JP7213446B2 - transport vehicle - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a carrier vehicle, and more particularly, a carrier having an omnidirectional vehicle equipped with omnidirectional driving wheels and a driven carriage equipped with a loading platform and connected to a coupling shaft provided at the turning center of the omnidirectional vehicle. Regarding vehicles.

In recent years, for example, it has been considered to use an omnidirectional vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 for transporting articles and the like. This type of omnidirectional vehicle does not require a turning motion and can move freely by translating, turning, and diagonally even in a narrow or crowded place. However, omnidirectional vehicles have limited cargo carrying capacity.

By the way, as a conventional carrier vehicle, for example, a carrier vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 2 is known. In the transport vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 2, the rear vehicle body is towed by the front vehicle body, and the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body are connected so as to be relatively rotatable in the left-right direction about a connecting shaft. The front vehicle body is provided with front wheels, and the rear vehicle body is provided with rear wheels in a plurality of front and rear rows. A turning device for turning the axle of the rear wheel in the frontmost row and the axle of the rear wheel in the last row toward the turning center of the transportation vehicle when the front vehicle body is turned in the left-right direction with respect to the rear vehicle body. are provided.

According to the transportation vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the front vehicle body rotates in the left-right direction with respect to the rear vehicle body, the axle of the rear wheel in the frontmost row and the axle of the rear wheel in the rearmost row are exchanged. A turning device turns toward the turning center of the vehicle body. As a result, the rear wheels in the frontmost row and the rear wheels in the last row are turned along the turning direction, so that the rear wheels in the frontmost row and the rear wheels in the last row are prevented from slipping sideways, and the transportation vehicle is in an emergency. to turn smoothly. Therefore, damage to the rear wheels in the frontmost row and the rear wheels in the last row can be reduced, and the turning radius of the transportation vehicle can be reduced.

JP 2018-148728 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-301635

However, in the transport vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 2, although it is possible to reduce the turning radius, the transport vehicle is structurally unable to travel diagonally while changing its orientation without changing its posture. There is a problem. It is desired that the transport vehicle should be able to move freely by translation, turning, and oblique movement even in a narrow or crowded place, and should also have a sufficient loading capacity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle capable of reducing the turning radius, obliquely traveling, and improving the load carrying capacity. It is in.

In order to solve the above problems, an omnidirectional vehicle that can move in all directions in a plan view, and a driven carriage that includes a loading platform and is connected to a connecting shaft provided at the turning center of the omnidirectional vehicle. The omnidirectional vehicle includes a plurality of omnidirectional driving wheels, a traveling motor provided for each of the omnidirectional driving wheels, and a control device for driving and controlling the traveling motor; a driven axle portion for supporting a driven wheel; and a turning shaft positioned behind the turning center and allowing the driven axle portion to turn; A steering mechanism that steers the driven axle in conjunction with turning of the directional vehicle about the connecting shaft , wherein the steering mechanism is a link that connects the omnidirectional vehicle and the driven axle. a member, a front pin provided in the omnidirectional vehicle in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction away from the turning center; a spaced aft pin, wherein a forward end of the link member is connected to the forward pin, a rear end of the link member is connected to the aft pin, and the driven axle portion is connected to the steering pin; The omnidirectional vehicle is turned with respect to the driven truck so as to turn with respect to the driven truck via a mechanism, and the omnidirectional vehicle is maintained in a steering state in which the driven axle portion is turned. The omnidirectional driving wheels are driven so that the moving vehicle advances in a direction parallel to the axle of the driven wheels, whereby the omnidirectional moving vehicle and the driven carriage turn and travel, and the driven axle portion is steered. The omnidirectional vehicle is turned with respect to the driven truck so as to turn with respect to the driven truck via a mechanism, and the omnidirectional vehicle is maintained in a steering state in which the driven axle portion is turned. The omnidirectional drive wheels are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle and the driven carriage travel in an oblique direction so that the omnidirectional vehicle advances in a direction perpendicular to the axle of the driven wheel .

In the present invention, when the omnidirectional vehicle turns, the steering mechanism steers the driven axle in conjunction with the turning of the omnidirectional vehicle. When the omnidirectional vehicle turns, the driven axle is steered by the steering mechanism. It is possible to run diagonally without

Further , since the link member provided in the steering mechanism is connected to the front pin and the rear pin, the turning motion of the omnidirectional vehicle can be reflected in the turning motion of the driven axle portion via the link member. A pivoting motion can be reliably converted into a pivoting motion of the driven axle portion using the link member.

Further, in the transport vehicle described above, the link member has a parallel link member having a longitudinal direction parallel to a front-rear imaginary line connecting the turning center and the center of the revolving shaft, or has a longitudinal direction intersecting with the front-rear imaginary line. It is good also as a structure which is a cross-link member.
In this case, when the link members are parallel link members, it is easy to assemble the transport vehicle. In addition, when turning, the center of the connecting shaft and the center of the front pin coincide with the traveling direction of the omnidirectional vehicle, and the parallel link member is less likely to move unintentionally during turning. When the link member is a cross link member, the center of the connecting shaft and the center of the front pin coincide with the direction of travel of the omnidirectional vehicle during oblique travel, and the cross link member is less likely to move erratically during oblique travel.

Further, in the transport vehicle described above, the driven carriage may have omnidirectional driven wheels arranged in the lateral direction of the driven carriage.
In this case, the running stability of the driven truck is further improved, and the cargo can be smoothly transported by the transport vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport vehicle capable of reducing the turning radius, obliquely traveling, and improving the load carrying capacity.

1 is a plan view showing an outline of a carrier vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. (a) is a side view of the transport vehicle, and (b) is a rear view of the transport vehicle. (a) is a plan view showing the steering of the transport vehicle during turning, and (b) is a plan view showing the traveling locus of the transport vehicle during turning. (a) is a plan view showing the steering of the conveying vehicle during oblique movement, and (b) is a plan view showing the traveling locus of the conveying vehicle during oblique movement. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an outline of a carrier vehicle according to a second embodiment; (a) is a plan view showing steering during turning of the transport vehicle, and (b) is a plan view showing steering during oblique movement of the transport vehicle. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an outline of a transport vehicle according to a reference example ; (a) is a plan view showing steering during turning of the transport vehicle, and (b) is a plan view showing steering during oblique movement of the transport vehicle.

(First embodiment)
A transport vehicle according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier vehicle 10 has a four-wheel omnidirectional vehicle 11 and a driven carriage 12 that is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11 and towed.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the omnidirectional vehicle 11 includes a vehicle body 13 and four omnidirectional driving wheels 14 provided on the vehicle body 13 . The vehicle body 13 is cylindrical, and a mark 16 indicating the front of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is provided on the upper surface 15 of the vehicle body 13 . A connecting shaft 17 is erected on an upper surface 15 of the vehicle body 13 . A center P of the connecting shaft 17 coincides with the center of the vehicle body 13 . The connecting shaft 17 is a shaft member for connecting the driven truck 12 . As shown in FIG. 2( a ), the vehicle body 13 accommodates a control device 18 that controls each part of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 .

Each of the omni-directional driving wheels 14 is an omni-wheel, and is a wheel configured to be drivable. As shown in FIG. 1, the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 are arranged at 90° intervals with respect to the center P of the vehicle body 13 in plan view. The omnidirectional driving wheel 14 is provided with a plurality of barrel-shaped rollers (not shown) that freely rotate in the circumferential direction of the omnidirectional driving wheel 14, and can move freely forward and backward and left and right. The omnidirectional vehicle 11 uses four omnidirectional drive wheels 14 configured in this way so that the vehicle body 13 can be moved in all directions without moving the axle. Further, the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is capable of super pivot turning with the center P of the vehicle body 13 as the turning center. A travel motor (not shown) is provided as a drive source for each omnidirectional drive wheel 14. The travel motor is driven and controlled under the control of a control device 18 to rotate the omnidirectional drive wheel 14 forward or reverse. Rotate.

Next, the driven truck 12 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the driven truck 12 is a truck on which the load W is mounted. The driven truck 12 includes a truck main body 21, a driven axle portion 22 that supports a pair of left and right driven wheels 23, a turning shaft 24 that allows the driven axle portion 22 to turn, and an omnidirectional driven wheel 25 that can be driven in all directions. and have The driven truck 12 is not provided with any drive source for traveling or steering. Note that the driven wheels are wheels that can rotate following the movement of the driven truck 12 . In this embodiment, two omnidirectional driven wheels 25 are arranged in each of the lateral direction (vehicle width direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the driven truck 12 .

As shown in FIGS. 2( a ) and 2 ( b ), a loading platform 26 on which a load W can be loaded is provided on the top of the carriage body 21 . An arm portion 27 projecting forward is formed on the front portion of the carriage body 21 . The arm portion 27 is a member for connecting the driven carriage 12 to the omnidirectional vehicle 11. A shaft hole 28 into which the connecting shaft 17 can be inserted is formed at the tip portion of the arm portion 27. As shown in FIG. The driven carriage 12 is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11 by inserting the connecting shaft 17 into the shaft hole 28 of the arm portion 27 .

A turning shaft 24 is provided toward the rear of the lower portion of the carriage body 21 so as to face downward. The center Q of the swivel shaft 24 is located at the center of the carriage body 21 in the width direction, and is located closer to the rear than the shaft hole 28 . A driven axle portion 22 is connected to the pivot shaft 24 . The driven axle portion 22 extends in the width direction of the carriage body 21 , and the center portion of the driven axle portion 22 in the longitudinal direction is rotatably connected to the turning shaft 24 . A driven wheel 23 is rotatably supported at both ends of the driven axle portion 22 . An axle (not shown) of the driven wheel 23 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the driven axle portion 22 .

The driven axle portion 22 that supports the driven wheels 23 is steered by a steering mechanism 31, which will be described later. When the driven truck 12 is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11, the straight line connecting the center (turning center) P of the connecting shaft 17 and the center Q of the turning shaft 24 coincides with the front-rear direction. Let it be L1. In order for the carriage body 21 to travel in the front-rear direction, the driven axle part 22 is positioned so that the longitudinal direction of the driven axle part 22 is orthogonal to the front-rear imaginary line L1.

The truck main body 21 is provided with an omnidirectional driven wheel 25 in addition to the driven axle portion 22 . A pair of left and right omnidirectional driven wheels 25 are provided near the front and center of the truck body 21 . Each omnidirectional driven wheel 25 is a wheel configured to be omnidirectionally driven. Therefore, the omnidirectional driven wheels 25 change their orientation to follow the traveling direction of the driven truck 12 .

Next, the steering mechanism 31 will be explained. The steering mechanism 31 has a function of steering the driven axle portion 22 in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 . The steering mechanism 31 of this embodiment has a pair of front pins 32 provided on the omnidirectional vehicle 11 , a pair of rear pins 33 provided on the driven truck 12 , and a pair of parallel link members 34 .

The pair of front pins 32 are erected on both sides of the connecting shaft 17 in the vehicle body 13 . In a state in which the mark 16 faces forward, that is, in a state in which the front of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 faces forward, a virtual line L2 connecting the center P of the connecting shaft 17 and the centers of the pair of front pins 32 is , perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The distances from the center P of the connecting shaft 17 to the centers of the pair of front pins 32 are equal.

A pair of rear pins 33 are erected on the driven axle portion 22 so as to be positioned on both sides of the center Q of the pivot shaft 24 . In a state in which the longitudinal direction of the driven axle portion 22 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, an imaginary line L3 connecting the center Q of the turning shaft 24 and the centers of the pair of rear pins 33 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The distances from the center Q of the connecting shaft 17 to the centers of the pair of rear pins 33 are equal. Also, the distance from the center Q of the connecting shaft 17 to the rear pin 33 is equal to the distance from the center P of the connecting shaft 17 to the center of the front pin 32 . The outer diameter of the rear pin 33 is the same as that of the front pin 32 .

The parallel link member 34 is an elongated rod connected to the front pin 32 and the rear pin 33 . Axial holes 35 are formed at both ends of the parallel link member 34, respectively. Axial hole 35 has a hole diameter that allows insertion of front pin 32 and rear pin 33 . A front pin 32 is inserted into a shaft hole 35 at the front end of the parallel link member 34, and a rear pin 33 is inserted into the shaft hole 35 at the rear end. Parallel link member 34 is rotatable with respect to front pin 32 and rear pin 33 . The parallel link member 34 is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11 via the front pin 32 and connected to the driven carriage 12 via the rear pin 33 . The pair of parallel link members 34 are parallel to each other and the longitudinal direction is always the front-rear direction.

In a state in which the parallel link members 34 are connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11 and the driven truck 12, when the omnidirectional vehicle 11 turns, the pair of parallel link members 34 are connected to the driven axle portions in accordance with the turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11. 22 is pivoted about pivot axis 24 . That is, the turning motion of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is converted into the steering motion of the driven axle portion 22 . Thus, the steering mechanism 31 steers the driven axle portion 22 in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 .

Next, traveling of the carrier vehicle 10 of the present embodiment will be described. First, when the carrier vehicle 10 is to move straight, the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is advanced without turning, so that the driven carriage 12 is pulled by the omnidirectional vehicle 11 and moves straight. The arrows shown near the omnidirectional driving wheels 14 in FIG. 1 indicate the driving directions of the omnidirectional driving wheels 14 .

Next, a case where the conveyance vehicle 10 is turned and traveled will be described. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the vehicle body 13 of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is turned counterclockwise by 45°, the driven axle portion 22 is turned counterclockwise by 45° via the parallel link member 34 . be. Then, when the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances in the direction of 45° to the right of the forward direction (1:30 direction indicated by the white arrow), the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances. Along with this, the driven truck 12 moves so that the rear portion of the driven truck 12 draws a clockwise circular arc. The omnidirectional vehicle 11 and the driven truck 12, for example, as shown in FIG. pass without In this case, the transport vehicle 10 does not turn back.

Next, a case where the conveying vehicle 10 is caused to travel obliquely will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the vehicle body 13 of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is turned counterclockwise by 45°, the driven axle portion 22 is turned counterclockwise by 45° via the parallel link member . be. Then, when the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances in the direction of 45 degrees to the left of the forward direction (10:30 direction indicated by the white arrow), the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances. Along with this, the driven truck 12 obliquely travels in the direction of 45 degrees to the left without changing its attitude. The omnidirectional vehicle 11 and the driven truck 12 move, for example, by drawing a trajectory shown in FIG. 4(b).

The transport vehicle 10 of this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) When the omnidirectional vehicle 11 turns, the steering mechanism 31 steers the driven axle portion 22 in conjunction with the turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 . With the driven axle portion 22 being steered by the steering mechanism 31 due to the turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11, the transport vehicle 10 can travel in a manner similar to a pivot turn depending on the direction in which the omnidirectional vehicle 11 travels, and the omnidirectional vehicle 11 can can obliquely travel together with the driven truck 12 without changing its posture. As a result, the turning radius of the transport vehicle 10 can be reduced and the transport vehicle 10 can travel obliquely.

(2) Since the parallel link member 34 of the steering mechanism 31 is connected to the front pin 32 and the rear pin 33, the turning motion of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 causes the driven axle portion 22 to turn through the parallel link member 34. can be reflected in The parallel link member 34 can be used to reliably convert pivoting motion into pivoting motion of the driven axle portion 22 .

(3) The parallel link member 34 has a longitudinal direction parallel to the front-rear imaginary line L1 connecting the center P of the connecting shaft 17 and the center Q of the turning shaft 24 . Since the parallel link member 34 is easy to assemble, the transportation vehicle 10 can be easily assembled. Further, when the transport vehicle 10 turns, the center P of the connecting shaft 17 and the center of the front pin 32 coincide with the traveling direction of the omnidirectional vehicle 11, so that the parallel link member 34 is less likely to move unintentionally while the transport vehicle 10 turns.

(4) Since the transport vehicle 10 can travel in a variety of ways, such as translation, turning, and diagonal travel, it can pass through narrow or complicated routes that cannot normally be passed when a general driven vehicle is towed, without turning back. can do. In addition, it becomes possible to travel such as side-to-side and reverse, which is impossible with a general driven truck.

(5) Since the driven truck 12 has the omnidirectional driven wheels 25 arranged in the left-right direction of the driven truck 12, the running stability of the driven truck 12 is further improved, and the transport vehicle can carry the load smoothly. can be done. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the driven truck 12 from overturning and to improve its load bearing capacity.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a transport vehicle according to a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that cross link members are used instead of parallel link members. For the same configuration as in the first embodiment, the description of the first embodiment is used, and common reference numerals are used.

A carrier vehicle 40 shown in FIG. 5 includes a steering mechanism 41 that steers a driven axle portion 22 in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 . The steering mechanism 41 of this embodiment has a pair of front pins 32 provided on the omnidirectional vehicle 11 , a pair of rear pins 33 provided on the driven truck 12 , and a pair of cross link members 42 .

Cross-link member 42 is an elongated rod connected to front pin 32 and rear pin 33 . Axial holes 35 are formed at both ends of the cross link member 42 . Axial hole 35 has a hole diameter that allows insertion of front pin 32 and rear pin 33 . The front pin 32 is inserted into the shaft hole 35 at the front end of the cross link member 42, and the rear pin 33 is inserted into the shaft hole 35 at the rear end of the cross link member 42. The cross link member 42 includes the front pin 32 and the rear pin. 33 is rotatable. A pair of cross link members 42 are connected to the front pin 32 and the rear pin 33 so as to cross the front-rear imaginary line L1 and cross each other. The cross link member 42 is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11 via the front pin 32 and to the driven truck 12 via the rear pin 33 .

In a state in which the cross link members 42 are connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 11 and the driven truck 12, when the omnidirectional vehicle 11 turns, the pair of cross link members 42 are connected to the driven axle portions according to the turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11. 22 is pivoted about pivot axis 24 . That is, the turning motion of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is converted into the steering motion of the driven axle portion 22 . Thus, the steering mechanism 31 steers the driven axle portion 22 in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 .

Next, traveling of the carrier vehicle 40 of the present embodiment will be described. First, when the carrier vehicle 40 is to move straight, the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is moved forward without turning, so that the driven carriage 12 is pulled by the omnidirectional vehicle 11 and moves straight. The arrows shown in the vicinity of the omnidirectional driving wheels 14 in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) indicate the driving directions of the omnidirectional driving wheels 14. As shown in FIG.

Next, a case where the conveyance vehicle 40 is turned and traveled will be described. As shown in FIG. 6( a ), when the vehicle body 13 of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is turned clockwise by 45°, the driven axle portion 22 is turned counterclockwise by 45° via the cross link member 42 . . Then, when the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances in the right 45° direction (1:30 direction), the driven truck 12 moves along with the omnidirectional vehicle 11 moving forward. The driven carriage 12 moves so that the rear portion of the carriage draws an arc clockwise. The omnidirectional vehicle 11 and the driven truck 12 move along a trajectory close to a pivot turn.

Next, a case where the conveying vehicle 40 is caused to travel obliquely will be described. As shown in FIG. 6B, when the vehicle body 13 of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 is turned clockwise by 45°, the driven axle portion 22 is turned counterclockwise by 45° via the cross link member 42. . Then, when the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances in the left 45° direction (10:30 direction), the driven carriage 12 is driven as the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances. slants to the left 45° without changing its posture.

The conveying vehicle 40 of this embodiment has the same effects as the effects (1) and (5) of the first embodiment. In addition, since the cross link member 42 provided in the steering mechanism 31 is connected to the front pin 32 and the rear pin 33, the turning motion of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 causes the driven axle portion 22 to turn through the cross link member 42. can be reflected. The cross-link member 42 can be used to positively convert pivoting motion into pivoting motion of the driven axle portion 22 .

Further, the cross link member 42 has a longitudinal direction that intersects the front-rear imaginary line L<b>1 that connects the center P of the connecting shaft 17 and the center Q of the turning shaft 24 . The center P of the connecting shaft 17 and the center of the front pin 32 coincide with the traveling direction of the omnidirectional vehicle 11 when the transport vehicle 40 is obliquely traveling, and the cross link member 42 is less likely to move erratically while the transport vehicle 10 is obliquely traveling.

( Reference example )
Next, a transport vehicle according to a reference example will be described. This reference example differs from the first embodiment in that pulleys and endless belts are used instead of link members. For the same configuration as in the first embodiment, the description of the first embodiment is used, and common reference numerals are used.

As shown in FIG. 7, the carrier vehicle 50 has a four-wheel omnidirectional vehicle 51 and a driven carriage 52 that is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 51 and towed.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the omnidirectional vehicle 51 includes a vehicle body 13 and four omnidirectional drive wheels 14 provided on the vehicle body 13 . The driven truck 52 is a truck on which the load W is mounted. The driven truck 52 includes a truck main body 21, a driven axle portion 53 that independently supports a pair of left and right driven wheels 54, a turning shaft 55 that allows the driven axle portion 22 to turn in all directions, and a driven wheel. and a directional follower wheel 25 . The driven truck 52 is not provided with any drive source for traveling or steering. The driven carriage 52 is connected to the omnidirectional vehicle 51 by inserting the connecting shaft 17 into the shaft hole 28 of the arm portion 27 .

A driven axle portion 53 that supports driven wheels 54 is steered by a steering mechanism 56 . The steering mechanism 56 has a function of steering the driven axle portion 53 in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 51 . The steering mechanism 56 of this reference example includes a front pulley 57 provided on the connecting shaft 17 of the omnidirectional vehicle 51, a rear pulley 58 provided on the driven axle portion 53, and suspended on the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58. and an endless belt 59 that is

The front pulley 57 is attached to the connecting shaft 17 in the vehicle body 13 . The rotation center of the connecting shaft 17 is the same as the center P, and the front pulley 57 provided concentrically with the connecting shaft 17 rotates in the turning direction together with the vehicle body 13 when the vehicle body 13 turns. The rear pulleys 58 are attached to the pair of left and right driven axle portions 53, respectively. The center of the rear pulley 58 is the same as the center R of the pivot shaft 55, and the rear pulley 58 provided concentrically with the pivot shaft 55 rotates together with the driven axle portion 53 in the pivoting direction when the driven axle portion 53 pivots. The diameter of rear pulley 58 is the same as the diameter of front pulley 57 . A belt groove (not shown) is formed on the outer periphery of the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58 to enable the endless belt 59 to be suspended.

The endless belt 59 is an annular belt with no ends and is suspended in belt grooves of the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58 . The endless belt 59 is preferably made of a material that does not slip easily on the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58 . In this embodiment, the driven carriage 52 is provided with a tension roller 60 for increasing the tension of the endless belt 59 . The tension roller 60 is rotatably provided between the front pulley 57 and one rear pulley 58 and between the front pulley 57 and the other rear pulley 58 .

With the endless belt 59 suspended between the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58 , when the omnidirectional vehicle 51 turns, the rotation of the front pulley 57 in the turning direction is applied to the rear pulleys 58 via the endless belt 59 . transmitted. The rear pulley 58 then rotates in the same direction as the front pulley 57, causing the driven axle portion 53 to pivot. Since the diameter of the rear pulley 58 is the same as the diameter of the front pulley 57, the rotation angle of the front pulley 57 and the rotation angle of the rear pulley 58 are the same. Thus, the turning motion of the omnidirectional vehicle 51 is converted into a steering motion of the driven axle portion 53 . That is, the steering mechanism 56 steers the driven axle portion 22 in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle 51 .

Next, traveling of the carrier vehicle 50 of the reference example will be described. First, when the transport vehicle 50 is to move straight, the omnidirectional vehicle 51 is advanced without turning, so that the driven carriage 52 is pulled by the omnidirectional vehicle 51 and moves straight. The arrows shown in the vicinity of the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 in FIGS. 8A and 8B indicate the driving directions of the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 .

Next, a case where the conveyance vehicle 50 is turned and traveled will be described. As shown in FIG. 8(a), when the vehicle body 13 of the omnidirectional vehicle 51 is rotated counterclockwise by 45°, the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58 are rotated counterclockwise by 45°. Axle portion 53 is pivoted 45° counterclockwise. Then, when the omnidirectional driving wheels 14 are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle 11 advances in the direction of 45° to the right of the forward direction (1:30 direction), the driven carriage 12 moves as the omnidirectional vehicle 51 advances. The driven carriage 52 moves so that the rear portion of the carriage draws an arc clockwise. The omnidirectional vehicle 51 and the driven truck 52 move while drawing a trajectory close to a pivot turn.

Next, a case where the conveying vehicle 50 is caused to travel obliquely will be described. As shown in FIG. 8(b), when the vehicle body 13 of the omnidirectional vehicle 51 is turned counterclockwise by 45°, the front pulley 57 and the rear pulley 58 are rotated counterclockwise by 45°. Axle portion 53 is pivoted 45° counterclockwise. Then, when the omnidirectional drive wheels 14 are driven so that the omnidirectional vehicle 51 advances in the left 45° direction (direction of 10:30), the driven truck 52 is driven as the omnidirectional vehicle 51 advances. slants to the left 45° without changing its posture.

The transport vehicle 50 of the reference example has the same effect as the effect (1) of the first embodiment. Further, since the steering mechanism 56 includes the front pulley 57, the rear pulley 58, and the endless belt 59, the turning angle of the omnidirectional vehicle 51 and the driven axle portion 53 are limited compared to the case of using link members. never receive

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the following modifications may be made.

O In the above embodiment, the omnidirectional vehicle having four omnidirectional drive wheels is used, but this is not the only option. For example, it may be an omnidirectional vehicle with three omnidirectional drive wheels. In this case, the omnidirectional wheels may be arranged every 120° with respect to the center of the omnidirectional vehicle in plan view. It may also have five or more omnidirectional drive wheels.
In the above embodiment, the driven truck is provided with a pair of steerable left and right driven wheels. In this case, a link member or a rear pulley may be provided on the driven axle portion that supports one driven wheel.
○ In the first and second embodiments, a pair of parallel links and a pair of cross links are provided on the left and right sides, respectively, but this is not the only option. There may be one parallel link and one cross link.
○In the reference example , the steering mechanism has a front pulley, a rear pulley and an endless belt. Including chain.
(circle) although it presupposed that a driven truck has an omnidirectional driven wheel in said embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, it may be a driven truck that does not have omnidirectional driven wheels, but has steerable driven wheels that are supported by driven axle portions.
○ In the above embodiment, the driven bogie does not have any drive source for running or steering. It doesn't stop you from being prepared.
O In the above embodiment, the load is placed on the driven truck, but the load may be placed on the omnidirectional vehicle other than the driven truck.

10, 40, 50 transport vehicle 11, 51 omnidirectional mobile vehicle 12, 52 driven truck 13 vehicle main body 14 omnidirectional driving wheel 17 connecting shaft 22, 53 driven axle part 23, 54 driven wheel 24 turning shaft 25 omnidirectional driven wheel 31 , 41, 55 steering mechanism 32 front pin 33 rear pin 34 parallel link member (as link member)
42 cross link members (as link members)
56 front pulley 57 rear pulley 58 endless belt L1 front and rear imaginary lines L2, L3 imaginary lines P, Q, R center W load

Claims (3)

an omnidirectional vehicle that can move in all directions in plan view;
a driven carriage that includes a loading platform and is connected to a connection shaft provided at the turning center of the omnidirectional vehicle;
The omnidirectional vehicle includes:
a plurality of omnidirectional drive wheels;
a traveling motor provided for each of the omnidirectional drive wheels;
a control device for driving and controlling the travel motor,
The driven truck is
a driven axle portion that supports a driven wheel;
a pivot shaft located behind the pivot center and allowing the driven axle portion to pivot,
a steering mechanism that steers the driven axle portion in conjunction with turning of the omnidirectional vehicle about the connecting shaft by drive control of the traveling motor of the control device ;
The steering mechanism is
a link member that connects the omnidirectional vehicle and the driven axle portion;
a front pin provided away from the turning center in the omnidirectional vehicle in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction;
a rear pin provided on the driven axle portion and provided away from the center of the pivot shaft in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction;
a front end of the link member is connected to the front pin;
the rear end of the link member is connected to the rear pin;
The omnidirectional vehicle is turned with respect to the driven truck so that the driven axle turns with respect to the driven truck through the steering mechanism, and a steering state in which the driven axle is turned is obtained. The omnidirectional vehicle and the driven truck turn and travel by driving the omnidirectional drive wheels so that the omnidirectional vehicle advances in a direction parallel to the axle of the driven wheel while maintaining the
The omnidirectional vehicle is turned with respect to the driven truck so that the driven axle turns with respect to the driven truck through the steering mechanism, and a steering state in which the driven axle is turned is obtained. The omnidirectional vehicle and the driven truck run obliquely by driving the omnidirectional drive wheels so that the omnidirectional vehicle advances in a direction perpendicular to the axle of the driven wheel while maintaining the A transport vehicle characterized by: The link member is a parallel link member having a longitudinal direction parallel to a front-rear imaginary line connecting the center of rotation and the center of the revolving shaft, or a cross link member having a longitudinal direction intersecting the front-rear imaginary line. The transportation vehicle according to claim 1. 3. The transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the driven carriage has omnidirectional driven wheels arranged in the lateral direction of the driven carriage .

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