JPH0880843A - Self-traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a self traveling vehicle with which the traveling safety and stability are improved, permitting the automatic steering, in an unmanned state, along a guide rail on the ground surface. CONSTITUTION: As for a self traveling vehicle which is constituted so that a guide rail 1 which erects from the ground surface and is continuous is installed, and a pair of steering wheels 5 and 6 are axially supported on an axle, positioned on both the sides of the guide rail 1, and a steering shaft 8 is fixedly installed on the axle, positioned in the intermediate part between both the steered wheels, a steering wheel holding member 10 which turns integrally with a steering shaft is fixed, and further, a contact member 9 which turns simultaneously with the steering shaft is fixed on the holding member 10. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of a fixed type cylindrical member 11 which covers the steering shaft, a stopper member 12 which makes contact with the contact member when the steering shaft turns in the steering angle over a prescribed value and a switch device 13 for emergency stop whose push button is pushed when the contact member makes contact with the stopper member are installed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled vehicle that runs while being automatically steered unmanned by a pair of left and right steering wheels that are guided by a guide rail installed on the surface of the earth. , Particularly to a self-propelled vehicle with improved vehicle safety and guide rail guideability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a self-propelled vehicle which runs on a single continuous guide rail provided on the ground surface is shown in FIGS. Reference numeral 51 is a guide rail made of a synthetic resin pipe or the like, which is fixed by an inverted U-shaped fixing metal fitting 52 along a route along which the self-propelled vehicle 53 is to be moved. In front of the vehicle body 54, a pair of steering wheels 55, 55 are axially supported by a horizontal axle 55a at an interval slightly wider than the width of the guide rail 51, and rear wheels 56, 56 are provided at the rear portion of the vehicle body 54. There is. A steering shaft 58 is fixed at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the axle 55a, extends vertically upward, and is supported by a handle holding member 59 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. The handle 57 is held by the handle holding portion 59.

In the self-propelled vehicle constructed as described above, the steered wheels 55, 55 are located on both sides of the guide rail 51, and the steering wheel 55, 55 is applied to both guide wheels with almost no vertical load applied to the guide rail. The vehicle can travel along the guide rails by changing the steering angle of the steering shaft by the inner side surfaces of the facing wheels contacting the left and right side surfaces of the guide rails.

[0004]

By the way, the above-mentioned conventional self-propelled vehicle has some problems as described below.

That is, the self-propelled vehicle 53 runs to a place other than the predetermined course when the guide rail 51 is cut off or the self-propelled vehicle 53 is running out of the guide rail, resulting in a collision accident. It can happen.

If a pair of auxiliary guide wheels are provided on the front side of the self-propelled vehicle in order to improve the guideability of the vehicle, these auxiliary guide wheels are also pivotally supported on a horizontal axle. Since it is difficult to maintain contact between the inside of both steering wheels or both auxiliary guide wheels and the left and right side surfaces of the guide rail 51, the self-propelled vehicle is easily derailed from the guide rail 51, and traveling stability is improved. Will decrease.

Furthermore, the self-propelled vehicle 5 provided with the above-mentioned auxiliary guide wheel
In No. 3, when the guide rail 51 is not used, the two auxiliary guide wheels cannot be retracted above the surface of the ground, which hinders the traveling of the self-propelled vehicle 53.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled vehicle which can ensure the stability of traveling and can stop the operation of the vehicle when traveling out of the guide rail. Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled vehicle with auxiliary guide wheels that allows both auxiliary guide wheels to retract above the ground surface when the guide rail is not used.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a pair of left and right steering wheels that face a guide rail installed on the ground surface on both sides of the guide rail and are guided by the guide rail. And a steering shaft capable of steering the steered wheels, wherein the steering shaft rotates between the steering shaft side and the body side at a predetermined steering angle or more. Then, an emergency stop switch device for stopping the operation of the self-propelled vehicle is provided.

According to the present invention, the pair of left and right steering wheels are:
It is characterized by being mounted with a predetermined camber angle.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a pair of left and right disk-shaped auxiliary guide wheels are located in front of the pair of left and right steering wheels and are mounted on the body with a predetermined camber angle.

The present invention is characterized in that the pair of left and right auxiliary guide wheels are connected to the body via a toggle mechanism so as to take two positions, that is, a position where they are pressed against the ground surface and a position where they are retracted above the ground surface. It is what

[0013]

According to the present invention, an emergency stop switch device is provided between the steering shaft side and the machine body side to stop the operation of the self-propelled vehicle when the steering shaft rotates by a predetermined turning angle or more. Therefore, when the self-propelled vehicle travels off the guide rail and the steering shaft largely turns, the emergency stop switch device is activated and the self-propelled vehicle is stopped. .

According to the present invention, the pair of left and right steering wheels are mounted with a predetermined camber angle, and when the pair of auxiliary guide wheels is provided in front of the steering wheel, the auxiliary guide wheels are disc-shaped. Since it is mounted on the machine body with a predetermined camber angle, the contact state between the inside of the steering wheel or both auxiliary guide wheels and the left and right side surfaces of the guide rail is reliably maintained.

Further, according to the present invention, the pair of auxiliary guide wheels provided in front of the steering wheel is provided with a toggle mechanism so that it can take two positions, that is, a position pressed against the ground surface and a position retracted above the ground surface. Since it is connected to the aircraft via the guide rail, the auxiliary guide wheel is pressed so as to make pressure contact with the ground surface when the guide rail is used, while the auxiliary guide wheel can be pulled up above the ground surface when the guide rail is not used. .

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The self-propelled vehicle of the present invention is mainly configured to be capable of spraying a chemical solution by placing a chemical solution tank in a place such as an orchard and used for controlling pests or diseases, or a container for carrying an object. .

1 and 3, reference numeral 3 indicates a self-propelled vehicle of the present invention, and reference numeral 4 indicates a vehicle body of the self-propelled vehicle. On the vehicle body 4, a chemical liquid tank 31 for storing a chemical liquid for controlling pests is placed. At the rear of the car body 4,
The control pillar 32 is provided through the hitch 36,
A support mast 37 is arranged so as to be horizontally rotatable left and right around the rotation fulcrum 35.

FIG. 4 shows a rotating mechanism of a nozzle for injecting a chemical solution. As shown in FIG. 4, the support mast 37 is provided with a plurality of rotation arms 37a having nozzles 37b at both ends thereof so as to be vertically rotatable about a rotation fulcrum 37c. These rotating arms 37a are connected to each other by a link rod 38 so that they can be rotated in the vertical direction. A motor 40 is provided as power means for rotating the rotating arm 37a in the vertical direction. The motor 40 is supported by the support plate 40a, and the drive arm 39 connected to the link rod 38 is rotated in the vertical direction via the rotary arm 40b. As a result, the rotation arm 37a is vertically rotated, and the nozzle 37b is also moved in the same direction as the rotation arm 37a is rotated. Therefore, due to this movement and the horizontal rotation of the support mast 37 in the horizontal direction, the chemical liquid pressure-fed from the power sprayer described later is jetted in each direction from each nozzle 37b via a hose (not shown). become.

In FIG. 3, a prime mover such as an engine 41 is provided on the vehicle body 4 side. The rotational force from the engine 41 is transmitted to the hydraulic continuously variable transmission 42 via the transmission belt 45 and the pulley 46, and the rear wheels 6 are rotated via the transmission 43. On the other hand, engine 4
The power sprayer 44 is actuated by the rotational force from the nozzle 1, and the chemical solution passes through the hose (not shown) and the nozzle 37
It is pumped to a.

Further, since the chemical solution tank 31 and the pest control column 32 can be easily removed from the vehicle body 4, as shown in FIG. 5, it is intended to carry a purpose other than pest control such as luggage. At this time, it is possible to remove the chemical solution tank 31 and the control pillar 32 and place the container 33 for accommodating luggage on the vehicle body 4.

Further, in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes the same guide rail as the conventional one, which stands up from the ground surface to a substantially predetermined height and is continuous. Guide rail 1
A pair of left and right steering wheels 5, 5 located on both sides of the axle 5a,
A steering shaft 8 which is axially supported by 5a and which is positioned in the middle of both steering wheels and rises upward is fixed to the axles 5a, 5a. The vehicle body 4 is located behind the steering shaft 8, and the rear wheels 6, 6 are located on both sides of the guide rail 1 below the vehicle body.

Both axles 5a, 5a, which pivotally support the pair of left and right steering wheels 5, 5 are slightly inclined to the left and right sides of the guide rail 1 with the connecting portion with the steering shaft 8 as the apex. The direction wheels 5, 5 are in a state of being mounted with a predetermined camber angle. As a result, the lower spacing between the steering wheels when straddling the guide rail 1 is narrower than the upper spacing, so that the steering wheels 5 and 5 can more reliably sandwich the guide rail 1 and the guide rail 1 Improve the guideability of.

A handle holding member 10 for holding the handle 7 (used for manned operation) is fixed to the upper end of the steering shaft 8. Further, a steering member 8 and an abutting member 9 that rotates together with the steering wheel holding member 10 are fixed to the steering wheel holding member 10. The tubular member 11 is fixed to the vehicle body 4 side so as to cover the steering shaft 8. A stopper member 12 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 11 so that the stopper member 12 is brought into contact with the contact member 9 when the steering shaft 8 is rotated by a steering angle of a predetermined value or more. Further, an emergency stop switch device 13 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 11, and when the contact member 9 contacts the stopper member 12, the push button 13a of the switch device is pressed. By operating the emergency stop switch device 13, the traveling vehicle can be automatically stopped.

In the self-propelled vehicle configured as described above, the pair of steering wheels 5 and 5 and the rear wheels 6 and 6 are located on the left and right sides of the guide rail 1 when traveling, and the steering wheel 5 and the rear wheels 6 and 6 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the guide rail. The vehicle can travel along the guide rail 1 by changing the steering angle of the steering shaft 8 by contacting the left and right side surfaces of the guide rail 1 with the insides of the steering wheels 5 and 5 with almost no load applied. .

When the self-propelled vehicle 3 travels with the guide rail 1 disengaged, the guideability of the guide rail 1 with respect to the steered wheels 5, 5 is completely lost.
Turns a lot. At that time, the handle holding member 1
Since the contact member 9 fixed to 0 rotates simultaneously with the steering shaft 8, the contact member 9 comes into contact with the stopper member 12 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 11.
When the contact member 9 contacts the stopper member 12, the push button 13a of the emergency stop switch device 13 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 11 is pressed, so that the operation of the switch device stops the operation of the vehicle engine. , Collisions due to irregular driving of vehicles can be avoided.

FIG. 6 shows a self-propelled vehicle constituted by providing a pair of left and right auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 in front of the steering wheels 5, 5. The pair of auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 are connected to each other through a connecting member 23 extending forward from the tubular member 11 and a rotary shaft 22 mounted on the tip of the connecting member so as to be rotatable left and right. As shown in FIG. 1, the two axles 21a, 21a are axially supported while straddling the guide rail 1. Further, the auxiliary guide wheels 21 and 21 are formed in a disk shape, and preferably the outer peripheral portion has a sharp angle and both surfaces are conical. As a result, the contact state between the inner sides of both auxiliary guide wheels and the left and right side surfaces of the guide rail is reliably maintained. Further, the tubular member 24 is provided so as to cover the turning shaft 22, and the turning shaft 22 and the two axles 21a, 21 are provided.
A connection holding member 25 is provided so as to hold the connection with a.

Since the two axles 21a, 21a that pivotally support the auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 are slightly inclined to the left and right sides of the guide rail 1 with the connecting portion with the rotating shaft 22 as the apex, The auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 are mounted with a predetermined camber angle. As a result, the lower gap between the two auxiliary guide wheels when straddling the guide rail 1 is narrower than the upper gap, so that the two auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 can more reliably sandwich the guide rail 1 and the guide rail 1 Improve the guideability of.

8 and 9 show auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21.
It shows a kind of toggle mechanism that acts on. FIG.
In the above, an arm member 29 is provided in front of the tubular member 11, and a rotation fulcrum 2 is provided at the front part of the arm member 29.
A rotating member 23 'that rotates about 9a is attached. As shown in FIG. 8, the rotating member 23 'in the horizontal state
Has exactly the same function as the connecting member 23 ', that is, holds a pair of auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 via the rotary shaft 22 and the axles 21a, 21a. One end of the spring 26 is fixed to the rotating member 23 ′, and the other end is fixed to the lower end of the tubular member 11 that covers the steering shaft 8. Further, the stopper member 2 is provided on the front portion of the arm member 29.
7 is provided.

According to the above-mentioned toggle mechanism, when the guide rail 1 is used, the pair of auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 can be pressed downward so as to be in pressure contact with the ground surface, and the guide rail 1 does not come off. Thus, the running stability of the vehicle is improved. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, when the guide rail 1 is not used, the rotating member 2 is rotated by using the above-mentioned toggle mechanism.
By rotating 3 around the rotation fulcrum 29a,
The pair of auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 can be pulled up above the surface of the earth. The auxiliary guide wheels 21, 21 after being pulled up are stopped by the stopper member 27. With such a toggle mechanism, both auxiliary guide wheels when the guide rail 1 is not used do not interfere with the traveling of the vehicle.

[0030]

According to the present invention, an emergency stop switch device is provided between the steering shaft side and the machine body side to stop the operation of the self-propelled vehicle when the steering shaft rotates by a predetermined turning angle or more. Therefore, when the self-propelled vehicle runs off the guide rail and the steering shaft turns a lot, the emergency stop switch device operates and the engine of the vehicle stops operating, causing a collision accident due to irregular traveling of the self-propelled vehicle. Can be avoided.

According to the present invention, the pair of left and right steering wheels are mounted with a predetermined camber angle, and when a pair of auxiliary guide wheels is provided in front of the steering wheel, the auxiliary guide wheels are disc-shaped. Since it was mounted on the aircraft with a predetermined camber angle, the contact state between the inside of the steering wheel or the auxiliary guide wheel and the left and right side surfaces of the guide rail was reliably maintained, and the guideability of the guide rail was improved. The running stability of the self-propelled vehicle can be secured.

Further, according to the present invention, the pair of auxiliary guide wheels provided in front of the steering wheel is provided with a toggle mechanism so that it can take two positions, that is, a position where it is pressed against the ground surface and a position where it is retracted above the ground surface. Since it is connected to the machine body via the guide rail, when the guide rail is used, the auxiliary guide wheel is pressed so as to come into pressure contact with the ground surface, and the traveling stability of the vehicle can be improved so as not to come off the guide rail. On the other hand, when the guide rail is not used, the auxiliary guide wheel is pulled up above the surface of the earth, which does not hinder the running of the vehicle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a self-propelled vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the self-propelled vehicle shown in FIG.

4 is an explanatory view showing a nozzle rotating mechanism of the self-propelled vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a self-propelled vehicle on which a container is placed.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a self-propelled vehicle provided with auxiliary guide wheels.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an auxiliary guide wheel of the self-propelled vehicle of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a self-propelled vehicle with an auxiliary guide wheel having a toggle mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the self-propelled vehicle showing a state where the auxiliary guide wheel is pulled up.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a conventional self-propelled vehicle.

11 is a side view of the self-propelled vehicle of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Guide rail 4 Body 5 Steering wheel 5a Axle 6 Rear wheel 7 Handle 8 Steering shaft 9 Abutment member 10 Handle holding member 11 Cylindrical member 12 Stopper 13 Emergency stop switch device 13a Push button 21 Auxiliary guide wheel 21a Axle 22 Rotating shaft 23 Connection Member 23 'Rotating Member 24 Cylindrical Member 25 Connection Holding Member 26 Spring 29 Arm Member

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mikio Ogawa 1-40, Nisshin-cho, Omiya-shi, Saitama Prefecture 2 Biological specific industrial technology research promotion mechanism (72) Inventor Yukito Fujii 1-chome, Nisshin-cho, Omiya-shi, Saitama Address 2 Biotechnology Research Institute (72) Inventor Kiyokazu Ishii 35 Ooka, Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Fuji Robin Stock Company (72) Inventor Masao Sato 1-3-50 Higashihonmachi, Joetsu City Niigata Stock Company Sato Works

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pair of left and right steered wheels which face a guide rail installed on the surface of the earth and are guided by the guide rail, and a steering shaft which enables the steered wheels to be steered. The vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle, and an emergency stop switch device is provided between the steering shaft side and the body side to stop the operation of the self-propelled vehicle when the steering shaft rotates at a predetermined turning angle or more. Self-propelled vehicle characterized by. 2. The self-propelled vehicle apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of left and right steering wheels are mounted with a predetermined camber angle. 3. The self-propelled vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pair of left and right disc-shaped auxiliary guide wheels located in front of the pair of left and right steering wheels are mounted on the vehicle body with a predetermined camber angle. vehicle. 4. The pair of left and right auxiliary guide wheels are connected to the airframe through a toggle mechanism so as to have two positions, a position in which they are pressed against the ground surface and a position in which they are retracted above the ground surface. The self-propelled vehicle according to Item 3.