JPS63234805A - Automatic charging equipment for unmanned carrier car - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To contrive to make a carrier completely unmanned by connecting an unmanned carrier side and a fixed charging equipment side with each other at the time of detecting that an unmanned carrier stops at a stop position. CONSTITUTION:When a detecting element provided at the bottom of a carrier detects a reflection tape 14b for stop position, said carrier stops a motor driving circuit. Then, the carrier stops at an accurate stop position, while it is guided by a guide wheel 9, a guide rail 10 and a reflection tape 14a. After that, if contacts 5, 6 come into touch with each other at the stop position, a signal is sent from an automatic charge control board 12 to the carrier through an operating cable 7 and a carrier circuit is separated from a battery 1. Thereafter, a charging cable 8 is connected to start charging of the battery 1. After charging is over, the charging cable 8 is separated and the battery 1 is connected with the carrier circuit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle that eliminates the need to replace batteries.

(Prior Art) Unmanned factories are becoming more and more popular in order to carry out work at night and on holidays, and unmanned guided vehicles are running there.

This automatic guided vehicle is equipped with a small battery as a driving power source.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) There is a problem that the battery installed in an automatic guided vehicle discharges in 6 to 9 hours and must be replaced, and that it can only be operated unmanned within the discharge time. Ta. Moreover, the discharge time varies from 6 to 9 hours, and the current situation is that it is difficult to accurately determine when to replace the battery. When the time for reloading approaches, the automatic guided vehicle becomes prone to erroneous operation, which poses a problem in terms of reliability.

In addition, because batteries are charged and discharged rapidly, small battery packs have a short lifespan, and because they are mounted inside a transport vehicle, there is the problem of internal corrosion due to fluid leakage.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve all of the above-mentioned problems by using an automatic charging device to enable charging without reloading, and to create an automatic guided vehicle that can be completely unmanned. The purpose is to provide an automatic charging device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention charges an automatic guided vehicle that runs using a battery as a driving power source to a stopping position where a fixed charging device is arranged. An automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle that charges the battery by stopping the automatic guided vehicle, the automatic guided vehicle comprising: a proximity switch that detects that the automatic guided vehicle has stopped at the stop position; and a proximity switch that detects that the automatic guided vehicle has stopped at the stop position. a connection device that connects the automatic guided vehicle side and the fixed charging device side when the automatic guided vehicle side and the fixed charging device side are connected; a charger provided on the fixed charging device side to charge the battery; and a battery charger provided on the fixed charging device side to charge the battery; and a charging control circuit that disconnects the battery from the guided vehicle circuit of the automatic guided vehicle and connects it to the charger, and controls the battery to be disconnected from the charger and connected to the guided vehicle circuit after charging is completed. ing.

In this case, the battery may be a large battery mounted on a trolley connected to the automatic guided vehicle.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and the like.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view of FIG. 1 viewed from direction A, and FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. FIG. 4, which is a view seen from the direction, is a diagram showing the traveling line of the device of the embodiment.

In each figure, 1 is a battery 92, a trolley, 3 is a connecting rod,
4 is a fan, 5 and 6 are contacts, 7 is an operating cable, 8
is a charging cable, 9 is a guide wheel, 10 is a guide rail, 11
12 is a proximity switch, 12 is an automatic charging control panel, 13 is a quick charger, and 14 is a running line reflective tape.

The battery 1 is a battery that serves as a power source for driving an automatic guided vehicle, and uses a larger battery than conventional batteries. The reason for using a large battery is the quick charger 13.
In addition to ensuring that the battery life will not be shortened even if the battery is charged with
This is to be able to handle even if the frequency of transportation increases.

This battery 1 is mounted on a trolley 2 and is towed by a transport vehicle via a connecting rod 3. In the present invention, since the battery 1 is charged during operation, mounting the battery 1 inside the transport vehicle may cause hydrogen gas, dilute sulfuric acid, etc. to scatter, which is dangerous, so the battery 1 must be placed outside the transport vehicle. I made it.

The fan 4 is arranged so as to face toward the battery I when the automatic guided vehicle stops at a predetermined stop position. This fan 4 prevents the gas generated during charging from reaching the transport vehicle, and also prevents the temperature of the battery 1 from rising during charging.

A contact 5 (FIG. 2) is provided on the transport vehicle side, and a contact 6 (FIG. 3) is provided on the fixed charging device side. These contacts 5 and 6 are contacts for the charging circuit for charging when the vehicle is stopped, and are connected to the battery 1 by switching between the charging circuit and the transport vehicle circuit, and while the vehicle is running, the contacts 5 on the transport vehicle side are connected to the battery 1.
This is to prevent voltage from being applied to the An operating cable 7 and a charging cable 8 are connected to the contact 6.

Guide wheels 9, 9 are attached to the side of the transport vehicle,
The vehicle stops or departs while being guided by a guide rail 10 provided on the fixed charging device side. This guide rail IO is provided with a proximity switch 11 for confirming the stoppage of the transport vehicle.

Operation cable 7, charging cable 8. The proximity switch 11 and the like are connected to an automatic charging control panel 12. This automatic charging control panel 12 has a circuit that prevents voltage from being applied to the contacts 6 during transportation, prevents electrical sparks from occurring while the contacts 5, 6 are in contact, and allows the charging time to be adjusted. This automatic charging control panel 12 is provided with a quick charger 13 that can charge the battery in a short time.

While the transport vehicle is traveling, it is guided by the traveling line reflective tape 14 and travels. When stopping, the contacts 5 and 6 are guided by the above-mentioned guide wheel 9 and guide rail 10 so that they contact each other accurately, and reflective tape 14 is attached to the narrow part 41a and the stop position as shown in FIG. Reflective tape 14b is provided on both sides.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the circuit diagrams shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and the time chart shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a charging operation circuit used as an embodiment of the automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a charging circuit used in the device according to the embodiment. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a carrier detection circuit used in the apparatus of the embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the apparatus of the embodiment.

After the transport vehicle departs, the charging external command contact shown in Fig. 5 in the transport vehicle control panel (automatic call device) is turned on, relay R1a is activated, and relay contact R1b is turned on, and the automatic charging circuit is in operation. become. At this time, the operating power switch C3I is turned on, and the operating power indicator red lamp RL lights up.

After completing the conveyance, the conveyance vehicle runs while being guided on the traveling line reflective tape 14 by a detection section provided at the bottom thereof, and the detection section detects the reflective tape 14b for the stop position shown in FIG. Sometimes, the motor drive circuit is stopped and the guide wheel 9. Guide rail 10 and reflective tape 14a
The robot stops at an accurate stop position while being guided by the robot (FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) Tl).

When the proximity sensor 11 detects the stop of the transport vehicle (Fig. 8 (
d) Tl), the relay coil R2a shown in Fig. 7 is activated, the relay contact R2b is turned on, and the fan motor (FANM) 4a of the fan 4 starts rotating (Fig. 8 (elTl)).
). At the same time, relay contact R2b shown in FIG. 5 also operates, turning on the automatic charging circuit.

When contact 5.6 contacts at the stop position, a signal is sent from the automatic charging control panel 12 to the transport vehicle via the operation cable 7, and the timer Tla starts counting and after t1 seconds, the switch Tl is activated.
b is turned on (FIG. 8(f) T 2). This results in
Since relay coil R3a is activated and relay contact R3b is turned on, relay coil R4a is activated. When relay coil R4a is activated, relay contact R4 shown in FIG.
c is turned off and the carrier circuit is disconnected from the battery 1, and at the same time relay contact R4b is turned on and the charging cable 8 is connected.

After the signal is sent, the timer T2a shown in FIG. 5 starts counting, and after t2 seconds, the switch T2b is turned on (Ts) in FIG. 8(g), and the relay coil R5a is activated. When the relay coil R5a is activated, the relay contact R5b shown in FIG. 6 is turned on, the charger 13 is connected to the battery 1, and charging is started (Ts in FIG. 8(h)). Note that in the charging state, the charging display edge lamp GL lights up. When the charging circuit is cut off and the voltage from the battery side disappears, since we are using a charger that does not provide charging voltage, the charging indicator lamp GL is designed to light up only when it is in the charging state.

The signal from the operation cable 7 is cut off t3 seconds after charging starts (T4 in FIG. 8(C)). That is, after the charging time timer in the conveyance vehicle control panel (automatic calling device) times up, the charging external command contact shown in FIG. Cable 8 is disconnected.

Furthermore, relay contact R4c is turned on, relay contact R4b is turned off, and battery 1 is connected to the carrier circuit.

When the conveyance vehicle is called by the automatic calling device and departs (FIG. 8(a) Ts), the proximity switch 11 is activated.
is turned off (Ts in FIG. 8(d)), and the fan 4 stops (FIG. 8(elT5)).

(Effects of the Invention) As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically charge the battery in a short time while it is installed, so there is no need to worry about the battery running out or malfunctioning during transportation work. , it has become possible to completely unmanned transport vehicles.

Furthermore, since the battery is mounted on a trolley connected to the transport vehicle, there is no possibility of soiling the transport vehicle due to liquid leakage or the like.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view of FIG. 1 viewed from direction A, and FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. FIG. 4, which is a view seen from the direction, is a diagram showing the traveling line of the device of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a charging operation circuit used as an embodiment of the automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a charging circuit used in the device according to the embodiment. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a carrier detection circuit used in the apparatus of the embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the apparatus of the embodiment. 1...Battery 2...Dolly 3...Connecting rod 4...Fan 5.6...Contact
7... Operation cable 8... Charging cable
9... Guide wheel 10... Guide rail 11...
Proximity switch 12...Automatic charging control panel 13...Quick charger 14...Travel line reflective tape 15...Charging operation circuit 16...Charging circuit 17.
・Transported vehicle detection circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle that charges the battery by stopping an automatic guided vehicle that runs using a battery as a driving power source at a stop position where a fixed charging device is disposed, wherein the automatic guided vehicle a proximity switch that detects that the automatic guided vehicle has stopped at the stop position, a connection device that connects the automatic guided vehicle side and the fixed charging device side when the automatic guided vehicle stops at the stopped position, and charges the battery. a charger provided on the fixed charging device side, and when the proximity switch is activated, the battery is disconnected from the guided vehicle circuit of the automatic guided vehicle and connected to the charger;
An automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle, comprising a charging control circuit that controls the battery to be disconnected from the charger and connected to the guided vehicle circuit after charging is completed. (2) The automatic charging device for an automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the battery is a large battery mounted on a trolley connected to the automatic guided vehicle.