JP2024020701A - Automatic horizontal conveyance device, automatic transporting system, and automatic transportation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce time and effort for loading.

SOLUTION: An automatic horizontal conveying device 10 conveys a plurality of conveying objects arranged in a line between a relay position (first point) and a target position (second point). A body 11 (conveyance unit) goes under the conveyance object. A detection unit 19 detects that the body 11 has gone under the conveyance object. A tractive pin 14 or a lifting device 15 (loading unit) carries out loading action when the detection unit 19 detects that the body 11 is under the conveyed object.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic horizontal transport device for transporting materials and equipment at construction sites and the like.

Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic horizontal transport device that transports materials and equipment at a construction site by towing a dedicated flat truck on which materials and equipment are placed.

JP 2021-117738 Publication

The automatic horizontal conveyance device of Patent Document 1 specifies a loading position where a dedicated flat truck carrying materials, equipment, etc. is placed, moves to the loading position, engages with the specialized flat truck, and transports the equipment. .
For this reason, when transporting materials and equipment placed on a plurality of dedicated flat trucks one by one, it is necessary to specify all the pickup positions where the plurality of dedicated flat trucks are placed. Alternatively, it is also possible to specify only the loading position where the first dedicated flat trolley was placed and to transport the second and subsequent vehicles from the same position, but in that case, after the previous dedicated flat trolley has been transported, It is necessary to manually move the next dedicated flat trolley to the loading position.
This invention aims, for example, to solve such problems.

The automatic horizontal conveyance device conveys a plurality of conveyance objects arranged in a line between a first point and a second point. The automatic horizontal conveyance device includes a conveyance section that gets under the object to be conveyed, a detection section that detects that the conveyance section goes under the object to be conveyed, and a detection section that detects that the conveyance section goes under the object to be conveyed. and a cargo picking section that performs a cargo picking operation when the detection section detects that the vehicle has crawled under the vehicle.
The automatic horizontal conveyance device moves from the first point to the second point, and stops when the detection section detects that the conveyance section has crawled under the object to be conveyed, The object to be transported may be transported by the cargo picking section performing the cargo picking operation and then moving toward the first point.
The detection unit has a contact type sensor at a rear position when moving from the first point to the second point, and when the contact type sensor comes into contact with the conveyed object, the conveyed object stops. It may be detected that the part has slipped under the object to be transported.
The automatic conveyance system may include the automatic horizontal conveyance device and a guide rail that is arranged between the first point and the second point and serves as a guide for arranging the plurality of objects to be conveyed. good.

According to the automatic horizontal transport device, when the detection unit detects that the transport unit has crawled under the object to be transported, the pickup unit performs a loading operation, so that the object to be transported is not manually moved to the pickup position. There is no need to move the objects by using the ``transfer'' button, and there is no need to specify the positions of all the objects to be transported.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a dedicated flat truck. The front view which shows an example of a dedicated flat truck. The right side view which shows an example of a dedicated flat truck. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an automatic horizontal conveyance device. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an automatic horizontal conveyance device. The right side view showing an example of an automatic horizontal conveyance device. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the automatic horizontal conveyance device is hidden under a dedicated flat truck. A right side sectional view showing a state in which the automatic horizontal conveyance device is hidden under the dedicated flat truck. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an automatic conveyance system.

The dedicated trolley 20 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
The dedicated flat cart 20 is an example of an object to be transported, and materials and equipment to be transported are placed thereon.
The dedicated flat truck 20 includes, for example, a main body 21, a loading platform 22, wheels 23, a stopper 24, a lever 25, and a contact portion 29.
The main body 21 is a substantially rectangular frame.
The loading platform 22 is a substantially square plate fixed on the main body 21, and materials and equipment to be transported are placed on the loading platform 22.
The wheels 23 are provided at the four corners of the main body 21 and rotate freely. Thereby, the dedicated flat truck 20 can be easily moved. The wheels 23 can freely change direction through 360 degrees. Thereby, the dedicated flat truck 20 can be moved in any direction.

The stopper 24 is provided between the wheels 23 along the short side of the main body 21. The stopper 24 can be moved up and down by operating a lever 25. By raising the stopper 24, the dedicated flat truck 20 becomes movable. Conversely, by lowering the stopper 24, the dedicated flat truck 20 is prevented from moving unintentionally. Further, instead of operating the lever 25, it can be raised by operating the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10, which will be described later.
The contact portion 29 is a substantially rectangular plate provided on the long side surface of the main body 21 .

The automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.
The automatic horizontal transport device 10 is a vehicle that automatically travels according to instructions from a computer program, etc., and transports materials and equipment placed on a dedicated flat truck 20.
The automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 includes, for example, a main body 11, wheels 13, a traction pin 14, an elevating section 15, and a detecting section 19.
The main body 11 is an example of a conveying section, and has a substantially rectangular plate shape.
The wheels 13 are provided at the four corners of the main body 11 and at the middle of the long sides. Of these, the two in the center are drive wheels, and the remaining four are auxiliary wheels. By rotating the two drive wheels in the same direction and at the same speed, the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 moves in a direction parallel to the long side of the main body 11. Further, by rotating the two drive wheels in opposite directions at the same speed, the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 can change direction on the spot.

The towing pins 14 are an example of a cargo picking part, and four towing pins 14 are provided near the center of the upper surface of the main body 11. The traction pin 14 moves up and down.
The elevating part 15 is an example of a cargo picking part, and has a substantially square plate shape provided at the center of the upper surface of the main body 11, and has an opening in a portion corresponding to the towing pin 14. The elevating section 15 moves up and down.
In a state where the towing pin 14 and the elevating part 15 are lowered, the automatic horizontal transport device 10 can slip under the main body 21 of the dedicated flat truck 20 (see FIGS. 7 and 8).
When the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 goes under the dedicated flat truck 20 and raises the traction pin 14, the traction pin 14 engages with the dedicated flat truck 20 and raises the stopper 24. This is an example of a cargo picking operation. In this state, when the automatic horizontal transport device 10 moves, the dedicated flat truck 20 also moves together. This is called "traction mode."
Further, when the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 is raised under the dedicated flat truck 20 and the elevating section 15 is raised, it comes into contact with the main body 21 of the dedicated flat truck 20 and lifts the dedicated flat truck 20. As a result, not only the stopper 24 but also the wheels 23 are separated from the floor surface. This is an example of a cargo picking operation. In this state, when the automatic horizontal transport device 10 moves, the dedicated flat truck 20 also moves together. This is called "direct loading mode."
For example, when the materials and equipment placed on the dedicated flat truck 20 are relatively heavy, the towing mode is used, and when it is light, the direct loading mode is used. For example, by reading the RFID tag attached to the dedicated flat truck 20, weight information of the materials and equipment placed on the dedicated flat truck 20 is acquired.
Note that in the direct loading mode, there is no need to use the dedicated flat truck 20, and for example, materials and equipment placed on a loading platform without wheels such as a pallet may be transported as the object to be transported.

The detection unit 19 detects that the main body 11 has slipped under the dedicated flat truck 20. For example, the detection unit 19 includes a contact sensor provided above the rear of the main body 21 . Then, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the detection unit 19 determines that the main body 11 has slipped under the dedicated flat truck 20 by detecting that the contact type sensor has contacted the contact portion 29. Thereby, it is possible to accurately detect that the main body 11 has reached a predetermined position with respect to the dedicated flat truck 20.
Note that the method for detecting that the main body 11 has slipped under the dedicated flat truck 20 is not limited to the method based on physical contact, and may be any other method. For example, if a non-contact distance sensor is provided on the top surface of the main body 11 and the dedicated flat trolley 20 is placed over the distance sensor, the distance measured by the distance sensor will suddenly become shorter. It may be determined that the person has crawled under 20. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to accurately detect that the main body 11 has reached a predetermined position with respect to the dedicated flat truck 20.
A method using a contact sensor is preferable because it can reduce component costs. However, if there is a contact sensor, the automatic horizontal transport device 10 will not be able to pass under the dedicated flat truck 20, so if the automatic horizontal transport device 10 needs to go under the dedicated flat truck 20, , a method using a non-contact sensor is preferred.

The automatic conveyance system will be described with reference to FIG. 9.
The automatic horizontal transport device 10 transports the dedicated flat trolley 20 placed at the loading position to a destination position (for example, another position on the same floor or inside an elevator cage). Transport materials, equipment, etc. placed on.

For example, two guide rails 30 are installed in parallel at the cargo picking position. The distance between the two guide rails 30 is slightly larger than the length of the long side of the dedicated flat truck 20.
Between the guide rails 30, a plurality (five in this example) of dedicated flat carts 20 on which materials and equipment (not shown) are placed are arranged in a line.

The automatic horizontal transport device 10 moves according to a programmed transport path.
At the pick-up position, the automatic horizontal transport device 10 is programmed to pass through a transit position 31 (an example of a first point) and head toward a target position 32 (an example of a second point). Here, the transit position 31 is on an extension of the center line of the two guide rails 30. Further, the target position 32 is also on the extension of the center line of the two guide rails 30. However, it is on the opposite side to the transit position 31. That is, the dedicated flat carts 20 are arranged in a line between the transit position 31 and the target position 32.
For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the transit position 31 is set to the left of the leftmost dedicated flat bogie 20 on the extension line of the center line of the guide rail 30, and the rightmost dedicated flat bogie 20 is set on the same extension line. A target position 32 is set to the right beyond the point. Thereby, the dedicated flat carts 20 arranged in a row can be transported sequentially from the left side. Conversely, if the transit position 31 is set to the right of the rightmost dedicated flat bogie 20 and the target position 32 is set to the left of the leftmost dedicated flat bogie 20, the dedicated flat bogies lined up in a row 20 can be transported sequentially from the right side.
Alternatively, the target position 32 may be set between the dedicated flat trucks 20 arranged in a row. In this way, instead of transporting all of the exclusive flat carts 20 arranged in a row, only a part of them can be transported.

By moving the automatic horizontal transport device 10 along this route, the automatic horizontal transport device 10 enters between the two guide rails 30 from the transit position 31 side, and moves to the dedicated flat cart 20 located at the frontmost side. Sneak below.
Then, when the detection unit 19 detects that the main body 11 has slipped under the dedicated flat truck 20, the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 stops at that spot. Then, the traction pin 14 or the elevating section 15 rises to carry out a cargo picking operation.

The automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 is programmed not to go to the target position 32 after picking up the goods, but to go backwards to the intermediate position 31 and then to the conveyance destination position (not shown).

Upon arrival at the destination position, the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 lowers the towing pin 14 or the lifting section 15 to separate the dedicated flat trolley 20, leaves the dedicated flat trolley 20 at the destination position, and returns to the loading position again. come back to.

The automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 that has returned to the cargo picking position enters between the two guide rails 30 from the transit position 31 side, as before, and slips under the next dedicated flat truck 20.
Then, as before, when the detection unit 19 detects that the main body 11 has slipped under the dedicated flat truck 20, the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 stops at that spot. Therefore, the position at which the automatic horizontal conveyance device 10 stops automatically becomes a different position from the previous time. Then, the traction pin 14 or the elevating section 15 rises to carry out a cargo picking operation. Thereafter, it retreats to the transit position 31 and heads toward the destination position.

Thereafter, all the dedicated flat trucks 20 are transported to the destination position in the same manner.

In this way, when transporting a plurality of dedicated flat trolleys 20 placed at different positions to the destination position, there is no need to specify or update the position of each dedicated flat trolley 20, and it is not necessary to specify or update the position of each dedicated flat trolley 20. By simply specifying the target position 32, all the dedicated flat trucks 20 can be transported to the destination position. Therefore, there is no need to manually move the next dedicated flat truck 20 each time one dedicated flat truck 20 is transported.

Note that the automatic horizontal transport device 10 may transport a plurality of (for example, two) dedicated flat carts 20 at one time, instead of transporting the dedicated flat carts 20 one by one.
Moreover, the number of guide rails 30 may be only one instead of two. However, it is preferable to have two guide rails 30 because the dedicated flat carts 20 can be neatly aligned.
Alternatively, instead of the guide rail 30, the dedicated flat carts 20 may be lined up using, for example, a single base or a jig, or a straight line as a mark may be drawn on the floor, and the dedicated flat carts 20 may be lined up along the straight line. You can also line them up. However, it is preferable to provide guide rails because the dedicated flat carts 20 can be easily aligned.

The embodiment described above is an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention. The invention is not limited thereto, but may include various modifications, changes, additions, or deletions without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims. This can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the above description.

Due to the recent labor shortage at construction sites, there is a need to improve productivity by mechanizing simple tasks.
The vertical/horizontal automatic transport system for on-site materials works in conjunction with a construction elevator and a horizontal transport AGV that picks up materials from a temporary storage area, which is the starting point of transport, and transports them to the stockyard, which is the destination.
When picking up materials from a temporary storage area, the coordinates for picking up the material are set on the management PC so that the SL-AGV stops directly below the material, and when the SL-AGV arrives at those coordinates, picking up the material is performed. When transporting multiple materials in succession, the manager had to move the next material to be transported to the pickup coordinate position and issue a start instruction on the management PC.
A contact sensor is used to control the loading coordinate stop. In other words, by installing a contact sensor on the horizontal transport AGV and setting the target coordinates on the management PC, when the sensor touches the edge of the special cart on the way to the target coordinates, it will stop at that position and pick up the goods. . As a result, by arranging dedicated trolleys on the same extension line of the temporary storage area, it becomes possible to continuously pick up goods without requiring manual labor.

10 automatic horizontal transfer device, 11, 21 main body, 13, 23 wheels, 14 towing pin, 15 lifting section, 19 detection section, 20 dedicated flat truck, 22 loading platform, 24 stopper, 25 lever, 29 contact section, 30 guide rail, 31 transit position, 32 target position.

Claims (5)

In an automatic horizontal conveyance device that conveys a plurality of objects to be conveyed arranged in a line between a first point and a second point,
a conveying section that sneaks under the conveyed object;
a detection unit that detects that the transport unit has crawled under the transport target;
An automatic horizontal conveyance device, comprising: a load-picking section that performs a load-pickup operation when the detection section detects that the conveyance section has crawled under the object to be conveyed. It moves from the first point to the second point, stops when the detection section detects that the conveyance section has crawled under the object to be conveyed, and the pickup section moves to the second point. After performing a cargo picking operation, the object to be transported is transported by moving toward the first point.
The automatic horizontal conveyance device according to claim 1. The detection unit includes:
having a contact sensor at a rear position when moving from the first point to the second point;
detecting that the conveyance section has crawled under the conveyance target when the contact sensor comes into contact with the conveyance target;
The automatic horizontal conveyance device according to claim 1 or 2. The automatic horizontal conveyance device according to claim 1 or 2,
An automatic conveyance system comprising: a guide rail that is arranged between the first point and the second point and serves as a guide for arranging the plurality of objects to be conveyed. In the automatic horizontal conveyance device according to claim 2, the first point and the second point are set,
Arranging a plurality of objects to be transported in a line between the first point and the second point,
The automatic horizontal conveyance device conveys the plurality of arranged objects to be conveyed by moving based on the set first point and the second point.
Automatic transport method.

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