JP7113260B2 - Mobile device and method for controlling mobile device - Google Patents

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to mobile devices and methods of controlling mobile devices, and more particularly to mobile devices that travel on a surface with multiple wheels and methods of controlling mobile devices.

Patent Literature 1 describes an emergency stop system for a carriage. In this emergency stop system, a moving device (carriage) has an emergency stop mechanism. The emergency stop mechanism performs an emergency stop operation when it detects an emergency stop indication plate embedded at a predetermined position in front of the moving device or when it detects contact with the emergency stop indication plate. The emergency stop mechanism actuates a hydraulic brake or the like to brake wheels (front and rear wheels) to stop the moving device during an emergency stop operation.

JP-A-2003-131738

However, with the configuration described in Patent Literature 1, for example, the braking distance of the mobile device may become long in a situation where the wheels are likely to slip on the road surface or in a situation where the hydraulic brake is abnormal.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object thereof is to provide a mobile device and a method of controlling the mobile device capable of shortening the braking distance of the mobile device.

A moving device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of wheels, a main body, a friction braking mechanism, a wheel braking mechanism, and a controller. The body portion has a bottom surface. The body portion is supported by the plurality of wheels with the bottom surface facing the running surface, and travels on the running surface by the rotation of each of the plurality of wheels. The friction braking mechanism has a movable member protruding from the bottom surface toward the running surface. The friction braking mechanism switches the state of the movable member from a first state to a second state using the height from the running surface to the bottom surface as a reference value while the main body portion is running. Thereby, the friction braking mechanism brings the movable member into contact with the running surface to brake the main body. The first state is a state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is less than the reference value. The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member is equal to or greater than the reference value. The wheel braking mechanism brakes braking wheels that are at least a portion of the plurality of wheels. The control unit operates the friction braking mechanism to switch the state of the movable member from the first state to the second state when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the wheel braking mechanism is operating. . The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the braking status of the braking wheel. The predetermined condition includes a condition that at least some of the plurality of wheels are in a locked state. The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing a distance from a stop position on the running surface to the main unit with a braking distance of the main unit when the wheel braking mechanism is operated. to decide.
A moving device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of wheels, a main body, a friction braking mechanism, a wheel braking mechanism, and a controller. The body portion has a bottom surface. The body portion is supported by the plurality of wheels with the bottom surface facing the running surface, and travels on the running surface by the rotation of each of the plurality of wheels. The friction braking mechanism has a movable member protruding from the bottom surface toward the running surface. The friction braking mechanism switches the state of the movable member from a first state to a second state using the height from the running surface to the bottom surface as a reference value while the main body portion is running. Thereby, the friction braking mechanism brings the movable member into contact with the running surface to brake the main body. The first state is a state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is less than the reference value. The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member is equal to or greater than the reference value. The wheel braking mechanism brakes braking wheels that are at least a portion of the plurality of wheels. The control unit operates the friction braking mechanism to switch the state of the movable member from the first state to the second state when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the wheel braking mechanism is operating. . The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the braking status of the braking wheel. The predetermined condition includes a condition that at least some of the plurality of wheels are in a locked state. The moving device further includes a driving unit that directly or indirectly applies a driving force to driving wheels that are at least a portion of the plurality of wheels. The friction braking mechanism switches the state of the movable member from the first state to the second state when the drive unit stops.

A control method for a moving device according to an aspect of the present disclosure, while the main body is traveling, uses the height from the traveling surface to the bottom surface as a reference value to change the state of the movable member to at least some of the plurality of wheels. By switching from the first state to the second state when the wheels are locked, the movable member is brought into contact with the running surface to brake the main body. The movable member protrudes from the bottom surface toward the running surface. The first state is a state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is less than the reference value. The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member is equal to or greater than the reference value. The moving device includes the plurality of wheels and the main body. The body portion has the bottom surface. The main body is supported by the plurality of wheels with the bottom surface facing the running surface, and travels on the running surface by the rotation of each of the plurality of wheels. The control method includes a distance from a stop position on the running surface to the main body, and the main body at the time of operation of the wheel braking mechanism that brakes at least a part of the plurality of wheels. is compared with the braking distance to determine whether or not at least some of the plurality of wheels are in a locked state.

According to the present disclosure, there is an advantage that it is possible to shorten the braking distance of the moving device.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the moving device according to Embodiment 1 when a movable member is in a first state. FIG. 1B is a side view of the moving device of the same embodiment when the movable member is in the second state. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the moving device of the same. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing the moving device of the same; FIG. 3B is a plan view showing the moving device of the same; FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the moving device of the same. FIG. 5A is a side view of the same moving device when the lift plate is at the lower end position of the movable range. FIG. 5B is a side view of the same moving device when the lifting plate is at the upper end position of the movable range. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an operation related to an emergency stop operation of the mobile device of the same. FIG. 7A is a side view of the moving device according to Embodiment 2 when the state of the movable member is in the first state. FIG. 7B is a side view of the moving device of the same embodiment when the movable member is in the second state. FIG. 8A is a side view of the moving device according to the first modification of the second embodiment when the movable member is in the first state; FIG. 8B is a side view of the moving device of the same embodiment when the movable member is in the second state.

(Embodiment 1)
(1) Overview A mobile device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device that travels on a travel surface 100 with a plurality of wheels 21, 22, 23, and 24 (see FIG. 3B), as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. . The mobile device 10 is installed in facilities such as distribution centers (including distribution centers), factories, offices, stores, schools, and hospitals, and runs on the running surface 100, using the floor surface of the facility as the running surface 100. do. In this embodiment, as an example, a case where the moving device 10 is a “conveying device” for conveying the article X1 (see FIG. 5A) will be described. Hereinafter, each of the plurality of wheels 21, 22, 23, and 24 will be referred to as "wheel 2" unless otherwise distinguished.

A mobile device 10 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of (here, four) wheels 2 and a main body 1 . The body portion 1 has a bottom surface 11 . The body portion 1 is supported on the running surface 100 by the plurality of wheels 2 with the bottom surface 11 facing the running surface 100 . In this state, the main body 1 runs on the running surface 100 by rotating each of the plurality of wheels 2 . In the present disclosure, “the main body 1 runs on the running surface 100” means that the main body 1 moves on the running surface 100 while being supported on the running surface 100 by the plurality of wheels 2. do.

Here, in this embodiment, the moving device 10 further includes a friction braking mechanism 3, as shown in FIG. The friction braking mechanism 3 is a mechanism that brakes the body portion 1 during running. The friction braking mechanism 3 has a movable member 14 protruding from the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 toward the running surface 100 . The friction braking mechanism 3 brakes the main body 1 by changing the position of the movable member 14 relative to the main body 1 . In the present disclosure, "braking" includes not only stopping movement, that is, completely stopping the running main body 1, but also reducing the speed of the running main body 1 (that is, deceleration). .

More specifically, the friction braking mechanism 3 can switch the state of the movable member 14 between a first state and a second state. The first state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member 14 is less than the reference value L1 (see FIG. 1A). The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount L2 (see FIG. 1B) of the movable member 14 is equal to or greater than the reference value L1. The reference value L1 is the height from the running surface 100 to the bottom surface 11 while the main body 1 is running. That is, the friction braking mechanism 3 moves the movable member 14 relative to the main body 1 to switch between the first state and the second state. The friction braking mechanism 3 switches the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state while the main body 1 is running, thereby bringing the movable member 14 into contact with the running surface 100 and braking the main body 1. .

As described above, when the friction braking mechanism 3 is activated and the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state, the main body 1 can be braked regardless of the braking state of the wheels 2. be. Therefore, for example, even in a situation where the wheels 2 tend to slip on the running surface 100 or a situation where an abnormality occurs in the wheel braking mechanism 5 (see FIG. 2) that brakes the wheels 2, the braking distance of the mobile device 10 can be shortened. can be suppressed. As a result, in the moving device 10 according to this embodiment, the braking distance of the moving device 10 can be shortened.

The friction braking mechanism 3 may operate, for example, during normal operation (steady state) of the moving device 10 when decelerating or stopping the main body 1 during travel, or during an emergency or the like. may be activated when the emergency stop is to be made.

(2) Configuration The configuration of the mobile device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1A to 5B. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the direction perpendicular to the running surface 100 (vertical direction) will be referred to as the up-down direction, and the moving device 10 side as seen from the running surface 100 will be described as "upper". Also, the direction in which the moving device 10 advances is defined as "forward", and the direction perpendicular to both the up-down direction and the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1A) is defined as the left-right direction. That is, in FIG. 1A and the like, as indicated by the arrows “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, each direction of up, down, left, right, front, back stipulate. However, these directions are not meant to define the direction of use of the mobile device 10 . Also, the arrows indicating each direction in the drawings are only shown for explanation and are not substantial. Similarly, the arrows indicating the direction of movement of each part such as the main body part 1 in the drawings are only shown for the sake of explanation and are not substantial.

The moving device 10 includes the main body 1, a plurality of (here, four) wheels 2, and the friction braking mechanism 3, as described above. Further, in the present embodiment, the mobile device 10 includes a drive unit 4, a wheel braking mechanism 5, a control unit 6, a detection unit 7, a lift-up mechanism 8, and a human machine interface 9 (HMI). And further comprising. In this embodiment, the friction braking mechanism 3 , driving section 4 , wheel braking mechanism 5 , control section 6 , detection section 7 , lift-up mechanism 8 , and human-machine interface 9 are all mounted on main body 1 .

The mobile device 10 autonomously travels on a flat travel surface 100 such as the floor of a facility, for example. Here, as an example, the mobile device 10 includes a storage battery and operates using electrical energy stored in the storage battery.

In the present embodiment, the moving device 10 is the "transporting device" for transporting the article X1 as described above. Therefore, the moving device 10 travels on the traveling surface 100 with the article X1 loaded on the main body 1 . As a result, the mobile device 10 can, for example, transport the article X1 placed at a certain location within the facility to another location within the facility.

The main body 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is longer in the front-rear direction than in the left-right direction and smaller in the vertical direction than in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the article X1 is stacked on the main body section 1 in such a manner that the main body section 1 slips under the article X1 and lifts the article X1. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the main body 1 is set to be sufficiently smaller than the horizontal dimension of the main body 1 so that the main body 1 can fit in the gap formed below the article X1.

The body portion 1 has a vehicle body portion 12 and an elevating plate 13 . In this embodiment, the body portion 1 is made of metal. However, the body portion 1 is not limited to being made of metal, and may be made of resin, for example.

The vehicle body portion 12 is supported on a running surface 100 by a plurality of wheels 2 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the plurality of wheels 2 are arranged at the four corners of the vehicle body portion 12 in plan view. The lower surface of the vehicle body portion 12 is the bottom surface 11 of the main body portion 1 . Therefore, in a state in which all of the plurality of wheels 2 protrude from the bottom surface 11, the vehicle body portion 12 is supported at its four corners with its lower surface (bottom surface 11) opposed to the running surface 100. . Here, among the plurality of wheels 21, 22, 23, and 24, the wheels 21 and 22 are the "front wheels" arranged in the front portion of the vehicle body portion 12, and the wheels 23 and 24 are arranged in the rear portion of the vehicle body portion 12. It is the "rear wheel" that is used.

Here, the body portion 1 has an opening portion 120 in a part of the bottom surface 11 (the lower surface of the vehicle body portion 12), as shown in FIG. The opening 120 is formed in a rectangular shape that is longer in the front-rear direction than in the left-right direction, and is arranged at a position sandwiched between the four wheels 2 in the left-right direction. The opening 120 is a hole for moving the movable member 14 of the friction braking mechanism 3 forward and backward with respect to the bottom surface 11 . Therefore, the movable member 14 is exposed from the opening 120 .

The lifting plate 13 is arranged above the vehicle body portion 12 so as to cover at least a portion of the upper surface of the vehicle body portion 12 . In this embodiment, the elevating plate 13 covers substantially the entire upper surface of the vehicle body 12 except for the front end and the rear end of the vehicle body 12 . The upper surface of the lifting plate 13 is a loading surface 131 for loading the article X1. That is, when transporting the transported object X1 by the moving device 10, the transported object X1 is stacked on the upper surface (loading surface 131) of the lifting plate 13. As shown in FIG. In other words, the body portion 1 has a loading surface 131 on which the transported article X1 is loaded. In this embodiment, the four corners of the stacking surface 131 are slightly higher than the portions other than the four corners (such as the central portion). Furthermore, the four corners of the loading surface 131 have a larger coefficient of friction than the portions of the loading surface 131 other than the four corners, for example, by applying anti-slip processing. Therefore, the article X1 stacked on the loading surface 131 is less likely to slip on the loading surface 131 .

Here, the lifting plate 13 can be moved up and down with respect to the vehicle body portion 12 by the lift-up mechanism 8 . Therefore, the lift plate 13 rises while the main body 1 is hidden under the transported object X1, whereby the transported object X1 is lifted by the lift plate 13. Conversely, the lift plate 13 descends the lift plate 13 while the lift plate 13 lifts the transport object X1, whereby the lift plate 13 lowers the transport object X1.

Each of the plurality of wheels 2 is individually rotatable by receiving a driving force from the driving section 4 . Each wheel 2 is held by the body portion 1 (body portion 12) so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft extending in the left-right direction. A contact surface of each wheel 2 with the running surface 100 is subjected to anti-slip processing, for example, so as to have a relatively large coefficient of friction with respect to the running surface 100 . This makes it easier to ensure traction between the wheels 2 and the running surface 100 .

In this embodiment, the wheels 21 and 22 as the “front wheels” and the wheels 23 and 24 as the “rear wheels” are all “drive wheels” driven by the drive section 4 . Further, all of the wheels 21 and 22 as "front wheels" and the wheels 23 and 24 as "rear wheels" are "braking wheels" that are braked by the wheel braking mechanism 5. FIG. By individually driving the plurality of wheels 2, the main body 1 can move in all directions. That is, the main body 1 supported by the plurality of wheels 2 can move forward, backward, left and right on the running surface 100 by each rotation of the plurality of wheels 2 . Each of the plurality of wheels 2 may be, for example, an omnidirectional wheel such as an omni wheel.

The driving unit 4 directly or indirectly applies a driving force to driving wheels that are at least a part of the plurality of wheels 2 . In the present embodiment, all of the plurality of (four) wheels 2 are drive wheels as described above, so the drive unit 4 applies driving force to all of the plurality of wheels 2 . The driving section 4 is built in the vehicle body section 12 . The driving unit 4 includes, for example, an electric motor (motor), and indirectly applies driving force generated by the electric motor to the wheels 2 via a gearbox, a belt, or the like. Moreover, the drive part 4 may be the structure which gives driving force directly with respect to each wheel 2 like an in-wheel motor. Based on a control signal input from the control unit 6, the drive unit 4 drives each of the plurality of wheels 2 at a rotation direction and a rotation speed according to the control signal.

The wheel braking mechanism 5 brakes braking wheels that are at least a portion of the plurality of wheels 2 . In this embodiment, as described above, all of the plurality of (four) wheels 2 are braking wheels, so the wheel braking mechanism 5 applies braking force to all of the plurality of wheels 2 to brake them. The wheel braking mechanism 5 is built in the vehicle body portion 12 . The wheel braking mechanism 5 is implemented by an appropriate mechanism capable of braking the wheels 2, such as a disc brake or a drum brake. Further, the wheel braking mechanism 5 may be configured to reduce the rotational speed of the wheels 2, such as a regenerative brake that absorbs the kinetic energy of the wheels 2 using the electric motor of the drive unit 4 as a load (generator). The wheel braking mechanism 5 brakes each of the plurality of wheels 2 according to a wheel braking signal input from the controller 6 .

The control unit 6 controls the friction braking mechanism 3 , driving unit 4 , wheel braking mechanism 5 , detection unit 7 , lift-up mechanism 8 and human-machine interface 9 . In this embodiment, the control unit 6 is mainly composed of a computer system having a processor and memory. The functions of the control unit 6 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in a memory, provided through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

The detection unit 7 detects the behavior of the main body 1, the braking status of the braking wheels, the peripheral status of the main body 1, and the like. The term "behavior" as used in the present disclosure means actions, appearances, and the like. That is, the behavior of the main body 1 includes the operating state of the main body 1 indicating that the main body 1 is running/stopped, the speed (and speed change) of the main body 1, the acceleration acting on the main body 1, and the including the posture of

Specifically, the detection unit 7 includes sensors such as a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor, and detects the behavior of the main body 1 with these sensors. The detection unit 7 includes sensors such as a camera, sonar sensor, radar, and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), for example, and detects the surroundings of the main unit 1 with these sensors. Further, the detection unit 7 detects the braking condition of the braking wheels by measuring the torque applied to the wheels 2, for example. That is, as an example, when the torque applied to the wheels 2 suddenly decreases during braking by the wheel braking mechanism 5, the detector 7 detects that the wheels 2 are locked. Further, the detection unit 7 may specify the position of the main unit 1 using GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like. A detection result of the detection unit 7 is output to the control unit 6 . In the drawings showing the appearance of the mobile device 10, such as FIG. 1A, illustration of the detection unit 7 is omitted.

The lift-up mechanism 8 is a mechanism that lifts the transported article X1 by raising the loading surface 131. As shown in FIG. Here, since the loading surface 131 is the upper surface of the lifting plate 13 , the lift-up mechanism 8 moves the lifting plate 13 in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle body 12 to raise or lower the loading surface 131 . Let The lift-up mechanism 8 moves the elevator plate 13 between the lower end position and the upper limit position of the movable range of the elevator plate 13 . FIG. 5A shows the state where the lift plate 13 is at the lower end of the movable range, and FIG. 5B shows the state where the lift plate 13 is at the upper end of the movable range. The lift-up mechanism 8 is built in the body portion 1 so as to be accommodated between the vehicle body portion 12 and the lifting plate 13 .

As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the moving device 10 can make the main body 1 slip under the article X1 while the lifting plate 13 is at the lower end of the movable range. 5B, the lift-up mechanism 8 raises the elevator plate 13 to the upper end position of the movable range in a state in which the main body 1 is tucked under the conveyed object X1. Conveyance object X1 can be lifted. The movable range of the lifting plate 13 may be a constant value (fixed value) or a variable value. The lift-up mechanism 8 includes, for example, an electric motor (motor), and is an appropriate mechanism, such as a pantograph type or a rack and pinion type, capable of vertically moving the elevating plate 13 straight by driving force generated by the electric motor. Realized.

The human-machine interface 9 outputs information to humans (regularly) and acquires information input by humans. The human-machine interface 9 includes, for example, an indicator 91 (see FIG. 3A), an audio output section, operation switches, an audio input section, and the like. The human-machine interface 9 may include, for example, a device such as a touch panel display that integrates input and output of information. The indicator 91 is arranged at the front end of the main body 1 (the vehicle body 12), and changes the display mode depending on whether the main body 1 is moving forward, backward, turning right or turning left, for example.

The friction braking mechanism 3 has the movable member 14 protruding from the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 toward the running surface 100 as described above. The friction braking mechanism 3 switches the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state while the main body 1 is running, thereby bringing the movable member 14 into contact with the running surface 100 and braking the main body 1. . Here, the height from the running surface 100 to the bottom surface 11 while the main body 1 is running when the movable member 14 is in the first state is defined as a reference value L1. In the first state, as shown in FIG. 1A, the amount of protrusion of the movable member 14 downward (toward the running surface 100) from the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 is less than the reference value L1. In the second state, as shown in FIG. 1B, the amount of protrusion of the movable member 14 downward (toward the running surface 100) from the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 is equal to or greater than the reference value L1. In the present embodiment, by switching the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state, the entire surface (lower surface) of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 comes into contact with the running surface 100 and the main body 1 to brake. The friction braking mechanism 3 switches the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state in response to an emergency stop signal input from the control section 6 . Furthermore, the friction braking mechanism 3 switches the state of the movable member 14 from the second state to the first state in response to the return signal input from the control section 6 .

The friction braking mechanism 3 moves the movable member 14 relative to the main body 1 so that the movable member 14 advances and retreats with respect to the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1, thereby switching between the first state and the second state. mechanism. The friction braking mechanism 3 is built in the vehicle body portion 12 . In this embodiment, the movable member 14 is stored in the main body 1 in the first state. Specifically, in the first state, the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 and the surface (lower surface) of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 are flush with each other. Therefore, in the first state, the movable member 14 does not protrude from the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1, and the amount of protrusion of the movable member 14 is "0" (zero). On the other hand, in the second state, the friction braking mechanism 3 causes the movable member 14 to protrude from the bottom surface 11 of the body portion 1 . In this embodiment, the protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 in the second state is larger than the reference value L1. Therefore, when the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state, as shown in FIG. It will only float up. The protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 in the second state is the sum of the reference value L1 and the lift amount L3 of the wheel 2 . The friction braking mechanism 3 includes, for example, an electric motor (motor), and is an appropriate mechanism, such as a pantograph type or a rack and pinion type, capable of vertically moving the movable member 14 straight by driving force generated by the electric motor. Realized.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1A, in the first state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member 14 is less than the reference value L1, the main body 1 is supported by the plurality of wheels 2, and the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 and the A gap is formed between the running surface 100 and the bottom surface 11 is separated from the running surface 100 . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, in the second state where the protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 is equal to or greater than the reference value L1, the movable member 14 descends relative to the main body 1, and the movable member 14 and the running surface 100 come into contact with each other. Therefore, when the first state is switched to the second state while the main body 1 is traveling, the frictional force between at least a portion of the movable member 14 (in this embodiment, the entire lower surface of the movable member 14) and the traveling surface 100 is applied. is generated, and the body portion 1 is braked by this frictional force.

Here, the movable member 14 has a frictional resistance portion 121 on at least part of the surface facing the running surface 100, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a plurality of (here, four) frictional resistance portions 121 are provided. Each frictional resistance portion 121 is arranged between the surface of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 , that is, the centerline of the movable member 14 in the horizontal direction and each wheel 2 . The friction resistance portion 121 has a coefficient of friction with respect to the running surface 100 that is greater than that of the bottom surface 11 of the main body portion 1 . In other words, the coefficient of friction of the frictional resistance portion 121 with respect to the running surface 100 is greater than the coefficient of friction of the bottom surface 11 of the main body 1 with respect to the running surface 100 . In this embodiment, the frictional resistance portion 121 is a synthetic rubber sheet attached to the movable member 14 . Such a frictional resistance portion 121 has a larger coefficient of friction with respect to the running surface 100 than the bottom surface 11 of the main body portion 1 . Furthermore, in this embodiment, grooves of a predetermined pattern are formed on the surface of the frictional resistance portion 121 . This groove drains moisture between the surface of the frictional resistance portion 121 and the running surface 100, similar to the grooves (tread pattern) of an automobile tire, and the adhesion between the frictional resistance portion 121 and the running surface 100 is improved. It is preferable to have a function of enhancing the property.

Further, in the present embodiment, the friction braking mechanism 3 switches the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state when the driving portion 4 stops. In the present disclosure, "the drive unit stops" means that the drive unit 4 becomes unable to output the drive force to the wheels 2, in other words, the drive force is cut off. In other words, the friction braking mechanism 3 also functions as an emergency brake that brakes the moving device 10 in an emergency such as when power supply from the storage battery to the drive unit 4 is cut off or when the control unit 6 fails. Specifically, the friction braking mechanism 3 maintains the state of the movable member 14 in the first state by using an actuator such as a solenoid or an electromagnetic valve, for example, when power is supplied from the storage battery. On the other hand, when the power supply from the storage battery is cut off, the movable member 14 cannot be maintained in the first state by the actuator of the frictional braking mechanism 3, and the movable member 14 is pulled against the main body 1 by the spring force of the spring member or the like. are relatively lowered, and the movable member 14 switches to the second state. The friction braking mechanism 3 thus constitutes a fail-safe braking system and serves to brake the mobile device 10 at least in an emergency.

In addition, the mobile device 10 is appropriately equipped with a configuration other than the above, such as a charging circuit for a storage battery.

(3) Operation The operation of the mobile device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below.

(3.1) Basic Operation The mobile device 10 autonomously travels on the running surface 100 as a basic operation during normal operation. At this time, the mobile device 10 detects the surrounding conditions of the main body 1 by the detection unit 7 and determines the movement route by the control unit 6 based on the surrounding conditions of the main body 1 and the like. Then, the mobile device 10 drives the wheels 2 by controlling the driving unit 4 with the control unit 6 according to the determined moving route, and performs autonomous travel.

During autonomous travel, the main body 1 supported by the plurality of wheels 2 moves on the travel surface 100 due to the rotation of each of the plurality of wheels 2 . In addition, when decelerating or stopping during traveling, the mobile device 10 operates the wheel braking mechanism 5 to brake the plurality of wheels 2 and brake the main body 1 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the moving device 10 is a “conveying device” that conveys the article X1 by traveling on the traveling surface 100 with the article X1 loaded on the main body 1 . When loading the article X1 on the main body 1, the moving device 10 first moves the main body 1 below the article X1 while the lifting plate 13 is at the lower end of the movable range, as shown in FIG. 5A. infiltrate. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lift-up mechanism 8 raises the elevator plate 13 to the upper end position of the movable range, thereby lifting the article X1 on the upper surface of the elevator plate 13 (loading surface 131). As a result, it is possible to load the article X1 on the loading surface 131 of the main body 1 .

Here, when the lift-up mechanism 8 lifts the transported object X1, the lifting amount of the lift plate 13 from the state where the loading surface 131 is in contact with the lower surface of the transported object X1 is the lift-up amount of the transported object X1 by the lift-up mechanism 8. corresponds to The “lifting amount of the transported object X1” referred to in the present disclosure is the lift amount of the transported object X1 when the lift-up mechanism 8 lifts the elevator plate 13 to lift the transported object X1 with the elevator plate 13 . In other words, the height from the running surface 100 when the lift-up mechanism 8 lifts the transported object X1 is This is the lift amount of the transported object X1. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B , in the case of an object X1 with casters X11, the height of the lower end of the caster X11 from the running surface 100 is the amount by which the lift-up mechanism 8 lifts the object X1.

(3.2) Emergency Stop Operation Next, the operation (emergency stop operation) for operating the friction braking mechanism 3 to bring the main body 1 to an emergency stop while the main body 1 is running will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. and explain.

First, on the premise that the driving force from the drive unit 4 is not interrupted (that is, the drive unit 4 is not stopped) while the main body 1 is running (S1: No), the control unit 6 controls the wheels. The operation status of the braking mechanism 5 is confirmed (S2). The operating state of the wheel braking mechanism 5, that is, whether the wheel braking mechanism 5 is in operation, is determined by the control unit 6, for example, based on the output state of the wheel braking signal for controlling the wheel braking mechanism 5. At this time, if the wheel braking mechanism 5 is not in operation (that is, the wheel is being braked) (S2: No), the process returns to step S1.

On the other hand, if the wheel braking mechanism 5 is in operation (that is, the wheel is being braked) (S2: Yes), the control unit 6 proceeds to a predetermined condition determination process. The predetermined condition is a condition for determining whether or not the braking force of the wheel braking mechanism 5 is sufficient. When the braking force of the wheel braking mechanism 5 is insufficient, the controller 6 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. to decide. In this embodiment, the predetermined conditions include a first condition (S3), a second condition (S4) and a third condition (S5).

If the control unit 6 determines that any one of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition, which are predetermined conditions, is satisfied (S3: Yes, S4: Yes, or S5: Yes), the friction braking mechanism 3 (S6). When the friction braking mechanism 3 operates, the friction braking mechanism 3 switches the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state (S7). In other words, the control unit 6 operates the friction braking mechanism 3 to change the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the wheel braking mechanism 5 is operating. switch. That is, even though the wheels are being braked (S2: Yes), if the braking force of the wheel braking mechanism 5 is not sufficient, the controller 6 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied (S3: Yes, S4). : Yes, or S5: Yes), the friction braking mechanism 3 is operated (S6).

When the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state in this manner, the movable member 14 descends relative to the main body 1 . Here, the lift amount of the loading surface 131 due to switching of the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state is equal to the lift amount L3 of the wheels 2 . That is, the difference between the protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 in the second state and the reference value L1 corresponds to the lift amount of the loading surface 131 . When the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state, the movable member 14 and the running surface 100 come into contact with each other, and a frictional force is generated between the movable member 14 and the running surface 100 . is braked, and the main body 1 is brought to an emergency stop.

On the other hand, when the driving force from the drive unit 4 is interrupted (that is, the drive unit 4 stops) (S1), the moving device 10 causes the control unit 6 to set the above-described predetermined conditions (first to third conditions). The friction braking mechanism 3 is immediately activated without making any judgment (S6).

Next, the first condition (S3), the second condition (S4) and the third condition (S5) included in the predetermined conditions will be explained.

The first condition is that there is no correlation between the operation state of the wheel braking mechanism 5 and the behavior of the main body 1, and the behavior of the main body 1 is estimated to be abnormal. In other words, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the first condition among the predetermined conditions is satisfied based on the correlation between the operating state of the wheel braking mechanism 5 and the behavior of the main body 1 . The first condition is that the operation state of the wheel braking mechanism 5 and the behavior of the main body 1 do not have a certain correlation. For example, although the operation status of the wheel braking mechanism 5 indicates that the wheel braking mechanism 5 is in operation, the behavior of the main body 1 does not indicate deceleration of the main body 1 equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In the case where "sogo" occurs in both, the first condition is satisfied because there is no correlation between the two.

In short, if the braking force of the wheel braking mechanism 5 is sufficient, deceleration of the main body 1 by a predetermined value or more or acceleration of a predetermined value or more acts on the main body 1 while the wheel braking mechanism 5 is in operation. , etc., the main body 1 should exhibit a specific behavior related to the operating conditions of the wheel braking mechanism 5 . Therefore, when the control unit 6 determines that there is no such correlation between the operation state of the wheel braking mechanism 5 and the behavior of the main unit 1, that is, the behavior of the main unit 1 is abnormal (S3: Yes ), it is determined that the first condition is satisfied. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is such a correlation between the operation status of the wheel braking mechanism 5 and the behavior of the body portion 1, that is, the behavior of the body portion 1 is normal (S3: No), the control portion 6 determines that the first condition is not satisfied. The behavior of the main body 1 can be specified from the detection result of the detection unit 7 .

The second condition is that there is an abnormality in the braking condition of the braking wheels, such as the braking wheels being locked. In other words, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the second condition among the predetermined conditions is satisfied based on the braking status of the braking wheels. For example, when there is a sudden decrease in torque applied to a plurality of (four) wheels 2 as braking wheels, the second condition is satisfied because the wheels 2 are in an abnormal state of being locked.

In short, when the wheels 2 are locked, the wheels 2 slide on the running surface 100, and the wheel braking mechanism 5 cannot obtain sufficient braking force. Therefore, when the controller 6 determines that the braking condition of the braked wheel is abnormal (S4: Yes), it determines that the second condition is satisfied. On the other hand, when it is determined that the braking condition of the braked wheel is normal (S4: No), the control section 6 determines that the second condition is not satisfied. The braking status of the braked wheel can be specified from the detection result of the detection unit 7 .

The third condition is that the distance from the stop-required position to the main body 1 is shorter than the braking distance of the main body 1 when the wheel braking mechanism 5 is in operation. In other words, the control unit 6 compares the distance from the required stop position on the running surface 100 to the main unit 1 with the braking distance of the main unit 1 when the wheel braking mechanism 5 is activated, and determines the first of the predetermined conditions. It is determined whether or not three conditions are satisfied. The “required stop position” in the present disclosure is a position around the main body 1 at which the main body 1 should be stopped. (including a wall, an upward step, etc.) exists, the front of the obstacle becomes the required stopping position. When there is a downward step in front of the body portion 1 in the traveling direction, the front of the downward step becomes the necessary stop position. The distance from such a stop position to the main body 1, that is, the distance from the current position of the main body 1 to the stop position is also referred to as the "required stop distance". The “advancing direction” in the present disclosure is a linear direction along the direction in which the main body 1 advances, and includes both forward and rearward directions when the main body 1 advances.

In short, whether or not the braking force of the wheel braking mechanism 5 is sufficient is determined by whether or not the wheel braking mechanism 5 can stop the main body 1 to the required stop position. If the main body 1 cannot completely stop by the stop position, that is, if the required stop distance is shorter than the braking distance (by the wheel braking mechanism 5), the braking force of the wheel braking mechanism 5 is insufficient, so the third condition is satisfied. It will be. Therefore, when the controller 6 determines that the required stop distance is shorter than the braking distance (S5: Yes), it determines that the third condition is satisfied. On the other hand, when determining that the required stop distance is equal to or greater than the braking distance (S5: No), the control unit 6 determines that the third condition is not satisfied. The required stopping distance and the braking distance of the main body 1 when the wheel braking mechanism 5 is activated can be specified from the detection result of the detection unit 7 . As an example, when an obstacle exists at a position 5.5 [m] ahead of the main body 1 in the traveling direction, the required stopping distance is 5 [m]. In this case, if the braking distance of the main body 1 during operation of the wheel braking mechanism 5 calculated from the speed of the main body 1 and the like is longer than 5 [m], it is determined that the required stopping distance is shorter than the braking distance (S5 : Yes), it is determined that the third condition is satisfied.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the control method of the mobile device 10 . That is, the control method of the moving device 10 is such that at least a part of the bottom surface 11 is brought into contact with the running surface 100 by switching the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state while the main body 1 is running. It includes processing (S7) for braking the main body portion 1 by causing it to move.

Here, the order of processing in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example, and the order of processing can be changed as appropriate. For example, the order of determination processing for the first condition (S3), the second condition (S4), and the third condition (S5) may be changed as appropriate. Further, it is not essential for the mobile device 10 that the predetermined conditions include the first condition, the second condition and the third condition, and only one or two of the first condition, the second condition and the third condition may be included in the predetermined condition. Furthermore, the control unit 6 does not operate the friction braking mechanism 3 when any one of the first condition, the second condition and the third condition is satisfied. The friction braking mechanism 3 may be operated when any two or all of the three conditions are satisfied.

(4) Modifications Embodiment 1 is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiment 1 can be modified in various ways according to design and the like, as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Also, functions similar to those of the mobile device 10 according to the first embodiment may be embodied by a control method of the mobile device 10, a (computer) program, or a non-temporary recording medium recording the program. A control method of the moving device 10 according to one aspect is that the height from the running surface 100 to the bottom surface 11 is set as a reference value L1 while the main body 1 is running, and the movable member 14 protrudes from the bottom surface 11 toward the running surface 100. is switched from the first state to the second state. As a result, the movable member 14 is brought into contact with the running surface 100 to brake the main body 1 . Here, the mobile device 10 to be controlled includes a plurality of wheels 2 and a main body 1 . The main body 1 has a bottom surface 11 and is supported by a plurality of wheels 2 with the bottom surface 11 facing a running surface 100 . The first state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member 14 is less than the reference value L1. The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 is equal to or greater than the reference value L1. Modifications of the first embodiment are listed below. Modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

The mobile device 10 according to the present disclosure includes, for example, a computer system in the control unit 6 and the like. A computer system is mainly composed of a processor and a memory as hardware. The functions of the control unit 6 and the like in the present disclosure are realized by the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in advance in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through an electric communication line, or may be recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a computer system-readable memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive. may be provided. A processor in a computer system consists of one or more electronic circuits, including semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) or large scale integrated circuits (LSIs). A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip, or may be distributed over a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be distributed in a plurality of devices.

In the first embodiment, the moving device 10 is used for transporting the object X1, but the moving device 10 may be a device that travels on the traveling surface 100 with a plurality of wheels 2. It is not intended to limit the application to transportation of objects. The mobile device 10 may be, for example, a device for transporting a person (that is, a riding device), or a device that moves without performing any transport, such as a monitoring robot or a guide robot.

Also, the mobile device 10 may have a communication function with a host system. Furthermore, autonomous travel is not an essential function of the mobile device 10. For example, the mobile device 10 may be remotely operated by receiving an operation signal from a host system, transmitter, or the like.

Also, the control unit 6 and the detection unit 7 provided in the main body 1 in the first embodiment may be provided in a place other than the main body 1 . For example, some functions such as the control unit 6 and the detection unit 7 may be provided in a host system or the like that can communicate with the main unit 1 .

Further, the frictional resistance portion 121 is not limited to a part of the surface of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 , and may be provided on the entire surface of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 . The groove formed on the surface of the frictional resistance portion 121 is not an essential component of the moving device 10 and can be omitted as appropriate.

Also, the energy for operating each part of the moving device 10 is not limited to electric energy, and each part of the moving device 10 may be operated by driving force such as a prime mover, hydraulic pressure, or pneumatic pressure. Furthermore, the energy used for each part of the moving device 10 may be different. For example, the drive unit 4 may operate using a prime mover as a power source, and the friction braking mechanism 3 may be configured to be driven by electrical energy. .

Further, in Embodiment 1, the case where the friction braking mechanism 3 is operated in the emergency stop operation for emergency stop of the main body 1 was exemplified, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the mobile device 10 operates the friction braking mechanism 3 instead of the wheel braking mechanism 5 or together with the wheel braking mechanism 5 when decelerating or stopping during normal running to brake the main body 1. may

Further, it is not an essential configuration of the mobile device 10 that all of the plurality of wheels 2 are drive wheels, and for example, only the wheels 21 and 22 as "front wheels" may be drive wheels. Similarly, it is not an essential configuration of the mobile device 10 that all of the plurality of wheels 2 are braking wheels. For example, only the wheels 21 and 22 as "front wheels" may be braking wheels. Furthermore, it is not an essential configuration of the moving device 10 that the driving wheels and the braking wheels are the same wheels 2 .

Further, it is not an essential configuration of the moving device 10 that the bottom surface 11 and the surface of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 are flush with each other in the first state. That is, in the first state, the movable member 14 may protrude from the bottom surface 11 , and in this case, the surface of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 is positioned below the bottom surface 11 . Conversely, in the first state, the movable member 14 may be recessed with respect to the bottom surface 11 , in which case the surface of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 is located above the bottom surface 11 .

Further, it is not essential for the moving device 10 that the protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 in the second state is larger than the reference value L1. That is, in the second state, the protrusion amount L2 of the movable member 14 may be equal to the reference value L1. In this case, if the movable member 14 is in the second state, both the movable member 14 and the plurality of wheels 2 contact the running surface 100 .

Further, the friction braking mechanism 3 is not limited to a configuration in which the movable member 14 is lowered relative to the main body 1 by a spring force of a spring member or the like when power supply from the storage battery is cut off. For example, when the detection unit 7 detects that the driving unit 4 has stopped, the friction braking mechanism 3 may be controlled by the control unit 6 to switch the state of the movable member 14 from the first state to the second state. Even in this case, the frictional braking mechanism 3 can realize a configuration in which the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state when the drive unit 4 stops.

(Embodiment 2)
As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the moving device 10A according to the present embodiment is similar to the moving device 10 according to the first embodiment in that the loading surface 131 is inclined with respect to the traveling surface 100 when the friction braking mechanism 3 is operated. differ from In the following, configurations similar to those of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted as appropriate. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the mobile device 10A.

In this embodiment, the main body 1 has a first end and a second end at both ends of the loading surface 131 in the traveling direction (front-rear direction). The first end is the front end of the main body 1 in the direction of travel, and the second end is the rear end of the main body 1 in the direction of travel. In the example of FIG. 7A, it is assumed that the main body 1 is moving forward. In this case, the first end is the front end 131F of the loading surface 131, and the second end is the rear end of the loading surface 131. 131R.

When the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state during the forward movement of the main body 1, the friction braking mechanism 3 makes the second end (the front end 131F) faster than the first end (the front end 131F). The rear end portion 131</b>R) is raised by a small amount, and the loading surface 131 is inclined with respect to the traveling surface 100 . That is, in the moving device 10A according to the present embodiment, the loading surface 131 is inclined by an angle θ1 with respect to the traveling surface 100 as shown in FIG. 7B when the friction braking mechanism 3 is activated. Specifically, when the friction braking mechanism 3 is not in operation, the loading surface 131 is in a state parallel to the traveling surface 100, that is, in a horizontal state, as shown in FIG. 7A. When the friction braking mechanism 3 is activated from this state, the moving device 10A switches the movable member 14 to the second state and brings the surface (lower surface) of the movable member 14 facing the running surface 100 into contact with the running surface 100 . Here, in this embodiment, the lower surface of the movable member 14 is inclined with respect to the loading surface 131 . Specifically, the lower surface of the movable member 14 is inclined at an angle θ1 with respect to the loading surface 131 so as to approach the loading surface 131 toward the rear side in the traveling direction of the main body 1 . Therefore, the rear end portion 131R, which is the second end portion, of the loading surface 131 rises less than the front end portion 131F, which is the first end portion thereof. It becomes a posture that leans backward only.

In the moving device 10A according to the present embodiment described above, when the friction braking mechanism 3 is activated by the emergency stop operation and the state of the movable member 14 is switched from the first state to the second state, The loading surface 131 can be inclined. At this time, the loading surface 131 is positioned at the second end on the rear side in the traveling direction of the main body 1 compared to the first end (the front end 131F in FIG. 7B) on the front side in the traveling direction of the main body 1 . (In FIG. 7B, the rear end portion 131R) is lowered. As a result, even if the friction braking mechanism 3 operates while the moving device 10A is transporting the transported object X1, the moving device 10A prevents the transported object X1 from moving forward in the traveling direction of the main body 1 due to the inertial force. It is possible. In other words, the tilt of the loading surface 131 causes the object X1 stacked on the loading surface 131 to tilt backward, so that it is possible to prevent the object X1 from collapsing or falling forward.

8A and 8B show a mobile device 10B according to a modification of the second embodiment. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the mobile device 10B. In the moving device 10B, the friction braking mechanism 3 has a plurality of movable members 141 and 142. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, when the plurality of movable members 141 and 142 are not particularly distinguished, they are also referred to as "movable members 14". The friction braking mechanism 3 has a selective switching mode in which only some of the movable members 14 selected from the plurality of (here, two) movable members 14 are switched from the first state to the second state. In the moving device 10B, the friction braking mechanism 3 has two movable members 141 and 142 arranged in the traveling direction (front-rear direction) of the main body 1 . By operating in the selective switching mode, the friction braking mechanism 3 switches only the front movable member 141 or the rear movable member 142 from the first state to the second state among the two movable members 141 and 142. switch. By operating in the normal mode, the friction braking mechanism 3 can switch all of the plurality of movable members 141 and 142 to the second state and bring both of the plurality of movable members 141 and 142 into contact with the running surface 100. be. As described above, the contact area between the movable member 14 and the running surface 100 can be changed depending on the operation mode of the friction braking mechanism 3, so that the braking force acting on the main body 1 can be adjusted.

Furthermore, the friction braking mechanism 3 can select the direction of tilting the main body 1 depending on which of the movable member 141 on the front side and the movable member 142 on the rear side is switched to the second state depending on the direction of movement of the main body 1. . It is preferable that the controller 6 determines which of the front-side movable member 141 and the rear-side movable member 142 should be switched to the second state according to the direction of movement of the main body 1 . The direction of movement of the body portion 1 can be specified by the detection result of the detection portion 7 . In short, as in the example of FIGS. 8A and 8B , while the main body 1 is moving forward, the friction braking mechanism 3 switches only the front-side movable member 141 to the second state, thereby setting the main body 1 in the backward tilting posture. preferably.

On the other hand, while the main body 1 is moving backward, it is preferable that the friction braking mechanism 3 switches only the rear movable member 142 to the second state so that the main body 1 is tilted forward. That is, when the main body 1 is retreating, the first end is the rear end 131R of the loading surface 131, and the second end is the front end 131F of the loading surface 131. As shown in FIG. In this case, when only the rear movable member 142 is switched to the second state, only the rear end portion 131R, which is the first end portion, of the stacking surface 131 rises, and the body portion 1 assumes a forward tilting posture. Become.

Also in the moving device 10B, the lower surface of each movable member 14 is preferably inclined with respect to the loading surface 131 . Specifically, the lower surface of the movable member 141 is inclined at an angle θ1 with respect to the loading surface 131 so as to approach the loading surface 131 toward the rear side, and the lower surface of the movable member 142 approaches the loading surface 131 toward the front side. As shown in FIG. According to this configuration, when the friction braking mechanism 3 is actuated, the lower surface of the movable member 14 can be brought into surface contact with the running surface 100 as shown in FIG. 8B. Therefore, a relatively large contact area between the movable member 14 and the running surface 100 can be secured, and a relatively large frictional force acting between the movable member 14 and the running surface 100 can be secured.

Further, when the friction braking mechanism 3 operates in the selective switching mode, the second end (rear end 131R) is lowered more than the first end (front end 131F), and It is not an essential configuration of the moving device 10B that the loading surface 131 is tilted. For example, when the main body 1 moves forward, the friction braking mechanism 3 operates in the selective switching mode, so that the first end (front end 131F) descends more than the second end (rear end 131R). Alternatively, the loading surface 131 does not have to be inclined with respect to the traveling surface 100 .

The configuration (including modifications) described in the second embodiment can be appropriately combined with the configuration (including modifications) described in the first embodiment.

The drawings shown in each of the above embodiments are merely conceptual diagrams for explaining an example of the mobile devices 10, 10A, and 10B, and the shape, size, positional relationship, etc. of each part may differ from the actual mode as appropriate. There is also

(summary)
As described above, the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the first aspect includes a plurality of wheels (2), a main body (1), and a friction braking mechanism (3). The body (1) has a bottom surface (11). The main body (1) is supported by a plurality of wheels (2) with a bottom surface (11) opposed to a running surface (100), and rotates on the running surface (100) by the rotation of each of the plurality of wheels (2). to run. The friction braking mechanism (3) has a movable member (14) projecting from the bottom surface (11) toward the running surface (100). The friction braking mechanism (3) controls the state of the movable member (14) as a reference value (L1), which is the height from the running surface (100) to the bottom surface (11), while the main body (1) is running. Switch from state 1 to state 2. As a result, the friction braking mechanism (3) brings the movable member (14) into contact with the running surface (100) to brake the main body (1). The first state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member (14) is less than the reference value (L1). The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount (L2) of the movable member (14) is equal to or greater than the reference value (L1).

According to this aspect, when the friction braking mechanism (3) is activated and the state of the movable member (14) is switched from the first state to the second state, the movable member (14) is ) and the running surface (100), it is possible to brake the body (1). Therefore, for example, the braking distance of the moving devices (10, 10A, 10B) can be kept short even under conditions where the wheels (2) are likely to slip on the running surface (100). As a result, the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) can shorten the braking distance of the moving device (10, 10A, 10B).

The mobile device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the second aspect further comprises a wheel braking mechanism (5) in the first aspect. A wheel braking mechanism (5) brakes braking wheels that are at least a portion of the plurality of wheels (2).

According to this aspect, for example, the main body (1) is braked by the wheel braking mechanism (5) in a steady state, and the main body (1) is braked by the friction braking mechanism (3) in an emergency. becomes possible.

The mobile device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the third aspect further comprises a controller (6) in the second aspect. A control unit (6) operates a friction braking mechanism (3) to change the state of the movable member (14) to the first state when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the wheel braking mechanism (5) is in operation. to the second state.

According to this aspect, for example, even though the wheel braking mechanism (5) is operating, when the braking force in the wheel braking mechanism (5) is insufficient, the friction braking mechanism (3) is operated. The body (1) can be braked.

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the control section (6) controls the operation state of the wheel braking mechanism (5) and the behavior of the body section (1). Based on the correlation, it is determined whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied.

According to this aspect, for example, even though the wheel braking mechanism (5) is operating, the behavior of the main body (1) does not indicate a deceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value of the main body (1). , when there is friction between the two, the main body (1) can be braked by activating the frictional braking mechanism (3).

In the mobile device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the fifth aspect, in the third or fourth aspect, the control section (6) determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the braking status of the braking wheels. do.

According to this aspect, for example, when the braking condition of the braking wheel indicates an abnormal state in which the braking wheel is locked, the friction braking mechanism (3) can be operated to brake the main body (1). is.

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the sixth aspect, in any one of the third to fifth aspects, the control unit (6) controls the required stopping distance and the By comparing with the braking distance of the main body, it is determined whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. The required stop distance is the distance from the required stop position on the running surface (100) to the main body (1).

According to this aspect, for example, when the main body portion 1 cannot stop at the necessary stop position, it is possible to brake the main body portion (1) by operating the friction braking mechanism (3).

A moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to a seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprises a driving section (4). The driving section (4) directly or indirectly applies driving force to driving wheels that are at least a part of the plurality of wheels (2). A friction braking mechanism (3) switches the state of the movable member (14) from the first state to the second state when the driving part (4) stops.

According to this aspect, the friction braking mechanism (3) can function as a fail-safe braking system that brakes the mobile device 10 at least in an emergency.

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the eighth aspect, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the movable member (14) has friction on at least a part of the surface facing the running surface (100). It has a resistance part (121). The frictional resistance part (121) has a larger coefficient of friction with respect to the running surface (100) than the bottom surface (11).

According to this aspect, when the frictional braking mechanism (3) is activated and the frictional resistance portion (121) and the running surface (100) come into contact with each other, the braking force acting on the body portion (1) is improved. can be planned.

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the ninth aspect, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, there are a plurality of movable members (14). The friction braking mechanism (3) has a selective switching mode for switching from the first state to the second state for only some of the movable members (14) selected from among the plurality of movable members (14).

According to this aspect, depending on which movable member (14) is switched from the first state to the second state, the contact area between the movable member (14) and the running surface (100) can be changed. It becomes possible to adjust the braking force acting on the main body (1).

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the tenth aspect, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the main body (1) has a loading surface (131) on which the article (X1) is loaded. .

According to this aspect, the transfer device (10, 10A, 10B) can transfer the article (X1).

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the main body (1) further has a lift-up mechanism (8). A lift-up mechanism (8) lifts the object (X1) by raising the loading surface (131).

According to this aspect, the article (X1) can be lifted and conveyed.

In the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to the twelfth aspect, in the tenth or eleventh aspect, the main body (1) has first ends (front ends) at both ends of the loading surface (131) in the traveling direction. portion 131F) and a second end (rear end 131R). The friction braking mechanism (3) switches the state of the movable member (14) from the first state to the second state while the main body (1) is traveling with the first end side facing forward in the traveling direction. Sometimes the second end is raised less than the first end. Thereby, the friction braking mechanism (3) inclines the loading surface (131) with respect to the traveling surface (100).

According to this aspect, when the friction braking mechanism (3) is actuated, the load surface (131) tilts, causing the transported object (X1) loaded on the load surface (131) to tilt backwards. X1) can be prevented from collapsing or collapsing.

A control method for a moving device (10, 10A, 10B) according to a thirteenth aspect is such that, while the main body (1) is running, the height from the running surface (100) to the bottom surface (11) is set to the reference value (L1). , the state of the movable member (14) is switched from the first state to the second state. Thereby, the control method of the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) brings the movable member (14) into contact with the running surface (100) to brake the main body (1). The movable member (14) protrudes from the bottom surface (11) toward the running surface (100). The first state is a state in which the protrusion amount of the movable member (14) is less than the reference value (L1). The second state is a state in which the protrusion amount (L2) of the movable member (14) is equal to or greater than the reference value (L1). A mobile device (10, 10A, 10B) comprises a plurality of wheels (2) and a main body (1). The body (1) has a bottom surface (11). The main body (1) is supported by a plurality of wheels (2) with a bottom surface (11) opposed to a running surface (100), and rotates on the running surface (100) by the rotation of each of the plurality of wheels (2). to run.

According to this aspect, by switching the state of the movable member (14) from the first state to the second state, regardless of the braking state of the wheel (2), the contact between the movable member (14) and the running surface (100) is reduced. By contact, it is possible to brake the body (1). Therefore, for example, the braking distance of the moving devices (10, 10A, 10B) can be kept short even under conditions where the wheels (2) are likely to slip on the running surface (100). As a result, the control method for the moving device (10, 10A, 10B) can shorten the braking distance of the moving device (10, 10A, 10B).

Various configurations of the mobile devices (10, 10A, 10B) according to Embodiments 1 and 2 are not limited to the above aspects, and may include control methods, programs, and non-program recording programs for the mobile devices (10, 10A, 10B). It can be embodied in a temporary recording medium.

The configurations according to the second to twelfth aspects are not essential configurations for the mobile devices (10, 10A, 10B), and can be omitted as appropriate.

1 main body 2, 21, 22, 23, 24 wheels (braking wheels, driving wheels)
3 friction braking mechanism 4 driving unit 5 wheel braking mechanism 6 control unit 8 lift-up mechanism 10, 10A, 10B moving device 11 bottom surface 14, 141, 142 movable member 100 running surface 121 frictional resistance unit 131 loading surface 131F front end (first edge)
131R rear end (second end)
L1 Reference value L2 Projection amount X1 Conveyed object

Claims (9)

a plurality of wheels;
a main body having a bottom surface, supported by the plurality of wheels with the bottom surface facing the running surface, and traveling on the running surface by rotation of each of the plurality of wheels;
A movable member protruding from the bottom surface toward the running surface is provided, and the state of the movable member is determined by using the height from the running surface to the bottom surface as a reference value while the body portion is running. By switching from the first state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is less than the reference value to the second state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is equal to or greater than the reference value, the movable member is brought into contact with the running surface and the body portion a friction braking mechanism for braking the
a wheel braking mechanism that brakes braking wheels that are at least part of the plurality of wheels;
a control unit that operates the friction braking mechanism to switch the state of the movable member from the first state to the second state when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the wheel braking mechanism is operating; prepared,
The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the braking status of the braking wheel,
The predetermined condition includes a condition that at least some of the plurality of wheels are in a locked state,
The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing a distance from a stop position on the running surface to the main unit with a braking distance of the main unit when the wheel braking mechanism is operated. to decide,
mobile device. a plurality of wheels;
a main body having a bottom surface, supported by the plurality of wheels with the bottom surface facing the running surface, and traveling on the running surface by rotation of each of the plurality of wheels;
A movable member protruding from the bottom surface toward the running surface is provided, and the state of the movable member is determined by using the height from the running surface to the bottom surface as a reference value while the body portion is running. By switching from the first state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is less than the reference value to the second state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is equal to or greater than the reference value, the movable member is brought into contact with the running surface and the body portion a friction braking mechanism for braking the
a wheel braking mechanism that brakes braking wheels that are at least part of the plurality of wheels;
a control unit that operates the friction braking mechanism to switch the state of the movable member from the first state to the second state when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the wheel braking mechanism is operating; prepared,
The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the braking status of the braking wheel,
The predetermined condition includes a condition that at least some of the plurality of wheels are in a locked state,
further comprising a driving unit that directly or indirectly applies a driving force to a driving wheel that is at least part of the plurality of wheels;
The friction braking mechanism switches the state of the movable member from the first state to the second state when the driving unit stops.
mobile device. The control unit determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the correlation between the operation status of the wheel braking mechanism and the behavior of the main body.
3. A mobile device according to claim 1 or 2. The movable member has a frictional resistance part on at least a part of the surface facing the running surface,
The frictional resistance portion has a coefficient of friction greater than that of the bottom surface with respect to the running surface,
A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. There are a plurality of the movable members,
The friction braking mechanism has a selective switching mode for switching from the first state to the second state only for some of the movable members selected from the plurality of movable members.
A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The main body portion has a loading surface on which an object is loaded,
A mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The main body further has a lift-up mechanism that lifts the conveyed object by raising the loading surface,
7. A mobile device according to claim 6. the main body has a first end and a second end at both ends of the loading surface in a traveling direction including forward and rearward;
The friction braking mechanism, when the state of the movable member is switched from the first state to the second state while the main body is running in the direction in which the first end side is forward in the traveling direction, The loading surface is inclined with respect to the traveling surface by making the amount of rise of the second end smaller than that of the first end.
8. A mobile device according to claim 6 or 7. a plurality of wheels;
a main body that has a bottom surface, is supported by the plurality of wheels with the bottom surface facing a running surface , and travels on the running surface by rotation of each of the plurality of wheels. a method,
While the main body is running, the state of the movable member protruding from the bottom surface toward the running surface is measured using the height from the running surface to the bottom surface as a reference value, and the state of at least some of the plurality of wheels is measured. by switching from a first state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is less than the reference value to a second state in which the amount of protrusion of the movable member is equal to or greater than the reference value when the wheel is in a locked state , bringing the movable member into contact with the running surface to brake the main body;
A comparison of the distance from the stop position on the running surface to the main body and the braking distance of the main body when a wheel braking mechanism that brakes at least a part of the plurality of wheels is operated. Determining whether at least some of the plurality of wheels are in a locked state by
A control method for a mobile device.

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