JPH07205625A - Tow vehicle and carriage, and their coupling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide both the use of a tow vehicle and carriage in a narrow passage and the connection of two carriages in an easy posture, to allow all the wheels of the carriage to be casters, and to dispense with a dedicated carriage or station. CONSTITUTION:A connecting groove 12, which is formed in a tow vehicle 11, and a lock pin 13, which is fixed on the side of a carriage, or a bed 15, towed by a tow vehicle and which locks (against falling-off) a connecting member 16 mated with the connecting groove 12 within the connecting groove 12, are prepared. The lock pin 13 is supported in a movable manner and is energized upward by a tension spring 37, while the connecting member 16 is provided with a hanging/fixing part 17, which is hung/fixed by the lock pin 13. In addition, interlocked hanging/fixing mechanisms 55 are arranged symmetrically, which interlock with an action for insertion the connecting member 16 into the connecting groove, so that the connecting member 16 moves the lock pin 13, resisting the energizing force, and that the hanging/fixing part 17 is hung/ fixed to the lock pin 13 in a releasable manner.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a towing vehicle used in a factory or the like, a truck towed by the towing vehicle, and a connecting device for connecting the truck to the towing vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional example, as shown in FIG. 12, a connector 2 is provided at the rear of a towing vehicle 1 and a hook 5 at the tip of a connecting rod 4 provided on the side of a truck 3 is connected to the connector 2. There has been one that is hooked, connected to the trolley 3 and towed by the tow vehicle 1. Further, as another example of the related art, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, an engaging member provided with a movable pin 7 that can move in the vertical direction on the upper part of the towing vehicle 6, allows the towing vehicle to slip under the carriage 8, and the movable pin 7 is provided on the carriage 8 side. There was one in which the trolley 8 was inserted into the engaging hole 9 and the truck 8 was united and pulled. Generally, each of these towing vehicles and bogies are automatically connected and disconnected.

[0003]

In the former case described above, the inner wheel difference of the carriage 3 is large when the vehicle is running, so that it cannot be used in a narrow passage and the carriage 3 cannot be connected unless the user bends his / her waist. However, there is a drawback that all the wheels of the towed cart 3 cannot be operated as free wheels. In the case of the latter of the above-mentioned conventional ones, it is necessary to use a dedicated carriage 8,
There is a drawback that only one station can be connected and a station is required to connect the cart 8.

In view of such conventional drawbacks, the present invention has been made.
It can be used in a narrow aisle, two dollies can be connected in a comfortable posture, all wheels of the dolly may be free wheels, there is no need to use a dedicated dolly, and a station can be used to connect the dolly. An object of the present invention is to provide an unnecessary towing vehicle, a bogie, and a connecting device thereof.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 is a towing vehicle for connecting and pulling a trolley via a connecting member provided on the trolley. Forming a connection recess into which the connection member is inserted, movably supporting the lock pin in the connection recess and biasing in a predetermined direction, and interlocking with inserting the connection member into the connection recess. 3. The locking pin moves to lock the connecting member so as not to come off.
The gist of the present invention according to claim 1 is in the towing vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that connecting recesses corresponding to respective bogies on both sides are formed and respective lock pins are provided in each connecting recess. . The gist of the present invention as set forth in claim 3 is that an introduction space for introducing the towing vehicle is provided below the upper table, and a connection member adapted to a connection recess provided in the towing vehicle is provided above the introduction space. A trolley wherein the traction vehicle is introduced into the introduction space, and the connection member is releasably retained and coupled to the traction vehicle while the connection member is inserted into the coupling recess. . The gist of the present invention according to claim 4 comprises a connecting recess formed in the towing vehicle, and a lock pin for locking the connecting member mounted on the trolley side pulled by the towing vehicle inside the connecting recess. , Movably supporting the lock pin and urging the lock pin in the lock state holding direction, and providing the connecting member with a hooking portion to be locked by the lock pin, and inserting the connecting member into the connecting recess. A coupling device including an interlocking locking mechanism that interlocks with the connecting member to move the lock pin against an urging force to releasably engage the lock pin with the lock pin. The present invention according to claim 5 provides the coupling device according to claim 4, characterized in that the interlocking locking mechanisms are symmetrically arranged.

[0006]

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the lock pin is movably supported in the connection recess and is urged in a predetermined direction to interlock with the insertion of the connecting member provided on the carriage into the connection recess. Then, the lock pin moves and locks the connecting member so that the connecting member is locked only by inserting the connecting member into the coupling recess. Therefore, use of a dolly having all wheels as free wheels This makes it possible to eliminate the need for a dedicated carriage and a connecting station. According to the present invention as set forth in claim 2, it is possible to connect the two carriages by forming the connection concave portions corresponding to the respective carriages on both sides and providing the respective connection lock mechanisms in the respective connection concave portions. Let's train. The present invention according to claim 3 enables use in a narrow passage by providing an introduction space for introducing the towing vehicle below the base plate, and a connection provided to the towing vehicle at the upper part of the introduction space. Arrange a connecting member that fits in the recess,
By introducing the towing vehicle into the introducing space and connecting the connecting member to the towing vehicle in such a manner that the connecting member is releasably retained and connected to the towing vehicle, the connection in a comfortable posture is made possible. . The present invention according to claim 4 movably supports a lock pin and urges the lock pin in a lock state holding direction, and a connecting member is provided with a latching part that is locked by the lock pin. The connecting member is provided with an interlocking locking mechanism for locking the locking part to be releasably locked by the connecting member moving in opposition to the urging force in association with the operation of inserting the locking pin in the coupling recess of the towing vehicle. This makes it possible to connect in a comfortable posture, eliminates the need for using a dedicated carriage, and eliminates the need for a station for connecting carriages. Claim 5
The present invention described in (1) above makes it possible to connect two bogies without difficulty by arranging the interlocking locking mechanism symmetrically.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings by taking as an example a case where a moving bed as a truck is connected to a towing vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the towing vehicle 11 according to the present embodiment is an unmanned guided vehicle, and has connection grooves 12 and 12 that are connection recesses formed on an upper surface thereof.
3, the lock pins 13 shown in FIG. 3 are arranged symmetrically, and the worker W pushes the moving bed 15 from the left and right to bring the moving bed 15 closer to each other.
6 and 16 (see FIG. 3) are simply inserted into the corresponding connecting grooves 12 and 12, the hook portions 17 of the connecting member 16 are hooked to the corresponding individual lock pins 13, and as shown in FIG. The two beds 15 can be towed from both left and right sides in a connected state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main portion of the towing vehicle according to this embodiment with its top cover removed and a bed before connection, and FIG. 4 is a plan view showing one half of the towing vehicle. It is a figure. The towing vehicle 11 has a connection groove 1 on the upper surface in the width direction.
Two side plates are provided at two positions in front and rear, approximately parallel to each other over the entire width, and both ends of each connecting groove 12 are tapered grooves 20 that spread outward, and the connecting groove 12 is formed at a position closer to the center than the tapered groove 20. A rectangular opening 22 in the parallel part of 21, 21
The lock pin 13 is inserted into the opening 22 and the lock pin 13 is disposed in the connecting groove 12.

Further, the towing vehicle 11 has the inner side plates 2
Bearing members 24 and 24 are fixed to the reference numerals 1 and 21, stoppers 25 are provided at two locations in the connecting groove 12, and a light receiving portion 26 for an optical sensor is provided at a front portion.

The lock pin 13 is provided so as to project along the front-rear direction at the tip of a rotary link 29 fixed laterally to both ends of a rotary shaft 28 supported by a bearing member 24. It can be rotated and moved up and down. The lock release lever 14 is fixed to an intermediate position of the rotating shaft 28.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lock release lever 14 has a handle portion 31 at the tip and a bulge portion 32 above the rotating shaft 28, and the handle portion 31 covers the vehicle cover. 23 is connected to the spring receiving member 36 fixed to the towing vehicle 11 by connecting the distal end of the lock release rod 35, which projects outward from the elongated hole 23a of the reference numeral 23, and whose base end engages with the lock release solenoid 34, to the bulging portion 32. The other end of the tension spring 37 having one end connected thereto is connected to the lower portion near the handle 31.

The lock pin 13 has a tension spring 3
It is energized in the upward direction by 7, and the light remote controller 38 of the worker W is operated to project light on the light receiving unit 26 at the front of the towing vehicle 11 to operate the solenoid 34, When the solenoid 34 is turned on, it moves downward from the original position shown in FIG.

The bed 15 is called a stretcher,
A bed 41 which is an upper table fixed to the upper end of the frame 40
And a load receiving table 42 provided directly below the bed 41, and a plate-like connecting member 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the load receiving table 42 along the width direction with the plate surface facing forward and backward. A universal wheel 46 is attached to the lower ends of the lower four legs 45, and a female worker W can move freely by lightly pushing. Further, in the bed 15, an introduction space 47 into which the towing vehicle 11 is introduced is formed between the lower portion of the cargo receiving table 42 and the front and rear two leg portions 45, 45.

The connecting member 16 has a plurality of mounting pieces 16a formed on both sides so as to be integrally formed. The connecting member 16 is provided on the lower surface of the load receiving base 42 at an interval matching the interval between the two connecting grooves 12 on the towing vehicle 11 side. The mounting piece 16a is fixed with a bolt (not shown), and as shown in FIG.
Is slightly shorter than the outer dimension of the frame 43, and a tapered inclined surface 51 is formed on the lower surface following the tip surface 50, and a lower end surface 52 following the inclined surface 51 is interposed and cut out near the inclined surface 51.
A locking portion 17 into which the lock pin 13 is inserted is formed.

The inclined surface 51 is set such that the height on the tip side is higher than the height of the lock pin 13 at the original position and the height on the rear end side is lower than the height of the lock pin 13 at the original position. The hooking portion 17 is formed in an inverted U-shaped groove shape by the left and right parallel end surfaces 17a, 17a and the upper end circular arc end surface 17b, and when the tip end surface 50 of the connecting member 16 contacts the stopper 25, the lock pin 17 is formed. The position and size are set so that 13 can be just inserted.

The connecting device 54 includes a connecting groove 12 formed in the towing vehicle 11, a lock pin 13 for locking the connecting member 16 mounted on the trolley side in the connecting groove 12 and locking the connecting member 16, and the lock pin 13 as a base. And a tension spring 37 for urging the lock pin 13 to urge the lock pin 13 to move back to the position.
The engaging portion 17 of the connecting member 16 is engaged with the towing vehicle 1
The bed 15 is connected to 1.

Further, the interlocking mechanism 5 is provided in the connecting device 54.
It is equipped with 5. The interlocking locking mechanism 55 interlocks with the operation of moving the bed 15 laterally to bring it closer to the towing vehicle 11 and inserting the connecting member 16 into the connecting groove 12,
Is to push the lock pin 13 against the biasing force of the tension spring 37 by the inclined surface 51 and move the lock pin 13 downward, so that the locking portion 17 is releasably locked to the lock pin 13. As described above, the interlocking locking mechanisms 55 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the towing vehicle 11, respectively.

Next, the operation of the towing vehicle, the bogie and the connecting device according to the above embodiment of the present invention will be described. When connecting, as shown in FIG. 1, the tow vehicle 11 capable of unmanned traveling along the guide line 56 is provided with two beds 15 from the left and right sides.
Then, the towing vehicle 11 is inserted into the introduction space 47, and the connecting member 16 corresponding to each connecting groove 12 is inserted.

In the connecting member 16, the inclined surface 51 approaches the lock pin 13 as shown in FIG. 7, and the inclined surface 51 contacts the lock pin 13 as shown in FIG. When the connecting member 16 is inserted into the inner side of the connecting groove 12, the lock pin 13 is pressed by the inclined surface 51 and descends as shown in FIG. 9, and the lower end surface 52 of the connecting member 16 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the lock pin 13 slidably contacts the stopper 25, and at the same time as the tip end surface 50 of the connecting member 16 collides with the stopper 25, the lock pin 13 biased upward is engaged with the hook portion 1.
7, the hook portion 17 is releasably hooked on the lock pin 13, and the connection of the bed 15 to the towing vehicle 11 is completed.

To release the connection, the operator W operates the optical remote controller 38 to project light onto the light receiving portion 26 of the towing vehicle 11 to turn on the solenoid 34, or as shown in FIG. As described above, the lock pin 13 is moved downward from the original position shown in FIG. , The bed 15 is separated from the towing vehicle 11.

According to the above embodiment, the bed 15 is pulled out while the lock release lever 14 is unlocked by operating the optical remote controller 38 or directly by hand to resist the bias. Can be easily uncoupled, and only the connection groove 12 is provided on the upper surface of the towing vehicle 11 so that there is no unevenness on the upper surface, and the vertical dimension of the mechanism portion can be reduced to be housed inside. You can
There is an advantage that it is convenient to load luggage on the upper surface of the towing vehicle 11.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a connecting hole may be used instead of the connecting groove, and it can be widely applied to vehicles other than the moving bed.

[0023]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lock pin is movably supported in the connecting recess and is biased in a predetermined direction, and the connecting member provided on the carriage is inserted into the connecting recess. The lock pin moves in tandem with the lock to lock the connecting member so that the connecting member can be locked with the lock pin by simply inserting the connecting member into the connecting recess, which facilitates connecting the cart. It can be performed in various postures, and it is possible to use a dolly with all wheels being free wheels,
A dedicated cart and a station for connection are not required, and a connection recess is formed on the top surface so that there is no unevenness and the vertical dimension of the mechanism part can be reduced to store inside, and luggage can be loaded on the top surface. According to the present invention as set forth in claim 2, since the connecting concave portions corresponding to the bogies on both sides are formed and the respective lock pins are provided in the respective connecting concave portions, The effect that two carriages can be connected in an integrated state is provided. According to the present invention as set forth in claim 3, an introduction space for introducing the towing vehicle is provided below the upper table, and a connection member adapted to a connection recess provided in the towing vehicle is provided at an upper portion of the introduction space, and the introduction space is provided. When the towing vehicle is introduced into the space and the connecting member is inserted into the connecting concave portion and the connecting member is releasably retained and connected to the towing vehicle, a compact state is achieved at the time of connection and a narrow passage is provided. Can be used. According to the present invention as set forth in claim 4, the lock pin is movably supported and is biased in the lock state holding direction, and the connecting member is provided with a hooking portion hooked by the lock pin, and the connecting member is provided. The connecting member is provided with an interlocking locking mechanism for locking the locking part to be releasably locked by the connecting member moving in opposition to the urging force in association with the operation of inserting the locking pin in the coupling recess of the towing vehicle. As a result, the connection can be performed in a comfortable posture, and the use of a dedicated carriage and the station for connecting the carriage are not required. According to the present invention described in claim 4, since the interlocking locking mechanisms are symmetrically arranged, it is possible to easily connect the two carriages.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a towing vehicle and a moving bed as a truck according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connected state of the towing vehicle and the bed according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing essential parts of a towing vehicle, a bed, and a connecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a half on one side of a towing vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view on arrow XX showing only the upper portion of FIG. 4. FIG.

6 is a side view showing only the upper portion of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view for explaining the operation of the coupling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view for explaining the operation of the coupling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view for explaining the operation of the coupling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view for explaining the operation of the coupling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view for explaining the operation of the coupling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a conventional towing vehicle and a bogie.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another conventional towing vehicle and bogie.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Traction vehicle 12 Connection groove (connection recess) 13 Lock pin 14 Lock release lever 15 Bed (carriage) 16 Connection member 17 Hooking part 25 Stopper 26 Light receiving part 34 Solenoid 41 Sleeper (upper part) 42 Load receiving part 46 Free wheel 47 Introduction Space 50 Tip surface 51 Sloping surface 52 Lower end surface 54 Connecting device 55 Interlocking locking mechanism

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A towing vehicle for connecting and pulling a trolley via a connecting member provided on the trolley, wherein a connecting recess into which the connecting member is inserted is formed on an upper surface, and a lock pin is provided in the connecting recess. A tow vehicle, which is movably supported and biased in a predetermined direction, and in which the lock pin moves in conjunction with insertion of the connecting member into the connecting recess to lock the connecting member in place. . 2. The towing vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a connecting recess corresponding to each of the trucks on both sides is formed, and each lock pin is provided in each connecting recess. 3. An introduction space for introducing a towing vehicle is provided below the upper platform, and a connection member adapted to a connection recess provided in the towing vehicle is disposed above the introduction space, and the towing vehicle is provided in the introduction space. And a connection member is inserted into the connection recess, and the connection member is releasably retained and connected to the towing vehicle. 4. A connecting recess formed in the towing vehicle, and a lock pin for locking the connecting member mounted on the trolley pulled by the towing vehicle in the connecting recess, the lock pin being movable. The connecting member is provided with a hooking portion that is locked to the lock pin, and is urged in the lock state holding direction, and is interlocked with the operation of inserting the connecting member into the coupling recess. A coupling device comprising: an interlocking locking mechanism that locks the locking portion so that the locking portion can be released by moving the locking pin against the bias. 5. The connecting device according to claim 4, wherein the interlocking locking mechanisms are symmetrically arranged.