JPH0639831U - Automated guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Delivery of multiple loads without moving the automated guided vehicle forward and backward. [Structure] The automated guided vehicle 10 has a roller conveyor 11,
12 and 13 and a slide fork 15 are provided. A work W is placed on each of the roller conveyors 11, 12, and 13. The work W is delivered to and from the delivery station by the slide fork 15. The work W received from the delivery station is placed on the roller conveyor 12 at the center, then transferred to the vacant roller conveyor 11 or 13, and placed there.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle provided for transporting works and the like in factories and the like.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, for example, an unmanned guided vehicle system is known that conveys a work between processing stations in order to perform various kinds of processing on the work in an unmanned factory. In this automatic guided vehicle system, the work is placed on the automatic guided vehicle at a predetermined station. This automated guided vehicle is controlled by a computer or the like and travels along a guide line to transport a work to the next station.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the conventional automated guided vehicle system, when a plurality of works are transported by one unmanned guided vehicle, the unmanned guided vehicle must be moved back and forth each time one work is delivered at the time of delivering a work in a station or the like. I have to. That is, after the delivery of one work is completed, it is necessary to move the unmanned guided vehicle a little and position it to deliver the next work, which makes control of the unmanned guided vehicle complicated. Also, there was a problem that work efficiency was not good.

The present invention is capable of placing a plurality of loads (workpieces) and does not need to be moved in the front-rear direction at the time of delivering a load at a station or the like; The purpose is to provide a car.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 An automated guided vehicle according to the present invention comprises a transfer means for transferring a load to and from a load transfer station, and a conveyor capable of mounting a plurality of loads and capable of changing a load holding position. It is characterized by that.

[0006]

【Example】

 The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a state in which an automated guided vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is close to a delivery station S, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the automated guided vehicle 10 transports three works W. There is.

The automated guided vehicle 10 receives a travel control command signal by wireless communication with a control device provided in a control room (not shown), and travels on the guide wire 19 in accordance with this signal. Then, the automatic guided vehicle 10 stops at a predetermined transfer station S to transfer the work W.

Roller conveyors 11, 12, and 13 are provided on the upper part of the automated guided vehicle 10, and a work W can be placed on each of the roller conveyors 11, 12, and 13. That is, in this embodiment, three works W can be placed on the automatic guided vehicle 10. The roller conveyors 11, 12 and 13 are rotationally driven independently of each other, and therefore, the work W can be transferred between the roller conveyors, and the holding position of the work W on the automatic guided vehicle 10 can be changed. Is. The roller conveyors 11, 12 and 13 are arranged along the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 (the left-right direction in the drawing), and the roller conveyor 12 is located at the center of the automatic guided vehicle 10.

A slide fork 15 serving as a transfer unit is provided between the central roller conveyor 12 and the roller conveyors 11 and 13 on both sides. The slide fork 15 is expandable and contractable in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction of the roller conveyors 11, 12, and 13, that is, in the width direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10. The slide fork 15 is vertically movable and is normally located below the upper surface of the roller conveyor 12 as shown in FIG. 2. However, when the work W is delivered, it rises above the upper surface of the roller conveyor 12. Be punished.

The automated guided vehicle 10 is stopped so as to be placed next to the delivery station S. In this embodiment, the delivery station S is composed of a roller conveyor, and the roller conveyor is provided with a gap 16 for the slide fork 15 to pass through.

The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In these figures, the automated guided vehicle 10 is stopped with the slide fork 15 being set at a position corresponding to the gap 16 of the delivery station S. In the initial state, the work W is not placed on the roller conveyors 11, 12, and 13 of the automatic guided vehicle 10.

When the work W at the delivery station S is delivered to the automated guided vehicle 10, the slide fork 15 projects toward the delivery station S and enters the gap 16. Then, the slide fork 15 rises, whereby the work W on the roller conveyor of the delivery station S is received on the slide fork 15. Next, the slide fork 15 moves backward toward the automatic guided vehicle 10, and as shown in FIG. 3, the work W is temporarily stopped while the work W is positioned on the central roller conveyor 12, and then descends. As a result, the work W is delivered to the roller conveyor 12 as shown in FIG.

Next, the work W is transferred to the roller conveyor 11 or 13 as shown in FIG. 5 under the control of the computer. That is, the computer stores the placement state of the work W on the roller conveyors 11, 12, and 13, and the work W is transferred to the vacant one of the roller conveyors 11 and 13. When the work W does not exist on either of the roller conveyors 11 and 13, when the work W is delivered onto the central roller conveyor 12, the roller conveyor 12 rotates to the roller conveyor 11 side. It is transferred to the roller conveyor 11 and placed there.

When the next work W is delivered from the delivery station S in this state, this work W is transferred to and placed on the roller conveyor 13 in the same manner as the above-described operation. When the next work W is delivered while the work W is placed on the roller conveyors 11 and 13, the work W is placed on the roller conveyor 12.

When the work W delivery work is completed in this way, the automated guided vehicle 10 receives the travel control command signal by wireless communication, travels on the guide wire 19 and moves to the next station.

When the work W on the automatic guided vehicle 10 is delivered to the delivery station S, the operation opposite to the above-described operation is performed. That is, the work W on the central roller conveyor 12 is sequentially delivered to the delivery station S.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when a plurality of works W are transferred between the automated guided vehicle 10 and the transfer station S, the pair of slide forks 15 transfers the work W to the central roller conveyor 12. The work W is delivered, and then the work W is delivered between the roller conveyor 12 and the roller conveyors 11 and 13 on both sides. Therefore, a plurality of works W are transferred to the automated guided vehicle 10 without moving the automated guided vehicle 10 to the delivery station S in the front-back direction, and the work W on the automated guided vehicle 10 is transferred to the delivery station. It can be delivered to the S side, the cycle time of delivery of the work W is shortened, and the work efficiency is improved. Moreover, since only the roller conveyors 11, 12, 13 and the slide fork 15 on the automatic guided vehicle 10 need to be driven in the work W delivery work, compared to the configuration in which the automatic guided vehicle 10 is moved in the front-back direction. , The power of the drive motor can be saved.

In the above embodiment, the presence / absence of the work W on the automated guided vehicle 10 is stored by the computer, but instead of this, it may be detected by an optical sensor. Further, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a truck traveling on a rail.

[0019]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to place a plurality of works, and it is not necessary to move the work in the front-rear direction when delivering a load on a station or the like, so that work efficiency of load delivery is high. An automated guided vehicle is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an automated guided vehicle and a delivery station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where an automatic guided vehicle is carrying a work W.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which a slide fork is raised.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the slide fork is lowered.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which the work is transferred to one roller conveyor on the automatic guided vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Automated guided vehicle 11, 12, 13 Roller conveyor 15 Slide fork S Delivery station W Work

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A transfer means for transferring a load to and from a load transfer station, and a conveyor capable of loading a plurality of loads and changing a load holding position. Automated guided vehicle that does.