JPH0119809Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a battery exchange device used for exchanging the battery of an automatic guided vehicle that runs on a battery.

In recent years, as automation in factories and supermarkets has progressed, automatic guided vehicles that run on batteries have come into widespread use, but when charging the batteries of these automatic guided vehicles, conventionally the automatic guided vehicle was stopped in front of the charging device. Complete unmanned operation was not possible because the onboard battery charging device had to be manually connected to the power source for charging. Furthermore, since charging time takes 8 to 10 hours, the automatic guided vehicle must be stopped during this charging time, resulting in poor efficiency.

In view of these points, the present invention replaces the battery of an automatic guided vehicle that has consumed electricity with a battery that has been charged with electricity, thereby shortening the downtime of the automatic guided vehicle and achieving full automation. This device was developed for the purpose of providing a battery exchange device that has a front opening, and vertical guide rails are attached to both sides of the housing having a front opening, and a support base is provided along the guide rails so as to be movable up and down. The charging stations are stacked in multiple stages in the housing along this elevation path, and a pair of horizontal guide rails are provided on the support base toward the opening, and a pair of horizontal guide rails are provided along the guide rails. A support rail is provided that can move forward and backward, and a pair of holding arms that can be engaged with a battery on the automated guided vehicle located in the opening are further provided along this support rail so that it can move forward and backward. .

The present invention will be explained below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which an automatic guided vehicle 1 is formed with a battery storage section 2 that is open on one side, and the lower surface of the battery storage section 2 is is provided with a pair of positioning protrusions 3, 3 and contacts 5, 5 for electrical connection with a battery 4, which will be described later.

On the other hand, as shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, the battery 4 stored in the battery storage section 2 has its lower end covered by a battery case 6, which is made of plastic or similar material. A recess 8 is formed in the center of the bottom surface 7 of the recess 8 . Further, a pair of lead metal fittings 10, 10 are buried in the bottom wall 9 of the battery case 6 so that their tips face the recess 8, and the tips of the lead metal fittings 10 are in contact with the contact point 5, respectively. A touchable contact 11 is formed. Further, a ring 12 made of a conductor is fitted around the outer periphery of each conductor fitting 10, and the ring 12 and the terminal 13 of the battery 4 are electrically connected by conductive wires 14, respectively.

A pair of left and right positioning recesses 15, 15 are formed in the bottom surface 7 of the battery case 6, and each positioning recess 15 can be fitted with the protrusion 3, as shown in FIG. ing. moreover,
The contact 5 of the battery storage portion 2 is formed by a U-shaped leaf spring, and is adapted to come into pressure contact with the contact 11 of the battery case 6. Furthermore, a pair of stop portions 16, 16 extending laterally is provided projecting from the upper end of the battery case 6.
Note that the contact point 5 is electrically connected to a motor, a control device, and a storage device (not shown) in the automatic guided vehicle 1 via a conductive wire 17.

On the other hand, two charging stations 18a and 18b for charging the battery 4 are connected to the housing 19.
are vertically stacked, and a waiting station 20 is located above the upper charging station 18a.
is formed. On the lower surfaces of the charging station 18 and the waiting station 20, a pair of protrusions 21, 21 similar to the positioning protrusion 3 are provided.
The recesses 15, 15 of the battery case 6 are provided in a protruding manner at intervals. Also,
A pair of contacts 2 are provided on the bottom of both charging stations 18.
2 and 22 are the contacts 11 of the battery case 6,
11, and each contact 11 is connected to the housing 1 via a conductive wire 23.
It is connected to a charger 24 provided on the back of the vehicle.

A battery exchange device 25 of the present invention is disposed in the housing 19 in front of each of the stations 18, 20. This battery exchange device 25 has a pair of left and right guide rails 26, 26 that extend in the vertical direction and have a U-shaped cross section, and a support base 27 is raised and lowered along these guide rails 26, 26. ing. That is, a rack 28 is attached to one side of each guide rail 26, and pinions 29, 29 driven by a motor (not shown) are provided on the support base 27 so as to mesh with the rack 28. ing. Furthermore, guide rollers 3 that roll within the guide rails 26 are provided above and below on both sides of the support base 27, respectively.
0,30 are provided. Therefore, the support base 27 is moved along the guide rail 26 by the drive of the motor.
can be moved up and down along the

A circular turntable 31 that can be rotated relative to the support base 27 by the drive of another motor (not shown) is disposed in the center of the support base 27. Two guide rails are provided on the turntable 31. 32, 32 are attached in parallel. Further, two support rails 34, 34 are arranged in parallel so that each guide rail 32 supports a pair of guide rollers 33, 33, respectively, and both support rails 34, 34 are driven by a motor 35. This allows it to move horizontally along the guide rail 32. Further, two holding arms 37, 37 are arranged in parallel so that each support rail 34 supports a pair of guide rollers 36, 36, respectively, and both supporting arms 37, 37 drive a motor 38. This allows it to move horizontally along the support rail 34. The distance between the holding arms 37, 37 is wider than the distance between both sides of the battery case 6, and narrower than the distance between the ends of the locking portions 16, 16.

Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be explained.

First, when the automatic guided vehicle 11 automatically stops at a fixed position, both the motors 35 and 38 are driven, both the support rails 34 and both the holding arms 37 extend toward the automatic guided vehicle 1, and both the holding arms 37 They are located on both sides of the battery case 6 on the car 1. Next, both holding arms 3
7 in this state, raise the support stand 27 slightly, hook both holding arms 37 onto the locking portions 16 of the battery case 6, and place the positioning recess 15 of the battery case 6 into the protrusion of the automatic guided vehicle 1. Release the engagement with part 3. Then, after retracting the support rail 34 and the holding arm 37 by reversing both the motors 35 and 38, the turntable 31 is rotated 180 degrees, and then the support base 27 is raised to a position facing the waiting station 20. do. Then, attach the support rail 34 again.
and the holding arm 37 is extended in the direction of the waiting station 20, and the recess 15 for positioning the battery case 6 is extended.
When the battery case 6 is positioned on the positioning protrusion 21 of the waiting station 20, the support base 27 is slightly lowered and the battery case 6 is placed on the waiting station 20. Thereafter, the support rail 34 and the holding arm 37 are retracted, and the support stand 27 is lowered to face the charging station 18b. Then, the battery 4 charged with electric power in the charging station 18b may be transported to and mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 1 in the same procedure as for transporting the battery 4 from the automatic guided vehicle 1 described above.

According to the embodiment described above, the battery 4 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be reliably replaced within a short period of time, the operating rate of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be improved, and complete unmanned operation can also be achieved.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which charging stations 18a, 18b, and 18c are provided directly above a predetermined stopping position of the automatic guided vehicle 1.

According to such a configuration, the battery 4 can be replaced without providing a turntable on the support base 27, so the dimensions of the support base 27 and the depth dimension of the housing 19 can be reduced, and the number of steps can also be reduced. Replacement time is also reduced.

As explained above, in the present invention, the holding arm that can engage with the battery is mounted on the support stand provided on the housing so as to be movable up and down, via the guide rail on the support stand and the support rail that can move forward and backward into the support stand. The battery is installed on the telescope, and this allows the battery to be transferred and exchanged between the automatic guided vehicle and the charging station stacked inside the housing, making it possible to transfer and exchange batteries using the extremely narrow equipment space inside the housing. It is possible to configure a battery exchange mechanism with a simple structure, and therefore, by using this mechanism to perform battery exchange operations with good operating efficiency, it is possible to simultaneously achieve the intended purpose of unmanned exchange operations and shorten the operation time. be.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows the first battery exchange device according to the present invention.
2 is a sectional view of a portion corresponding to the - line in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a front view of the battery and battery case; FIG. 4 is a front view of the battery case;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with a battery storage section added thereto, and FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional front view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. 1: Automatic guided vehicle, 4: Battery, 6: Battery case, 18: Charging station, 19: Housing, 20: Waiting station, 24: Charger,
25: Battery exchange device, 27: Support stand, 31:
Turntable, 32: Guide rail, 34: Support rail, 37: Holding arm.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a battery exchange device that transfers the battery between an automatic guided vehicle and a charging station and exchanges the battery of the automatic guided vehicle, vertical guide rails are attached to both sides of the housing having a front opening, and the battery is replaced along the guide rail. A supporting stand is provided to be able to be raised and lowered, and the charging stations are stacked in multiple stages in a housing along the lifting path, and a pair of horizontal guide rails are provided on the supporting stand toward the opening. A pair of support rails are provided along this guide rail so as to be movable back and forth, and a pair of holding arms that can be engaged with a battery on the automated guided vehicle located in the opening are further provided along this support rail. A battery exchange device characterized by being freely installed.