JP5136387B2 - Transport vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport vehicle, and more particularly, to a transport vehicle that may transport a load larger than a transport vehicle body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a self-propelled transport vehicle, a bumper is attached to protect a load held from an impact caused by an unexpected collision accident. In addition, in recent years, packages that are to be transported, for example, glass substrates for flat-screen televisions have become larger, and the packages are often transported in a state of protruding from the main body of the transport vehicle.

  In view of this, the applicant of the present application disclosed in a previous application (Patent Document 1) a transport vehicle provided with a bumper that can protrude from the transport vehicle body more than the protruding amount of the held luggage.

According to the above-mentioned transport vehicle, even if an accidental collision occurs, the situation where the load held by the transport vehicle hits the obstacle before the transport vehicle is avoided, and even the load protruding from the transport vehicle body is protected. It is possible.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-156717

  However, in production sites where transport vehicles are used, improvement in production speed is required, and the transport speed of transport vehicles is also increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently protrude the bumper in order to protect the load from a collision accident during high speed conveyance. On the other hand, a small turn is required to pass through a narrow passage.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle that sufficiently protects a load from a collision accident during high-speed transport and also has a small turning ability.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a transport vehicle according to the present invention is a transport vehicle that holds and transports a load, and a main body that holds the load and an impact when the transport vehicle collides with the main body. A bumper that buffers the bumper, an exit / exit means for moving the bumper to and from the main body, a speed detection means for detecting the speed of the transport vehicle, and the bumper exits and exits according to the speed acquired from the speed detection means. And a control means for controlling the exit / withdrawal means.

  Thereby, the protrusion amount of the bumper can be changed according to the conveyance speed of the luggage, and the luggage can be sufficiently protected even if a collision accident occurs during high-speed conveyance. In addition, the minimum rotation radius of the transport vehicle can be reduced during low-speed transport, and the turning ability of the transport vehicle can be improved.

  Further, the apparatus includes a protrusion amount detecting means for detecting a protrusion amount that is a length by which the held load protrudes from the main body, and the control means is configured so that the bumper protrudes longer than the protrusion amount detected by the protrusion amount detecting means. It is preferable to control the exit / exit means.

  As a result, the bumper can be protruded more than the load even when traveling at a low speed, so that it is possible to secure the small turnability of the transport vehicle while sufficiently protecting the load.

  Furthermore, an edge sensor that detects an edge of a load to be held and attached to the bumper is provided, and the protrusion amount detection means is obtained from the edge sensor at the edge of the load detected while the bumper is moved in and out. It is preferable to detect the protruding amount.

  Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately grasp the actual protruding amount of the baggage without separately acquiring data related to the baggage and performing complicated control, and it is possible to appropriately protect the baggage.

  According to the present invention, the amount of protrusion of the bumper from the main body of the bumper can be changed according to the speed of the transport vehicle. It is possible to improve the turning ability of the transport vehicle.

Next, an embodiment of a transport vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a transport vehicle that holds a glass substrate.

FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the transport vehicle.
As shown in the figure, the transport vehicle 100 is a self-propelled cart that holds and transports a glass substrate 200 as a load, and includes a main body 101, a bumper 102, a retracting means 103, and an edge sensor 104. And a drive wheel 105.

  1 shows a state in which the bellows-like cover 106 (see FIG. 2) provided between the main body 101 and the bumper 102 is omitted.

  The main body 101 is one of the elements constituting the transport vehicle 100, and is a self-propelled carriage that can hold the glass substrate 200 in a mounted state and transport the glass substrate 200. The main body 101 includes a driving motor (not shown) and a computer (not shown), and can autonomously transport the glass substrate based on a program acquired by wireless communication or the like.

  The bumper 102 is a member that cushions transmission of an impact when the transport vehicle 100 collides to the glass substrate 200. In the case of the present embodiment, the bumper 102 is mostly made of hard urethane, and the bumper 102 itself can cushion the impact. The bumper 102 may be a rigid body and may cushion the impact by the exit / retreat means 103 or the like.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing the exit / withdrawal means.
The exit / exit means 103 is an apparatus that causes the main body 101 to exit and exit the bumper 102. In the case of the present embodiment, the exit / retreat means 103 includes an X-shaped link mechanism 112 having a crossing portion pivoted thereon, and a drive device 113 that drives the link mechanism 112.

  The link mechanism 112 includes a first link 114 and a second link 115, and the first link 114 and the second link 115 are pivotally attached to each other at an intermediate portion. One end of the first link 114 is pivotally attached to the main body 101, and the other end is pivotally and slidably attached to the bumper 102. One end of the second link 115 is rotatably and slidably attached to the main body 101, and the other end is rotatably attached to the bumper 102.

  As described above, by operating the link mechanism 112 with one driving device 113, the bumper 102 can be moved parallel to the main body 101 and moved horizontally. Further, the bumper 102 can be stopped at a desired protruding position.

  The drive device 113 is a drive source that generates a drive force that operates the link mechanism 112. In the case of the present embodiment, the driving device 113 includes a fluid pressure cylinder and a fluid pressure generator. When a fluid pressure cylinder is employed as the driving device 113, when the bumper 102 receives an impact, the impact can be buffered by the fluid pressure cylinder via the link mechanism 112.

  The edge sensor 104 is a sensor that can detect the edge of the luggage held by the main body 101 and transmit the detected information as a signal. In the case of the present embodiment, an optical sensor is adopted as the edge sensor 104, and the light emitted from the edge sensor 104 is reflected by the glass substrate 200 and returned to the edge sensor 104. The edge of the glass substrate 200 is detected by distinguishing from the state in which no light is reflected without being reflected on the glass substrate 200.

  As the edge sensor 104, an arbitrary sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor or a contact sensor can be adopted in addition to the optical sensor.

  The drive wheel 105 is a wheel that allows the transport vehicle 100 to travel, and is connected to a motor (not shown). Further, the drive wheels 105 can turn in the horizontal direction, and the transport vehicle 100 can be steered by turning the drive wheels.

  The cover 106 is a member that covers the link mechanism 112 and can be expanded and contracted following the withdrawal / retraction of the bumper 102. The cover 106 has a function of preventing dust and the like generated by the link mechanism 112 from being scattered outside.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration and a mechanism configuration of the transport vehicle.
As shown in the figure, the transport vehicle 100 includes speed detecting means 121, protrusion amount detecting means 122, and control means 123 as functional units. The functional unit is realized by a computer system including, for example, a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk unit, an input device, an output device, and various programs.

  The speed detection unit 121 is a processing unit that detects the speed of the transport vehicle 100. In the case of the present embodiment, the speed detection unit 121 acquires the rotational state of the drive wheel 105 and calculates the speed of the transport vehicle 100 based on the rotational state. Specifically, the drive wheel 105 is provided with an encoder, and the speed of the transport vehicle 100 is detected based on the number of pulses per unit time acquired from the encoder.

  The protrusion amount detection unit 122 is a processing unit that detects a protrusion amount that is a length by which the luggage held on the main body 101 protrudes from the main body 101. In the case of the present embodiment, the protrusion amount detection unit 122 acquires a signal from the edge sensor 104 and supplies a signal to the control unit 123 based on the signal.

  Note that the protrusion amount detection unit 122 may be a processing unit that calculates the protrusion amount based on the data on the shape of the luggage held on the main body 101 and the data on the holding position. Further, the amount of protrusion may be calculated based on the captured image.

  The control unit 123 is a processing unit that controls the exit / exit unit so that the bumper 102 exits / exits in accordance with the speed of the transport vehicle 100 acquired from the speed detection unit 121. In the case of the present embodiment, the control means 123 controls the exit / retreat means 103 so that the amount of protrusion of the bumper 102 relative to the main body 101 increases as the speed of the transport vehicle 100 increases. In addition, the control means 123 is configured to move the exit / retreat means so that the bumper 102 protrudes from the main body 101 longer than the protrusion amount detected by the protrusion amount detection means 122 even when the speed acquired from the speed detection means 121 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. 103 is controlled.

  Thereby, for example, even when the transport vehicle 100 is stopped, the bumper 102 protrudes from the load, so that it is possible to effectively protect the load even when another transport vehicle collides.

Next, an embodiment of the transport vehicle according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the state of the transport vehicle over time.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the transport vehicle 100 is in a stopped state and does not hold a glass substrate, the bumper 102 is disposed at a position farthest from the main body 101.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the glass substrate 200 is placed on the main body 101, the control means 123 controls the exit / retreat means 103 to slowly project the bumper 102 (solid line). Arrow direction). At the same time, the protrusion amount detection unit 122 acquires a signal from the edge sensor 104. In the case of FIG. 5B, since the light emitted from the edge sensor 104 is reflected back to the glass substrate 200, the protrusion amount detection means 122 acquires a signal to that effect.

  Next, when the bumper 102 is projected until the edge sensor 104 is located immediately below the edge of the glass substrate 200, the light emitted from the edge sensor 104 does not return as shown in FIG. Therefore, the protrusion amount detection unit 122 acquires a signal to that effect from the edge sensor 104. The protrusion amount detection means 122 stores the protrusion amount of the bumper 102 when the signal changes. Even if the speed acquired from the speed detection means 121 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the control means 123 is configured so that the bumper 102 is longer than the protrusion amount stored in the protrusion amount detection means 122 as long as the glass substrate 200 is held. The exit / exit means 103 is controlled so as to protrude from the main body 101.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the transport vehicle 100 starts traveling, the speed detection unit 121 detects the speed of the transport vehicle 100, and the control unit 123 detects the speed detected by the speed detection unit 121. The exit / retreat means 103 is controlled so that the amount of protrusion of the bumper 102 is proportional to the square of.

  The transport vehicle 100 is controlled to be able to travel only when the protrusion amount detection means 122 detects the protrusion amount (see (c) in the figure). Further, the protrusion amount of the bumper 102 that is proportional to the square of the speed of the transport vehicle 100 is an amount obtained by subtracting the protrusion amount stored in the protrusion amount detection means 122.

  If the transport vehicle 100 configured as described above is used, the amount of protrusion of the bumper 102 can be changed according to the size of the load to be held. Therefore, the transport vehicle 100 is small when the load is not held. State. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the space for waiting for the plurality of transport vehicles 100, and to reduce the equipment cost.

  In addition, since the bumper 102 protrudes more while the transport vehicle 100 is traveling at a high speed, it is possible to effectively act on the bumper 102 against an impact caused by a collision accident during high-speed traveling, thereby protecting the held luggage. It becomes. On the other hand, when the transport vehicle 100 is traveling at a low speed, the bumper 102 can be retracted to be a small transport vehicle 100, so that the turning ability of the transport vehicle 100 can be improved.

  In addition, the bumper 102 protrudes more than the load while holding the load, so that the load can be effectively protected even in the event of an accident caused by collision with another transport vehicle during stoppage or low-speed driving. Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, control is performed in which the protruding amount of the bumper 102 is proportional to the square of the speed of the transport vehicle 100, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of threshold values may be set, and each time the speed of the transport vehicle 100 exceeds the threshold value, the protruding amount of the bumper 102 may be increased by a predetermined amount.

  The bumper 102 may protrude only in the traveling direction. Accordingly, the width of the transport vehicle 100 during traveling can be kept small, and the possibility that the bumper 102 attached to the side with respect to the transport direction comes into contact with another object can be reduced.

  The present invention is applicable to a self-propelled transport vehicle that can hold and transport a load. In particular, the present invention can be used for a transport vehicle that often transports luggage having a size that protrudes beyond the transport vehicle body.

It is a perspective view which shows typically the conveyance vehicle holding a glass substrate. It is a top view which shows a conveyance vehicle typically. It is a top view which shows an exit / exit means. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure and mechanism structure of a conveyance vehicle. It is a figure which shows the state of a conveyance vehicle with time.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Conveyor vehicle 101 Main body 102 Bumper 103 Exit / exit means 104 Edge sensor 105 Drive wheel 106 Cover 112 Link mechanism 113 Drive device 114 First link 115 Second link 121 Speed detection means 122 Projection amount detection means 123 Control means 200 Glass substrate

Claims (1)

A transport vehicle that holds and transports luggage,
A main body for holding luggage,
A bumper that is attached to the main body and cushions an impact when the transport vehicle collides,
Exit / exit means for exiting / exiting the bumper relative to the main body;
Speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the transport vehicle;
Control means for controlling the exit / exit means so that the bumper exits / exits in accordance with the speed acquired from the speed detection means;
A protrusion amount detecting means for detecting a protrusion amount which is a length by which the held luggage protrudes from the main body;
An edge sensor that is attached to the bumper, detects an edge of a load to be held, and supplies a signal to the protrusion amount detection means;
The projection amount detection means, wherein at bumper such let projecting and retracting the detecting the projecting amount based on a signal obtained from the edge sensor in the edge of al luggage,
The said control means is a conveyance vehicle which controls the said withdrawal means so that the said bumper may protrude longer than the said protrusion amount which the said protrusion amount detection means detected.

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