JPH0569795A - All direction movement truck - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an all direction movement truck whose fitted parts give necessary fixed contact pressure between a road surface and moving wheels and whose battery is not rotated against its truck body and whose truck body can be easily miniaturized. CONSTITUTION:A battery carrying frame 26 that is slidable up and down, is fitted right under a truck body 30, and a turning shaft 38 is hung down from the frame 26 through a bearing, and is connected, at its lower end portion, to a drive wheel fitting frame 35 by means of a hinge 13, and even if the turning shaft 38 is turned by the opposite direction rotation of a pair of drive wheels 12a, the frame 26 does not follow and is held integrally with the surface of the truck body 30, and a battery 45 does not rotate relatively. The total weight of the members is given to the frame 35 and drive wheel assembly bodies 12 through the hinge 13, and a difference between the recess and projection of a travel road surface is compensated by means of the hinge 13 and an up and down slide mechanism 31 through the total contact pressure, and the truck body 30 is held horizontally, and suspension is conducted only by means of universal wheels 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for transporting materials, works, semi-finished products, products, etc., mainly in facilities such as unmanned vehicles, such as production plants, and in distribution processes, hotels, hospitals, etc.
The present invention relates to a trolley for transporting products and the like in a screw facility, and more specifically to an omnidirectional trolley that can be used not only to move forward and backward, but also to traverse and skew.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mobile trolleys for unmanned transportation were first used in production plants when they were first developed, but then became widely used in product distribution processes and service organizations such as hotels and hospitals. The number and uses are increasing more and more. In terms of functions, the unmanned guided vehicle at the beginning of development has only the function of moving forward and backward, and is used by being guided by a guide line laid in advance on the ground or on the floor as required and traveling along a predetermined route. Was there. As the applications have expanded, there has been an increasing demand for mobile carriages that can be traversed, skewed, etc. as well as moved forward and backward. This is because it is not possible to respond to the complicated requirements by simply moving in a large factory building or site along a large curve while changing the direction, and according to a preset program, it progresses at a steep angle even in a narrow space. This is because the functions such as changing the direction and, in some cases, moving backward at a right angle to the side or at an acute angle are required. To date, mobile carriages that can meet such demands to some extent have also been developed.

FIGS. 3 and 4 exemplify a typical structure of an omnidirectional vehicle according to the prior art which has been developed so far. FIG. 3 is a side view and FIG. 4 is a bottom view. In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 10 is a vehicle body having a rectangular surface.
Flexible wheels 16 are attached to the ends of the columns 10a that hang downward from the corners, and the vehicle body and the transported object are supported by the four wheels 16 to keep the vehicle body horizontal.
At the center of the vehicle body 10, a swivel shaft 18 having the center point 0 of the swivel shown in FIG. 4 as an axial center hangs downward via bearings 9 and is freely rotatable perpendicular to the plane of the vehicle body. .. Swivel axis 1
On the outer periphery of a portion of the vehicle body 10 that is slightly below the lower surface of the vehicle body 10, there is a turning disk 20 that rotates integrally with the turning shaft 18.
There is provided a lock mechanism that is mounted so as to engage with a lock device 22 fixed to the back surface of the disk and that constitutes a disk brake by the turning disk 20 and the lock device 22.
The turning shaft 18 is connected to an encoder 21a attached to the vehicle body 10 by a chain or the like, and the turning angle is detected. At the lower end of the swivel shaft 18 below the lock device 22, the vertical slide mechanism 11 is adapted to rotate integrally with the swivel shaft 18. At the center of the lower end of the vertical slide mechanism 11, a drive wheel mounting frame 15 is mounted via a hinge pin 13 so as to be swingable around it. The mounting frame 15 is a pair of drive wheels, and each drive wheel assembly 12 includes one drive wheel 12a,
The motor 17, the decelerator 19, the encoder 21, the tacho generator 23, and the battery 25 as a power source are arranged symmetrically with respect to the swivel shaft 18 and mounted so as to be independently driven. Both drive wheels 12a are configured to surely contact the floor surface.

With such a structure, the drive wheel mounting frame 15 and the drive wheel assembly 12 can be pivoted with respect to the vertical slide mechanism 11, and only the turning angle is the same as that of the aforementioned turning disk 20. It can be fixed by a lock device 22, and both drive wheels 12a are always brought into contact with the floor surface with a constant contact pressure even if unevenness exists on the floor surface. As described above, since the spring system is not used as the suspension mechanism, the positions of the vehicle body and the loading platform mounted on the vehicle body do not change even if the load on the carriage such as the conveyed goods changes during the stop, and the loading and unloading of the conveyed goods is prevented. For this reason, the reference position of the automatic device and the robot is always constant, and the working accuracy is improved.

[0005]

For a carrier vehicle used for carrying in a narrow space, in addition to the function of not only forward and backward movement but also transverse and oblique traveling, there is a strong demand for downsizing of the vehicle body. ing. For that purpose, it is necessary to reduce the size of the mechanism section, the parts, etc., and to increase the mounting. On the other hand, the battery as a power source tends to increase in size due to the demand for improvement in performance such as traveling speed and transport weight. Also, the battery itself has a relatively large weight, so that Since it is attached to the drive wheel mounting frame of, and is used to provide the contact pressure necessary to prevent slip between the road surface and the driving wheel, it is inevitably placed below the turning axis below the vertical slide mechanism. By being attached, when the turning shaft turns, the battery turns together with the pair of driving wheels and the like and turns with respect to the vehicle body.
This makes it difficult to reduce the size of the vehicle body, which is an obstacle in designing the locus of the turning portion to be the minimum when the turning shaft turns.

FIG. 5 shows, as an example of such a solution, a combination of a plurality of cells of the battery 25a and a shape of the battery case are devised to make effective use of space to reduce the size of the vehicle body. This complicates design, manufacturing and assembly work. Also,
When the swivel axis turns, the battery also turns, which causes a problem that the cable connecting the battery and electrical components such as a driver mounted on the vehicle body is easily pulled or twisted and damaged. It was

[0007]

A frame for carrying a battery is mounted downward from the rear surface of a vehicle body so as to be vertically slidable adjacent to the vehicle body, a battery is loaded on the frame, and a rotating shaft is mounted from the battery loading frame. Hangs downward through bearings and is free to rotate parallel to the plane of the vehicle body. A drive wheel mounting frame is pivotally attached to a running floor surface or a road surface on a hinge pin provided near the lower end of the turning shaft, and below the floor surface of the drive wheel mounting frame.
A pair of drive wheel assemblies are mounted symmetrically with respect to a central axis line perpendicular to the floor surface, and a locking device for locking or unlocking the swing shaft is provided between the hinge pin and the back surface of the battery loading frame of the swing shaft. It was

[0008]

With this structure, the parts attached to the battery loading frame, including the battery and the frame itself,
As in the conventional case, it plays a role of providing a constant contact pressure necessary to prevent slip between the road surface and the driving wheel.However, the battery loading frame is connected to the vehicle body through a slide mechanism, and the turning shaft is connected to a bearing. Since the vehicle is connected via the vehicle, the battery loading frame is kept integrated with the vehicle body without following the turning of the turning axis even if the vehicle turns by the drive wheels, and the battery rotates relative to the vehicle body. In this case, the loading space is remarkably widened, and the vehicle body can be easily miniaturized without the need to particularly consider how to assemble the battery or the shape of the battery case.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the same members as those in the above-mentioned prior art are illustrated by using the same reference numerals as much as possible. FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view thereof. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 30 is a vehicle body, and four columns 10a hanging downward from four corners of the vehicle are provided at the tips thereof. , Each of which has a free wheel 16 attached thereto, and can be connected to
It is supported by individual wheels 16 to keep the vehicle body horizontal. Also, the car body 3
Immediately below the back surface of 0, the battery loading frame 2 is provided inside these four columns 10a in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 30.
6 is attached via a vertical movement mechanism 31 so as to be vertically slidable relative to the vehicle body, and a battery 45 is loaded on this frame. A swivel shaft 38 hangs downward from a central portion of the battery loading frame 26 via a bearing 9 and is arranged perpendicularly to the surface of the vehicle body, and is freely rotatable in a direction parallel to the surface of the vehicle body. .. A swivel disc 20 that rotates integrally with the swivel shaft 38 is attached to the outer periphery of the swivel shaft 38 slightly below the lower surface of the battery loading frame frame 26, and a part of the outer periphery can be sandwiched from above and below to stop. So that the locking device 22
It is attached to a part of 6 and constitutes a disc brake type lock mechanism. In this embodiment, the lock mechanism has been shown and described as a disc brake type, but it goes without saying that a drum brake type may be adopted. The turning shaft 38 is connected to the encoder 21a attached to the frame 26 by a chain or the like, and the turning angle is detected.

A drive wheel mounting frame 35 is pivotally mounted on the lower end of the pivot 38 via a hinge bin 13, and one drive wheel mounting frame 35 is mounted on each of the mounting frames. 12a, motor 17, decelerator 1
9. A pair of drive wheel assemblies 12 each of which includes an encoder 21, an encoder 21, and a tacho-generator 23 and which are independently driven are mounted, and both drive wheels 12a are mounted so as to surely contact the floor surface. Vertical slide mechanisms 31 are provided at four corners of the upper surface of the battery loading frame 26, and the frame 26, the pivot 38, the drive wheel mounting frame 35, and the drive wheel assembly 12 can freely move up and down with respect to the vehicle body 30. Is becoming

Due to such a structure,
The vertical slide mechanism 31, the drive wheel mounting frame 35, and the drive wheel assembly 12 are in a swingable state, and only the turning angle can be fixed by the turning disk 20 and the lock device 22, and both drive wheels 12a are on the floor. Even if the surface has irregularities, the floor surface is always contacted with a constant contact pressure. In addition, since the spring system is not used as a suspension device, there is no change in the position of the vehicle body and the loading platform mounted on the vehicle body even when the weight of the transported object changes while it is stopped. The position is always constant, and work accuracy is improved.

Next, the operation will be described. When the lock device 22 is in a free state and each of the drive wheels 12a is rotated in the opposite direction at the same speed, the drive wheel 12a, the drive wheel mounting frame 35 and the turning shaft 38 are integrated. Then, the vehicle turns in parallel to the vehicle body 30. When the set turning angle is reached, the rotation is stopped, the lock device 22 is operated to fix the turning direction, and both drive wheels 12 are rotated in the same direction at the same speed, so that the vehicle body 30 moves in the set direction. proceed. When the floor surface is uneven during traveling, the drive wheel mounting frame 35 is inclined by the vertical slide mechanism 31 and the hinge bin 13 corresponding to the unevenness, and the two drive wheels 12 both come into contact with the floor surface to generate a driving force. .. In this case, the contact pressure between the road surface and the drive wheels is
Mainly given by the total weight of the drive wheel, motor, drive wheel mounting frame, battery loading frame, battery, etc.

[0013]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION Even if the size of the battery is the same as or larger than that of the conventional battery, it is possible to easily downsize the vehicle body and to prevent the battery from slipping between the road surface and the driving wheel as in the conventional case. It can serve to provide the required constant contact pressure. Furthermore, since the battery does not rotate with respect to the vehicle body, the cable that connects the battery and electrical components such as a driver mounted on the vehicle body will not be pulled or twisted and will not be damaged as in the conventional case. Improves reliability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of an omnidirectional mobile vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a conventional omnidirectional trolley.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of another type of conventional omnidirectional mobile trolley.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Drive Wheel Assembly 12a Drive Wheel 13 Hinge 16 Flexible Wheel 20 Slewing Disc 21a Encoder 22 Lock Device 26 Battery Loading Frame 30 Car Body 31 Vertical Slide Mechanism 35 Drive Wheel Mounting Frame 38 Slewing Shaft 45 Battery

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body on which materials, works and other necessary articles are loaded, four free wheels each of which is pivotably mounted on the vehicle body and is in contact with a road surface, and pivotably mounted on the vehicle body. And a lock mechanism for fixing the swing shaft to the road surface in a non-turnable manner or releasing the fixing, and each of them has a drive mechanism including drive wheels and is arranged to face each other and independently contacts the road surface. A pair of driven wheel assemblies to be driven, and a pivot shaft that is pivotally movable in a plane parallel to the pivot shaft via a hinge mechanism and is vertically movable relative to the vehicle body. A drive wheel mounting frame on which a drive wheel assembly is mounted and a battery mounted as a power source for driving the drive wheels are provided, and the vehicle body can freely turn and move forward and backward at arbitrary angles. In an omnidirectional mobile trolley that can be carried out; The omnidirectional carriage is further arranged below the back surface of the vehicle body so as to face the back surface, and is integrated with the vehicle body in a direction parallel to the vehicle body through a vertical slide mechanism, and in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle body. And a battery loading frame on which the battery is loaded, the swivel shaft being capable of swiveling in a horizontal direction from substantially the center of the back surface of the battery loading frame. The drive wheel mounting frame is hinged near the lower end of the swivel shaft, and the lock mechanism is mounted on the swivel shaft downward from the back surface of the battery carrying frame. At least a part of which is restrained or unrestrainable, the battery-loaded frame does not follow the turning of the turning shaft due to the relative rotation of the pair of drive wheels, and is integrated with the vehicle body. Be kept, Batteries loaded with the batteries loaded
The total weight of the drive wheel mounting frame and the drive wheel assembly is added to the weight of the drive wheel mounting frame and the drive wheel assembly through the hinge mechanism, and the total contact pressure of these members Driven by contact with the traveling road surface, the unevenness of the traveling road surface is compensated by the hinge mechanism and the up-and-down slide mechanism to reduce the sway of the vehicle body and keep the vehicle body horizontally. An omnidirectional trolley that is suspended by. 2. The swivel shaft is connected to an encoder attached to the battery-carrying frame by a chain or the like so that the swivel angle can be detected. Omnidirectional trolley.