JPH09295579A - Wheel unit of automatic guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the height above the floor and the size of an automatic guided vehicle by forming a void opened opposite to a wheel on a steering motor, and storing a part of the sheel in the void in a wheel unit which has a steering motor and can be controlled to be steered independently of the automatic guided vehicle. SOLUTION: A steering motor 15 of a driving wheel unit 4 of an automatic guided vehicle 1 is an outer rotor type motor having an inner part 16 and an outer part 18 rotatably externally fitted thereto through a bearing 17. A hollow hole 20 (cavity) pierced from the car body 2 to the ground X side is formed on the inner part 16, and the lower side thereof is a tapered part 20A. An assembly 38 where a driving wheel 3, a driving motor 10 and a driving shaft 35 are integrated is fixed with both end parts of the driving shaft 35 fitted to the respective fitting holes 21B formed on the respective support frames 21A of the outer part 18 in such a manner that a part of the driving wheel 3 is projected into the tapered part 20A from the lower side of the inner part 16, and fitted to the outer part 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle, and more particularly to a wheel unit capable of traveling / steering control with respect to wheels.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automated guided vehicle used for transporting physical distribution at a production site is smaller than an ordinary vehicle, and is manufactured while correcting a traveling direction by a control signal sent from a control device. Since the vehicle travels in a narrow space such as a site, it is desired to reduce the floor and size of the automatic guided vehicle by downsizing the traveling / steering mechanism.

In view of such a demand, conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the traveling / steering mechanism of an unmanned guided vehicle is integrated with wheels (driving wheels, etc.) to form a wheel unit. Attempts have been made to reduce the size of the traveling / driving mechanism of a carrier vehicle. 13 and 14, the wheel unit 204 of the automatic guided vehicle 201 includes a drive motor 210 that drives the drive wheels 203 (wheels) and a steering motor 215 that changes the traveling direction of the drive wheels 203. The steering motor 215 is attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body 202 of the automatic guided vehicle 201. The drive wheel 203 has a ring-shaped wheel 208 in which the drive motor 2 is driven.
10 are integrated and are rotatably supported by the wheel bracket 240 via a drive shaft 235. And
The drive wheel 203 is a steering motor 21 that projects to the X side on the ground.
The wheel bracket 240 is attached to the inner portion 216 (rotation side) of FIG.
Are connected to form a wheel unit 204 integrally with the steering motor 215.

However, the vehicle body 2 of the automated guided vehicle 201
02 and the ground X between the driving wheel 203 and the steering motor 21.
Wheel unit 2 by connecting 5 and 5 in series (overlapping)
If 04 is configured, the size of the wheel unit 204 in the height direction becomes high and downsizing cannot be achieved. Therefore, the size of the automated guided vehicle 201 in the height direction also becomes large, and the floor of the automated guided vehicle is reduced to achieve a small size. Cannot be realized.

[0005]

As described above, as a means for suppressing the size of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction, the wheel is rotated through the wheel case supporting the wheel and the drive mechanism provided in the wheel bracket. A drive motor for driving, a wheel bracket is attached to the vehicle body on the automated guided vehicle via a casing, and a steering motor for changing the steering angle of the wheels via a steering mechanism provided on the casing, It is conceivable that the height of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction can be suppressed by mounting the steering motor in parallel with the wheels on the vehicle body.

However, in the prior art that suppresses the dimension in the height direction, the dimension of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction is reduced by mounting the wheel case supporting the wheel and the steering motor in parallel to the vehicle body. Although it is suppressed, the steering motor is arranged in parallel with the wheel case, so that a mounting space corresponding to that amount is required on the lower plane of the vehicle body. As a result, even if the floor of the automatic guided vehicle is reduced, a large amount of mounting space is eventually required in the width direction, so that the automatic guided vehicle cannot be downsized.

The wheel unit in the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention has been made to solve this problem. By storing a part of the wheels in the empty space of the steering motor, the floor of the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced. , To achieve miniaturization.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, a wheel unit for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention comprises:
In the wheel unit of the automatic guided vehicle, which has a steering motor that rotates the wheel to change the steering angle, and the steering control is independently performed with respect to the wheels of the automatic guided vehicle, the steering motor is A vacant space is formed so as to face the wheel and opens, and a part of the wheel is housed in the vacant space. As a result, the height of the automated guided vehicle can be suppressed by storing a part of the wheels in the empty space formed in the steering motor. In addition, since a part of the wheel is rotatably supported by the steering motor while being housed in the empty space, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for supporting the wheel and connecting the wheel to the steering motor. .

[0009] In the second aspect, the first aspect has the following features.
The steering motor has an inner portion and an outer portion rotatably supported by the inner portion, the inner portion being a fixed side fixed to an automated guided vehicle, and the outer portion being rotated. The outer rotor type motor to be the side, wherein the inner portion is formed with a hollow space,
The outer portion rotatably supports the wheel in a state where a part of the wheel is housed in a space of the inner portion. Thus, by storing a part of the wheels in the steering motor inner portion, it is possible to suppress the size of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction, and
Since the outer portion of the steering motor is also used as the member that rotatably supports the wheel, it is not necessary to separately provide a member that rotatably supports the wheel as in the prior art.

In the third aspect, in addition to the first aspect,
The steering motor has an inner portion and an outer portion that is rotatably supported by the inner portion. The outer portion serves as a fixed side fixed to an automated guided vehicle, and the inner portion is rotated. In the inner rotor type motor as the side, a hollow space is formed in the inner portion, a part of the wheel is housed in the hollow space, and the wheel is rotatably supported. It is characterized by that. As a result, by storing a part of the wheels in the steering motor inner part, the size of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction can be suppressed, and a member for rotatably supporting the wheels can be used for steering. Since it is also used as the inner portion of the motor, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for axially supporting the wheel as in the prior art.

According to a fourth aspect, in addition to the third aspect,
The inner space has a tapered portion whose diameter increases toward the wheel, and the tapered portion accommodates a part of the wheel. As a result, it is possible to house a part of the wheel that maintains the strength of the inner portion without forming an extra-sized space in the inner portion of the steering motor.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, according to the second or third aspect, a mounting member for fixing the steering motor to the automatic guided vehicle is provided on the fixed side of the steering motor. A supporting member for pivotally supporting the wheels is integrally formed on the rotation side of the steering motor. As a result, the steering motor can be easily mounted on the automatic guided vehicle via the mounting member, and the support member that pivotally supports the wheel is integrally formed on the rotation side of the steering motor, so that the wheel is pivotally supported. There is no need to separately provide a member. Therefore, the steering motor and the wheels can be unitized and the weight can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, a drive motor for driving the wheel is provided inside the wheel, and the wheel of the automated guided vehicle is provided. It is characterized in that it can be driven and controlled. As a result, even if the vehicle has a steering motor that adjusts the steering angle of the wheels and a drive motor that can control the driving of the wheels, part of the wheels can be housed in the empty space of the steering motor.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A wheel unit for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

5 and 6, reference numeral 1 denotes an automatic guided vehicle, which includes a pair of drive wheel units 4 (wheel units) having drive wheels 3 at the four corners of the lower portion of the vehicle body 2 and a pair of caster wheels 5. The drive wheel units 4 and the caster wheels 5 are respectively arranged in front of and behind the vehicle body 2. Further, a pair of sensors 6a, 6b, which form a pair on the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle body 2, are provided between the respective wheels of the drive wheel unit 4 and the caster wheels 5.
Further, inside the vehicle body 2, in addition to a traveling power source (not shown), a control device 7 for controlling the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1, various devices such as a wireless communication device and an optical communication device for exchanging signals with the station. Is provided.

Next, referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a specific structure of the drive wheel unit 4 (wheel unit) will be described.
The types of drive wheel units 4 will be described. 1 to 4
, The same reference numerals have the same configuration. First, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drive wheel unit 4 is configured to include a drive motor 10 that drives the drive wheels 3 and a steering motor 15 that changes the steering angle of the drive wheels 3.

The steering motor 15 includes an inner portion 16 (fixed side) attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body 2 and a hollow outer portion 18 rotatably fitted to the inner portion 16 with a bearing 17 interposed therebetween. (Rotation side), and an annular motor core 19A and an annular rotary resolver 19B are arranged in an annular space B defined by the inner portion 16 and the outer portion 18. Motor core 19A
Is to be excited by a signal (electric power) input from the control device 7 to rotate the outer portion 18 forward and backward. Further, the resolver 19B detects the rotation angle of the outer portion 18 that is normally and reversely rotated and feeds it back to the control device 7. The feedback causes the control device 7 to feed the outer portion 18 (driving wheel 3).
Is controlled to an appropriate steering angle.

The inner portion 16 is formed with a hollow hole 20 (a space) penetrating from the vehicle body 2 toward the ground X side, and the lower side of the hollow hole 20 gradually expands toward the ground Y side. It is a tapered portion 20A. Also, the inner part 16
The outer part 18 without contacting the outer part 18.
An annular mounting member 32 covering the upper end opening side of is fixed by a plurality of bolts 33. The outer portion 18 is the inner portion 16
A support member 21 having a pair of support frames 21A covering the ground and extending to the X side on the ground is integrated by a plurality of bolts 22, and the drive wheels 3 and the drive motor 10 are supported between the support frames 21. ing.

The steering motor 15 is connected to the inner portion 1
6 is attached to a predetermined position of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. 5 by passing bolts through a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the attachment member 32 integrated with 6 (fixed side).

The drive wheel 3 has a rubber tire 9 mounted around the outer periphery of the annular wheel 8, and a pair of covers having concave cross sections so as to cover the inner diameters of both sides of the annular wheel 8. The members 23A and 23B are fixed by a plurality of bolts 24. And the annular wheel 8 of the drive wheel 3,
The drive motor 10 and the brake 25 of the drive wheel 3 are disposed in the accommodation space C defined by the cover members 23A and 23B.

The drive motor 10 has an annular motor core 26 fitted in the wheel 8 of the drive wheel 3, and an annular motor core 26 fitted in a storage chamber C1 defined between the wheel 8 and one cover member 23B. The motor core 26 is composed of a rotary resolver 27 and is excited by a signal (electric power) input from the control device 7 to rotate the drive wheels 3 in the forward and reverse directions. Further, the resolver 27 detects the rotation angle of the drive wheel 3 that is normally and reversely rotated and feeds it back to the control device 7, and the control device 7 appropriately drives and controls the drive wheel 3 by this feedback.

The brake 25 of the drive wheel 3 is a storage chamber C2 defined between the wheel 8 and the other cover member 23A.
, An annular armature 28, an annular yoke 29 having an electromagnet coil (not shown), and a pair of annular brake linings 30. The armature 28 is partially fixed to the bottom of the cover member 23A by a plurality of bolts 31, and faces the yoke 29 fixed between the wheel 8 and the wheel 8 at a predetermined interval. A pair of brake linings 30 are provided between the armature 28 and the yoke 29.
Is attached to each of the armature 28 and the yoke 29. In the brake 25, the electromagnet coils of the yoke 29 are de-excited (non-excited) to engage the brake linings 30 to generate a braking force, and the excitation of the electromagnet coils separates the armature 28 from the yoke 29. Is operated to release the brake.

The drive wheel 3 is rotatably supported on the outer portion 18 of the steering motor 15 by the drive shaft 3.
Five. The drive shaft 35 passes through the center of rotation of the drive wheel 3, the cover member 23A, the armature 28,
The yoke 29, the motor core 26, the rotary resolver 27, and the cover member 23B pass through in this order, and each cover body 23
The drive wheel 3 is rotatably supported via a pair of bearings 36 press-fitted into a cylindrical portion 23C protruding from the bottoms of A and 23B. The yoke 29 of the brake 25 is fixed to the step portion of the drive shaft 35 by a bush 37 which is fitted on the drive shaft 35 and is arranged between the yoke 29 and the bearing 36 of the cover member 23B.

In this way, the drive wheels 3 and the drive motor 10
An assembly 38 in which the drive shaft 35 and the drive shaft 35 are integrated supports the drive wheel 3 rotatably on the outer portion 18 of the steering motor 15. The assembly 38 has both ends of the drive shaft 35 of the outer portion 18 in a state where a part of the drive wheel 3 is projected from the lower side of the inner portion 16 of the steering motor 15 into the tapered portion 20A of the hollow hole 20. It is attached to the outer portion 18 of the steering motor 15 by being fitted and fixed in each of the mounting holes 21B formed in each support frame 21A. As a result, the drive wheel 3 is rotatably supported by the outer portion 18 (support member 21) of the steering motor 15 with a part of the drive wheel 3 accommodated in the tapered portion 20A of the hollow hole 20. become.

The tapered portion 20A formed in the inner portion 16 of the steering motor 15 and the respective mounting holes 21B formed in the outer portion 18 contact a part of the drive wheel 3 with the tapered portion 20A. More and more drive wheels 3
The taper-shaped portion 20 so that it is located at the last position with respect to the taper-shaped portion 20A in order to store the inside of the hollow hole 20.
The shape of A and the formation position of each mounting hole 21B are determined. As a result, the inner portion 16 of the steering motor 15
It is possible to maintain the strength of the inner portion 16 without forming an excessively large hollow hole 20 in the unmanned guided vehicle 1.
Therefore, even if the outer part 18 of the steering motor 15 is rotated, the drive wheels 3 rotate together with the outer part 18 without contacting the inner part 16 (fixed side), and the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is steered. Can exercise control.

Next, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive wheel unit 4 (wheel unit) has a drive motor 10 for driving the drive wheel 3 and a steering motor 45 for changing the steering angle of the drive wheel 3. Is configured.

The steering motor 45 has a hollow outer portion 48 (fixed side) attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body 2, and an inner portion 46 (rotatably fitted in the outer portion 48 via a bearing 47). An inner rotor type motor having a rotating side), and an annular motor core 49A and an annular rotating resolver 49B are arranged in an annular space E defined by an inner portion 46 and an outer portion 48. The motor core 49A is
It is excited by a signal (electric power) input from the control device 7 to rotate the inner portion 46 forward and backward. Also, the resolver 49
B is for detecting the rotation angle of the inner portion 46 that is normally and reversely rotated and feeding it back to the control device 7, and the control device 7 controls the inner portion 46 (driving wheel 3) to an appropriate steering angle by this feedback. Is.

The inner portion 46 projects from the lower end of the outer portion 18 and extends toward the ground X side.
The driving wheels 3 and the driving motor 10 are supported between the support frames 51. Further, inside the inner portion 46, a hollow hole 50 (vacant space) penetrating from the vehicle body 2 toward the ground X side is formed, and the hollow hole 50 is formed in the drive wheel 3.
Is a space that can be stored. On the outer portion 48, an annular mounting member 52 that covers the upper end opening side of the outer portion 48 without contacting the inner portion 46 is provided with a plurality of bolts 53.
It is fixed at.

The steering motor 45 is connected to the outer portion 4
8 is attached to a predetermined position of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. 5 by passing bolts through a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the attachment member 52 integrated on the 8 (fixed side).

Also in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive wheel 3, the drive motor 10, the brake 25 and the drive shaft 35 are provided, and each of these members 3 is the same as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 10, 25, and 35 are integrated into an assembly 3
Make up eight.

In this way, the drive wheels 3 and the drive motor 1
0, the brake 25, and the drive shaft 35 are integrated, and the assembly 38 is rotatably supported by the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 45 so that the drive wheels 3 are rotatable. In the assembly 38, both ends of the drive shaft 35 are attached to the respective support frames 51 of the inner portion 48 in a state in which a part of the drive wheel 3 is projected from the lower side of the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 45 into the hollow hole 50. The steering motor 15 is fitted into the formed mounting hole 51A and fixed.
Is attached to the inner portion 46 of the. As a result, the drive wheel 3 is rotatably supported by the inner portion 46 (support frame 51) of the steering motor 45 with a part of the drive wheel 3 housed in the hollow hole 50.

Further, the mounting holes 51A formed in the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 45 partially cover the drive portion 3 of the vehicle body 2.
Of the drive wheels 3 without contacting the lower surface 2A of the
The mounting positions of the mounting holes 51A are determined so that the mounting holes 51A are located at the very end with respect to the lower surface 2A of the vehicle body 2 so that the mounting holes 51A are housed in the hollow hole 50. As a result, it becomes possible to store a larger number of drive wheels 3 in the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 45 as compared with the moving wheel unit 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As described above, by storing a part of the drive wheel 3 in the inner portions 16 and 46 of the steering motors 15 and 45, the size of the drive wheel unit 4 (wheel unit) in the height direction is suppressed. Therefore, the automated guided vehicle 1 can be downsized,
It is possible to realize a low floor. Further, since the member that rotatably supports the drive wheel 3 is also used as the outer portion 18 of the steering motor 15 or the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 45, the drive wheel 3 is separately supported as in the conventional art. Since it is not necessary to provide a supporting member, the number of parts of the drive wheel unit 4 (wheel unit) can be reduced and the weight can be reduced.
It is possible to reduce the cost and weight of the automatic guided vehicle 1.

By the way, there are other types of automatic guided vehicles as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 in addition to those described in FIGS. 5 and 6, which will be described below. 11 and 12
In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes an automated guided vehicle, which is a drive wheel unit 4 having a drive wheel 3 in the center of the lower front side of the vehicle body 2.
(Wheel unit) and a pair of driven wheel units 104 (wheel units) having driven wheels 103 on the rear two corners are attached, and the drive wheel unit 4 and each driven wheel unit 104 are formed in a triangular shape in front of and behind the vehicle body 2. It is arranged to exhibit. In addition, the drive wheel unit 4 and each driven wheel unit 10
Between each of the four wheels, a pair of sensors 6a, 6b are provided which form a pair on the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle body 2. Further, inside the vehicle body 2, in addition to a traveling power source (not shown), a control device 7 for controlling the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 101, various devices such as a wireless communication device and an optical communication device for exchanging signals with the station. Is provided. Note that FIG.
Further, as the drive wheel unit 4 in the automatic guided vehicle 101 shown in FIG. 12, the drive wheel unit 4 having the same configuration as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or FIGS. 3 and 4 is used.

Next, based on FIGS. 7 to 10, two types of driven wheel units 104 will be described with respect to a specific structure of the driven wheel unit 104 (wheel unit). In FIGS. 7 and 8, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the same configuration, and in FIGS. 9 and 10, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 3 and 4 have the same configuration. The description is omitted. First, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the driven wheel unit 104 includes the driven wheel 103 and the steering motor 115 that changes the steering angle of the driven wheel 103.

The steering motor 115 has the same structure as the steering motor 15 described with reference to FIGS.
An outer rotor type motor having an inner portion 16 (fixed side) fixed to the lower part of the vehicle and a hollow outer portion 18 (rotating side) rotatably fitted to the inner portion 16 via a bearing 17. Therefore, an annular motor core 19A and an annular rotary resolver 19B are arranged in the annular space B between the parts 16 and 18. Further, inside the inner portion 16, a hollow hole 20 (vacant space) having a tapered portion 20A is formed. The outer portion 18 is formed by integrally supporting a support member 21 having a pair of support frames 21A that covers the inner portion 16 and extends toward the X side on the ground with a plurality of bolts 22.
The driven wheel 103 is supported between 1A. Then, the steering motor 115 passes bolts through a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the mounting member 32 integrated with the outer portion 18 (fixed side), and a predetermined position of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. Attached to.

The driven wheel 103 has a rubber tire 109 mounted around the outer periphery of the annular wheel 108, and a driven shaft 135 penetrates through the center of rotation of the wheel 108. The driven wheel 103 is rotatable with respect to the driven shaft 135 by a pair of bearings 136 interposed between the driven wheel 103 and the driven shaft 135.

Then, the driven shaft 13 is driven by the driven wheel 103.
The assembly 138 in which the five motors are integrated is a steering motor 115.
The outer shaft 18 is rotatably supported by the driven shaft 103. The assembly 138 is configured such that a part of the driven wheel 103 projects from the lower side of the inner portion 16 of the steering motor 115 into the tapered portion 20A of the hollow hole 20, and the driven shaft 13
By fitting both ends of 5 into each of the mounting holes 21B formed in each support frame 21A of the outer portion 18, and screwing nuts 139 to both ends of the driven shaft 135 protruding from each support frame 21A. Outer portion 18 of steering motor 115
Attached to. As a result, the driven wheel 103 is
A part thereof is housed in the tapered portion 20A of the hollow hole 20 and is rotatably supported by the outer portion 18 (support member 21) of the steering motor 115.

In addition, the inner portion 16 of the steering motor 115
The tapered portion 20A formed in the outer side portion and the mounting holes 21B formed in the outer portion 18 do not contact a part of the driven wheel 103 with the tapered portion 20A, and more driven holes 103 are formed in the hollow holes. The shape of the tapered portion 20A and the formation positions of the respective mounting holes 21B are determined so that the taper portion 20A is located at a position close to the tapered portion 20A so as to be housed in the housing 20. As a result, the strength of the inner portion 16 can be maintained without forming the hollow hole 20 of an excessive size in the inner portion 16 of the steering motor 115, and
For steering control of the automated guided vehicle 101, the steering motor 11
Even if the outer portion 18 of No. 5 is rotated, the driven wheel 103 can be rotated together with the outer portion 18 without contacting the inner portion 16 (fixed side), and the steering control of the automated guided vehicle 101 can be executed.

Next, in FIGS. 9 and 10, the driven wheel unit 104 (wheel unit) includes the driven wheel 103,
A steering motor 145 that changes the steering angle of the driven wheels 103 is included.

The steering motor 145 has the same structure as the steering motor 45 described with reference to FIGS.
Hollow outer part 48 (fixed side) attached to the bottom of the
An inner rotor type motor having an inner portion 46 (rotating side) rotatably fitted in the outer portion 48 via a bearing 47, which is an annular space E between the portions 46, 48.
An annular motor core 49A, an annular rotating resolver 49B
And are arranged. In addition, the inner portion 46 has a hollow hole 50 (void) formed therein, and a pair of support frames 51 projecting from the lower end of the outer portion 48 and extending toward the ground X side are integrally formed. There is. Then, the steering motor 145 passes bolts through a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the mounting member 52 integrated with the outer portion 48 (fixed side), and a predetermined position of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. Attached to.

Also in FIGS. 9 and 10, the driven wheel 103 and the driven shaft 135 are provided, and FIGS.
In the same manner as shown in FIG. 3, these members 103 and 135 are integrated to form an assembly 138.

Then, the driven wheel 103 and the driven shaft 135.
The assembly 138 in which the and
The inner wheel 46 is rotatably supported by the driven wheel 103. The assembly 138 has a structure in which a part of the driven wheel 103 is hollowed in the hollow hole 50 from the lower side of the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 145.
In a state where the driven shaft 135 is projected inward, both end portions of the driven shaft 135 are fitted into the mounting holes 51A formed in the respective support frames 51 of the inner portion 48, and the nuts 139 are provided at both ends of the driven shaft 135 protruding from the respective support frames 51. Is attached to the outer portion 18 of the steering motor 145 by screwing. As a result, the driven wheel 103 is rotatably supported by the inner portion 46 (support frame 51) of the steering motor 145 with a part of the driven wheel 103 housed in the hollow hole 50.

Further, the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 145 is
Each of the mounting holes 51A formed in the lower surface 2A of the vehicle body 2 does not contact a part of the driven wheel 103 with the lower surface 2A of the vehicle body 2 and accommodates more of the driven wheel 103 in the hollow hole 50. The formation position of each attachment hole 51A is determined so as to be at the last position. This allows more driven wheels 103 to be housed in the inner portion 46 of the steering motor 145 as compared with the driven wheel unit 104 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

As described above, by storing a part of the driven wheel 103 in the inner portions 16 and 46 of the steering motors 115 and 145, the size of the driven wheel unit 104 (wheel unit) in the height direction is suppressed. Therefore, the automated guided vehicle 101 can be downsized and the floor can be reduced.
Further, a member that rotatably supports the driven wheel 103 is used as the outer portion 18 of the steering motor 115 or the steering motor 14
Since the inner portion 46 of 5 also serves as the inner portion 46, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for axially supporting the driven wheel 103 as in the prior art, and it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the driven wheel unit 104 (wheel unit) and reduce the weight thereof. Therefore, the cost and weight of the automatic guided vehicle 101 can be reduced.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to the drive wheel unit 4 and the driven wheel unit 104 (wheel unit) of the automatic guided vehicles 1 and 101, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to the automatic guided vehicles 1 and 101. The same effect can be obtained by applying it to a robot or the like.

[0047]

As described above, according to the wheel unit of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention, in claim 1, the automatic guided vehicle has a wheel and a steering motor for changing the steering angle by rotating the wheel. In a wheel unit of an automated guided vehicle capable of independently steering control with respect to a wheel, the steering motor has a void formed to face the wheel, and a part of the wheel is provided in the void. Is stored. As a result, by storing a part of the wheels in the empty space formed in the steering motor, it is possible to suppress the size of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction, and to reduce the size and floor of the automated guided vehicle. It can be realized. In addition, since a part of the wheel is rotatably supported by the steering motor while being housed in the empty space, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for supporting the wheel and connecting the wheel to the steering motor. Therefore, the number of parts for unitizing the steering motor and the wheels can be reduced to achieve weight reduction, and the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced in cost and weight.

In a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering motor of the first aspect, the steering motor has an inner portion and an outer portion rotatably supported by the inner portion, and the inner portion is unmanned. An outer rotor type motor having a fixed side fixed to a transport vehicle and a rotating side of the outer part, wherein a hollow space is formed in the inner part, and the outer part is the wheel. The wheel is rotatably supported in the state where a part of the wheel is housed in the empty space of the inner portion. As a result, by storing a part of the wheels in the steering motor inner portion, the size of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction can be suppressed, so that the automated guided vehicle can be downsized and the floor can be reduced. Is possible. Further, since the outer portion of the steering motor is also used as the member that rotatably supports the wheel, it is not necessary to separately provide a member that rotatably supports the wheel as in the conventional technique, and the number of parts can be reduced. It is possible to reduce the cost and weight of the automated guided vehicle while achieving the weight reduction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the steering motor according to the first aspect, the steering motor has an inner portion and an outer portion rotatably supported by the inner portion, and the outer portion is unmanned. An inner rotor type motor having a fixed side fixed to a transport vehicle and having the inner part as a rotating side, wherein the inner part has a hollow space formed therein, and one of the wheels is provided in the hollow space. The parts are housed and the wheels are rotatably supported. With this, a part of the wheel
Since the size of the automated guided vehicle in the height direction can be suppressed by storing the unmanned guided vehicle in the steering motor inner portion, it is possible to reduce the size and floor of the automated guided vehicle. Further, since the inner portion of the steering motor is also used as the member for rotatably supporting the wheel, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for rotatably supporting the wheel as in the prior art, which reduces the number of parts. It is possible to reduce the cost and weight of the automated guided vehicle while achieving the weight reduction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the inner space has a tapered portion whose diameter increases toward the wheel, and the tapered portion has a part of the wheel. Is stored. As a result, without forming an extra-sized space in the inner portion of the steering motor,
Part of the wheel can be stored while maintaining the strength of the inner part.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, an attachment member for fixing the steering motor to the automated guided vehicle is provided on the fixed side of the steering motor, and the steering motor is provided. A support member for pivotally supporting the wheels is integrally formed on the rotation side of the motor for use. As a result, the steering motor can be easily mounted on the automatic guided vehicle via the mounting member, and the support member that pivotally supports the wheel is integrally formed on the rotation side of the steering motor, so that the wheel is pivotally supported. There is no need to separately provide a member. Therefore, the steering motor and the wheels can be unitized and the weight can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in each of the first to third aspects, a drive motor for driving the wheel is provided inside the wheel, and the wheel is driven with respect to the wheel of the automatic guided vehicle. It is controllable. As a result, even if the vehicle has a steering motor that adjusts the steering angle of the wheels and a drive motor that can control the driving of the wheels, part of the wheels can be housed in the empty space of the steering motor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a drive wheel unit of an automated guided vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the drive wheel unit of the automated guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of another drive wheel unit of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of another drive wheel unit of the automated guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the automatic guided vehicle.

6 is a view on arrow AA in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a driven wheel unit of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the configuration of the driven wheel unit of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of another driven wheel unit of the automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of another driven wheel unit of the automated guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view showing the automatic guided vehicle.

12 is a view on arrow AA in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a wheel unit of a conventional automated guided vehicle.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a configuration of a wheel unit of a conventional automated guided vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 101 Automated guided vehicle 2 Vehicle body 3 Drive wheel (wheel) 4 Drive wheel unit (wheel unit) 10 Drive motor 15, 45, 115, 145 Steering motor 16, 46 Inner part 18, 48 Outer part 20, 50 Hollow Hole (vacant space) 20A Tapered portion 32, 52 Mounting member

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A wheel unit of an automated guided vehicle, comprising: a wheel; and a steering motor for changing a steering angle of the wheel, wherein the steering unit can independently control steering with respect to the automated guided vehicle. A wheel unit for an automatic guided vehicle, characterized in that a void is formed facing the wheel and is open, and a part of the wheel is housed in the void. 2. The steering motor has an inner portion and an outer portion rotatably supported by the inner portion, the inner portion being a fixed side fixed to an automated guided vehicle, An outer rotor type motor having the outer portion as a rotation side, wherein a hollow space is formed in the inner portion, and the outer portion includes a portion of the wheel in a space of the inner portion. The wheel unit for an automated guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the wheel is rotatably supported in a state of being housed in the wheel unit. 3. The steering motor includes an outer portion and an inner portion rotatably supported by the outer portion, the outer portion being a fixed side fixed to an automated guided vehicle, An inner rotor type motor having the inner portion as a rotation side, wherein the inner portion has a hollow space formed therein, and a part of the wheel is housed in the hollow space to rotate the wheel. The wheel unit for an automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the wheel unit is freely supported. 4. The inner space has a taper-shaped portion whose diameter increases toward the wheel, and the taper-shaped portion accommodates a part of the wheel. A wheel unit for an automated guided vehicle according to claim 3. 5. A mounting member for fixing the steering motor to the automatic guided vehicle is provided on the fixed side of the steering motor, and the wheels are pivotally supported on the rotation side of the steering motor. A wheel unit for an automated guided vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a support member for the vehicle is integrally formed. 6. The wheel according to claim 1, further comprising a drive motor for driving the wheel, the drive motor being capable of drivingly controlling the wheel of the automatic guided vehicle. Item 3. A wheel unit for an automated guided vehicle according to item 3.