JP2023113147A - Unmanned carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an unmanned carrier allowing a lowered floor of a vehicle body while securing a load amount.SOLUTION: A weight of a vehicle body 10 and a load can be dispersed into a drive wheel 23 and a driven wheel 33 as an unmanned carrier comprises the driven wheel 33, so that smaller diameters of the drive wheel 23 and the driven wheel 33 can be realized. Thus, a lowered floor of a vehicle body can be realized while securing a load amount. In this case, both the drive wheel 23 and the driven wheel 33 can be easily grounded to a road surface G where the road surface G is corrugated as an oscillation mechanism 50 interposed between the drive wheel 23 and the drive wheel 33 and the vehicle body 10 and rockably supporting the drive wheel 23 and the driven wheel 33 to the vehicle body 10 is provided. Therefore a running incapability due to a decrease of a load of the drive wheel 23 or a breakdown due to a concentrated load to the drive wheel 23 can be restricted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle, and more particularly to an automatic guided vehicle capable of achieving both a low-floor vehicle body and securing a load capacity.

A vehicle body on which cargo is loaded, left and right driving wheels arranged substantially in the center of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction and configured to be independently drivable, and casters provided on the vehicle body and configured to be able to turn in the horizontal direction. A two-wheel speed difference type automatic guided vehicle is known (Patent Document 1). Such an automatic guided vehicle can turn by controlling the number of rotations of the left and right drive wheels, so a steering mechanism can be eliminated. Therefore, the structure can be simplified and the floor can be lowered.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-220048 (for example, paragraph 0012, FIGS. 1 and 2, etc.)

However, the conventional technique described above has a problem that it is difficult to achieve both a low floor of the vehicle body and a sufficient load capacity. That is, in an automatic guided vehicle employing the two-wheel speed difference method, the drive wheels are mainly responsible for the load of the vehicle body and cargo. Therefore, if the diameter of the driving wheels is increased in order to secure the load capacity, the height of the vehicle will be increased. On the other hand, if the driving wheels are made small in order to lower the floor, the load capacity will be reduced. If the width of the drive wheels is increased in order to secure the load capacity, the frictional resistance between the wheels and the road surface will increase, making it difficult to turn.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic guided vehicle capable of achieving both a low floor of the vehicle body and securing a load capacity.

In order to achieve this object, the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention comprises a vehicle body on which a load is loaded, left and right drive wheels arranged substantially in the center of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction and configured to be independently drivable, and A caster is provided on a vehicle body and configured to be able to turn in a horizontal direction. A driven wheel that rotates as the vehicle travels, the drive wheel, and the driven wheel are interposed between the driven wheel and the vehicle body. and a rocking mechanism that rockably supports the driving wheels and the driven wheels with respect to the vehicle body.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 1, since it is provided with driven wheels that rotate as it travels, the load of the vehicle body and cargo can be distributed between the driven wheels and the driven wheels. Can be made smaller. As a result, it is possible to achieve both the low floor of the vehicle body and the securing of the load capacity.

On the other hand, when the driven wheels are arranged in this way, it becomes difficult for the driving wheels or the driven wheels to touch the ground if the road surface is uneven. Since it is provided with a rocking mechanism for rockingly supporting the driving wheels and the driven wheels with respect to the vehicle body, both the driving wheels and the driven wheels are in contact with the road surface on an undulating road surface. It can be done easily. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from not being able to travel due to the loss of wheel weight of the drive wheels, and from failure due to concentration of the load on the drive wheels.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 2, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 1, the driven wheels are arranged on the left and right. The effect of distributing the load to the drive wheels and driven wheels can be enhanced. Therefore, the drive wheels and the driven wheels can be made small in diameter, and both the low floor of the vehicle body and the securing of the load capacity can be achieved.

Further, the driving wheels and the driven wheels are respectively supported by the left and right support bodies, and the left and right support bodies are supported by the left and right swing means so as to be able to swing relative to the vehicle body. The drive wheels and the driven wheels in the support can be easily brought into contact with the road surface. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from not being able to travel due to the loss of wheel weight of the drive wheels, and from failure due to concentration of the load on the drive wheels.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 2, the swinging means is arranged between the drive wheel and the driven wheel of the left and right supports, and the left and right supports are provided. Since it is configured as left and right swing shafts that pivotably support each of the bodies with respect to the vehicle body, the swinging of the support with respect to the vehicle body can be stabilized.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 4, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 3, the axle of the driven wheel is arranged along the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The structure can be simplified as compared with the case where the is horizontally rotatable with respect to the support.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 5, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 4, the driving wheels are arranged on the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle body with respect to the swing shaft, and the driven wheels swing. Since the driving shaft is disposed inside the vehicle body in the left-right direction, a space can be secured between the left and right drive wheels in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, turning performance can be improved. Further, for example, when the direction of travel is switched from forward to reverse, it is possible to suppress meandering of the vehicle body due to turning of the casters.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 6, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 5, the left and right rocking shafts are arranged at positions substantially in the center between the drive wheels and the driven wheels. Therefore, the load borne by the drive wheels and the load borne by the driven wheels can be equalized in each of the left and right rocking mechanisms. Therefore, the driving wheels and the driven wheels can be configured from the same wheels, and the part cost can be reduced accordingly.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 7, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 1, the lateral direction of the vehicle body is more than the rocking shaft that supports the other support of the other support. Since the lower surface of the inside portion is connected to the upper surface of the portion inside the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the swing shaft that supports one of the supports, the one support and the other support are connected. can be interlocked with the support of Therefore, on an undulating road surface, the left and right drive wheels and driven wheels can be easily brought into contact with the road surface. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from not being able to travel due to the loss of wheel weight of the drive wheels, and from failure due to concentration of the load on the drive wheels. In addition, since the number of driven wheels can be reduced to one, the parts cost can be reduced accordingly, and the dimension of the vehicle body in the left-right direction can be suppressed.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 8, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 7, in one support, the drive wheel is disposed outside the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the swing shaft. In addition, since the driven wheels are disposed inside the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the swing shaft, it is possible to secure a space between the left and right driving wheels in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, turning performance can be improved. Further, for example, when the direction of travel is switched from forward to reverse, it is possible to suppress meandering of the vehicle body due to turning of the casters.

According to the automatic guided vehicle of claim 9, in addition to the effects of the automatic guided vehicle of claim 8, the distance between the driven wheel and the swing shaft is greater than the distance between the drive wheel and the swing shaft. is also increased, the difference between the load borne by the left and right drive wheels and the load borne by the central driven wheel can be suppressed accordingly.

It is a side view of an automatic guided vehicle in a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view of an automatic guided vehicle. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the automatic guided vehicle taken along line III-III of FIG. 1; It is a bottom view of the automatic guided vehicle in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the automatic guided vehicle taken along line VV in FIG. 4;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the automatic guided vehicle 1, and FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a car 1; FIG.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 3, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is schematically illustrated in order to simplify the drawings and facilitate understanding. In FIG. 3, illustration of the spring casters 40 is omitted. Arrows FB, UD, and LR in the drawing indicate the front-rear direction (advance direction), the vertical direction, and the left-right direction (width direction) of the automatic guided vehicle 1, respectively. The same applies to FIGS. 4 and 5 as well.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the automatic guided vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 10 on which a load is loaded, left and right traveling devices 20 having drive wheels 23, left and right driven bodies 30 having driven wheels 33, and wheels. 44, a left and right rocking mechanism 50 interposed between the travel device 20 and the driven body 30 and the vehicle body 10, and a control device (not shown) for controlling the drive motor 24 of the travel device 20. ), and by controlling the number of rotations of the left and right driving wheels 23, the automatic guided vehicle can move forward, backward, and turn.

The travel device 20 includes a seat 21 arranged on the bottom surface of the swing mechanism 50 (support body 51), a pair of forks 22 arranged on the seat 21 and opposed to each other with a predetermined interval, and a pair of A driving wheel 23 is rotatably supported between the forks 22, and a driving motor 24 that imparts rotational driving force to the driving wheel 23. - 特許庁

The driven body 30 includes a seat 31 arranged on the bottom surface of the rocking mechanism 50 (support body 51), a pair of forks 32 arranged on the seat 31 and opposed to each other with a predetermined interval, and a pair of A driven wheel 33 is rotatably supported between the forks 32, and the driven wheel 33 is rotated (driven) as the vehicle travels. In this embodiment, the driven body 30 (the seat 31 and the fork 32) is fixed to the vehicle body 10 via the swing mechanism 50, so that the driven body 30 can turn horizontally with respect to the vehicle body 10, for example. The structure can be simplified as compared with the case.

The spring caster 40 has a seat 41 arranged on the bottom surface of the vehicle body 10, a housing 42 configured to be horizontally rotatable with respect to the seat 41, and one end side rotatably supported by the housing 42. A pair of forks 43 facing each other at a predetermined interval, a wheel 44 rotatably supported between the other ends of the pair of forks 43, and a spring interposed between the housing 42 and the forks 43 45 , and configured as a swivel caster in which the axle of the wheel 44 is positioned apart (eccentrically) from the swivel center of the housing 42 .

The spring caster 40 can change the distance between the vehicle body 10 and the wheel 44 by elastic deformation (expansion and contraction) of the spring 45 . Therefore, even if the road surface G has undulations along the longitudinal direction (arrow FB direction) of the vehicle body 10 (when the road surface G shown in FIG. 1 forms peaks and valleys), the drive wheels 23 can be easily grounded.

The rocking mechanism 50 has the seat 21 of the travel device 20 in the left-right direction (direction of arrows LR) at one end (outside in the width direction of the vehicle body 10 in this embodiment), and the seat 31 of the driven body 30 in the left-right direction (direction of arrow L). −R direction) The support 51 is arranged on the other end side (the inner side in the width direction of the vehicle body 10 in this embodiment), and the support 51 is arranged substantially in the center of the support 51 in the left-right direction (arrow LR direction). and a rocking shaft 52 that pivotally supports the rocking shaft 52 and is disposed on the bottom surface of the vehicle body 10 so as to face the vehicle body 10 in the front-rear direction (arrow FB direction) with a space therebetween. It is provided with a stay 53 and configured to be swingable with respect to the vehicle body 10 .

A pair of rocking mechanisms 50 are arranged side by side in the lateral direction (direction of arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10, and the pair of (left and right) rocking mechanisms 50 are arranged substantially in the center of the vehicle body 10 in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrows FB). It is arranged at a position where The pair of (left and right) rocking mechanisms 50 are arranged at positions that are symmetrical with respect to an imaginary line connecting the turning centers of the front and rear spring casters 40 in plan view (see FIG. 2).

The rocking shaft 52 of the rocking mechanism 50 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10 (direction of arrow FB), and the axle of the drive wheel 23 and the axle of the driven wheel 33 are aligned in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10 ( It is arranged along the direction of the arrows LR). The drive wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 are arranged such that their axles are aligned in a plan view (see FIG. 2).

According to the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, since the driven wheels 33 are provided, the load of the vehicle body 10 and the cargo can be distributed to the driven wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33, and the width of the driven wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 is reduced accordingly. diameter can be reduced without widening the As a result, it is possible to achieve both the low floor of the vehicle body 10 and the securing of the load capacity.

Here, when the drive wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 (more specifically, the traveling device 20 and the driven body 30) are directly arranged on the vehicle body 10, the vehicle body 10 is driven along the left-right direction (arrow LR direction) on the road surface G. If there are undulations (the road surface G shown in FIG. 3 forms peaks and valleys), it becomes difficult for the drive wheels 23 or the driven wheels 33 to touch the ground.

On the other hand, according to the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the swing mechanism 50 is interposed between the vehicle body 10 and the driving wheels 23 and driven wheels 33, and the driving wheels 23 and driven wheels 33 are attached to the vehicle body 10. Therefore, even on a road surface G with undulations along the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10, the rocking of the rocking mechanism 50 (support body 51) causes the drive wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 to rock. It is possible to easily form a state in which both of them are in contact with the road surface G. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from not being able to travel due to the loss of wheel load on the drive wheels 23 and prevent the drive wheels 23 and the drive motor 24 from being damaged or broken down due to concentration of the load on the drive wheels 23 .

In the present embodiment, in each of the left and right rocking mechanisms 50, the driving wheels 23 are arranged outside the rocking shaft 52 in the left-right direction (directions of arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10, and the driven wheels 33 rock. Since the driving shaft 52 is disposed inside the vehicle body 10 in the left-right direction, the left and right drive wheels 23 can be secured (larger) in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10 . Therefore, turning performance can be improved. Further, for example, when the direction of travel is switched from forward to reverse, it is possible to suppress meandering of the vehicle body 10 due to turning of the spring casters 40 .

In the present embodiment, in a plan view, a position that is approximately the center between the axle of the drive wheel 23 and the axle of the driven wheel 33 (the position where the distance in the left-right direction (direction of arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10 is approximately the same). A swing shaft 52 is arranged in (see FIG. 2). Therefore, in each of the left and right rocking mechanisms 50, the load borne by the drive wheels 23 and the load borne by the driven wheels 33 can be equalized. Therefore, the driving wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 can be configured from the same wheels (rubber tires in this embodiment), and the parts cost can be reduced accordingly.

Next, an automatic guided vehicle 201 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. In the automatic guided vehicle 1 in the first embodiment, two driven wheels 33 are provided, but in the automatic guided vehicle 201 in the second embodiment, one driven wheel 33 is provided. .

4 is a bottom view of the automatic guided vehicle 201 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the automatic guided vehicle 201 taken along line VV of FIG. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the part same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate|omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the automatic guided vehicle 201 includes a vehicle body 10, left and right traveling devices 20, one driven body 30, spring casters 40, the traveling device 20 and the driven body 30, and the vehicle body 10. and a control device (not shown) for controlling the traveling device 20 (driving motor 24).

The swinging mechanism 250A has the seat 21 of the travel device 20 positioned at one end (outside in the width direction of the vehicle body 10 in this embodiment) in the left-right direction (arrow L-R direction), and the seat 31 of the driven body 30 positioned in the left-right direction (arrow L-R direction). -R direction) The other end side (the width direction inner side of the vehicle body 10 in this embodiment) is provided with a first support 251a, and the swing shaft 52 provided on the first support 251a is By being pivotally supported by the stay 53 , it is configured to be swingable with respect to the vehicle body 10 .

The swinging mechanism 250B includes a second support 251b on which the seat 21 of the travel device 20 is arranged on one end side (outside in the width direction of the vehicle body 10 in this embodiment) in the left-right direction (direction of arrows LR). The swing shaft 52 arranged on the second support 251b is pivotally supported by the stay 53 so that it can swing with respect to the vehicle body 10. As shown in FIG.

The rocking mechanisms 250A and 250B are arranged side by side in the lateral direction (direction of arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10, and the rocking mechanisms 250A and 250B are substantially in the center of the vehicle body 10 in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrows FB). position.

As in the case of the first embodiment, the swing shaft 52 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10 (the direction of the arrow FB), and the axle of the driving wheel 23 and the axle of the driven wheel 33 are , along the lateral direction of the vehicle body 10 (direction of arrows LR). The drive wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 are arranged so that their axles are aligned in a plan view (see FIG. 4).

The driven wheel 33 is disposed at a position where the tire centerline is aligned with the imaginary line connecting the turning centers of the front and rear spring casters 40 in a plan view, and the driving wheel 23 and the swing shaft 52 are arranged between the front and rear spring casters 40 . They are arranged at positions symmetrical about an imaginary line connecting the turning centers (see FIG. 4).

The first support 251a and the second support 251b overlap each other in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrows UD) at the inner side in the left-right direction (the direction of the arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10 . That is, the lower surface of the portion of the vehicle body 10 that is laterally inner (the left side in FIG. 5) of the pivot shaft 52 of the second support 251b is laterally inner of the vehicle body 10 than the pivot shaft 52 of the first support 251a. (right side of FIG. 5) is slidably connected to the upper surface of the portion, and when one of the first support 251a and the second support 251b is swung, the other is interlocked with the swing of the one. is also swingable.

A protrusion is projected from the lower surface of the second support 251b in the left-right direction (arrows LR direction) on the other end side (the inner side in the width direction of the vehicle body 10 in this embodiment). By being placed on the upper surface of the first support 251a, the first support 251a and the second support 251b are connected. As a result, it is possible to reduce the resistance when the projection of the second support 251b slides on the upper surface of the first support 251a in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10 (directions of arrows LR).

According to the automatic guided vehicle 201 of this embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment described above, by providing the driven wheels 33, the load of the vehicle body 10 and the cargo can be distributed to the drive wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33. , the driving wheel 23 and the driven wheel 33 can be reduced in diameter accordingly. As a result, it is possible to achieve both the low floor of the vehicle body 10 and the securing of the load capacity.

Further, even when the road surface G has undulations along the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10 (direction of arrows LR) (the road surface G shown in FIG. 5 forms peaks and valleys), the rocking mechanisms 250A and 250B ( By swinging the first support 251a and the second support 251b), the left and right driving wheels 23 and the central driven wheel 33 can easily form a state in which they are in contact with the road surface G. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from not being able to travel due to the loss of wheel load on the drive wheels 23 and prevent the drive wheels 23 and the drive motor 24 from being damaged or broken down due to concentration of the load on the drive wheels 23 .

In particular, according to the automatic guided vehicle 201 of the present embodiment, the number of the driven wheels 33 can be reduced to one. can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, in the swing mechanism 250A, the drive wheels 23 are arranged outside the swing shaft 52 in the left-right direction (directions of arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10, and the driven wheels 33 are arranged on the swing shaft 52. On the other hand, since it is disposed inside the vehicle body 10 in the left-right direction, it is possible to secure (enlarge) the interval between the left and right drive wheels 23 in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10 . Therefore, turning performance can be enhanced. Further, for example, when the direction of travel is switched from forward to reverse, it is possible to suppress meandering of the vehicle body 10 due to turning of the spring casters 40 .

In this embodiment, the position where the protrusion of the second support 251b is placed on the upper surface of the first support 251a is the position overlapping the tire centerline of the driven wheel 33 (see FIG. 5). Further, in a plan view, the axle of the driven wheel 33 is arranged at a position where it is substantially central between the left and right swing shafts 52 (a position where the distance in the left-right direction (arrow LR direction) of the vehicle body 10 is substantially the same). In addition, the distance between the axle of the drive wheel 23 and the swing shaft 52 is substantially the same between the left and right drive wheels 23, and the distance between the axle of the driven wheel 33 and the swing shaft 52 is the same as that of the drive wheel. It is set to be approximately twice the distance between the axle of the wheel 23 and the pivot shaft 52 (see FIG. 4).

As a result, the load borne by the left and right drive wheels 23 and the load borne by the central driven wheel 33 can be equalized. Therefore, the driving wheels 23 and the driven wheels 33 can be configured from the same wheels (rubber tires in this embodiment), and the parts cost can be reduced accordingly.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is easily understood that various modifications and improvements are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. It can be inferred.

The numerical values given in the above embodiment are examples, and it is naturally possible to employ other numerical values. For example, in the second embodiment, when the distance between the axle of the driven wheel 33 and the swing shaft 52 is set to be approximately twice the distance between the axle of the driving wheel 23 and the swing shaft 52. However, the numerical value may be smaller than 2 times or larger than 2 times.

In the above-described first embodiment, a case has been described in which the swing shaft 52 is arranged at a position substantially central between the axle of the drive wheel 23 and the axle of the driven wheel 33 in plan view. The position of may be changed from the substantially central position. Thereby, the distribution of the load borne by the drive wheels 23 and the load borne by the driven wheels 33 can be changed.

In this case, the load borne by the wheel (for example, the driven wheel 33) whose distance from the swing shaft 52 is increased is reduced, so the distance from the swing shaft 52 is reduced. The outer diameter may be made smaller than that of the wheel (driving wheel 23) on the receiving side.

In the second embodiment, the swing mechanism 250B may be omitted. That is, one driving wheel 23 (running device 20) of the left and right driving wheels 23 is directly arranged on the vehicle body 10, and the other driving wheel 23 (running device 20) is attached to one driven wheel 33 (driven body 30). may be disposed together with the swing mechanism 250A.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the driving wheels 23 are arranged outside the driven wheels 33 in the left-right direction (directions of arrows LR) of the vehicle body 10 has been described. 33) may be arranged inside the vehicle body 10 in the left-right direction.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the swing shaft 52 is disposed on the support 51 and is pivotally supported by the stay 53 has been described. It may be arranged such that the swing shaft 52 is pivotally supported by the support 51 so as to be swingable.

In each of the above-described embodiments, a damping mechanism that applies a damping force to the rocking mechanisms 50, 250A, and 250B may be added. The damping mechanism may be, for example, a shock absorber interposed between the vehicle body 10 and the support 51, the first support 251a, and the second support 251b, or a shock absorber interposed between the swing shaft 52 and the stay 53. A rotary damper provided is exemplified. Thereby, the running stability of the automatic guided vehicles 1 and 201 can be improved.

Between the outer peripheral surface of the swing shaft 52 and the inner peripheral surface of the stay 53, an elastic body (for example, a cylindrical rubber bush) composed of a rubber-like elastic body may be interposed. Deformation of the elastic bodies (rubber bushings) allows the supporting body 51, the first supporting body 251a and the second supporting body 251b to swing with respect to the vehicle body 10, and adds a damping mechanism.

Further, the swing shaft 52 is omitted, and an elastic body (swing means) is interposed between the lower surface of the vehicle body 10 and the upper surfaces of the support 51, the first support 251a and the second support 251b. Alternatively, the swing shaft 52 may be omitted, and an elastic body (swing means) may be interposed between the support 51, the first support 251a, the second support 251b, and the stay 53. . In these cases as well, deformation of the elastic body allows the support 51, the first support 251a, and the second support 251b to swing with respect to the vehicle body 10, while adding a damping mechanism.

In each of the above embodiments, the driven wheel 33 (driven body 30) is non-rotatably disposed on the support body 51 or the first support body 251a (the seat 31 is fixed to the support body 51 or the first support body 251a). Although the case has been described, the driven wheel 33 (driven body 30) may be arranged on the support body 51 or the first support body 251a so as to be able to turn in the horizontal direction. That is, the driven wheel 33 (driven body 30) may be configured as a turning caster. In this case, the resistance during turning of the vehicle can be reduced.

In the above-described first embodiment, the swing shaft 52 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10 (direction of arrows FB), and the swing shaft 52 is arranged in the lateral direction of the vehicle body 10 (direction of arrows LR). Although the case where the drive wheel 23 and the driven wheel 33 are sandwiched between the support body 51 has been described, the swing shaft 52 is oriented along the left-right direction (arrow LR direction) of the vehicle body 10 (that is, the drive The drive wheels 23 and the casters are arranged on the support 51 with the rocking shaft 52 interposed in the longitudinal direction (arrow FB direction) of the vehicle body 10. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that

In this case, the drive wheels 23 are positioned substantially in the center of the vehicle body 10 in the front-rear direction (arrow FB direction) in plan view, and the casters provided on the support 51 are positioned on one side of the vehicle body 10 in the front-rear direction. be done. The casters provided on the vehicle body 10 are provided on the other side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 10 in plan view. These casters do not need to be the spring casters 40, and may be swivel casters that can swivel in the horizontal direction. Also, the number of casters provided on the vehicle body 10 may be one.

According to the automatic guided vehicle configured in this way, since it is supported at three points, when the road surface G has undulations along the front-rear direction (arrow FB direction) of the vehicle body 10 (the road surface G shown in FIG. The drive wheels 23 can be easily grounded even when a peak or a valley is formed. The distance between the axle of the caster provided on the support body 51 and the swing shaft 52 is set larger than the distance between the axle of the drive wheel 23 and the swing shaft 52 in plan view.

1,201 unmanned guided vehicle 10 vehicle body 23 drive wheel 33 driven wheel 40 spring caster (caster)
50 swing mechanism 51 support 52 swing shafts 250A and 250B swing mechanism 251a first support (one support)
251b second support (other support)
Arrow FB Front-back direction arrow UD Up-down direction arrow LR Left-right direction

Claims (9)

A vehicle body on which a cargo is loaded, left and right drive wheels arranged substantially in the center of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction and configured to be independently drivable, and casters provided on the vehicle body and configured to be able to turn in the horizontal direction. In an automated guided vehicle comprising
A driven wheel that rotates as the vehicle travels, and a rocker that is interposed between the driving wheel and the driven wheel and the vehicle body and supports the driving wheel and the driven wheel to rockably with respect to the vehicle body. An automatic guided vehicle characterized by comprising a mechanism. The driven wheels are arranged on the left and right,
The rocking mechanism is
left and right support bodies for supporting the driving wheel and the driven wheel, respectively; left and right rocking means for movably supporting,
The driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged side by side in the lateral direction of the vehicle body,
2. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said left and right support members are capable of swinging around an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle body. The rocking means includes left and right rocking shafts disposed between the driving wheel and the driven wheel of the left and right supports and pivotally supporting the left and right supports so as to rock with respect to the vehicle body. configured as
Axles of the drive wheels are arranged along the left-right direction of the vehicle body,
3. The unmanned guided vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the left and right swing shafts are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. 4. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the axle of the driven wheel is arranged along the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The drive wheels are arranged outside the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the rocking shaft, and the driven wheels are arranged inside the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the rocking shaft. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 4. 6. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said swing shaft is arranged at a position substantially central between said drive wheel and said driven wheel. The rocking mechanism is
left and right supports;
Left and right rocking shafts for rockably supporting the left and right support bodies with respect to the vehicle body,
One of the left and right supports supports the drive wheel and the driven wheel, and the rocking shaft that supports the one support supports the one support. disposed between the driving wheel and the driven wheel;
the other of the left and right support supports the drive wheel outside the swing shaft that supports the other support in the left-right direction of the vehicle body;
the axle of the drive wheel and the axle of the driven wheel are arranged along the left-right direction of the vehicle body,
the left and right swing shafts are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body,
A lower surface of a portion of the other support that is located inward in the left-right direction of the vehicle body with respect to the swing shaft that supports the other of the supports supports the one of the one supports. 2. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic guided vehicle is connected to an upper surface of a portion of the vehicle body located laterally inward of the pivotally supported swing shaft. In the one support, the driving wheels are arranged on the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle body with respect to the rocking shaft, and the driven wheels are arranged inside the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the rocking shaft. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that 9. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the distance between said driven wheel and said swing shaft is larger than the distance between said driving wheel and said swing shaft.

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