JP5557511B2 - Automatic conveyance vehicle and method of connecting automatic conveyance vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic conveyance vehicle that is a combination of a self-supporting conveyance carriage provided with a free wheel and a traction vehicle coupled to the conveyance carriage.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, an automatic conveyance vehicle is known in which a tow vehicle capable of self-propelling along a predetermined route set in advance in a factory is combined with a conveyance carriage having a free wheel. The towing vehicle includes a drive motor, a battery, and the like, and also includes a detection sensor for detecting a guideline such as a magnetic tape laid on the floor surface. If the transport cart is connected to such a towing vehicle, the transport cart loaded with the workpiece can be moved along a predetermined route. Further, as such an automatic transport vehicle, there is known an automatic transport vehicle including a low floor type towing vehicle that can be connected to the transport cart via a connecting pin or the like (see, for example, the lower side of the transport cart). (See Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic transport vehicle that is a combination of a towing vehicle having a connecting pin that can project upward in the vertical direction and a transport carriage having an engagement hole that opens downward in the vertical direction to receive the connecting pin. Is described. If the towing vehicle is self-propelled in a state where it is connected to the transport carriage, the force in the moving direction can be transmitted to the transport carriage via the connection pin and driven. In connecting the traction vehicle to the transport carriage, it is necessary to first position the traction vehicle so that the positions of the engagement hole and the penetration pin coincide with each other, and then project the penetration pin and insert it into the engagement hole.

  However, the conventional automated guided vehicle has the following problems. In other words, if the relative position of the towing vehicle with respect to the transport carriage is not sufficiently adjusted for connection, troubles such as the inability to insert the connection pin into the engagement hole may occur. To avoid such problems with high certainty, to increase the number of sensors for alignment and position measurement, to improve the detection accuracy required for each sensor, and to achieve position control of the towing vehicle There is a risk that the product cost will increase due to the complexity of the control specifications.

JP 2009-1113650 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is an automatic transport vehicle that combines a self-supporting transport cart having a free wheel and a towing vehicle coupled to the transport cart. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic guided vehicle having excellent characteristics capable of connecting a towing vehicle with high reliability and a method for connecting the automatic guided vehicle.

The automatic transport vehicle of the present invention is an automatic transport vehicle that combines a self-supporting transport carriage equipped with a free wheel and a tow truck that is submerged and connected to the lower side of the transport carriage,
The transport carriage has an engagement plate including an engagement hole for connecting the towing vehicle, and a guide passage that can be advanced and retracted when the towing vehicle enters the lower side,
The towing vehicle restricts protrusion of the connecting pin, a connecting pin that can protrude in the axial direction to a penetrating position that can be inserted into the engaging hole, biasing means that biases the connecting pin toward the penetrating position, and And a state determining means for determining whether or not the connecting pin is in a facing state facing the engagement plate in the protruding direction,
The engagement hole is located on a moving path of the connecting pin when the towing vehicle moves along the direction of the guide path;
The restricting means is a means for releasing the restriction so that the connecting pin protrudes when the state determining means determines the facing state .
The connecting pin protrudes in response to the release of the restriction by the restricting means, is urged by the urging means to be in an intermediate protruded state in which the tip abuts against the engagement plate, and then the passage direction of the guide passage When the towing vehicle moves along the sway, the connecting pin urged by the urging means moves along the surface of the engagement plate while maintaining the intermediate protruding state and reaches the engagement hole. When this is done, it is an automatic guided vehicle that protrudes in the axial direction to the penetrating position (Claim 1).

In addition, regarding an automatic transport vehicle by a combination of a transport cart that is provided with a free wheel and that can stand on its own, and a traction vehicle that is connected to the transport cart by entering underneath,
With respect to the transport carriage provided with an engagement plate including an engagement hole for connecting the towing vehicle, and a guide passage that can be advanced and retracted when the towing vehicle enters the lower side,
A connecting pin that can protrude in the axial direction to a penetrating position that can be inserted into the engaging hole, an urging means that urges the connecting pin toward the penetrating position, and a restricting means that restricts the protrusion of the connecting pin; State determining means for determining whether or not the connecting pin is in a facing state facing the engagement plate in the protruding direction, and when the towing vehicle moves along the passage direction of the guide passage, The tow vehicle that passes through a position where a connecting pin can be inserted into the engagement hole,
A method of connecting automated guided vehicles for connection ,
A first moving step of moving the towing vehicle along the guide path in a state where the protrusion of the connecting pin is regulated by the regulating means;
A state determination step of determining whether or not the facing state;
When the state determination step determines that the facing state, the restriction by the restricting means is released so that the connecting pin protrudes, and an intermediate protrusion whose tip is in contact with the engagement plate with respect to the connecting pin A protruding step to set the state;
A position at which the end of the connecting pin urged by the urging means can protrude to the penetrating position by insertion into the engagement hole while maintaining the intermediate protruding state where the tip of the connecting pin contacts the engagement plate And a second movement step of moving the towing vehicle along the direction of the guide passage until the connection pin reaches the connection pin (Claim 5).

  The automatic guided vehicle of the present invention and the towing vehicle in the connecting method thereof are in the facing state in addition to the urging means for urging the connecting pin in the protruding direction and the restricting means for restricting the protrusion of the connecting pin. The state determining means for determining whether or not. In the towing vehicle, when it is determined that the connection pin faces the engagement plate in the protruding direction, the restriction by the restriction unit is released and the connection pin protrudes. Even if the connecting pin protrudes in the facing state, the protrusion is hindered by the engaging plate facing in the protruding direction, so that it cannot protrude to the penetrating position unless it matches the position of the engaging hole. . The connection pin urged by the urging means is in an intermediate projecting state in contact with the engagement plate.

  On the other hand, the guide passage provided in the automatic carriage of the present invention and the carriage in the connection method thereof has the engagement hole positioned on the movement path of the connection pin when the tow truck moves along the passage direction. It is formed as follows. Therefore, after the restriction by the restriction means is released, the protruding connection pin that comes into contact with the engagement plate gradually approaches the engagement hole in accordance with the movement of the towing vehicle along the guide passage. Will go. When the connecting pin reaches the engaging hole, the connecting pin is inserted into the engaging hole by the action of the urging means for projecting the connecting pin to the penetrating position.

  In the automatic conveyance vehicle and the connection method thereof according to the present invention, the connection pin is protruded at a position before the engagement hole, and the tow vehicle is moved along the guide path while maintaining a protruding state in contact with the engagement plate. By further moving the, the insertion of the connecting pin into the engagement hole can be realized with high reliability. Since it is not necessary to align the engaging hole and the connecting pin with high precision before inserting the connecting pin into the engaging hole, position control when connecting is very easy. If the positional accuracy required for connection can be suppressed, the number of sensors for alignment and position measurement can be reduced, and the detection accuracy required for each sensor can be suppressed, thereby realizing cost reduction.

The facing state in the automated guided vehicle and the connecting method of the present invention means a state in which the tip of the connecting pin faces the engaging plate. Here, the engagement plate is a member including the engagement hole. Therefore, the facing state includes not only a state of contacting the engagement plate when the connection pin is protruded but also a state of being inserted into the engagement hole as it is when the connection pin is protruded. It is a concept to do.

  In the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention, the guide passage provided in the transport carriage has an interval at which two pairs of guide members extending in parallel along the passage direction can advance and retract the towing vehicle. Preferably, the passage is formed so as to face each other in the left-right direction so as to be able to regulate fluctuations in the relative position of the towing vehicle in the left-right direction.

  In this case, when the towing vehicle is moved along the guide path, it is possible to suppress the fluctuation of the relative position of the towing vehicle in the left-right direction with respect to the transport carriage. If the fluctuation of the relative position in the left-right direction is suppressed, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the engagement hole is disengaged from the movement path of the connecting pin. In the process of moving the towing vehicle along the guide passage, the connection pin can reach the position of the engagement hole with high reliability, and the connection pin can be inserted into the engagement hole with higher reliability. Can be realized.

Further, the pair of two guide members are adjacent to at least one of the guide passages in the passage direction, and are widened so that the distance between the guide passages increases as the distance from the guide passage increases. Has formed an approach path of
It is preferable that the tow wheel is provided with a roller that can roll in response to contact with the guide member on both side surfaces so as to correspond to the pair of guide members.

  In this case, when the towing vehicle is submerged in the lower side of the transport carriage, the towing vehicle can be made to enter from the approach path having a divergent shape. If the approach path has a divergent shape, the relative position of the transport carriage is automatically set according to the contact between the guide unit and the tow truck even if there is some error in the approach path of the towing car. Can be adjusted. If the error of the approach route can be absorbed in this way, the positional accuracy required when the towing vehicle is submerged below the transport carriage is compared with the case where the towing vehicle enters the guide passage directly. It can be remarkably suppressed. If the required position accuracy is lowered, control when connecting the towing vehicle to the transport carriage is facilitated.

Further, according to the roller, it is possible to reduce a contact resistance generated by contact with the guide portion when the towing vehicle enters from the approach path, and to smoothly enter the towing vehicle through the approach path. Will be able to.
It is also possible to dispose the approach path on both sides in the front-rear direction with respect to the guide passage. In this case, the tow vehicle can be made to enter relatively easily from both sides in the front-rear direction.

In the automated guided vehicle and the connection method thereof according to the present invention, the state determining means detects the engagement plate at a position adjacent to the connection pin so that the position in the passage direction is the same as that of the connection pin. A detection unit, and when the engagement plate is detected by the plate detection unit, determine the facing state,
Of the edge portions forming the outer periphery of the engagement plate, the edge portion located on the movement path of the plate detection portion when the towing vehicle moves along the passage direction of the guide passage is the movement of the connecting pin. It is preferable that it is located closer to the engagement hole in the passage direction than an edge portion located on the path (Claims 4 and 6).

  If the connecting pin protrudes without facing the engagement plate, the connection pin protrudes as it is without contacting the engagement plate. Since the outer peripheral side surface of the connecting pin protruding to the penetrating position interferes with the outer peripheral side surface of the engagement plate, the connection pin can reach the position of the engagement hole unless it is retracted in the axial direction. Disappear.

  In order to avoid such troubles in advance, the connection pin is set to be determined to be in the facing state after the connecting pin completely faces the inside beyond the edge of the engagement plate. I can do it. In the case of the detection means including the plate detection unit, the plate detection unit is not engaged with the engagement until after the connecting pin is positioned so as to completely face the inner side beyond the edge of the engagement plate. It only needs to be set to detect the plate.

  For example, if the plate detection part is disposed behind the connecting pin in the traveling direction of the tow vehicle, the first time after the edge of the engagement plate is faced with the inner side of the engagement plate. The plate detection unit detects the engagement plate. Although a certain effect can be obtained by this configuration, the traveling direction when entering the undercarriage to be submerged in the towing vehicle is limited to one direction, which is always higher than the plate detection unit. It is necessary to place the connecting pin on the front side in the traveling direction and enter the transport carriage.

  Therefore, as described above, of the edge portions forming the outer periphery of the engagement plate, the edge portion positioned on the movement path of the plate detection unit is set to be the engagement portion, rather than the edge portion positioned on the movement path of the connection pin. It is preferable that the plate detection unit be arranged so that it is located close to the joint hole, that is, as viewed from the towing vehicle side, and is located in the same direction as the connecting pin.

When configured in this way, when the towing vehicle is allowed to enter the lower side of the transport carriage, the connecting pin may be moved forward from the front side or moved backward from the rear side. It is possible to set the plate detecting unit to detect the engaging plate for the first time after being positioned so as to completely face the inner side beyond the edge of the engaging plate.
Furthermore, the stepped edges as described above may be provided on both sides in the passage direction of the transport carriage. In this case, when the towing vehicle enters the lower side of the transport carriage, the guide passage can be entered from both sides in the passage direction.

  An automatic transport vehicle and a connecting method thereof according to the present invention include an automatic transport vehicle that combines a self-supporting transport cart having a free wheel and a tow vehicle coupled to the transport cart. An automated guided vehicle having excellent characteristics that can be easily connected with high reliability, and a connecting method thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an automatic guided vehicle in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the towing vehicle viewed from an upward oblique direction according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment as if looking up from a diagonal direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a drive unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top view showing a drive unit in the first embodiment. The side view which shows the connection unit in Example 1 in which the connection pin is in the protrusion state. The side view which shows the connection unit in Example 1 in which the connection pin is in a retracted state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a transport carriage in the first embodiment. The front view which shows the conveyance trolley | bogie in Example 1. FIG. The top view which shows a part of conveyance trolley | bogie in Example 1 (the top view of the lower part cut | disconnected by the broken line A in FIG. 8). The perspective view which shows a part of conveyance trolley | bogie in Example 1 (the perspective view corresponding to FIG. 10). The schematic diagram showing the connection state of the conveyance trolley | bogie and a towing vehicle in Example 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an automated guided vehicle in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of connection processing in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing explaining a mode that a connection process progresses in Example 1. FIG. The side view which shows a connection unit when the connection pin contact | abuts to the engagement plate in Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the automatic conveyance vehicle moves in the left-right direction in Example 1. FIG.

The embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples.
Example 1
As shown in FIG. 1, the present example relates to an automatic transport vehicle 1 that combines a transport cart 10 that includes a free wheel 18 and can stand on its own, and a traction vehicle 2 connected to the transport cart 10. In this automatic conveyance vehicle 1, both are connected by inserting the connection pin 41 of the traction vehicle 2 with respect to the engagement hole 150 drilled in the engagement plate 15 on the conveyance carriage 10 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the towing vehicle 2 includes a low-floor type vehicle body 20 that is wide, thin in the height direction, and long in the front-rear direction. A control unit 50 (which will be described later with reference to FIG. 13) is stored in the front portion of the front side of the vehicle body 20, and a battery 280 for storing electric power is mounted in the rear end portion. In the middle part of the vehicle body 20, drive units 3 having two sets of drive wheels 331 arranged in parallel on the same axis are arranged at two places in the front-rear direction and for connecting the transport carriage 10. The connecting unit 4 is arranged at the center of the two drive units 3.

  Bumpers 22 that protrude in the front-rear direction and accommodate a bumper switch 220 (see FIG. 13) are provided in the lower part of the front and rear of the vehicle body 20. Auxiliary wheels 208 made of free wheels are attached to the left and right sides of the bottom surface corresponding to the middle in the front-rear direction of the two drive units 3.

  In addition to the operation display panel 23, a communication unit 25, an obstacle sensor 26, and the like are disposed on the front surface 201 on the front side. The operation display panel 23 is provided with an emergency stop switch 231, an operation switch 232, a display lamp 233, an LED display 234 (see FIG. 13), and the like. The communication unit 25 is a unit for transmitting and receiving data by infrared communication, and is arranged so that the light emitting and receiving unit protrudes forward. The obstacle sensor 26 is a detection sensor such as an infrared sensor for detecting surrounding obstacles, and is arranged at the approximate center of the front surface 201.

  At the lower part of the side surface 202, an edge switch 27 in which a strip-like tape switch is inserted and disposed in the rubber tube is disposed over almost the entire length. A charging terminal 28 for charging the internal battery 280 is disposed at the rear end of the side surface 202. In addition, an obstacle sensor 26 that detects surrounding obstacles is disposed substantially at the center of the side surface 202.

  The side surface 202 of the towing vehicle 2 is further perforated with a roller window 21 for projecting a part of the outer peripheral surface of the disc-shaped roller (contact portion) 210 outward. The roller windows 21 are arranged at the same height at two positions in the front-rear direction. The roller 210 is a disk-shaped rotating roller that is pivotally supported by a vertical rotating shaft (not shown), and is partly outward from the side surface 202 so as to roll in contact with the guide rail 13 on the conveying carriage 10 side. It is arranged in a protruding state.

  In the towing vehicle 2, the side surfaces 202 on both sides including the arrangement of the roller window 21 and the like are configured with the same specifications. Since the width of the vehicle body is substantially constant over the entire length, and the protruding amounts of the rollers 210 are all set to be the same, the width defined by the outer peripheral surfaces of the left and right rollers 210 is the same for both the front and rear sides. The width is Wa (see FIG. 12).

  A through hole 241 for projecting the connecting pin 41 of the connecting unit 4 is formed in the vicinity of the center of the upper surface 203 of the low-floor type vehicle body 20 and the center of the front and rear drive units 3. In addition, a detection window 242 of a beam sensor 44 (described later with reference to FIG. 6) provided in the connection unit 4 is opened adjacent to the through hole 241. The through hole 241 and the detection window 242 have the same position in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive unit 3 is a combination of a mounting plate 32 that is bolted to the vehicle body 20 via a bush or the like, and a turning portion 33 that includes two sets of drive wheels 331. Is a unit. The swivel portion 33 is fixed to the mounting plate 32 so as to be able to swivel around a rotating shaft 330 that is penetrated and held by the mounting plate 32. A steering angle detector 350 for detecting the turning angle of the rotating shaft 330, that is, the steering angle of the drive wheel 331, is disposed at the end of the rotating shaft 330 protruding to the upper surface side of the mounting plate 32.

  The swivel unit 33 includes two drive wheels 331 that are rotatably supported in parallel on the same axis, and two drive motors 332 that individually correspond to the drive wheels 331 and that can be independently controlled for rotation. ing. A line sensor 351 for detecting the guideline is disposed on the front surface of the turning unit 33, and a marker sensor 352 for reading address information and the like from the guide marker is disposed at a position offset from the line sensor 351. Has been.

  When each drive wheel 331 of the drive unit 3 is individually driven, the turning portion 33 turns around the rotation shaft 330 according to the rotation difference, and the drive unit 3 is steered. In the drive unit 3 of this example, the rotating shaft 330 is the steering center of the drive wheel 331, and the steering range is set so as to cover the entire 360 ° circumference. In the drive unit 3 of this example, each drive wheel 331 is controlled so that the line sensor 351 and the marker sensor 352 disposed on the front surface of the turning unit 33 are always positioned in front of the forward side.

  The connection unit (connection part) 4 is a unit including a box-shaped housing 40 as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the connecting pin 41 protrudes, and FIG. 7 shows a state in which the connecting pin 41 has retracted. The connecting unit 4 includes a columnar connecting pin 41, a string spring (biasing means) 456 that urges the connecting pin 41 in the protruding direction, an elevating mechanism (regulating means) 45 that restricts the protrusion of the connecting pin 41, A beam sensor (plate detection unit) 44 attached to the upper surface of the housing 40 for detecting the protrusion timing of the connecting pin 41 is provided.

  The connecting pin 41 is inserted and arranged in a cylindrical advance / retreat guide 411 fixed to the top plate 401 of the housing 40 and is held in a state in which it can advance and retreat in the axial direction. A spring hole (not shown) drilled along the axial direction is opened at the rear end surface of the connecting pin 41, and a flat plate 458 is fixed so as to project to the outer peripheral side. The connecting pin 41 is biased in the protruding direction by a coiled spring 456 whose upper end is inserted into the spring hole of the base 411 and whose lower end is extrapolated to the support shaft 431 erected from the bottom surface of the housing 40. Has been.

  The beam sensor 44 is a proximity sensor including a projector that emits infrared light and a light receiver that detects infrared light. When the engagement plate 15 comes close to the beam sensor 44 that emits infrared light, the infrared light reflected by the surface of the engagement plate 15 is detected by the light receiver. The beam sensor 44 detects the engagement plate 15 in response to infrared detection by the light receiver.

  In a state where the connecting unit 4 is attached to the towing vehicle 2 (FIG. 2), the connecting pin 41 can protrude upward through a through hole 241 drilled in the upper surface 203 of the vehicle body 20. The beam sensor 44 can detect an engagement plate 15 (FIG. 11, FIG. 12, etc.) to be described later, which is an insertion target of the connecting pin 41, through a detection window 242 that opens adjacent to the side of the through hole 241. ing. Further, in the connected connection unit 4, the connection pin 41 and the beam sensor 44 are arranged adjacent to each other at the same position in the front-rear direction of the towing vehicle 2. The connection unit 4 of this example including the beam sensor 44 has a function as a state determination unit that determines whether or not the engagement plate 15 is in the facing state in the protruding direction of the connection pin 41.

  The elevating mechanism 45 is fixed to the elevating motor 452 for elevating and lowering the connecting pin 41, the cam 454 for converting the rotation of the elevating motor 452 into the linear motion of the connecting pin 41, and the rear end face of the connecting pin 41. It is constituted by a plate 458 or the like. The cam 454 is arranged so as to be eccentric from the rotating shaft 453 of the lifting motor 452 and protrude in the axial direction. The cam 454 arranged in this manner performs a revolving motion around the rotation shaft 453 according to the rotation of the rotation shaft 453. On the other hand, the portion of the plate 458 that protrudes toward the lifting motor 452 is horizontal so that it can always be engaged with the cam 454 that moves forward and backward in the horizontal direction (direction passing through the paper surface of FIGS. 6 and 7) according to the circular motion. Widely formed. In the elevating mechanism 45, the protruding position of the connecting pin 41 is regulated by a cam 454 that engages with the plate 458.

  In the connection unit 4, the connection pin 41 is biased upward by the biasing force of the string spring 456. If there is no obstacle on the distal end side of the connecting pin 41, the connecting pin 41 protrudes to the position where the plate 458 contacts the cam 454 or the plate 458 contacts the end surface of the advance / retreat guide 411. In this state, when the lifting motor 452 is rotated, the component of the horizontal movement in the revolving motion of the cam 454 is absorbed by the forward / backward movement of the cam 454 along the surface of the plate 458, and the remaining vertical direction (axial direction). Due to this movement, the connecting pin 41 advances and retreats in the axial direction.

  A limit switch 459 for detecting a penetrating position that is a protruding position where the connecting pin 41 can be inserted into the engagement hole 150 is attached to the inside of the housing 40. The limit switch 459 is fixed inside the housing 40 so as to correspond to the upper limit position of the plate 458 fixed to the rear end surface of the connecting pin 41. According to this limit switch 459, it can be detected that the through pin 41 has been inserted into the engagement hole 150.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the transport cart 10 is a cart having a frame structure that has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape that is long in the front-rear direction. This frame structure has a structure in which a pair of side wall portions 11 along the front-rear direction face each other and are fixed to each other by connecting pipes 115 and 116 passed in the facing direction. The side wall portion 11 is formed by two main shafts 110 on both sides that are erected in the vertical direction, and several connecting pipes 111 and 112 that are horizontally passed to the two main shafts 110. ing.

  Two upper and lower connection pipes 115 and 116 are fixed to the two main shafts 110 located on the front side in the front-rear direction, and the same applies to the two main shafts 110 located on the rear side. Further, two connecting pipes 115 and 116 at the upper stage and the lower stage are fixed. In addition, at the lower ends of the four main shafts 110, free wheels 18 that can freely turn according to the direction of being pulled are attached. The transport carriage 10 can be self-supported by four free wheels 18 and can move in all directions along the floor surface.

  Two rows of roller conveyors 117 are passed between the front upper connection pipe 115 and the rear upper connection pipe 115. Similarly, two rows of roller conveyors 117 are also passed to the lower connection pipe 116. Here, in order to give an inclination to the roller conveyor 117, the attachment height of the upper connection pipe 115 on the front side and the connection pipe 115 on the rear side are slightly different. Similarly, the attachment height of the lower connection pipe 116 is slightly different between the front side and the rear side. The workpiece (not shown) placed on the roller conveyor 117 moves downward in the inclined direction, and is loaded without a gap. In addition, the lower connection pipe 116 is attached at a high position from the floor so as to secure a height enough to allow the towing vehicle 2 to enter.

  Of the connecting pipes in the front-rear direction constituting the side wall part 11, each connecting pipe 112 positioned at the lowest stage is attached with an elongated flat plate-like guide rail (guide part) 13 and a touch bar 12 made of an elongated pipe. ing. Further, a stay 119 for fixing an engagement plate (engagement portion) 15 is provided in a facing direction between the two lowermost connection pipes 112 of the side wall portions 11 on both sides.

  The touch bar 12 is a cylindrical pipe having substantially the same length as the entire length of the connection pipe 112, and is attached to the outside of the side wall portion 11 via the attachment arm 120 so as to be parallel to the connection pipe 112. The touch bar 12 attached via the attachment arm 120 is pushed inward when an external force is applied. In a state where no external force is applied, it is constantly biased outward so as to be positioned at a predetermined position.

  Hit arms 121 extending downward are attached to both ends of the touch bar 12 so as to correspond to the edge switch 27 of the towing vehicle 2. When an obstacle touches the touch bar 12 in a state where the transport carriage 10 is connected to the towing vehicle 2 (see FIG. 1), the hit arm 121 hits the edge switch 27 in response to the touch bar 12 being pushed. Thereby, the automatic conveyance vehicle 1 of this example can detect the obstacle which contacted the touch bar 12 from the side.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, the guide rail 13 is an elongated flat plate member that slightly exceeds the entire length of the transport carriage 10, and is attached to the inside of the side wall portion 11 along the front-rear direction of the transport carriage 10. . 10 is a top view showing the lower part of the transport carriage 10 by cutting the main shaft 110 at a position A in FIG. 8, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of this part. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connection state between the transport carriage 10 and the traction vehicle 2.

  The guide rail 13 is fixed via an attachment stay 138 at an attachment position having the same height as the installation height of the roller 210 of the towing vehicle 2. The guide rail 13 includes an intermediate portion 130 having a constant gap with the side wall portion 11 and both end portions 132 that gradually decrease as the gap with the side wall portion 11 approaches the tip. The guide rails 13 are respectively attached to the pair of side wall portions 11 and are attached so as to face the other guide rail 13.

  The intermediate portion 130 is formed so as to cover the arrangement range of the two rollers 210 arranged on the side surface 202 of the towing vehicle 2. The intermediate portions 130 that face each other face each other with an interval that slightly exceeds the guide width Wa (see FIG. 12) of the towing vehicle. The intermediate portions 130 facing each other guide the guide passage 131 having a passage width Wb that allows the towing vehicle 2 to advance and retreat in the front-rear direction while restricting fluctuations in the relative position of the towing vehicle 2 in the left-right direction within a predetermined range. The middle range A) is formed. On the other hand, both end portions 132 facing each other have a shape that spreads toward the front and rear. This end spreading shape is an approach path 133 (in FIG. 10) for automatically adjusting the relative position of the transport carriage 10 in accordance with the contact with the tow truck 2 when the towing truck 2 is submerged under the transport carriage 10. Range B).

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, the engagement plate 15 is a substantially rectangular flat plate member through which the engagement hole 150 passes in the vicinity of the center. The engagement plate 15 is suspended near the center of the lower surface of the transport carriage 10 by a stay 119 passed between the connection pipes 112 of the pair of side wall portions 11 and is fixed in a state of facing the floor surface. 10 and 12, the stay 119 is omitted.

  The substantially rectangular engagement plate 15 is disposed such that its longitudinal direction is along the front-rear direction of the transport carriage 10. In the engagement plate 15, a substantially rectangular cutout 151 with a corner missing is formed at a position corresponding to two corners on the side wall 11 side. The missing portion 151 is provided so as to be positioned on the moving path of the beam sensor 44 when the towing vehicle 2 moves back and forth along the guide passage 131.

  A step is formed between the edge 155 facing the notch 151 and the other edge 157 among the edges facing the passage direction of the engagement plate 15. That is, when the towing vehicle 2 moves along the guide path 131, the edge 155 positioned on the moving path of the beam sensor 44 is more than the edge 157 positioned on the moving path of the connecting pin 41 in the path direction. It is located close to the engagement hole 150. When viewed from the side of the towing vehicle 2 before connection, the edge portion 155 is located deeper in the passage direction than the edge portion 157. In the engagement plate 15 of the present example, the notches 151 are formed on both sides in the passage direction. Therefore, the edge of the guide plate 131 regardless of which of the two sides in the passage direction of the guide passage 131 enters. The part 155 is located behind.

  On the other hand, as described above, in the towing vehicle 2, the connecting pin 41 and the beam sensor 44 are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction so that the positions in the front-rear direction are the same. Therefore, when the towing vehicle 2 moves along the passage direction of the guide passage 131, the connecting pin 41 reaches the edge portion 157 earlier than the beam sensor 44 reaches the edge portion 155. Therefore, when the towing vehicle 2 moves to a position where the detection plate 15 is detected by the beam sensor 44, the connecting pin 41 completely enters the lower side of the detecting plate 15, and the tip surface of the connecting pin 41 has already been detected. The state facing the inner side of the lower surface of is realized.

  The engagement hole 150 is a hole for inserting the connection pin 41 of the towing vehicle 2. The engagement hole 150 has a long hole shape that is long in the left-right direction. The width in the front-rear direction of the engagement hole 150 is set so narrow that the connecting pin 41 can be inserted. On the other hand, the width in the left-right direction of the engagement hole 150 is sufficient so that the end portion of the long hole shape does not come into contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the connecting pin 41 regardless of which guide rail 13 is pressed against the guide rail 13. It is formed long.

  Next, the internal system of the towing vehicle 2 is configured as shown in FIG. For the control unit 50 for controlling the system, in addition to the two drive units 3 and the connecting unit 4, a bumper switch 220, an obstacle sensor 26, an emergency stop switch 231, an operation switch 232, a display lamp 233, an LED display 234, the speaker 235, the communication unit 25, etc. are electrically connected.

  The control unit 50 includes an I / F circuit 55 that is an interface for exchanging signals with various switches and the like, a main control circuit 51 that outputs various control signals to the drive unit 3 and the connection unit 4, It has.

  The internal configuration of the drive unit 3 is roughly controlled based on the control signal received from the control unit 50 and the drive unit 31 that drives the drive wheel 331 (see FIG. 4) and the detection signals of various sensors. And a detection unit 35 that transmits the unit. The drive unit 31 includes a wheel unit 310 including a drive motor 332 and a motor driver 315 that controls the drive motor 332. The motor driver 315 controls the rotation of the drive motor 332 based on the control signal received from the control unit 50.

  The detection unit 35 includes detection means such as a line sensor 351 that detects a guideline laid on the floor, a marker sensor 352 that reads data from a guide marker, and a steering angle detection unit 350 that detects the steering angle of the drive wheel 331. The I / F circuit 38 is provided as an interface for transmitting a detection signal or the like to the control unit 50.

  As an internal configuration, the connecting unit 4 has a motor driver 451 that rotationally drives the lifting motor 452 based on a control signal received from the control unit 50, and an I signal that receives a detection signal of the beam sensor 44 and transmits it to the control unit 50. / F circuit 48. The motor driver 451 of this example can directly control the rotation angle of the lifting motor 452.

  In the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present example configured as described above, a procedure for connecting the transport cart 10 to the towing vehicle 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the connection process, and FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining how the connection process proceeds. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the connection unit 4 after the connection pin 41 protrudes and before being inserted into the engagement hole 150.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when connecting the tow truck 2 to the transport carriage 10, the tow truck 2 is moved along a guideline (not shown) for guiding the tow truck 2 to the approach path 133 of the transport carriage 10. First, as shown in FIG. 15A, it is determined whether or not an unillustrated entry position marker (guide marker) laid on the floor surface corresponds to a position where the tow vehicle 2 reaches the entry path 133 (step S101). . Until the marker sensor 352 detects the entry position marker (step S101: No), the normal movement along the guideline is executed. On the other hand, when the approach position marker is detected (step S101: Yes), the mode is switched to the connection mode, and the tow vehicle 2 is decelerated (step S102).

  Until the engagement plate 15 is detected by the beam sensor 44 and is determined to be in a face-to-face state (state determination step, step S103: No), the tow vehicle 2 is moved as it is in the deceleration state under the connection mode (first movement). Step). As shown in FIG. 15B, the positional relationship between the transport carriage 10 and the traction vehicle 2 at this time depends on the combination of the intermediate portion 130 of the guide rail 13 and the roller 210 that form the guide passage 131 (see FIG. 15). The fluctuation of the relative position of the towing vehicle 2 in the vertical direction is regulated.

  Thereafter, when the engagement plate 15 is detected (step S103: Yes), it is determined that the connection pin 41 faces the engagement plate 15 in the protruding direction, and the connection pin 41 is controlled by controlling the lifting motor 452. Is projected (protruding step, step S104). At this time, as shown in FIG. 15C, the positional relationship between the transport carriage 10 and the traction vehicle 2 is such that the traction vehicle 2 moves to a position where the beam sensor 44 exceeds the edge portion 155 facing the notch 151. In this state, the connecting pin 41 has entered the position that completely faces the inside of the engagement plate 15 beyond the edge portion 157. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, the connecting pin 41 urged in the protruding direction is in an intermediate protruding state in which the front end surface abuts on the lower surface of the engagement plate 15.

  The movement of the towing vehicle 2 in the deceleration state under the connection mode is continued until the connection pin 41 is inserted into the engagement hole 150 (second movement step, step S105: No). Then, the intermediate projecting connection pin 41 shown in FIG. 16 gradually approaches the engagement hole 150. Thereafter, when the connecting pin 41 reaches the position of the engaging hole 150 as shown in FIG. 15D, the connecting pin 41 further protrudes and is inserted into the engaging hole 150 by the biasing force of the chord spring 456. .

  When insertion of the connection pin 41 into the engagement hole 150 is detected by the limit switch 459 (step S105: Yes), the tow vehicle 2 is stopped and a series of connection processing is completed. As a result, the towing vehicle 2 is connected to the transport carriage 10, and the transport carriage 10 can be driven and towed according to the movement of the towing truck 2.

  In the automatic guided vehicle 1 of this example configured as described above, the connecting pin 41 protrudes at a position in front of the engagement hole 150, and the towing vehicle 2 is further moved while maintaining the protruding state in contact with the engagement plate 15. By moving, the insertion of the connecting pin 41 into the engagement hole 150 can be realized with high reliability. When inserting the connecting pin 41 into the engaging hole 150, it is not necessary to realize the alignment between the engaging hole 150 and the connecting pin 41 with high accuracy, so that the position control is facilitated. Moreover, in the automatic guided vehicle 1 of this example, since highly accurate position control is not required in connection, the number of sensors for positioning and position measurement can be reduced, and the detection accuracy required for each sensor can be suppressed. .

  Furthermore, in the automatic conveyance vehicle 1 of this example, when moving in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 17, two rollers 210 on one side of the towing vehicle 2 are brought into contact with the guide rail 13 facing each other. The conveying cart 20 is pulled so as to be pushed out. At this time, the engagement hole 150 is formed in the shape of a long hole in the left-right direction so that the connecting pin 41 is positioned in front of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 150. In the engagement hole 150 of this example, since the end in the left-right direction is not essential, an engagement plate that is divided into two in the front-rear direction across the slit-like engagement hole in the left-right direction can also be employed. In such an engagement plate having a two-divided structure, there are no end portions in the left-right direction, and engagement holes are formed that open on both sides in the left-right direction of the engagement plate. Similar to this example, the towing vehicle 2 can be connected to the transport carriage 10 by inserting the connection pin 41 into the slit-like engagement hole. The engagement hole in the present invention does not necessarily have to be a hole that is entirely surrounded by the outer periphery, and may be an incomplete hole that partially opens to the outer periphery side.

  Further, the longer the engagement hole 150 is formed in the left-right direction, the more reliably the engagement hole 150 is positioned on the movement path of the connecting pin 41 when the towing vehicle 2 moves along the passage direction of the guide passage 131. become. In the present invention in which the connecting pin 41 is inserted into the engaging hole 150 during the movement of the towing vehicle 2 along the passage direction, the purpose of forming the engaging hole 150 in the shape of a long hole is to complete the connection with high certainty. It is very effective against this.

  In this example, a state determination unit including a beam sensor 44 as a plate detection unit is employed. The state determination means only needs to be able to determine whether or not the connection pin 41 faces the engagement plate 15 in the protruding direction. In this example, the engagement plate 15 is directly detected using the beam sensor 44. Instead, a guide marker or the like is laid corresponding to the position where the connection pin 41 completely faces the engagement plate 15. It is also good to do. In this case, the state determination unit can be configured using the marker sensor 352.

  In addition, in this example, the conveyance trolley | bogie 10 which exhibits the outer shape of a long rectangular parallelepiped along the front-back direction which makes the tow vehicle 2 approach is employ | adopted. It can replace with this and the front-back direction which makes the tow vehicle 2 approach can also be set to the rectangular short side direction which looked at the conveyance trolley from the upper direction. In this case, the width of the area for loading the workpiece can be secured wider than the width of the guide passage 131.

  As described above, specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail as in the first embodiment, but these specific examples merely disclose an example of the technology included in the scope of claims. Needless to say, the scope of the claims should not be construed as limited by the configuration, numerical values, or the like of the specific examples. The scope of the claims includes techniques obtained by variously modifying or changing the specific examples using known techniques, knowledge of those skilled in the art, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic conveyance vehicle 10 Conveyance cart 11 Side wall part 12 Touch bar 13 Guide rail (guide part)
131 Guide Path 133 Approach Path 15 Engagement Plate 150 Engagement Hole 18 Swivel Wheel 2 Tractor 20 Car Body 210 Roller (Contact Part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Drive unit 33 Turning part 331 Drive wheel 351 Line sensor 352 Marker sensor 4 Connection unit 41 Connection pin 44 Beam sensor (plate detection part)
45 Lifting mechanism 456 String winding spring 50 Control unit

Claims (6)

It is an automatic transport vehicle that combines a self-supporting transport carriage equipped with a free wheel and a tow truck that is connected under the transport carriage,
The transport carriage has an engagement plate including an engagement hole for connecting the towing vehicle, and a guide passage that can be advanced and retracted when the towing vehicle enters the lower side,
The towing vehicle restricts protrusion of the connecting pin, a connecting pin that can protrude in the axial direction to a penetrating position that can be inserted into the engaging hole, biasing means that biases the connecting pin toward the penetrating position, and And a state determining means for determining whether or not the connecting pin is in a facing state facing the engagement plate in the protruding direction,
The engagement hole is located on a moving path of the connecting pin when the towing vehicle moves along the direction of the guide path;
The restricting means is a means for releasing the restriction so that the connecting pin protrudes when the state determining means determines the facing state .
The connecting pin protrudes in response to the release of the restriction by the restricting means, is urged by the urging means to be in an intermediate protruded state in which the tip abuts against the engagement plate, and then the passage direction of the guide passage When the towing vehicle moves along the sway, the connecting pin urged by the urging means moves along the surface of the engagement plate while maintaining the intermediate protruding state and reaches the engagement hole. An automatic guided vehicle that protrudes in the axial direction to the penetrating position when it is done.   The guide passages provided in the transport carriage face each other in the left-right direction with an interval that allows a pair of guide members extending in parallel along the passage direction to advance and retract the towing vehicle. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic transport vehicle is a passage formed so as to be able to regulate a change in a relative position of the towing vehicle in the left-right direction. The two paired guide members are adjacent to at least one of the guide passages in the passage direction, and have a divergent shape that expands so that the distance in the left-right direction increases as the distance from the guide passage increases. Forming a road,
The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the pulling vehicle includes rollers that can roll in response to contact with the guide member on both side surfaces so as to correspond to the pair of guide members. The state determination means includes a plate detection unit for detecting the engagement plate at a position adjacent to the connection pin so that the position in the passage direction is the same as that of the connection pin, and the engagement is detected by the plate detection unit. When a mating plate is detected, it is determined as the facing state,
Of the edge portions forming the outer periphery of the engagement plate, the edge portion located on the movement path of the plate detection portion when the towing vehicle moves along the passage direction of the guide passage is the movement of the connecting pin. The automatic conveyance vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the automatic conveyance vehicle is located closer to the engagement hole in the passage direction than an edge portion located on a path. About an automatic transport vehicle by a combination of a transport cart that is provided with a free wheel and can stand on its own, and a traction vehicle to which the transport cart is buried underneath,
With respect to the transport carriage provided with an engagement plate including an engagement hole for connecting the towing vehicle, and a guide passage that can be advanced and retracted when the towing vehicle enters the lower side,
A connecting pin that can protrude in the axial direction to a penetrating position that can be inserted into the engaging hole, an urging means that urges the connecting pin toward the penetrating position, and a restricting means that restricts the protrusion of the connecting pin; State determining means for determining whether or not the connecting pin is in a facing state facing the engagement plate in the protruding direction, and when the towing vehicle moves along the passage direction of the guide passage, The tow vehicle that passes through a position where a connecting pin can be inserted into the engagement hole,
A method of connecting automated guided vehicles for connection ,
A first moving step of moving the towing vehicle along the guide path in a state where the protrusion of the connecting pin is regulated by the regulating means;
A state determination step of determining whether or not the facing state;
When the state determination step determines that the facing state, the restriction by the restricting means is released so that the connecting pin protrudes, and an intermediate protrusion whose tip is in contact with the engagement plate with respect to the connecting pin A protruding step to set the state;
A position at which the end of the connecting pin urged by the urging means can protrude to the penetrating position by insertion into the engagement hole while maintaining the intermediate protruding state where the tip of the connecting pin contacts the engagement plate And a second movement step of moving the towing vehicle along the direction of the guide passage until the connection pin reaches the connection pin. The state determination means includes a plate detection unit for detecting the engagement plate at a position adjacent to the connection pin so that the position in the passage direction is the same as that of the connection pin, and the engagement is detected by the plate detection unit. When a mating plate is detected, it is determined as the facing state,
Of the edge portions forming the outer periphery of the engagement plate, the edge portion located on the movement path of the plate detection portion when the towing vehicle moves along the passage direction of the guide passage is the movement of the connecting pin. The method for connecting automatic guided vehicles according to claim 5, wherein the automatic transport vehicle is located closer to the engagement hole in the passage direction than an edge portion located on a path.

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