JPH08194538A - Obstacle detector for unmanned carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a contact detector capable of sufficiently functioning not only for a projection obstacle and the obstacle provided with a difference in level but also for the tilted obstacle and the obstacle lower than the center of a bumper relating to the detector of the contact with the obstacle of an unmanned carrier. CONSTITUTION: This obstacle detector of the unmanned carrier is composed of the movable bumper provided surrounding an unmanned carrier main body 1 and a sensor for detecting the movement of the bumper. Thus, this obstacle detector of the unmanned carrier is formed of a main body frame 11 provided on the side face of the unmanned carrier main body 1, elastic supporting members 12 provided on the four corners of the main body frame 11, a bumper frame 2 hung down or put across the elastic supporting members 12, a contact sensor 22 provided on the outer side of the bumper frame 2, proximity sensors 13u and 131 provided on the inner side of the bumper frame 2 and the proximity sensor 13a provided on the upper surface of the main body frame 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to contact detection of an automated guided vehicle with an obstacle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional contact detection device for an obstacle of an automated guided vehicle, a movable body protruding from the main body from a side portion to a front portion of the main body and a support shaft for rotatably supporting one end portion of the movable body. A sliding part that allows the movable body to move back and forth with respect to the support shaft, a spring that urges the movable body in the outer rotation direction of the main body and in the sliding front direction, a stopper that limits the moving range of the movable body, and a left and right There is a structure in which the movable body is connected to the front portion of the main body without restraining the movement of the movable body (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
190441 publication).

[0003]

However, according to the conventional method, one end of the movable body (the shock absorber attached to the outer edge thereof corresponds to the bumper) is supported by the support shaft, and the other end is supported by the sliding portion around the support shaft. It is supported rotatably in the horizontal direction and the switch is operated after the movable body comes into contact with the obstacle.Therefore, the movable body does not move when it is tilted or an obstacle lower than the center of the bumper. It is difficult to apply, and it cannot be applied when the obstacle is overhanging or there is a step. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a contact detection device that sufficiently functions not only when it overhangs or has a step, but also when it leans or an obstacle lower than the center of the bumper.

[0003]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an unmanned guided vehicle including a movable bumper surrounding the unmanned guided vehicle body 1 and a sensor for detecting the movement of the bumper. In the obstacle detection device, a main body frame 11 provided on a side surface of the automatic guided vehicle main body 1
An elastic support member 12 provided at four corners of the main body frame 11, a bumper frame 2 suspended or straddled by the elastic support member 12, a contact sensor 22 provided outside the bumper frame 2, and the bumper frame. The proximity sensors 13u and 13l provided on the inside of the frame 2 and the proximity sensor 13a provided on the upper surface of the main body frame 11 constitute an obstacle detection device for an automated guided vehicle.

[0004]

By the above means, when the bumper frame 2 comes into contact with an obstacle, the contact sensor 22 or the horizontal movement of the bumper frame 2 detects that the bumper frame 2 comes into contact with the obstacle with the proximity sensor 13a.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention,
2 is a bottom view, FIG. 3 (a) is a side sectional view showing a bumper portion, and FIG. 3 (b) is a perspective view showing a stuck state of a contact sensor. The unmanned guided vehicle body 1 travels according to pre-programmed control in a state where no obstacle is detected, and when an obstacle is detected, the unmanned guided vehicle main body 1 is switched to the mounted self-sustaining control device to continue traveling. As shown in FIG. 1, a flange-shaped main body frame 11 is provided on the side surface of the automatic guided vehicle main body 1 so as to surround the entire circumference. Body frame 1
A bumper frame 2 is provided on the outer side of 1 with a gap. On the upper surface and four corners of the main body frame 11, non-contact type proximity sensor frames 11 such as ultrasonic waves for detecting the end face of the lip portion of the bumper frame 2 and capacitance type are fixed. A cushion portion 10 is attached to the side surface of the bumper frame 2, and a contact sensor 22 is attached to the outside thereof. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
One end of is provided. The main body frame 11 may be a beam that projects only at the portion where the elastic support member 12 and the proximity sensor 13a are provided. The other end of the elastic support member 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the inner surface of the lower portion / lip portion of the bumper frame 2 having a channel-shaped cross section is suspended and supported, and a predetermined gap is formed between the side surface of the automatic guided vehicle main body 1 and the horizontal / vertical direction. It is movably supported. The lower surface of the bumper frame 2 has a predetermined gap with the floor surface. Proximity sensors 13u and 13l are provided in the vertical direction inside and above and below the lip portion of the bumper frame 2, and a cushioning member 21 such as urethane or rubber is attached to surround the outside of the body portion. The four outer corners of the cushioning member 21 are shown in FIG.
As shown in, the front and rear surfaces of the automated guided vehicle main body 1 have a gap G.
f has a gap Gs on its side surface, and a contact sensor 22 such as a multi-stage (three stages in the figure) tape switch is attached. Contact sensor 2 at the bottom of the front and rear surfaces of the cushioning member 21
Proximity sensors 13f and 13r are embedded in the lower part of 2 in the horizontal direction. In addition, the buffer member 21 is connected to the main body frame 11
May be provided on the upper surface of the bumper frame 2, and the inner surface of the lip portion of the upper surface of the bumper frame 2 may be straddled. Further, the elastic support member 12 may be elongated to facilitate shock absorption, the cushioning member 21 may be omitted, and the contact sensors 22 may be directly attached to the four outer corners of the bumper frame 2.

The operation will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). FIG. 4A shows the contact sensor 2 on the obstacle 3.
2 shows the state in which the obstacle 3 is in contact, and the direction in which the obstacle 3 exists is detected depending on which contact sensor 22 the obstacle 3 has contacted with respect to the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle main body 1. If the obstacle 3 is inclined, the contact sensor 2 attached in multiple stages
The uppermost contact sensor 22u or the lowermost contact sensor 22l is sequentially contacted. Furthermore, when the obstacle 3 does not contact any of the contact sensors 22, the state shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
The proximity sensor 13a detects the lip portion of the bumper frame 2 by displacing in a substantially horizontal direction via the. In this state, the control is switched from the pre-programmed control to the self-sustained control device mounted on the automatic guided vehicle main body 1, and the automatic guided vehicle main body 1 is temporarily stopped and moved back as shown in FIG. 4 (b). Then, turn the steering wheel in the direction opposite to the obstacle and move forward. At this stage, when the contact sensor 22 further contacts the obstacle 3, the contact sensor 22 is moved back again, and the steering wheel is turned in the opposite direction to the obstacle to move forward. The above operation is repeated until the contact sensor 22 stops contacting, and when the obstacle 3 is passed, it returns to the programmed route. In addition, after the proximity sensor 13f at the front portion detects the obstacle 3, a predetermined time (for example, a distance before and after the bumper frame divided by a speed) elapses, and then the proximity sensors 13f and 13r at the front and rear and the obstacle 3 are detected. By returning the handles so that the distances are equal, it is possible to deal with the case where the obstacle 3 is continuous like a wall. When both of the proximity sensors 13f and 13r embedded in the horizontal direction stop detecting the obstacle, the proximity sensors 13f and 13r detect that the obstacle has passed. FIG. 5 shows a case where an obstacle having a projecting portion such as a table is detected. When the proximity sensor 13u at the upper portion detects the end portion of the obstacle 3, the automated guided vehicle main body 1 is once stopped and moved back. FIG. 6 is a case of detecting an obstacle such as a down staircase, and when the lower proximity sensor 13l detects the end of the step, the automatic guided vehicle main body 1 is temporarily stopped and moved back. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, the obstacle is the bumper frame 2
The case is shown in which a thin protrusion is provided at a position lower than the center of and the contact sensor 22 is not contacted. As shown in FIG. 7A, the end portions of the protruding portions of the obstacles come into contact with each other between the multistage contact sensors 22. At this stage, neither the contact sensor 22 nor the proximity sensor 13a has detected contact. Further, when the automated guided vehicle main body 1 moves forward, the elastic support member 12 is deformed in the horizontal direction, and the bumper frame 2 moves in the horizontal direction. When the end of the bumper frame 2 hits the proximity sensor 13a, the proximity sensor 13a operates and detects contact.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view showing another embodiment.
The four corners of the automatic guided vehicle main body 1 are chamfered, and the filler base 4 having fin-shaped protrusions 41 provided in the vertical direction is fixed. Bumper frame 2 to which the contact sensor 22 such as a tape switch is attached so as to face the protrusion 41 with a gap.
A beam 14 protruding from the front and rear surfaces of the automated guided vehicle main body 1.
Similar to the embodiment, the elastic support member 12 provided in the above portion suspends or straddles. When the bumper frame 2 comes into contact with an obstacle, the elastic support member 12 is deformed and the protrusion 41 provided on the filler base 4 comes into contact with the contact sensor 22,
The contact sensor 22 operates to detect contact between the obstacle and the automatic guided vehicle body 1.

[0008]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect a collision even if the ultrasonic sensor collides with an overhanging obstacle, stairs, or the like, which is difficult to detect, and it is possible to prevent the collision object from being continuously pushed. In addition, the main body cover itself has a bumper function, so the impact can be mitigated. Further, by observing the detection signals of the tape-type contact sensors at the four corners respectively, it is possible to know whether the collision point is on the side of the four corners, and the avoidance action can be taken. In addition, the contact sensor is arranged on the back surface of the main body cover to simplify the appearance.

[0009]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an automated guided vehicle of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a side sectional view showing a bumper portion, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing a contact sensor attached state.

4A is an explanatory diagram showing a state where a contact sensor is in contact with an obstacle, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing an avoidance operation.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where an obstacle having a projecting portion is detected.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where an obstacle such as a down staircase is detected.

FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which contact with an obstacle is started, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which contact is detected.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view showing another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automated guided vehicle main body 11 Main body frame 12 Elastic support members 13a, 13u, 13l, 13f, 13r Proximity sensor 14 Beam 2 Bumper frame 21 Buffer member 22 Contact sensor 3 Obstacle 4 Filler base 41 Projection part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An obstacle detection device for an automated guided vehicle, comprising: a movable bumper provided around an unmanned guided vehicle body (1); and a sensor for detecting the movement of the bumper, wherein the bumper is the unmanned guided vehicle. A body frame (11) provided on the side surface of the vehicle body (1) and the body frame (1
The elastic support member (12) provided at the four corners of 1) and the bumper frame (2) suspended or straddled by the elastic support member (12) are provided, and the sensor is provided outside the bumper frame (2). A contact sensor (22) provided on the main body frame (11), a proximity sensor (13u, 13l) provided inside the bumper frame (2), and a proximity sensor (13 provided on the upper surface of the main body frame (11).
An obstacle detection device for an automated guided vehicle, characterized by being configured in a). 2. The obstacle detection device for an automated guided vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic support member (12) provided between the bumper frame (2) and the contact sensor (22).