JPH11322068A - Air current control device for automated guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air current control device for an automated guided vehicle capable of improving the cleanliness of plate-like bodies held and conveyed in a cassette box by controlling the direction of the air current introduced into the storage space of a vehicle body. SOLUTION: An automated guided vehicle is provided with a vehicle body 1 having a storage space 3 removably storing a cassette box 5 holding plate-like bodies 8 at intervals in the vertically stacked state and a fan 2 with a filter introducing the filtered air into the storage space 3. The fan 2 with a filter is arranged at a proper place on the upper periphery of the vehicle body 1 so that air is introduced diagonally downward into the storage space 3, an air discharge port 10 is arranged at diagonally lower position on the diagonal line from the fan 6 with a filter on the lower face of the vehicle body 1, and the storage space 3 and the discharge port 10 are connected by a passage 11 gradually decreased with the cross sectional area.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle equipped with a fan having a filter for introducing air into a housing space of a main body, and more particularly to an air flow control device of an automatic guided vehicle for controlling an air flow of air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, unmanned transport vehicles have been used in unmanned transport systems for the purpose of automation and labor saving in factories and logistics sites. Carriers are used.

As shown in FIG. 2, this automatic guided vehicle mainly comprises a vehicle body 21 as a main body, a fan 22 with a filter, and running wheels 27. The vehicle body 21 has a housing space 23, and a cassette box 25 is housed in the housing space 23 on a base 24 so as to be insertable and removable.

[0004] The cassette box 25 has an upper frame 25a, a lower frame 25b, four columns 25c for vertically supporting the four corners thereof, and a multistage left and right crosspiece (not shown). It has an open box shape, and plate members 28 such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal are held in a vertically stacked manner at intervals by respective right and left crosspieces.

[0005] A fan 22 with a filter provided at the center of the upper surface of the vehicle body 21 is for introducing air in a clean room in order to blow off and remove dust and the like in the storage space 23. Dust and the like are discharged by the airflow in the storage space 23 until the introduced air is discharged, and the plate-like body 28 held in the cassette box 25 is further cleaned.

The vehicle body 21 travels on a predetermined transport path in a clean room by traveling wheels 27 such as driving wheels and driven wheels, and dusts and the like are filtered by a filter 22b as indicated by an arrow by a fan 22a rotated by a driving motor. Air is introduced into the accommodation space 23 above, and
The air is discharged to the lower part of the vehicle body 21 through a passage formed between the inner surface and the periphery of the outer surface of the base 24.

[0007]

Since the above-described conventional automatic guided vehicle has a fan 22 with a filter in the center of the upper surface of the vehicle body 21, the air flow A of the air flows into the accommodation space 23 as shown by the arrow in FIG. It flows from the top down. Accordingly, there is a problem that air is difficult to flow through the flat gap between the plate-like bodies 28 stacked vertically at intervals in the cassette box 25, and dust or the like attached to the plate-like body 28 cannot be sufficiently removed. is there.

Further, dust and the like on the floor surface 26 float due to a top-to-bottom airflow discharged below the vehicle body 21 from an air passage formed between the inner surface of the vehicle body 21 and the periphery of the outer surface of the base 24. There is also a problem that the degree of cleanness of the surrounding environment of the vehicle body 21 is reduced, and that dust and the like are likely to be introduced into the accommodation space 23.

In view of the above problems, the present invention further improves the cleanliness of a plate-like body held and conveyed in a cassette box by controlling the direction of the airflow introduced into the housing space of the vehicle body. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air flow control device for an automatic guided vehicle that can achieve the following.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body having a housing space for accommodating and removably accommodating cassette boxes for holding plate-like bodies in a vertically stacked manner at intervals. And an automatic guided vehicle having a fan with a filter that introduces filtered air into the accommodation space, such that air is directed obliquely downward into the accommodation space at a suitable location around the upper surface of the vehicle body. The air outlet is disposed on the lower surface of the vehicle body at a position diagonally below the fan with a filter, and the accommodating space and the outlet are connected by a passage having a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area. .

According to the present invention, since the fan with the filter is arranged at an appropriate position around the upper surface of the vehicle body so that air is introduced obliquely downward into the housing space, the fan is held at an interval in the cassette box. If air flows horizontally in the flat gaps between the plate-shaped objects and dust or the like adheres to the plate-shaped objects, they are blown away by the air current and removed to further clean the plate-shaped objects. Can be achieved.

[0012] Further, the air outlet is disposed diagonally below the fan with the filter, and the passage connecting the outlet and the accommodating space has a gradually reduced cross-sectional area. The airflow circulating in the horizontal direction is smoothly led to the outlet. Further, even if dust and the like on the floor surface float due to the air discharged from the outlet to the floor, the dust and the like are obstructed by the vehicle body and stored again because the fan with the filter is located diagonally above the outlet. It is less likely to be introduced into the space, and the cleanness of the plate can be maintained.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an air flow control device for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, this automatic guided vehicle has a vehicle body 1 as a main body, a fan 2 with a filter,
It is mainly composed of The vehicle body 1 has a substantially enclosed space 3 that is opened and closed by an opening / closing door (not shown), and a cassette box 5 is removably accommodated on a base 4 in the accommodation space 3. The base 4 has its rear surface and both side surfaces in close contact with the inner surface of the vehicle body 1 with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle body 1 (rightward in the drawing), and its front surface is formed into a cross-sectional curved shape as shown in FIG. It is arranged at an interval from the inner surface.
This space forms a passage 11 to be described later, and a lower opening portion thereof forms an outlet 10 to be described later.

The cassette box 5 includes an upper frame 5a and a lower frame 5
b and four columns 5c for supporting each of the four corners in the vertical direction, and a box-like shape having an open entire peripheral surface composed of a large number of left and right crosspieces (not shown). A plate-shaped body 8 such as a glass substrate for use is held vertically in a stacked manner at intervals.

The vehicle body 1 is provided with a fan 2 with a filter so that the rear side of the upper surface thereof is inclined at about 45 ° to the accommodation space 3 so that air is introduced into the accommodation space 3 obliquely downward. Have been placed. In the present embodiment, the upper surface is shown as a rectangular shape. However, in the case of an automatic guided vehicle having a circular upper surface, it may be appropriately arranged so that air is introduced obliquely downward at an appropriate position around the upper surface.

The fan 2 with a filter comprises a fan 2a having blades rotated by a drive motor, and a filter 2b for filtering dust when the air fed by the rotation of the fan 2a is sent into the housing space 3. The airflow A of the air introduced by the fan 2 with the filter cleans the plate 8 held in the cassette box 5 as described later.

When the vehicle body 1 travels on a predetermined transport path in a clean room by a front driving wheel 7a or a driven wheel 7b provided behind, a fan 2 with a filter is also driven to introduce air into the accommodation space 3. You. In the present embodiment, unlike the conventional fan shown in FIG. 2, the fan 2 with a filter is provided on the rear side of the upper surface of the vehicle body 1 so that the air is introduced into the housing space 3 so as to be directed obliquely downward. Most of the air pumped from the fan 2a
It enters the horizontal direction from the side of the cassette box 5 housed on the upper surface of the base 4. Therefore, if air flows through the flat gap between the plate-like bodies 8 held in a stacked manner in the cassette box 5 and dust or the like adheres to the plate-like body 8, the airflow A is blown off and removed. In addition, the plate member 8 and the crosspiece can be cleaned.

As described above, the air flowing from the oblique direction to the horizontal direction hits the front inner surface of the vehicle body 1 and flows downward,
The air is discharged to the outside from an outlet 10 formed at a diagonal line below the fan 6 with a filter on the lower surface of the vehicle body 1. In the present embodiment, in order to control the direction and the flow velocity of the airflow A, an airflow control plate 9 is provided on the upper inside of the vehicle body 1, and the front of the base 4 is located just below the airflow control plate 9 on the lower inside. Play a role. As a result, a passage 11 having a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area is formed between the accommodation space 3 and the outlet 10.
In addition, as long as the passage 11 is formed so that the cross-sectional area between the accommodation space 3 and the discharge port 10 gradually decreases, the airflow control plate 9 can employ an arbitrary one.

As the passage 11 becomes narrower toward the discharge port 10, the flow velocity of the airflow A passing through the part becomes larger, and when the vehicle body 1 travels forward (to the right in FIG. 1), the airflow A becomes the floor. Since it flows horizontally on the surface 6 relatively backward (to the left in FIG. 1) and the floating of dust and the like is prevented by the vehicle body 1, the floor is discharged by the airflow discharged from the upper side to the lower side as in the related art. It is possible to prevent dust and the like on the surface 6 from floating and being introduced into the housing space 3 again.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the arrangement of the fan with the filter is devised to control the direction of the airflow introduced into the housing space, thereby being held and conveyed by the cassette box. By removing dust and the like adhering to the plate-like body by the air flow, the plate-like body can be further cleaned, and the air flow can be formed smoothly by forming the air passage so as to gradually reduce the cross-sectional area. Further, by arranging the air outlet at a diagonal position diagonally below the fan with a filter, it is possible to prevent the dust and the like on the floor surface floated by the exhaust air from being introduced into the storage space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of an airflow control device of an automatic guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body 2 Fan with filter 3 Housing space 4 Base 5 Cassette box 8 Plate 9 Air flow control plate 10 Outlet 11 Passage

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body having an accommodation space for accommodating a cassette box for holding a plate-like body in a vertically stacked manner at intervals, and a fan with a filter for introducing filtered air into the accommodation space. In an automatic guided vehicle having
A filter-equipped fan is arranged at an appropriate position around the upper surface of the vehicle body so that air is introduced obliquely downward into the housing space,
An automatic guided vehicle characterized in that an air discharge port is disposed at a diagonal position diagonally below the fan with a filter on the lower surface of the vehicle body, and the accommodating space and the discharge port are connected by a passage having a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area. Airflow control device.