JP6999396B2 - Connection / separation structure between the dolly and the transport vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connecting and separating structure of a carriage and a transport vehicle.

When moving goods in a factory or warehouse, it is common practice to connect a dolly loaded with goods to a transport vehicle and tow the trolley to the transport vehicle to move the goods to a desired location. ing. Various structures are known for the connection / separation structure of such a carriage and a carrier.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connecting device having a structure in which a trolley and an automatic guided vehicle are connected by grasping a connected portion provided on the trolley with a connecting arm provided on the automatic guided vehicle. The automatic guided vehicle is provided with a drive device for operating the connecting arm and a controller for controlling the drive device based on the position information of the automatic guided vehicle, whereby the connection and separation with the trolley are automatically performed. Is done.

For example, Patent Document 2 has a structure in which two carriages are connected by locking a connecting arm portion provided on one carriage such as a carrier and a pin lock mechanism provided on the other carriage. The coupling device is disclosed. In this connecting device, by pressing the connecting arm portion against the pin lock mechanism, both are locked and the two bogies are connected. When separating the two bogies, the pedals that make up the pin lock mechanism are operated by human power or an actuator to release the lock between the connecting arm and the pin lock mechanism, thereby separating the two bogies. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-366444 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-196223

In the above-mentioned coupling device of Patent Document 1, although the carriage and the automatic guided vehicle can be automatically connected and separated, a complicated device such as a drive device and a controller is required. Further, in the above-mentioned coupling device of Patent Document 2, human work is required to separate the two carriages. In order to automate this human work, complicated devices such as actuators were required.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connection / separation structure of a carriage and a transport vehicle that can be connected and separated by a simple device configuration.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a connection-separated structure in which a trolley on which articles are loaded and a transport vehicle that travels by towing the trolley, and the trolley has the traveling in front of the traveling direction. A horizontal bar extending horizontally in a direction intersecting the direction is provided, and the carrier vehicle passes from the front of the horizontal bar in the traveling direction to the upper or lower side of the horizontal bar and passes through the upper or lower side of the horizontal bar in the traveling direction of the horizontal bar. The hooking portion that enables the trolley to be towed by being positioned rearward and the hooking portion are centered on an axis substantially parallel to the horizontal bar, and the side through which the horizontal bar passes is only forward in the traveling direction. The mounting portion mounted so as to be tiltable, the supporting means that supports the mounting portion so as to be movable up and down, and the horizontal bar that extends rearward in the traveling direction and passes through the mounting portion in conjunction with its own vertical movement. A moving member that moves in the release direction opposite to the side and an urging means that urges the mounting portion to the side opposite to the release direction are provided, and the transport destination of the transport vehicle is the said. It is characterized in that a sliding member for moving the moving member is provided in a direction in which the mounting portion is moved in the release direction by sliding the moving member in response to the backward movement of the transport vehicle. ..
Further, the present invention has a structure in which a trolley on which articles are loaded and a transport vehicle that travels by pulling the trolley are connected and separated, and the trolley has a direction that intersects the traveling direction in front of the traveling direction. Is provided with a horizontally extending horizontal bar, and the transport vehicle is positioned from the front of the horizontal bar in the traveling direction, passing above or below the horizontal bar, and positioned behind the horizontal bar in the traveling direction. The hooking portion that enables the trolley to be towed and the hooking portion are attached so that the side through which the horizontal bar passes can be tilted only forward in the traveling direction with the axis substantially parallel to the horizontal bar as the center. The mounting portion, the supporting means that supports the mounting portion so as to be movable up and down, and the side extending rearward in the traveling direction and interlocking with the movement in the vertical direction of the mounting portion, which is opposite to the side through which the horizontal bar passes through the mounting portion. A moving member for moving in the release direction and an urging means for urging the mounting portion on the side opposite to the release direction are provided, and the hooking portions are provided on both sides of the transport vehicle in the vehicle width direction. It is characterized by being provided in.

According to the present invention, the carriage and the transport vehicle can be connected and separated by a simple device configuration.

It is a perspective view which shows the connection separation structure of the carriage and the transport vehicle which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the rear part of the transport vehicle of FIG. It is a side view which shows the state before the connection between the bogie and the transport vehicle of FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the transport vehicle of FIG. 3 is retracted toward the carriage and the hooking portion that hits the horizontal bar is tilted. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the transport vehicle of FIG. 4 is further retracted, the hooking portion is positioned behind the horizontal bar, and the carriage and the transport vehicle are connected to each other. It is a side view which shows the state which the transport vehicle of FIG. 5 is approaching a transport destination. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the hooking portion is moved downward from the horizontal bar by retracting the transport vehicle of FIG. 6 and sliding the moving member on the sliding member. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the transport vehicle of FIG. 7 moves forward, the hooking portion is positioned in front of the horizontal bar, and the carriage and the transport vehicle are separated. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the moving member and the sliding member of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other modification of the moving member and the sliding member of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the hooking part of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other modification of the moving member and the sliding member of FIG.

The "connecting and separating structure of the carriage and the transport vehicle" according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

The "connecting and separating structure 1 of a trolley and a transport vehicle" shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 is an abbreviation for AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) that pulls a trolley 2 on which articles are loaded and the trolley 2 and travels on the floor surface 10. Yes, it is also called an automatic guided vehicle.) It is a connected and separated structure with 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 2 has a frame 20 formed in a frame shape by a plurality of cylindrical bars 21 to 25, a plurality of wheels 26 attached below the frame 20, and four corners of the frame 20. The case receiving member 27 provided is provided. As shown in FIG. 8, a case 11 is loaded above the frame 20 and the case receiving member 27, and various articles are housed in the case 11.

Further, among the plurality of bars 21 to 25, the bar 21 on which the hooking portion 4 described later of the AGV3 is hooked is referred to as a “horizontal bar 21”. The horizontal bar 21 is located in front of the carriage 2 in the traveling direction, and extends horizontally in a direction intersecting the traveling direction. The "traveling direction of the trolley 2" is the direction towed by the AGV3, and the arrow A in FIG. 1 is the traveling direction (that is, the forward direction) of the AGV3 and the trolley 2. The arrow B in FIG. 1 is the direction opposite to the arrow A, and is the backward direction of the AGV3. Further, "running (the transport vehicle)" described in the claims means that the AGV3 moves forward.

The AGV3 is a towing vehicle that can move forward and backward, and is automatically operated by computer control on a production line in a factory or the like. A connecting mechanism for connecting to the carriage 2 is provided at the rear portion of the AGV 3 in the traveling direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this connecting mechanism includes a pair of hooking portions 4, a mounting portion 5, a pair of abutting members 31, a supporting means 6, an urging means 7, a moving member 8, and the like.

The pair of hooking portions 4 pass from the front of the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction (position in FIG. 3) to the lower side of the horizontal bar 21 and are positioned behind the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction (position in FIG. 5). This is a member that enables the trolley 2 to be towed. Each hook portion 4 is formed in a plate shape. A tapered surface 41 that abuts on the horizontal bar 21 is provided on the upper portion of the hook portion 4.

The mounting portion 5 is provided on each protruding portion 52, a mounting bar 51 extending horizontally in the vehicle width direction of the AGV3, a pair of protruding portions 52 protruding rearward from both left and right ends of the mounting bar 51, that is, toward the carriage 2 side. It is composed of a mounting shaft 53 and a mounting shaft 53. The axial direction of the mounting shaft 53 is parallel to the mounting bar 51. Further, the mounting bar 51 and the horizontal bar 21 are substantially parallel to each other in a state where the carriage 2 and the AGV 3 are connected to each other.

The pair of hooking portions 4 are positioned at both left and right ends of the mounting bar 51 and can be tilted with respect to the mounting bar 51 by passing each mounting shaft 53 through the hooking portions 4. That is, the hooking portion 4 can be tilted about the mounting shaft 53. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the hooking portion 4 is in an upright state in which the longitudinal direction thereof faces the vertical direction in a natural state in which no external force is applied. In this upright state, none is in contact with the upper part of the hooking portion 4, and the mounting bar 51 is in contact with the lower part of the hooking portion 4. Therefore, the hooking portion 4 in the upright state tilts only in the direction in which the upper portion thereof (“the side through which the horizontal bar passes” in the claims) moves forward in the traveling direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3). It is possible, and it is not possible to tilt in the direction in which the upper part moves backward in the traveling direction.

The pair of contact members 31 are connected to the frame 30 of the AGV3 and extend in a rod shape rearward in the traveling direction. The rear end faces of the pair of contact members 31 face the pair of hooking portions 4. As shown in FIG. 5, when the carriage 2 and the AGV3 are connected to each other, the horizontal bar 21 is positioned between the rear end faces of the pair of contact members 31 and the pair of hooking portions 4. When the AGV3 moves forward, the hooking portion 4 comes into contact with the horizontal bar 21, and when the AGV3 moves backward, the rear end surface of the contact member 31 comes into contact with the horizontal bar 21.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the hooking portion 4 and the contact member 31 are provided on both sides of the AGV3 in the vehicle width direction, the carriage 2 can be towed stably. As described above, the hooking portion 4 and the contact member 31 are preferably provided on both sides of the AGV3 in the vehicle width direction, but may be provided one by one in the center of the AGV3 in the vehicle width direction.

The support means 6 supports the mounting portion 5 so as to be vertically movable, and is composed of a base 61, a slider 62, and a rail 63 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The table 61 has a horizontal horizontal plate portion 61a and a vertical plate portion 61b erected vertically from the front end of the horizontal plate portion 61a. A mounting bar 51 and a moving member 8 are mounted on the rear end of the horizontal plate portion 61a. The slider 62 is attached to the vertical plate portion 61b. The rail 63 is attached to the frame 30 of the AGV3 and extends in the vertical direction. The slider 62 is attached to the rail 63 so as to be vertically slidable.

The urging means 7 urges the mounting portion 5 upward (“on the side opposite to the release direction” in the claims), and is composed of a constant load spring 71 and a drum 72. The constant load spring 71 is wound around the drum 72, and one end thereof is fixed to the horizontal plate portion 61a. A shaft bar is passed through the center of the drum 72, and the shaft bar is fixed to the frame 30 of the AGV3 via a bracket or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the moving member 8 is a member formed in a plate shape as a whole, and has a horizontal plane 81 extending horizontally from the rear end of the horizontal plate portion 61a to the rear in the traveling direction and a horizontal plane 81. It has an inclined surface 82 that is continuous with the rear end, extends rearward in the traveling direction, and is inclined downward. The moving member 8 moves the mounting portion 5 and the base 61 downward (“release direction” in the claims) in conjunction with its own descent.

As shown in FIG. 8, the transport destination of the AGV3 is provided with a sliding member 9 that moves the moving member 8 downward by sliding the inclined surface 82. The sliding member 9 is composed of a frame portion 91 attached to the floor surface 10 of the transport destination and wheels 92 attached to the inside of the frame portion 91. The moving member 8 is lowered by the AGV 3 retracting and the inclined surface 82 sliding on the wheel 92. The sliding member 9 does not necessarily have to be provided with the wheels 92, but by providing the wheels 92, the frictional force when the inclined surface 82 slides can be reduced.

Next, the operation of connecting the carriage 2 and the AGV 3 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a state before the bogie 2 and the AGV 3 are connected. As shown in FIG. 4, the AGV 3 retracts toward the carriage 2 from the state shown in FIG. 3, so that the tapered surface 41 of the hook portion 4 hits the horizontal bar 21 and the hook portion 4 tilts.

As the AGV 3 further retracts from that state as shown in FIG. 5, the hooking portion 4 passes under the horizontal bar 21 and is positioned behind the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction. The hooking portion 4 positioned behind the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction returns from the tilted state due to its own weight to the standing state which is the natural state. In this way, the horizontal bar 21 is positioned between the hook portion 4 and the contact member 31, so that the carriage 2 and the AGV 3 are connected to each other.

Next, the separation operation between the carriage 2 and the AGV 3 will be described. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the AGV3 towing the trolley 2 approaches the transport destination. The AGV 3 retracts from the state shown in FIG. 6, and the inclined surface 82 of the moving member 8 slides on the wheel 92 of the sliding member 9, so that the moving member 8 moves downward. As the moving member 8 descends, the mounting portion 5, the hooking portion 4, and the base 61 also descend. As shown in FIG. 7, the AGV3 retracts to a position where the horizontal plane 81 of the moving member 8 abuts on the wheels 92. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the hooking portion 4 is located below the horizontal bar 21.

As the AGV3 advances from that state as shown in FIG. 8, the hooking portion 4 is positioned in front of the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction, and the carriage 2 and the AGV3 are separated from each other. Further, when the moving member 8 is separated from the wheel 92 by the advance of the AGV3, the moving member 8, the mounting portion 5, the hooking portion 4, and the base 61 are raised to the initial position by the urging force of the constant load spring 71.

As described above, according to the connection / separation structure 1 between the trolley and the transport vehicle, the connection / separation with the trolley 2 can be automatically performed only by the forward / backward operation of the AGV3, even though the device configuration is very simple. can.

In the above embodiment, the moving member 8 having a structure that moves the mounting portion 5 downward in conjunction with its own descent is used, but it is also possible to use the moving member 108 shown in FIG. 9 instead of the moving member 8. Is. The moving member 108 shown in FIG. 9 is composed of a plate 180 having an inclined surface 182 and a shaft 183 that rotatably supports the plate 180. In the moving member 108, the inclined surface 182 slides on the wheel 92 of the sliding member 109 in response to the retreat of the AGV3 (arrow B), so that the portion rearward of the shaft 183 of the plate 180 moves upward (arrow). Along with U), the portion in front of the shaft 183 moves downward (arrow D), and the portion moved downward causes the mounting portion 5 to move downward.

In the above embodiment, the moving member 8 has the inclined surface 82 and the sliding member 9 has the wheels 92, but in addition to this, as shown in FIG. 10, the moving member 208 has the wheels 282. , The sliding member 209 may have an inclined surface 292. The moving member 208 moves downward by sliding the wheel 282 on the inclined surface 292 in response to the retreat (arrow B) of the AGV3, and moves the mounting portion 5 downward.

In the above embodiment, the hooking portion 4 passes under the horizontal bar 21 and is positioned behind the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction. However, instead of the hooking portion 4, it is shown in FIG. It is also possible to use the hooking portion 104. As shown in FIG. 11, the hooking portion 104 passes above the horizontal bar 21 from the front of the horizontal bar 21 in the traveling direction (left side in FIG. 11) in response to the retreat (arrow B) of the AGV3, and is a horizontal bar. 21 is positioned rearward in the traveling direction (right side in FIG. 11). The hook portion 104 can be tilted only in the direction in which the lower portion thereof (“the side through which the horizontal bar passes” in the claims) moves forward in the traveling direction (clockwise in FIG. 11). In this case, when the carriage 2 and the AGV3 are separated from each other, the moving member moves the mounting portion to which the hooking portion 104 is attached upward (in the direction of arrow E, which is the "release direction" in the claims). Further, in this case, the urging means urges the attachment portion to which the hook portion 104 is attached downward (“the side opposite to the release direction” in the claims).

In the case where the hooking portion 104 passes above the horizontal bar 21 as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the hooking portion 104 can be moved upward by using the moving member 308 and the sliding member 109 shown in FIG. can. The moving member 308 has an inclined surface 382 that extends backward in the traveling direction and is inclined in an upward direction. The moving member 308 moves upward by the inclined surface 382 sliding on the wheel 92 of the sliding member 109 in response to the retreat (arrow B) of the AGV3, and the mounting portion to which the hooking portion 104 is attached moves upward. Move it.

The above-mentioned connection / separation structure of the trolley and the transport vehicle can also be used for the connection / separation structure of the trolley when a manned transport vehicle or a hand-push type transport vehicle is used. Even in that case, the device configuration can be very simple.

The above-described embodiment merely shows a typical embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, it can be variously modified and carried out within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. As long as the configuration of the present invention is still provided even by such a modification, it is, of course, included in the category of the present invention.

1 trolley and transport vehicle connected and separated structure 2 trolley 3 AGV (transport vehicle)
4,104 Hooking part 5 Mounting part 6 Supporting means 7 Erasing means 8,108,208,308 Moving member 9,109,209 Sliding member 21 Horizontal bar 82,182,292,382 Inclined surface

Claims (5)

It is a connection-separation structure between a dolly on which goods are loaded and a transport vehicle that pulls the dolly and travels.
The bogie is provided with a horizontal bar extending horizontally in the direction intersecting the traveling direction in front of the traveling direction.
A hook that enables the trolley to be towed by being positioned on the transport vehicle from the front of the horizontal bar in the traveling direction through the upper side or the lower side of the horizontal bar and positioned behind the horizontal bar in the traveling direction. Department and
A mounting portion to which the hooking portion is mounted so that the side through which the horizontal bar passes can be tilted only forward in the traveling direction with the axis substantially parallel to the horizontal bar as the center.
A support means that supports the mounting portion so that it can move up and down,
A moving member that extends rearward in the traveling direction and moves the mounting portion in the release direction opposite to the side through which the horizontal bar passes in conjunction with its own vertical movement.
An urging means for urging the mounting portion on the side opposite to the releasing direction is provided .
The moving member slides to the transport destination of the transport vehicle in response to the backward movement of the transport vehicle, so that the moving member is moved in the direction of moving the mounting portion in the release direction. Members are provided
A structure that connects and separates the dolly and the carrier, which is characterized by this. The connection / separation structure for connecting and separating a carriage and a transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein either one of the moving member and the sliding member has an inclined surface that slides on the other. The connection / separation structure for connecting and separating a carriage and a transport vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein a wheel on which the inclined surface slides is provided on the other side. The connection / separation structure for connecting and separating a carriage and a transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the hooking portions are provided on both sides of the transport vehicle in the vehicle width direction. It is a connection-separation structure between a dolly on which goods are loaded and a transport vehicle that pulls the dolly and travels.
The bogie is provided with a horizontal bar extending horizontally in the direction intersecting the traveling direction in front of the traveling direction.
A hook that enables the trolley to be towed by being positioned on the transport vehicle from the front of the horizontal bar in the traveling direction through the upper side or the lower side of the horizontal bar and positioned behind the horizontal bar in the traveling direction. Department and
A mounting portion to which the hooking portion is attached so that the side through which the horizontal bar passes can be tilted only forward in the traveling direction with the axis substantially parallel to the horizontal bar as the center.
A support means that supports the mounting portion so that it can move up and down,
A moving member that extends rearward in the traveling direction and moves the mounting portion in the release direction opposite to the side through which the horizontal bar passes in conjunction with its own vertical movement.
An urging means for urging the mounting portion on the side opposite to the releasing direction is provided.
The hooking portions are provided on both sides of the transport vehicle in the vehicle width direction.
A structure that connects and separates the dolly and the carrier, which is characterized by this.

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