JPS59711A - Above-ground mobile body for running in longitudinal and lateral directions - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To run the titled body on a main running track folded at a right angle with the swing motion on the place an to run laterally the body on a side track branched at a right angle from the main running track toward a station provided closely without the swing motion. CONSTITUTION:A reflecting signal from a reflecting tape sticked on a floor to show a running path is received with a sensor array 11, and a discriminating circuit 100 discriminates the relative position to the path of the mobile body on ground. The number of revolutions of left and right drive motors 32, 42 is controlled with a motor control circuit 111 for steering so that the reflecting tape passes through the center of the sensor array 11. When the mobile body on ground reaches a folding point, a microcomputer 120 discriminates the arrival of the folding point from the photo detecting state of the sensor array and to which direction, left or right, the body is to be swung from the program of an ROM121, and transmits a swing signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides automatic steering based on guidance signals, and a vehicle capable of running in a longitudinal and lateral direction on a side lane provided at right angles to the main lane without turning the ground vehicle. Regarding land vehicles.

Conventionally, when setting travel lanes for this type of ground mobile vehicle, it was necessary to have a turning radius equal to the bending point of the lane, which required a correspondingly large space, and more than one vehicle could be placed in the same travel lane. When running multiple ground vehicles, load the vehicle in a location away from the main travel lane to avoid interfering with the movement of other vehicles during loading, unloading, or charging of one ground vehicle. When establishing a station for unloading, etc., ground vehicles had to be brought alongside the station using a bypass lane. Therefore, the distance between the adjacent stations must be large so that the respective bypass lanes do not interfere with each other, which has the drawback of requiring a large space for the entire factory.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ground vehicle for running in the longitudinal and lateral directions that can run laterally on side lanes that are branched at right angles without turning.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the layout of driving lanes, etc. in a conventional example, where main driving lane 1 is laid out with a desired turning radius, and bypass lanes are provided near station 6 and maintenance and charging pits 7. 2 is used. 10
is a ground moving object, and 4 and 5 are signal marks indicating a branching point and a stopping point, respectively.

FIG. 2 is an example of the layout of travel lanes, etc. for traveling the ground moving body according to the present invention. 1 is a main driving lane consisting of a right-angled broken line based on the arrangement of each station 6 and maintenance charging pit 7 in the factory, and 3 is a main driving lane because it is close to each station 6 and maintenance charging pit 7. These are side lanes laid out at right angles to the traffic lanes, indicating that, unlike bypass lanes, stations can be placed closely together. 4 and 5 are signal generation marks indicating the branching position to the side lane and the stop position, respectively, and 10
indicates a ground moving object. This embodiment uses an optical guidance system, and the main travel lane 1, side lane 3, position signal mark 4, and stop signal mark 5 are each constructed by pasting reflective tape on the floor surface. .

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the bottom surface of the ground vehicle, and FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view. A caster-type driven wheel 50 that is rotatable about the vertical axis is provided, and a turning track 20 is provided in the center of the driven wheel 50.
is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 21 provided at its center. The turning track is also provided with drive wheels 40 which are driven separately by separate drive motors 32, 42 via gearboxes 31, 41, and further illuminate the floor surface in order to obtain guidance signals. A light source and a sensor array 11 having, for example, 16 photodetectors are arranged perpendicular to the traveling direction.

That is, the sensor array detects the reflected light from the driving lane 1, and the vehicle steers by controlling the rotational speed of both driving wheels separately so that the driving lane 1 is located directly below the center of the sensor array. Furthermore, when the vehicle reaches a bending point in the driving lane, the turning direction is determined from the light reception status of the sensor array, and for example, if the vehicle is turning right, the right drive wheel is switched to reverse.
It can turn on the spot with the center between both driving wheels, that is, the center of the chassis, as the turning center, and the four driven wheels are also rotatably arranged around their vertical axes, so they can easily follow the turning. be able to.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway view of the pivot portion of the turning track. The swing truck 20 is rotatably supported on the underside of the chassis of the ground vehicle 10 by a thrust bearing 22 and a radial bearing 23, and a brake device 24 is engaged with the swing shaft 21. A release solenoid 5 is provided, and a cam 26 is also fixed to the vertical 21, and a limit switch 27 is provided so as to come into contact with the cam 26. .

FIG. 6 shows a driven wheel turning shaft 51 for turning the driven wheel 50.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a brake system that locks the vehicle.

When the piston solenoid moves one time in response to the brake signal and activates the piston in the master cylinder, hydraulic pressure is generated, and the hydraulic pressure passes through the hydraulic piping 54 and the hydraulic distributor 55.
It is applied to the brake cylinder 53 of each driven wheel, actuates the brake device 52, and locks each driven wheel pivot shaft 51 at the same time. Note that 57 is an oil reservoir.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the travel control circuit of the ground vehicle. The reflected signal from the reflective tape pasted on the floor to indicate the running route is received by the sensor array 11, and the discrimination circuit 100 determines the relative position of the ground moving object with respect to the route, and the tape is pasted as the running route as described above. The rotational speed of the left and right drive motors 32 and 42 is controlled and steered by the motor control circuit 111 so that the reflective tape passed through the center of the sensor array. When a ground moving object reaches a bending point on its path, the microcomputer uses the judgment program stored in the ROM 121 to determine from the light reception status of the sensor array that it has reached the bending point and in which direction it should turn. -120
A decision is made at , and a turning signal is issued. For example, when turning to the right, by reversing the right drive wheel, the vehicle can turn on the spot and travel along a route bent at right angles.

Next, to explain the control when approaching a stage holder for loading and unloading, firstly, the setting board 122 stores in advance in the microcomputer 120 the stage to be stopped in the vicinity, and , when the sensor array 11 reads the position signal mark affixed near the branch point from the traffic lane to the side lane for approaching the station, the stage 9 set in the comparison/discrimination circuit 123 is activated.
When they match, a stop signal is immediately issued from the microcomputer 120, the current to the drive motors 32 and 42 is cut off, the brake (not shown) is activated, and the The moving object stops.

Thereafter, the approach to the station is further carried out in accordance with the control signal from the microcomputer 120 in accordance with the following procedure.

(The piston solenoid field is activated via the 117L/noid drive circuit 124, hydraulic pressure is applied from the master cylinder to the brake cylinder of each driven wheel, and the rotation axes of all four driven wheels are locked by the brake device 52. .

(2) Voltage is applied to the brake release solenoid δ via the slide/id drive circuit 125, and the operation of the brake device 24 that has locked the turning axis 2J of the turning truck is released, and the turning truck can be freely rotated. state.

(3) By controlling the rotation directions of the left and right drive motors 32 and 42 to be opposite to each other and driving the left and right drive wheels 30 and 40 in opposite directions, the turning track 20 is rotated relative to the ground vehicle 10. Swirl.

(4) At the point where the turning track has turned 90 degrees, the turning axis 21
The limit switch 2 is installed in the recess of the cam 26 fixed to the
Actuator 7 is fitted and generates a signal voltage.

(5) The above series of control signals are all canceled by the generation of the above signal voltage. That is, the drive motor 32.42
The rotation of the turning track 20 is stopped, and the turning of the turning track 20 is stopped.

Model number: Brake release solenoid 25 is inactive,
The turning axis 21 of the turning truck 20 is locked by the brake device 24, the piston solenoid shell is also deactivated, the oil pressure disappears, the operation of the brake device 52 is also released, and all four driven wheels can turn freely. .

(6) Next, the left and right drive motors 32 and 42 are given equal rotational speed in the same direction, and the ground vehicle 10 runs laterally along the side lane 3, reading the stop mark affixed in front of the station. and stop. FIG. 8 is a bottom view showing the lower surface of the ground moving body when traveling in a lateral direction.

Above, we have explained about driving on a driving lane that bends at right angles, but even on driving lanes that include circular arcs, by appropriately selecting the difference in the rotation speed of the left and right drive wheels, you can drive along a curve with an arbitrary turning radius. It is also possible to run.

In this embodiment, the optical guidance method using a reflective tape was described, but the invention is not limited to this, and an electromagnetic induction method that detects signals from a track buried or laid in the floor and steers the vehicle, or a laser Of course, it is also possible to use a ground guidance method such as a method in which the vehicle is steered by detecting a beam or the like.

Furthermore, although a method has been described in which a mark is formed on a reflective tape for the crying signal and the stop signal, and the mark is optically read, other methods such as a proximity switch or the like may of course be used.

Although this embodiment has been described with respect to a ground moving body as an unmanned carrier, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to apply the present invention to a work vehicle such as a Hawklit. When used for this purpose, it is not necessary to repeatedly move forward and backward to set the position in the lateral direction, as is the case with conventional methods, and highly accurate position setting is possible.

As explained above, the ground moving object according to the present invention can travel not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction, so when used as an automatic guided vehicle, etc., it is possible to use a travel lane that bends at right angles, and a bypass can be used. Since side lanes can be provided at right angles from the main driving lane without the need for lanes, wasted space used only for driving can be saved as much as possible, and an effective factory layout can be achieved.

Furthermore, when used in a work vehicle such as a Hawklit, it has the advantage of being able to be moved to a desired position with high precision with a minimum amount of movement space.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of travel lanes, etc. according to the conventional example, Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of travel lanes, etc. when the present invention is used, and Figure 3 is the underside of the ground vehicle when traveling in the vertical direction. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the ground moving body, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway view showing the turning shaft portion of the turning truck, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the driven wheel turning shaft brake system, and FIG. 7
The figure is a block diagram of the automatic steering travel control circuit, and FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the ground vehicle when it is traveling in a lateral direction, as seen from below. 1... Main driving lane, 2... Bypass lane, 3 River side lane, 4... Position signal mark, 5... Stop signal mark, 6... Station, 7... Maintenance, charging pit, 10...ground mobile body, 11...sensor array,
2o...Swivel track, 21...Swivel axis, 22...
・Thrus) -=7 ring, 23... radial bearing, 24... brake device, 5... brake release solenoid, 26... cam, 27... limit switch, 30... right drive wheel , 31...right gear box,
32...Right drive motor, 4o...Left drive wheel, 41
...Left gear box, 42...Left drive motor, 5
0... Driven wheel, 51... Driven wheel rotation axis, 52...
Brake device, 53...brake cylinder, lock...
・Hydraulic piping, 55... Hydraulic distributor, Evil... Master cylinder, 57... Oil reservoir, Gu... Piston solenoid, 100... Discrimination circuit, 110...
・Relay circuit, 111...Motor control circuit, 120
...Microcomputer-1121...ROM,
122... Setting board, 123... Comparison discrimination circuit,
124... Solenoid drive circuit, 7 Patent applicant Koji Onishi, Patent Attorney, Hitachi Kiden Industries Co., Ltd. 62

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A ground moving body that detects a guidance signal and travels under automatic steering, which has driven wheels rotatable around a vertical axis arranged at each of the four corners of the underside of the vehicle. A swing track equipped with a pair of drive wheels is pivotally supported on the lower surface of the approximately central portion of the vehicle chassis, and by rotating the swing track relative to the ground vehicle, the ground vehicle can be moved vertically and horizontally. A ground moving body for vertical and horizontal travel, characterized in that it is capable of traveling. (2) The pair of drive wheels are each driven by a separate drive motor, and the drive wheels are steered by giving a difference in the number of revolutions of each drive wheel in response to a steering signal. A ground vehicle for vertical and horizontal movement during battle. - (3) When turning the turning track relative to the ground moving body, the turning axes of the four driven wheels are each fixed by a brake, and the pair of driving wheels disposed on the turning track is rotated. 2. A ground moving body for vertical and horizontal travel according to claim 1, characterized in that said vehicle is rotated in opposite directions. (4) The automatic steering operation detects a guidance signal including a route signal and a position signal, compares it with a preset position signal by a microcomputer mounted on the ground moving body, and then returns to the desired station. 2. A ground vehicle for running in the longitudinal and lateral directions according to claim 1, which travels laterally on a branch road and stops at a desired position.