic transport vehicle 11 is traveling, whereby, for example, by rotating the two wheels 20 in opposite directions, or by rotating the two wheels 20 in opposite directions. By rotationally driving only one wheel 20, the drive wheel 15 having the two wheels 20 rotates around the rotation shaft 21, and steering as the automatic transport vehicle 11 becomes possible (a steering angle can be provided). can). In the present embodiment, the two wheels 20 (driving wheels 15) can rotate 360 degrees around the rotating shaft 21, so that the two wheels 15 (two driving wheels 15) can be rotated 360 degrees around the rotating shaft 21, for example, as shown in FIG. 8 to be described later. Wheel 20) is rotated 90 degrees so that it can move in the width direction.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the power applying unit 16 is provided in the same number as the wheels 20, and is composed of a plurality of in-wheel motors 22 that apply a rotational driving force to each wheel 20. Each in-wheel motor 22 has a stator 23 and a rotor 24. In this case, the stator 23 is fixed to the rotating shaft 21, and the rotor 24 is connected to the wheel 25 of the wheel 20. As a result, the wheel 25 and the tire 26 connected to the rotor 24 can rotate together with the rotor 24 by rotationally driving the in-wheel motor 22 to rotate the rotor 24. Further, as will be described later, since each in-wheel motor 22 can be electrically controlled independently, two wheels arranged in parallel by configuring the power applying unit 16 as described above. The 20s can be independently rotationally driven, and the drive wheels 15 can also be independently rotated around the vertical axis and rotationally driven around the horizontal axis.

Further, in the present embodiment, the training wheels 27 are arranged on the front side of the vehicle body of the connecting portion 19. Specifically, a plate-shaped first support portion 28 is extended and provided on the front side of the vehicle body of the connecting portion 19, and two auxiliary wheels 27 are arranged at predetermined positions of the first support portion 28. In this case, the training wheels 27 can be grounded on the front side of the vehicle body of the automatic guided vehicle 11 rather than each drive wheel 15, and are driven to rotate (roll with respect to the ground) as the drive wheels 15 are rotationally driven. ..

The mounting unit 17 can have an arbitrary configuration as long as it can hold a part of the wheels (here, two front wheels 2) of the vehicle 1 to be mounted. For example, in the illustrated example, a wheel chock 29 is provided on the front side of the vehicle body of the mounting portion 17, and regulates the movement of the front wheel 2 of the vehicle 1 mounted from the rear side of the vehicle body of the automatic guided vehicle 11 to the front side of the vehicle body. , Positioning in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is planned. Although not shown, when the front wheel 2 is not mounted, the front wheel 2 is positioned downward so as to allow the front wheel 2 to move onto the mounting portion 17, and the front wheel 2 is mounted at a predetermined position on the mounting portion 17. In this state, a movable regulating portion that is located relatively upward and regulates the movement of the front wheel 2 to the rear side of the vehicle body may be provided. Alternatively, the operator may arrange a wheel chock on the rear side of the front wheel 2 when the front wheel 2 is mounted at a predetermined position on the mounting portion 17. Of course, in the automatic guided vehicle 11 according to the present embodiment, since a part of the underbody 4 of the vehicle 1 can be fixed to the automatic guided vehicle 11 as described later, the movement restricting unit for the front wheels 2 to the rear side of the vehicle body Can be omitted. Similarly, the movement restricting portion (wheel chock 29, etc.) of the front wheel 2 to the front side of the vehicle body can be omitted.

The receiving unit 12 of the satellite positioning system is provided at the tip of a pole 30 for smooth communication with a satellite (positioning satellite) for a satellite positioning system such as GPS. It is better to install it at an appropriate height position in consideration of the above.

The detection unit 13 includes an object detection device 31 such as an optical sensor and a camera 32. In the present embodiment, two left and right object detection devices 31 and a camera 32 are provided on the front side of the automatic guided vehicle 11. The configuration of the detection unit 13 is only an example, and the type and number of elements constituting the detection unit 13 can be arbitrarily set as needed.

By controlling the two drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16, the control unit 14 enables automatic traveling accompanied by steering of the automatic guided vehicle 11. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 controls the drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16 of a plurality of automatic guided vehicles 11 (only one automatic guided vehicle 11 is shown in FIG. 1). , It enables automatic traveling accompanied by steering of each automatic guided vehicle 11. In this case, the control unit 14 controls the drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16 of each automatic guided vehicle 11 based on the communication content between the integrated control unit 33 and the integrated control vehicle 33 provided in each automatic guided vehicle 11. It is composed of a terminal control unit 34. Each terminal control unit 34 receives a command from the integrated control unit 33, position information of the corresponding automatic guided vehicle 11 obtained by the satellite positioning system obtained through the receiving unit 12, and the corresponding automatic guided vehicle obtained by the detection unit 13. By controlling the drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16 of the corresponding automatic guided vehicle 11 based on the spatial information around the vehicle 11, automatic traveling with steering of each automatic guided vehicle 11 is possible.

The automatic guided vehicle 11 is provided with a clamp portion 35 capable of clamping a part of the underbody 4 of the vehicle 1, here the rocker 5 (see FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, the clamp portion 35 has a first pad portion 36 and a second pad portion 37 facing each other, a hydraulic cylinder 38 as an actuator, and a spring 39, as shown in FIG. The hydraulic cylinder 38 is configured to receive power (flood control) from a hydraulic pump 40 as a second power applying unit and perform a straight-ahead motion along a predetermined direction. Specifically, the first pad portion 36 is attached to the piston rod 38a on the movable side of the hydraulic cylinder 38, and the second pad portion 37 is attached to the cylinder 38b on the fixed side of the hydraulic cylinder 38. The piston rod 38a can travel straight with respect to the cylinder 38b in the longitudinal direction (in the present embodiment, the width direction of the automatic guided vehicle 11). As a result, by receiving the power supplied from the hydraulic pump 40 and driving the hydraulic cylinder 38, the piston rod 38a advances straight in the direction of compressing the spring 39, and the first pad portion 36 attached to the piston rod 38a. Is approaching the second pad portion 37. Further, in the state where the supply of hydraulic pressure was stopped and the drive of the hydraulic cylinder 38 was stopped, the piston rod 38a went straight in the direction opposite to that during the hydraulic operation due to the elastic restoration of the spring 39, and was attached to the piston rod 38a. The first pad portion 36 is designed to move away from the second pad portion 37. Of course, it is also possible to omit the spring 39 so that the hydraulic cylinder 38 can be reciprocated.

In the present embodiment, the lifter 41 is provided on the lower side of the hydraulic cylinder 38. The lifter 41 is configured to raise the hydraulic cylinder 38 by receiving, for example, the supply of oil from the hydraulic pump 40. When the clamp target is the rocker 5 of the vehicle 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the hydraulic cylinder 38 can be raised to a height at which the rocker 5 is located between the first pad portion 36 and the second pad portion 37. .. Further, in a state where the supply of the hydraulic pressure is stopped and the driving of the lifter 41 is stopped, the height position before the rise is restored by the own weight of the hydraulic cylinder 38.

Here, the lifter 41 can have an arbitrary configuration. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a lifter 41 having a multi-tube structure (triple pipe structure in this illustrated example) and being driven (extended) by the supply of flood control is adopted. In this case, the pipes 41a to 41c are in a state of overlapping each other in a state where no hydraulic pressure is supplied (see FIG. 5). In this state, the clamp portion 35 is in the lowest position. Further, each of the pipes 41a to 41c moves relatively upward by the inner pipes 41b and 41c in a state of being supplied with hydraulic pressure, and is in a state of being extended in a multi-stage shape as a whole (see FIG. 6). In this state, the clamp portion 35 is in the highest position.

Further, in the present embodiment, a plate-shaped second support portion 42 is extended to the rear side of the vehicle body of the connecting portion 19, and the clamp portion 35 and the hydraulic pressure are provided at two predetermined width directions of the second support portion 42, respectively. A pump 40 and a lifter 41 are arranged. If possible, one hydraulic pump 40 may be used as one, and the one hydraulic pump 40 may supply oil to the two hydraulic cylinders 38 and the lifter 41, respectively. In the present embodiment, since a part of the underbody 4 to be clamped is a rocker 5 (see FIG. 4), the clamp portion 35 described above is mounted on the mounting portion 17 of the vehicle 1. The width direction position and the vehicle body front-rear direction position of the clamp portion 35 are set so as to be located directly below the rocker 5 (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

Further, when the rocker 5 is clamped as in the present embodiment, it is preferable to design in consideration of the height positional relationship between the upper surface 17a of the mounting portion 17 through which the front wheel 2 passes and the clamp portion 35. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a slope 43 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle body of the mounting portion 17, and the height position of the vehicle 1 in a state of being mounted on the mounting portion 17, particularly the height direction position of the front wheels 2. Is higher than the height position of the clamp portion 35 (when the clamp portion 35 is movable in the height direction, the lower limit height position of the movable range) (see FIG. 4). As a result, even when the clamp portion 35 must be arranged on the path of the front wheel 2 reaching a predetermined position on the mounting portion 17, interference between the vehicle 1 (front wheel 2) and the clamp portion 35 is avoided. Therefore, it becomes possible to smoothly mount the vehicle 1.

When the hydraulic pump 40 uses a motor as a power source (when it is an electric oil pump), the clamp unit 35 and the lifter 41 are automatically controlled by controlling this motor by the control unit 14 (terminal control unit 34). You may.

Next, an example of the operation of the automatic guided vehicle 11 having the above configuration and the automatic guided vehicle 11 including the automatic guided vehicle 11 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 4 to 12.

First, the overall control unit 33 sends a command to the predetermined automatic guided vehicle 11, and starts the mounting operation of the vehicle 1 by the automatic guided vehicle 11. The automatic guided vehicle 11 that receives the command controls the drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16 by the terminal control unit 34, and moves toward the vehicle 1 that is aligned and arranged in the transport source area (for example, a factory yard) (not shown). Then, the vehicle stops at a position adjacent to the front side of the vehicle body of either one of the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 (here, the front wheels 2). After that, the front wheels 2 of the vehicle 1 are mounted on the mounting portion 17 of the automatic guided vehicle 11. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 moves forward, the front wheels 2 ride on the slope 43 provided on the connecting portion 19 of the automatic guided vehicle 11, and move on the slope 43 to the front side of the vehicle body of the slope 43. It moves onto the located mounting unit 17. As a result, the front wheels 2 of the vehicle 1 are mounted at predetermined positions on the mounting portion 17 arranged at predetermined positions in the width direction on the connecting portion 19, and the rear wheels 3 of the vehicle 1 are in a grounded state (FIG. FIG. 4). In this state, the front wheel 2 is in contact with the wheel chock 29. Further, the clamp portion 35 is located below the rocker 5 to be clamped by the vehicle 1. To be precise, the position of the clamp portion 35 is set so that the highest portion of the clamp portion 35 below the rocker 5 is lower than the upper surface 17a of the mounting portion 17.

In this way, after some of the wheels (front wheels 2) of the vehicle 1 are mounted at predetermined positions on the mounting portion 17, the vehicle 1 is fixed to the automatic guided vehicle 11. Specifically, from the state shown in FIG. 5, the hydraulic cylinder 38 forming the clamp portion 35 is raised by driving the lifter 41 and attached to the movable side (piston rod 38a) and the fixed side (cylinder 38b) of the hydraulic cylinder 38, respectively. A rocker 5 to be clamped is arranged between the first pad portion 36 and the second pad portion 37 (see FIG. 6). At this point, a predetermined gap exists between the first pad portion 36 on the movable side and the outer panel 51 of the rocker 5.

Then, the hydraulic cylinder 38 is driven by the supply of hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump 40, and the piston rod 38a is moved in the direction in which the spring 39 is compressed (on the right side in FIG. 6). As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the first pad portion 36 attached to the piston rod 38a slides in a direction approaching the second pad portion 37 attached to the cylinder 38b, and the inner panel 52 and the first pad The portion 36 is in contact with the outer panel 51, and the outer panel 51 and the second pad portion 37 are in contact with each other. That is, the rocker 5 is sandwiched between the first and second pad portions 36 and 37 in the width direction. In this way, with the front wheels 2 of the vehicle 1 mounted at a predetermined position (on the mounting portion 17) of the automatic guided vehicle 11, a part of the underbody 4 of the vehicle 1 (here, the rocker 5) is the automatic guided vehicle. It is fixed at 11. Here, the rocker 5 is clamped so that the first pad portion 36 and the second pad portion 37 are in contact with the outer panel 51 and the inner panel 52 of the rocker 5, respectively, but of course, other clamping modes such as the outer panel 51 are used. The height position of the hydraulic cylinder 38 is adjusted and the rocker 5 is clamped so that the first pad portion 36 and the second pad portion 37 are in contact with the flange portion 51a of the inner panel 52 and the flange portion 52a of the inner panel 52, respectively. It doesn't matter.

Next, the automatic guided vehicle 11 starts moving toward the destination (for example, the transshipment yard of the port) with a part of the vehicle 1 (front wheel 2) mounted. During this period, the terminal control unit 34 obtains the position information of the automatic guided vehicle 11 obtained by the satellite positioning system through the receiving unit 12, and the automatic guided vehicle obtained by the detection unit 13 (object detection device 31, camera 32). This is automatically performed by controlling the drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16 of the automatic guided vehicle 11 based on the spatial information around the 11. At this time, the vehicle 1 travels together with the automatic guided vehicle 11 with some wheels (front wheels 2) floating, but the vehicle 1 clamps a part of the underbody 4 (here, the rocker 5). Since it is fixed to the automatic guided vehicle 11, it is possible to maintain a stable posture without worrying about misalignment or dropping.

Then, when the automatic guided vehicle 11 equipped with the vehicle 1 arrives at the destination, the next is a predetermined position in the destination, here, as shown in FIG. 8, a predetermined position in the yard (unloading of the vehicle 1 being transported). The vehicle 1 is transported toward the space P1). Here, a part of the vehicle 1 is in a position overlapping with the automatic guided vehicle 11 in a plan view. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle 1 is stopped on the front side of the vehicle body by the amount of overlap with the position where the unloading space should be originally (the position completely overlapped with the unloading space P1). Then, first, the supply of the oil pressure from the hydraulic pump 40 is stopped, and the drive of the hydraulic cylinder 38 is stopped. As a result, the elastic restoration of the spring 39 causes the piston rod 38a to move straight in the direction opposite to that during the hydraulic operation, and the first pad portion 36 attached to the piston rod 38a moves away from the second pad portion 37. As a result, the clamped state of the rocker 5 by the clamp portion 35 is eliminated (the state shown in FIG. 6). After that, by stopping the supply of oil from the hydraulic pump 40 and stopping the drive of the lifter 41, the hydraulic cylinder 38 is returned to the height position before ascending (the position shown in FIG. 4) by its own weight. .. In this way, after the interference between the clamp portion 35 and the vehicle 1 can be avoided, the vehicle 1 is retracted and the front wheel 2 of the vehicle 1 is lowered from above the mounting portion 17 to the ground (state shown in FIG. 10). ). As a result, the unloading of the vehicle 1 into the unloading space P1 is completed.

After the unloading is completed in this way, the automatic guided vehicle 11 receives an instruction from the operator (some operation by a switch or the like), or detects a decrease in the load acting on the mounting unit 17 by itself. Start evacuation from the yard. When there are a plurality of vehicles 1'already unloaded in the yard as in the present embodiment, the plurality of vehicles 1'are arranged and arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction and the width direction of the vehicle body. (See Fig. 8 etc.). Therefore, the automatic guided vehicle 11 rotates the drive wheels 15 around the rotation shaft 21 by 90 degrees after the unloading is completed (see FIG. 11). After that, the drive wheels 15 are rotationally driven to start moving in the width direction while maintaining the posture of the automatic guided vehicle 11 at the time of unloading (see FIG. 12). At this time, it is important that the vehicle body front-rear direction dimension (maximum value) W1 of the automatic guided vehicle 11 is smaller than the vehicle body front-rear direction distance (minimum value) W2 of the unloaded vehicle 1'(see FIG. 10). ). Of course, this does not apply when the position where the dimension W1 is maximized and the position where the interval W2 is minimized are different in the height direction.

The rotation of the drive wheels 15 described above is such that when each wheel 20 is independently driven by the in-wheel motor 22 as in the present embodiment, the wheels 20 are rotated in opposite directions to each other, or only one wheel 20 is rotationally driven. This makes it possible.

As described above, the automatic guided vehicle 11 is evacuated from the yard. The retracted automatic guided vehicle 11 automatically travels with steering in an empty state (a state in which the vehicle 1 is not mounted), and returns to the place where the vehicle was transported. By repeating the series of operations described above, the vehicle 1 is automatically transported toward the destination for the number of times of repetition. Further, by causing the other automatic guided vehicles 11 to perform the above-mentioned series of operations at the same time or sequentially, the same number of vehicles 1 as the number of used automatic guided vehicles 11 are automatically transported toward the destination in sequence. NS. In this case, the control of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles 11 is performed by (wireless) communication between the terminal control unit 34 provided on each automatic guided vehicle 11 and the integrated control unit 33.

As described above, according to the automatic guided vehicle 11 according to the present embodiment, since the automatic traveling function accompanied by steering is provided, the vehicle 1 can be transported unmanned. Further, by providing the mounting portion 17 on which a part of the wheels of the vehicle 1 (here, the front wheel 2) can be mounted, the vehicle 1 is conveyed by using the remaining wheels of the vehicle 1 (here, the rear wheel 3). be able to. Therefore, the number of drive wheels 15 can be reduced to two to simplify the drive mechanism of the automatic guided vehicle 11, and the automatic guided vehicle 11 can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, in the automatic guided vehicle 11 according to the present embodiment, the clamp portion 35 that clamps a part of the underbody 4 of the vehicle 1 and the second power imparting portion (here, the hydraulic pump 40) that applies power to the clamp portion 35. And so on. With this configuration, the underbody 4 of the vehicle 1 can be clamped and fixed by driving the clamp portion 35 while the front wheel 2 of the vehicle 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 17. Further, since the vehicle 1 is in a state of being positioned to some extent when the front wheels 2 are mounted, a part of the underbody 4 to be clamped is also installed at a predetermined position. Therefore, it is possible to easily clamp a part of the underbody 4 to firmly fix the vehicle 1. Therefore, even when the front wheels 2 of the vehicle 1 are mounted on the mounting portion 17 and the rear wheels 3 are in contact with the ground, the vehicle 1 is transported in a stable posture and surely prevented from falling off from the automatic guided vehicle 11. Is possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, the target of the clamp by the clamp portion 35 is the rocker 5. If it is the locker 5, it is located at the lower part of the door of the underbody 4 regardless of the vehicle type, and is located on the outermost side in the width direction. In addition, it extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and is easy to clamp from the width direction. From the above points, by setting the target of the clamp by the clamp portion 35 to the rocker 5, the vehicle 1 can be more easily and firmly fixed to the automatic guided vehicle 11.

Further, in the present embodiment, the clamp portion 35 is driven so that the first pad portion 36 and the second pad portion 37, which are arranged at positions facing each other, and the first pad portion and the second pad portion can be approached. Since it is composed of the hydraulic cylinder 38, it is possible to easily obtain a clamping force of a size required for fixing the vehicle 1. Further, since the structure is relatively simple and compact, there is no particular space problem even if it is mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 11 together with the hydraulic pump 40.

Further, in the present embodiment, the lifter 41 is arranged below the hydraulic cylinder 38 forming the clamp portion 35, and the lifter 41 has a multi-tube structure. Therefore, the lifter 41 is lifted while reducing the height dimension as much as possible. It is possible to make the ratio (height dimension of the lifter 41 after lift-up / height dimension of the lifter 41 before lift-up) as large as possible. Therefore, even in a situation where the clamp portion 35 must be arranged at a position as close as possible to the road surface and on the path leading to the mounting portion 17 of the wheel (front wheel 2), the front wheel 2 has no risk of interference with the clamp portion 35. Can be smoothly introduced and fixed on the mounting portion 17.

Further, in the automatic guided vehicle 11 according to the present embodiment and the automatic guided vehicle 10 using the automatic guided vehicle 11, only one of the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 of the vehicle 1 is mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 11. Since the mounting portion 17 that can be mounted is provided, the mounting portion 17 can be made smaller than the conventional mounting portion that mounts the entire vehicle 1 such as a container and a trolley. Further, since the automatic guided vehicle 11 can be run unmanned, a cabin is not required, and the space of the automatic guided vehicle 11 can be saved by the amount of the cabin. From the above, it is possible to reduce the space required for loading and unloading by at least the mounting portion 17 and the cabin of the vehicle 1 as compared with the conventional case, whereby the loading and unloading of the vehicle 1 can be smoothly performed. It will be possible. In addition, the miniaturization of the automatic guided vehicle 11 itself can increase the degree of freedom of conducting wires of the automatic guided vehicle 11 in the yard (because it can move relatively freely in the yard). Unloading can be done smoothly inside. From the above, according to the automatic guided vehicle 11 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to efficiently transport the vehicle 1 including loading and unloading.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the automatic guided vehicle and the automatic transfer system according to the present invention may adopt a configuration other than the above as long as the purpose is not deviated.

For example, regarding the clamp portion 35, in the above embodiment, the underbody 4 is driven in a direction in which a pair of pad portions (first pad portion 36, second pad portion 37) facing each other are brought closer to each other in the width direction of the automatic guided vehicle 11. The case where a part of the above can be clamped is illustrated, but of course, it is not limited to this. For example, although not shown, the clamping direction may be changed according to the shape of the object to be clamped. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the two pad portions 36 and 37 are brought close to each other so that a part of the underbody 4 can be clamped is illustrated, but of course, other configurations are also possible. be. For example, although not shown, three or more pad portions may be brought close to each other so that a part of the underbody 4 can be clamped. Further, the mechanism for driving each pad portion can be arbitrarily configured according to the operation mode and the required driving force (clamping force). Of course, a power source other than the flood control may be used for the clamp portion 35. In addition, it goes without saying that the number and arrangement of the clamp portions 35 can be arbitrarily configured as long as the parts other than the wheels of the vehicle 1 can be firmly held.

Further, regarding the lifter 41, in the above embodiment, a case where the hydraulic cylinder 38 forming the clamp portion 35 is configured to be ascendable by forming a multi-tube structure and extending in a multi-stage shape is illustrated (see FIG. 6). Of course, it is not limited to this. It is possible to apply a known lift-up mechanism such as a general-purpose in-vehicle jack. Alternatively, the lifter 41 can be omitted depending on the part to be clamped.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the vehicle 1 with some wheels mounted is fixed to the automatic guided vehicle 11 by clamping the rocker 5 as a part of the underbody 4 of the vehicle 1 is illustrated, but of course. Not limited to this. By appropriately setting the form of the clamp portion 35 as described above, other structural members such as side members and cross members may be clamped. Of course, as long as it is a part of the underbody 4, it is possible to clamp parts other than various members.

Further, in the automatic guided vehicle system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the integrated control unit 33 may be omitted, and the automatic traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 11 may be controlled only by the terminal control unit 34. In this case, for example, a program related to automatic transportation accompanied by loading and unloading is stored in the terminal control unit 34 in advance, and the drive wheels 15 and the power applying unit 16 are driven and controlled based on the above program by a predetermined operation of the operator. You may try to do it.

Further, in the automatic transfer system 10 shown in FIG. 1, a case where only the front wheels 2 can be mounted on the mounting portion 17 as a part of the wheels of the vehicle 1 is illustrated, but of course, this is not limited to this. For example, although not shown, it is possible to configure only the rear wheel 3 of the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 of the vehicle 1 to be mounted on the mounting unit 17.

Further, in the above description, the case where the drive unit of the automatic guided vehicle 11 is two drive wheels 15 has been illustrated, but of course, the present invention is not limited to this. Although not shown, the drive unit may be composed of three or four or more drive wheels 15. Similarly, in the above description, the case where each drive wheel 15 is composed of two wheels 20 arranged in parallel is illustrated, but of course, other configurations are also possible. Depending on the number of drive wheels 15, the drive wheels 15 may be composed of one wheel 20. Furthermore, the drive unit does not necessarily have to be the drive wheels 15, and can take a shape other than the wheels as long as it can be grounded and driven.

Further, in the above description, the case where a plurality of in-wheel motors 22 are provided as the power applying unit 16 has been illustrated, but of course, the present invention is not limited to this. As long as a predetermined power (rotational driving force) can be applied to the drive wheels 15, a drive source having an arbitrary configuration can be provided on the automatic guided vehicle 11 as a power applying unit 16.

Further, in the above description, the configuration in which the two auxiliary wheels 27 are arranged side by side in the width direction on one side of the automatic guided vehicle 11 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is illustrated, but the configuration of the auxiliary wheels 27 is arbitrary. That is, although not shown, one or three or more training wheels 27 may be arranged side by side in the width direction. Further, one or a plurality of training wheels 27 may be arranged on both sides of the automatic guided vehicle 11 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Alternatively, depending on the form of the drive wheels 15 (drive unit), the auxiliary wheels 27 may be omitted.

1 Vehicle 2 Front wheels 3 Rear wheels 4 Underbody 5 Rocker 10 Automatic transport system 11 Automatic transport vehicle 12 Receiver 13 Detection unit 14 Control unit 15 Drive wheels 16 Power application unit 17 Mounting unit 18 Casing 19 Connecting unit 20 Wheels 21 Rotating shaft 22 In-wheel motor 23 Stator 24 Rotor 25 Wheel 26 Tire 27 Auxiliary wheel 28 First support 31 Object detection device 32 Camera 33 General control 34 Terminal control 35 Clamp 36 First pad 37 Second pad 38 Hydraulic cylinder 39 Spring 40 Hydraulic pump 41 Lifter 42 Second support 43 Slope

Claims (1)

A drive unit that can be grounded and driven,
A first power applying unit capable of applying power to a part of the driving unit,
Equipped with a mounting part that can mount some wheels of the completed vehicle,
By controlling the drive unit and the first power application unit, automatic traveling accompanied by steering is possible, and a clamp unit that clamps a part of the underbody of the completed vehicle and a clamp unit that applies power to the clamp unit. An automatic guided vehicle for completed vehicles equipped with two power-imparting units.

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