KR101423146B1 - Transportation vehicle system - Google Patents

Abstract

The moment load acting on the pivotal support portion for rotatably supporting the branching guide roller at the time of branching guidance in the conveyance car system is reduced. The branching guide roller mechanism 24 includes branching guide rollers 36 to 39, a first movable arm 101 and a second movable arm 103 for supporting the branching guide rollers 36 to 39, (Rotation supporting portions) 51 and 55 (second supporting portions) for rotatably supporting the first movable arm 101 and the second movable arm 103 on the traveling vehicle. The branching guide roller driving mechanism 40 is provided on the traveling carriage and is provided with a branching guide roller mechanism 24 for switching the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 to the guide position / . The height position of the pivotal center C of the pivotal support portions 51 and 55 is within the vertical width H1 of the portion of the branch guide rail portion 6e that the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 can contact at the guide position.

Description

{TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE SYSTEM}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveyance system, and more particularly, to a conveyance system using a conveyance vehicle capable of switching a branching guide roller to a guide position and a non-guide position.

A transport vehicle for transporting a large-sized glass substrate or a cassette in which a plurality of such glass substrates are accommodated is known. The transport vehicle automatically runs in the clean room in the factory to transport the articles between the processing apparatuses.

The trajectory on which the carriage travels is, for example, a rail suspended from the ceiling. In this case, the space in which the rails and the conveyance vehicle travel is a clean room that is blocked from the outside.

The conveying vehicle has wheels on both right and left sides, one of the wheels is a driving wheel, and the other is a follower wheel. A motor is connected to the drive wheel. The carriage also has guide rollers that contact the left and right guide rails.

The carriage also has a branching mechanism to switch which trajectory to go from left to right in the branch of the trajectory. The branching mechanism has a branching guide roller provided so as to be able to contact the left and right guide rails and a branching guide roller driving section for switching the branching guide roller to the guide position and the non-guide position. The branching guide roller driving unit moves the branching guide roller disposed at the branching end from the branching unit from the non-guide position to the guide position, and moves the conveying car to the branching destination side (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-219643

In the method of moving the branch guide roller, there is a method of moving the member for supporting the branch guide roller in the direction in which the rotation center line extends, or a method of rotating the member for supporting the branch guide roller around one end thereof.

In the latter method, for example, when a horizontal external force is applied to the branching guide roller, a large moment load is applied to a portion rotatably supporting the support member. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the strength of the pivotal support portion, which leads to an increase in cost.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce a moment load acting on a pivotal support portion that rotatably supports a branching guide roller at the time of branching guidance in a conveyance system.

Hereinafter, a plurality of modes will be described as means for solving the problems. These embodiments may be arbitrarily combined as needed.

The carriage system has a track, a running vehicle, a branch guide roller mechanism, and a drive mechanism. The trajectory has a branching guide rail on the branching portion provided with a guide surface having a predetermined length in the vertical direction. The driving car travels along the orbit. The branching guide roller mechanism has a branching guide roller, a support member for supporting the branching guide roller, and a rotation support portion for rotatably supporting the support member on the carriage. The driving mechanism is installed in the running vehicle, and drives the branching guide roller mechanism to switch the branching guide roller to the guide position and the non-guide position with respect to the branching guide rail. The branching guide roller is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction at the guide position, and is disposed in contact with or close to the side of the guide surface. The height position of the pivot center of the pivotal support portion is within the width in the vertical direction of the portion where the branching guide roller can contact at the guide position on the guide surface of the branch guide rail.

In this system, the traveling vehicle travels along the trajectory. When the drive vehicle reaches the branching portion, the drive mechanism drives the support member to switch to the guide position with respect to the branching guide rail on the branching side of the branching guide roller. As a result, the traveling vehicle is guided to the orbit of the branching side by the branching guide rail at the branching portion.

The height position of the rotation center of the rotation supporting portion is within the width in the vertical direction of the portion where the branching guide roller is in contact with the branching guide rail at the guide position. Therefore, for example, a large moment load does not act on the pivotal support portion at the time of branching guidance. As a result, there is no need to increase the strength of the pivotal support portion, and it is not necessary to increase the holding force of the rotation drive, thereby reducing the cost.

The branching guide roller mechanism includes a first branching guide roller mechanism and a second branching guide roller mechanism provided on both sides of the traveling vehicle and a connecting member for connecting the first branching guide roller mechanism and the second branching guide roller mechanism to be interlocked with each other You can have it. The rotation supporting portion has a first rotation supporting portion provided on the first branch guide roller mechanism and a second rotation supporting portion provided on the second branching guide roller mechanism.

In this case, since the connecting member connects the first branch guide roller mechanism and the second branch guide roller mechanism so as to interlock with each other, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when one of the first branch guide roller and the second branch guide roller is switched from the guide position to the non-guide position, the other weight acts as a counterweight. Therefore, the load applied to the first branch guide roller mechanism and the second branch guide roller mechanism by the drive mechanism can be set small.

The carriage system may further include a detected member, a detector, and a determination unit. The detected member is provided on the branch guide rail. The detector is provided on the support member, and the detected member can be detected when the branching guide roller is in the guide position. When the detection signal is received from the detector when the branching guide roller is at the guide position, the judging section judges that the branching guide roller has been correctly moved to the guide position.

In this case, the detector can detect the detected member when the branching guide roller is in the guide position, and when the branching guide roller is in the guide position, when the detection signal is received from the detector, It is judged that it has moved. In this manner, the control of the branching guide roller is more accurate.

The height position of the running surface of the track may be close to the height position of the rotation support portion.

In this case, it is possible to reduce the torsional moment acting on the running vehicle from the branch guide roller mechanism at the time of branching guidance.

In the conveyance car system according to the present invention, the height position of the pivot center of the pivot support portion is within the width in the vertical direction of the portion where the branch guide roller can contact at the guide position. Therefore, a large moment load does not act on the pivotal support portion at the time of branching guidance. As a result, there is no need to increase the strength of the pivotal support portion, and it is not necessary to increase the holding force of the rotation drive, thereby reducing the cost.

1 is a schematic plan view of a conveyance vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the conveying carriage.
3 is a schematic side view of the conveyance car.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the driving section. Fig.
5 is a plan view of the driven running portion.
6 is a schematic plan view of the trajectory layout of the carrier system.
7 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a carrier system as one embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the conveyance path at the branching portion.
Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the conveyance path in the curved portion.
10 is a schematic front view showing a first state of the branching guide roller.
11 is a schematic front view showing a second state of the branching guide roller.
12 is a schematic front view showing a third state of the branching guide roller.
13 is a view showing a fiber sensor and an amplifier.

(1) Car carrier system

1 to 3, a carriage car system as one embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conveyance vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the conveyance carriage 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the conveyance car.

The conveyance system 1 has a trajectory 2 and a conveyance carriage 3 running on the trajectory 2. In this embodiment, the orbit 2 is suspended from the ceiling, and the circumference of the orbit 2 is a clean room.

The trajectory 2 has a running rail 4 and a guide rail 6 as shown in Fig.

The running rail 4 is composed of a pair of right and left first running rails 4a and a second running rail 4b. The first running rail 4a and the second running rail 4b have a flat running surface 4d.

The guide rail 6 has a first guide rail 6a and a second guide rail 6b. The first guide rail 6a and the second guide rail 6b are provided at the outer ends of the first running rail 4a and the second running rail 4b, respectively. The first guide rail 6a and the second guide rail 6b extend upward and have an inner side surface 6c and an outer side surface 6d.

1, a first feeder line 10a and a second feeder line 10b are provided along the second running rail 4b. A power supply device (not shown) is provided at one end of the first feeder line 10a and the second feeder line 10b. The power supply device supplies the high-frequency power to the first feeder 10a and the second feeder 10b.

(2) Orbit layout

The layout of the trajectory 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of the trajectory layout of the carrier system.

6, the trajectory 2 includes a first rectilinear section 201, a branching section 206, a curved section 203 bent rightward in the drawing from the branching section 206, And a second rectilinear section 202 extending in a shape. The trajectory 2 has a third rectilinear section 204, a fourth rectilinear section 205, and a merging section 207. The third rectilinear section (204) extends at the end of the curved section (203). The fourth rectilinear section 205 is continuous with the third rectilinear section 204 and forms a merging section 207 between the third rectilinear section 204 and the curved section 203.

The first running rail 4a and the second running rail 4b are connected to the first rectilinear section 201, the branching section 206, the curved section 203, the second rectilinear section 202, the third rectilinear section 204 The fourth rectilinear section 205, and the merging section 207, respectively.

The first guide rail 6a is formed continuously from the first straight line portion 201 to the curved portion 203 in the branched portion 206 but the second guide rail 6b is not provided. The second guide rail 6b is formed continuously from the first rectilinear section 201 to the second rectilinear section 202 in the branching section 206 but the first guide rail 6a is not provided.

The branching point 206a is a point at which the first linear portion 201 moves from the branching portion 206 to the branching portion 206 and the branching guide rail portion 6e is the guide rail 6 near the branching point 206a.

In the curved portion 203, the first guide rail 6a and the second guide rail 6b are provided, respectively.

The first guide rail 6a is formed continuously from the curved portion 203 to the third straight line portion 204 in the merging portion 207 but the second guide rail 6b is not provided. The second guide rail 6b is formed continuously from the fourth rectilinear section 205 to the third rectilinear section 204 in the merging section 207 but the first guide rail 6a is not provided.

(3) Car carrier

The carriage 3 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig.

The carriage 3 has a mounting portion 11 and a traveling portion 12. [

The receiver (11) is a structure for placing the article (17). The placement unit 11 has a pair of placement members 13 extending to both left and right sides at both ends in the running direction and a plurality of connecting members 14 extending in the forward and backward directions in the traveling direction for connecting the pair of support members . The wrist member 13 has a mounting portion 13a extending in the left and right direction and a column portion 13b extending downward from both ends in the left and right direction of the mounting portion and in the left and right direction for connecting the lower ends of the column portion 13b And has a connecting portion 13c extending therefrom. The connecting member 14 connects the connecting portions 13c of the placing member 13 with each other. The connecting member 14 is made up of four members, which are composed of a pair of left and right outer members and a pair of left and right inner members.

The traveling section 12 has a driving section 18 and a driven section 19. The drive travel portion 18 and the driven travel portion 19 are bogie bogies that are rotatably mounted to the placement portion 11, respectively.

(3 - 1) Driving section

The driving drive portion 18 will be described with reference to Fig. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the driving section. Fig.

The drive running section 18 mainly includes a main frame 20, a first drive wheel unit 21, a second drive wheel unit 22, a fixed guide roller mechanism 23, a branch guide roller mechanism 24, Lt; / RTI >

The main body frame 20 is a thin plate-shaped member for supporting the respective members. The body frame 20 is elongated in the left and right direction and a bearing 35 for supporting a shaft (not shown) extending from the placement unit 11 is provided at a central portion.

The first drive wheel unit 21 is mounted on the right end of the main body frame 20 and includes a first drive wheel 25, a first motor 26, a first reducer 27, a first encoder 96 ). The first drive wheel 25 rests on the running surface 4d of the first running rail 4a. The first motor 26 is connected to the first drive wheel 25 via the first reduction gear 27. The first encoder 96 measures the rotation of the first motor 26 and transmits a pulse signal. Thus, the rotational speed and the number of rotations of the first motor 26 can be obtained.

The second drive wheel unit 22 is mounted on the left end of the main body frame 20 and includes a second drive wheel 28, a second motor 29, a second reducer 30, a second encoder 97 ). And the second drive wheel 28 lies on the running surface 4d of the second running rail 4b. The second motor 29 is connected to the second drive wheel 28 through the second reduction gear 30. [ The second encoder 97 measures the rotation of the second motor 29 and transmits a pulse signal. Thus, the rotational speed and the number of rotations of the second motor 29 can be obtained.

The fixed guide roller mechanism 23 has a first fixed guide roller 31, a second fixed guide roller 32, a third fixed guide roller 33 and a fourth fixed guide roller 34.

The first fixed guide roller 31 and the second fixed guide roller 32 are disposed at the right end portion of the main body frame 20 so as to be spaced forward and backward in the running direction. More specifically, the first fixed guide roller 31 and the second fixed guide roller 32 are disposed on both sides of the first drive wheel 25 in the running direction of the first drive wheel 25, 6c. ≪ / RTI > The third fixed guide roller 33 and the fourth fixed guide roller 34 are disposed at the left end of the main body frame 20 so as to be spaced forward and backward in the running direction. More specifically, the third fixed guide roller 33 and the fourth fixed guide roller 34 are disposed on both sides of the second drive wheel 28 in the running direction of the second drive wheel 28, 6c. ≪ / RTI >

The branching guide roller mechanism 24 is a mechanism for performing the branching operation at the branching section 206. [ The branching guide roller mechanism 24 includes a first branching guide roller 36, a second branching guide roller 37, a third branching guide roller 38, a fourth branching guide roller 39, And has a roller driving mechanism 40.

The first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are arranged corresponding to the first fixed guide roller 31 and the second fixed guide roller 32. The branch guide roller mechanism 24 also has a first movable arm 101 (described later) to which the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are rotatably connected.

The third branching guide roller 38 and the fourth branching guide roller 39 are arranged corresponding to the third fixed guide roller 33 and the fourth fixed guide roller 34. The branching guide roller mechanism 24 also has a second movable arm 103 (described later) to which the third branching guide roller 38 and the fourth branching guide roller 39 are rotatably connected.

The branching guide roller driving mechanism 40 drives the first branching guide roller 36, the second branching guide roller 37, the third branching guide roller 38 and the fourth branching guide roller 39 It is a mechanism to change. The branch guide roller driving mechanism 40 has a first cylinder 42, a first shaft 43, a second shaft 44, and a first connecting shaft 45.

The first cylinder 42 is an electric cylinder and is arranged so as to generate a driving force in the left-right direction. The first cylinder 42 is supported in a trunnion manner.

The first shaft 43 is provided on the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 side. The first shaft 43 extends in the front-rear direction and is rotatably supported on the main body frame 20. The first shaft 43 is movable in the lateral direction by the rod of the first cylinder 42.

The first movable arm 101 includes a bracket 47 extending in the front-rear direction, a pair of arm bodies 48 extending inward in the lateral direction from both ends of the bracket 47, And has a pair of connection portions 49 extending upward. The bracket 47 has an L-shaped cross section. As described above, the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are rotatably connected to both ends of the bracket 47 in the front-rear direction.

The distal end of the connecting portion 49 serves as a pivotal support portion 51. The pivotal support portion is rotatably supported about an axis extending in the front-rear direction with respect to the main frame 20. The distal end of the connecting portion 49 is rotatably connected to the first shaft 43. Accordingly, when the first shaft 43 is driven in the left-right direction by the first cylinder 42, the first shaft 43 rotates around the rotation supporting portion.

With the above structure, when the first shaft 43 is moved in the left-right direction, the first movable arm 101 rotates around the rotation supporting portion. At this time, the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are brought into contact with the outer side surface 6d of the first guide rail 6a, And a non-guide position spaced from the side surface 6d.

The second shaft 44 is provided on the side of the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39. The second shaft 44 extends in the front-rear direction and is rotatably supported by the main body frame 20. Further, the second shaft 44 is movable in the left-right direction.

The first connection shaft 45 extends in the left-right direction and connects the first shaft 43 and the second shaft 44 to each other. More specifically, the first connecting shaft 45 is rotatably connected to the first shaft 43 and the second shaft 44 at its ends.

The second movable arm 103 includes a bracket 52 extending in the front and rear direction, a pair of arm bodies 53 extending inward in the lateral direction from both ends of the bracket 52, And has a pair of connection portions 54 extending upward. The bracket 52 has an L-shaped cross section. As described above, the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39 are rotatably connected to both ends of the bracket 52 in the front-rear direction.

The distal end of the connecting portion 54 serves as a pivotal support portion. The pivotal support portion is rotatably supported about an axis extending in the front-rear direction with respect to the main frame 20. The front end of the arm body 53 is rotatably connected to the second shaft 44. [ Therefore, when the second shaft 44 is driven in the left-right direction by the first connection shaft 45, the second shaft 44 rotates around the rotation support portion.

With the above structure, when the second shaft 44 is moved in the left-right direction, the second movable arm 103 rotates about the rotation support portion. At this time, the third branching guide roller 38 and the fourth branching guide roller 39 are brought into contact with the outer side surface 6d of the second guide rail 6b, And a non-guide position spaced from the side surface 6d.

11, the height position of the pivotal center C of the pivotal support portion 51 is set such that the height of the portion of the guide rail 6 that the first branch guide roller 36 can contact at the guide position in the vertical direction H1. The portion where the first branch guide roller 36 can contact is shorter than the height direction distance H3 of the first branch guide roller 36 as a whole. Therefore, a large moment load does not act on the pivotal support portion 51 at the time of branching guidance. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the strength of the rotation supporting portion 51, and the cost can be reduced. For example, when centrifugal force is applied to the branching guide roller when the height position of the rotation center of the rotation support portion is at a height position which is significantly different from the height of the portion where the rotation guide support roller can contact, A relatively large moment load acts.

In this embodiment, the height position of the rotation center C of the rotation support portion 51 is within the vertical width of the branching guide roller at the guide position, and also within the vertical width of the guide rail 6. [

11, the height position of the running surface 4d of the running rail 4 of the trajectory 2 is close to the height position of the turning support portion 51. As shown in Fig. Therefore, at the time of branching guidance, the torsional moment acting on the running vehicle from the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 or the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 can be reduced. More specifically, the height direction distance H2 from the travel surface 4d to the pivot center C of the pivot support portion 51 is sufficiently short, for example, slightly longer than the above-described vertical width H1, Is approximately the same as the height direction distance H3 of the entire one of the guide rollers 36 in the first branch.

The above structure will be described in other words. The branch guide rollers 36 to 39, the first movable arm 101 and the second movable arm 103, the rotation support portions 51 and 55, The branching guide roller mechanism 24 is realized from the sprocket 40. The branching guide roller mechanism 24 has a first branching guide roller mechanism 121, a second branching guide roller mechanism 122 and a branching guide roller driving mechanism 40. The first branch guide roller mechanism 121 is constituted by a first branch guide roller 36 and a second branch guide roller 37 and a first movable arm 101. The second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is constituted by a third branch guide roller 38 and a fourth branch guide roller 39 and a second movable arm 103. The branching guide roller driving mechanism 40 is a mechanism for driving the first branching guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branching guide roller mechanism 122. The branching guide roller driving mechanism 40 includes a first cylinder 42 as a power source and a first connecting shaft 45 for interlockingly connecting the first branching guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branching guide roller mechanism 122 ).

The operation of the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 will be described. The first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 and the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39 are symmetrically displaced. The positional relationship between the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 changed by the branch guide roller driving mechanism 40 and the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39 Are as follows.

Fig. 10 is a schematic front view showing a first state of the branching guide roller, Fig. 11 is a schematic front view showing a second state of the branching guide roller, and Fig. 12 is a schematic front view showing a third state of the branching guide roller .

In the first state, as shown in Fig. 10, the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 is in the first non-guide position, and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is in the first non-guide position. More specifically, the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are separated from the first guide rail 6a, and the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39 Is spaced from the second guide rail 6b.

In the second state, as shown in Fig. 11, the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 is in the guide position, and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is in the second non-guide position. Specifically, the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are in contact with or close to the first guide rail 6a, and the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 37 (39) is separated from the second guide rail (6b).

In the third state, as shown in Fig. 12, the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 is in the second non-guide position, and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is in the guide position. More specifically, the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 are separated from the first guide rail 6a, and the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39 Is brought into contact with or close to the second guide rail 6b.

In the above-described driving operation, the first connection shaft 45 connects the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 so as to be interlocked with each other, so that the following effects can be obtained. That is, when one of the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is switched from the guide position to the first non-guide position, the other acts as a counterweight. Therefore, the load applied to the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 by the first cylinder 42 can be set small.

The drive unit 18 is provided with a first pick-up unit 79a and a second pick-up unit 79b for obtaining high-frequency power from the first feeder 10a and the second feeder 10b.

(3 - 2) Slave running section

The driven portion 19 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 is a plan view of the driven running portion.

The driven running section 19 mainly includes a main frame 57, a first driven wheel unit 58, a second driven wheel unit 59, a fixed guide roller mechanism 60, 61).

The main body frame 57 is a thin plate-shaped member for supporting the respective members. The main body frame 57 is elongated in the left and right direction and a bearing 74 for supporting a shaft (not shown) extending from the mounting portion 11 is provided at an intermediate portion.

The first driven wheel unit 58 is mounted on the right end of the main body frame 57 and has a first follower wheel 62. The first follower wheel 62 lies on the running surface 4d of the first running rail 4a. The first follower wheel (62) is rotatably supported by a shaft (98) fixed to the body frame (57).

The second follower unit (59) is mounted on the left end of the main frame (57) and has a second follower (63). And the second follower wheel 63 lies on the running surface 4d of the second running rail 4b. The second follower wheel 63 is rotatably supported by a shaft 99 fixed to the main body frame 57.

The fixed guide roller mechanism 60 has a first fixed guide roller 65, a second fixed guide roller 66, a third fixed guide roller 67 and a fourth fixed guide roller 68.

Further, since the fixed guide roller mechanism 60 is the same as the fixed guide roller mechanism 23, the description thereof will be omitted.

The branching guide roller mechanism 61 is a mechanism for performing the branching operation at the branching section 206. [ The branching guide roller mechanism 61 includes a first branching guide roller 69, a second branching guide roller 70, a third branching guide roller 71, a fourth branching guide roller 72, And a roller driving mechanism 73.

The branching guide roller driving mechanism 73 drives the first branching guide roller 69, the second branching guide roller 70, the third branching guide roller 71 and the fourth branching guide roller 72 It is a mechanism to change. The branching guide roller driving mechanism 73 has a second cylinder 91, a third shaft 92, a fourth shaft 93 and a second connecting shaft 94.

Since the branching guide roller mechanism 61 is the same as the branching guide roller mechanism 24, the description will be omitted.

(4) Detected part and sensor

The detected part provided along the trajectory 2 and the sensor provided on the conveyance car 3 will be described.

6, a plurality of types of detected portions provided along the running rail 4 will be described. The to-be-detected portion includes a reflective tape 104, an iron plate 105, and a bar code 106. The reflective tape 104 is a member for detecting the position of the conveyance vehicle 3 in the curved portion 203 and is disposed inside the first running rail 4a at the curved portion 203 in the figure. The steel plate 105 is a member for detecting the carriage stop position 118, the start position of the curved portion 203, the branch point 206a, and the like. The steel plate 105 is disposed inside the first running rail 4a immediately before the branching point 206a of the branching portion 206 in the drawing and is located immediately before the conveying vehicle stopping position 118 on the first running rail 4a. The bar code 106 functions as an origin mark of the running rail 4 and a plurality of reference marks. In the figure, a plurality of bar codes 106 are arranged inside the second running rail 4b.

The drive traveling section 18 has a first photoelectric sensor 75 and a second photoelectric sensor 76. [ The first photoelectric sensor 75 is for detecting the reflective tape 104 attached to the first running rail 4a and particularly for detecting the reflective tape 104 while driving the right curved portion. The second photoelectric sensor 76 is for detecting a reflective tape (not shown) attached to the second running rail 4b, and particularly detects a reflective tape (not shown) while driving the left (curved) .

The driven running section 19 has a linear scale 77 and a bar code reader 78. [ The linear scale 77 is for detecting the iron plate 105 attached to the first running rail 4a. The bar code reader 78 is for detecting the bar code 106 attached to the second running rail 4b.

13 is a view showing a fiber sensor and an amplifier. As shown in Fig. 13, a reflection seal 301 is attached to the outer side surface 6d of the guide rail 6. Specifically, the reflection seal 301 is attached only to the branch guide rail portion 6e. In another embodiment, the reflective seal may be attached to the guide rail 6 at a location where the branching guide rollers may be lowered to the guide position.

The fiber sensor 302 is provided on the first movable arm 101 and the second movable arm 103 and detects the reflection seal 301 when the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 are in the guide position It is possible. More specifically, the fiber sensor 302 is installed, for example, on the lower surface of the bracket 47 of the first movable arm 101, and is directed obliquely inward.

The fiber sensor 302 is connected to the control unit 87 via the amplifier 303. [ The amplifier 303 is mounted on the upper surface of the bracket 47 of the first movable arm 101, as shown in Fig. Since the amplifier 303 is mounted on the bracket 47 as described above, the fiber can be fixed so as not to move, which reduces the possibility of cutting the fiber.

(5) Control configuration

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the carrier system 1 as one embodiment of the present invention.

The carriage car system 1 has a carriage car controller 80 and a CAD system 81.

The conveying car controller 80 is a controller for managing the running of the plurality of conveying cars 3. The conveyance car controller 80 and the conveyance carriage 3 can communicate with each other. The transporting car controller 80 has a controller main body 82 and a first memory 83. The controller main body 82 is a computer that comprises a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM and executes a program. In the first memory 83, a route map is stored.

The root map is a map which describes the arrangement of the traveling route, the position of the origin, the reference position based on the origin, and the coordinates of the mobile placement position. The coordinates are obtained by converting the travel distance from the origin to the number of output pulses of the encoder of the carriage differential.

Carriage car 3 continues traveling while comparing the coordinates written in the route map with the internal coordinates of its own (coordinates obtained by the encoder).

The CAD system 81 is a system for designing and storing a traveling route. The CAD system 81 has a system body 84 and a second memory 85. The system main body 84 is a computer that is made up of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc. and executes a program. The system main body 84 designs a traveling route and stores the data at that time in the second memory 85 as a layout map. The function of the CAD system 81 may be realized by the transporting car controller 80. [

The carriage 3 has a control unit 87 and a third memory 90. The control unit 87 is a computer that is made up of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and the like and executes a program. The control unit 87 is connected to the travel control unit 88. The travel control section 88 can transmit a signal for driving the first motor 26 and the second motor 29 based on a command from the control section 87. [ The control unit 87 is also connected to the branch control unit 89. [ The branching control section 89 can transmit a signal for driving the first cylinder 42 and the second cylinder 91 based on a command from the control section 87. [

The control unit 87 is connected to the first encoder 96, the second encoder 97, the first photoelectric sensor 75, the second photoelectric sensor 76, the linear scale 77, the barcode reader 78, A sensor 302, and a guide sensor 304 are connected. The guide sensor 304 is a sensor for detecting whether the branching guide roller is located at the guide position, the first non-guide position, or the second non-guide position.

In the third memory 90, a route map is stored. The carriage 3 calculates the travel distance from the difference between the coordinates of the current position on the route map and the coordinates of the destination position, thereby generating a pattern of the traveling speed. The carriage 3 calculates the remaining distance to the destination by calculating the internal coordinates by the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97. When the value is less than a predetermined value, The deceleration processing is performed. The values of the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97 are reset to the coordinates of the origin when the origin mark is detected, and changed to the reference coordinates when the reference mark is detected.

(6) Branching operation

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the conveyance path at the branching portion. Here, the control operation by the transporting car controller 80 will be mainly described.

In step S1, the transport vehicle 3 waits for reaching the point just before the branching section 206. [ To this determination, the transporting car controller 80 uses the detection result from the linear scale 77 and the detection result from the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97. 10, the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 and 69 to 72 are arranged at the non-guide positions.

In step S2, it is determined whether the information of the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97 is normal or not. The process proceeds to step S3 to check the current position by combining the detection result from the linear scale 77 and the detection result from the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97. [ In this case, the values of the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97 may be corrected based on the detection result from the linear scale 77. [ The process advances to step S4 to confirm the current position based only on the detection result from the linear scale 77. [ At this time, when shifting to the curved portion 203 next, deceleration of the conveyance vehicle 3 is started.

In step S5, the transport vehicle 3 waits to reach the branching point 206a. If not, the process returns to step S2. The process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the first cylinder 42 is driven to lower the first branch guide roller 36 and the second branch guide roller 37 when branching to the curved portion 203 side. Further, the second cylinder 91 is driven to lower the first branch guide roller 69 and the second branch guide roller 70. As a result, the above-described branching guide roller contacts the branching guide roller portion 6e of the first guide rail 6a. In the case of branching to the second rectilinear section 202, the first cylinder 42 is driven to lower the third branch guide roller 38 and the fourth branch guide roller 39. Further, the second cylinder 91 is driven to lower the third branching guide roller 71 and the fourth branching guide roller 72. As a result, the above-described branching guide roller contacts the branching guide roller portion 6e of the second guide rail 6b.

In step S7, the carriage 3 waits for the carriage 3 to pass through the branching point 206a. Even when the sheet passes through the branching point 206a, the lowered branching guide roller remains in a state of being engaged with the guide rail 6 as it is. As another example, the first cylinder 42 and the second cylinder 91 may be driven so that the lowered branching guide roller is released from the guide rail 6, as shown in Fig.

If the branch destination is a straight line segment, the process proceeds to step S9 to execute linear control.

If the branch destination is a curved line, the flow advances to step S10 to execute curve control.

(7) Curve control

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the conveyance path in the curved portion. Here, the control operation by the transporting car controller 80 will be mainly described.

In step S11, it is determined whether the information of the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97 is normal or not. The process proceeds to step S12 where the detection result from the first photoelectric sensor 75 or the second photoelectric sensor 76 and the detection result from the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97 are combined And confirms the current position. In this case, for example, between the reflection tapes 104, interpolation (interpolation) is performed with the position information of the first encoder 96 and the second encoder 97 so that the position of the carriage in the curved portion can be continuously checked have. The flow advances to step S13 to confirm the current position based only on the detection result from the first photoelectric sensor 75 or the second photoelectric sensor 76. [

In step S14, the first motor 26 and the second motor 29 are driven through the travel control unit 88 so that an appropriate lateral speed difference is generated based on the current position information.

In step S15, the carriage 3 waits for the carriage 3 to reach the end point of the curved portion. If not, the process returns to step S11.

(8) Judgment of the switching direction of the branch guide roller

A description will be given of a control for determining whether or not the operation itself is correct when the branching guide roller is moved to the guide position from the conveying carriage 3. Fig. This control is executed, for example, when the conveyance carriage 3 travels through the branching section 206, the curved section 203, and the merging section 207. [

In this case, the fiber sensor 302 can detect the reflection seal 301 when the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 are at the guide positions. The control unit 87 determines that the branching guide roller has been moved to the guide position by mistake unless the detection signal is received from the fiber sensor 302 when the branching guide roller is at the guide position. In this manner, the control of the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 is more accurate.

Hereinafter, this will be described in more detail. The control unit 87 determines which side of the branching guide roller is lowered to the guide position by the guide sensor 304. [ The control unit 87 determines whether or not the branching guide roller is lowered to the right side based on the presence or absence of detection from the fiber sensor 302. [ In this case, the following pattern may exist.

1) When the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the first rectilinear section 201 to the second rectilinear section 202, the second branching guide roller mechanism 122 (the second movable arm 103, the third branching guide roller 38 and the fourth branching guide roller 39 are lowered to the guide position, a detection signal is transmitted from the fiber sensor 302 to the control section 87. Thus, the control section 87 determines that the branching guide roller has been lowered to the right side.

2) When the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the first rectilinear section 201 to the second rectilinear section 202, the first branching guide roller mechanism 121 (the first movable arm The detection signal is not transmitted from the fiber sensor 302 to the control unit 87 when the first branching guide roller 101, the first branching guide roller 36 and the second branching guide roller 37 are lowered to the guide position. Accordingly, the control unit 87 determines that the branching guide roller has fallen to the wrong side. In this case, the control section 87 performs an abnormal process such as switching of the branch guide roller or stop of running.

3) When the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 is lowered to the guide position at the branching point 206a when the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the first straight line 201 to the curved line 203, A detection signal is transmitted from the control unit 302 to the control unit 87. Thus, the control section 87 determines that the branching guide roller has been lowered to the right side.

4) When the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is lowered to the guide position at the branching point 206a when the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the first rectilinear section 201 to the curved section 203, The detection signal is not transmitted from the control unit 302 to the control unit 87. Accordingly, the control unit 87 determines that the branching guide roller has fallen to the wrong side. In this case, the control section 87 performs an abnormal process such as switching of the branch guide roller or stop of running.

5) When the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 is lowered to the guide position by the merging portion 207 when the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the curved portion 203 to the third straight line portion 204, A detection signal is transmitted from the control unit 302 to the control unit 87. Thus, the control section 87 determines that the branching guide roller has been lowered to the right side.

6) When the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is lowered to the guide position by the merging portion 207 when the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the curved portion 203 to the third straight line portion 204, The detection signal is not transmitted from the control unit 302 to the control unit 87. Accordingly, the control unit 87 determines that the branching guide roller has fallen to the wrong side. In this case, the control section 87 performs an abnormal process such as switching of the branch guide roller or stop of running.

7) When the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is lowered at the merging portion 207 when the conveyance carriage 3 is about to move from the fourth rectilinear section 205 to the third rectilinear section 204, 302 transmits a detection signal to the control unit 87. Thus, the control section 87 determines that the branching guide roller has been lowered to the right side.

8) When the conveying carriage 3 tries to move from the fourth rectilinear section 205 to the third rectilinear section 204, when the first branching guide roller mechanism 121 is lowered at the merging section 207, The detection signal is not transmitted from the control unit 302 to the control unit 87. Thus, the control section 87 determines that the branching roller has fallen to the wrong side. In this case, the control unit 87 executes an abnormal process such as switching of the branch guide roller or stop of running.

(9) Features

The above embodiment can be expressed as follows. Hereinafter, the conveyance vehicle will be described mainly with respect to the drive and drive section 18. Fig.

The carriage system 1 is provided with a trajectory 2, a running vehicle, a branch guide roller mechanism, and a branch guide roller drive mechanism 40. The trajectory 2 has a branching guide rail portion 6e having an outer side surface 6d having a predetermined length in the vertical direction. The driving vehicle travels along the track (2). The branching guide roller mechanism includes branching guide rollers 36 to 39, a first movable arm 101 and a second movable arm 103 for supporting the branching guide rollers 36 to 39, a first movable arm 101, And pivotal support portions (51, 55) for rotatably supporting the second movable arm (103) on the traveling vehicle. The branching guide roller driving mechanism 40 is provided on the traveling carriage and drives the branching guide roller mechanism to switch the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 to the guide position / non-guide position with respect to the branching guide rail portion 6e . The branching guide roller is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction at the guide position, and is disposed in contact with or close to the side of the guide surface. The height position of the pivotal center C of the pivotal support portions 51 and 55 is set such that the height of the portion of the outer circumferential surface 6d of the branching guide rail portion 6e, (H1).

In this system, the traveling vehicle travels along the trajectory 2. When the running vehicle reaches the branching section 206, the branching guide roller driving mechanism 40 drives the first movable arm 101 or the second movable arm 103 to branch the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 To the guide position with respect to the branch guide rail portion 6e of the guide rail portion 6e. Thus, the traveling vehicle is guided by the guide rail 6 at the branched portion 206 to the orbit on the branching side.

The height position of the pivotal center C of the pivotal support portions 51 and 55 is within the vertical width H1 of the portion of the branch guide rail portion 6e that the branching guide rollers 36 to 39 can contact at the guide position . Therefore, a large moment load does not act on the pivot support portions 51, 55 at the time of branching guidance. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the strength of the pivotal support portions 51, 55, and it is not necessary to increase the holding force of the rotary drive, which can reduce the cost.

The branching guide roller mechanism 24 includes a first branching guide roller mechanism 121 and a second branching guide roller mechanism 122 provided on both sides of the traveling carriage and a first branching guide roller mechanism 121, And further has a first connection shaft 45 connecting the mechanisms 122 to be interlocked with each other. The rotation support portion has a first rotation support portion provided on the first branch guide roller mechanism and a second rotation support portion provided on the second branch guide roller mechanism. The pivot support portions 51 and 55 support the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 so as to be rotatable.

In this case, since the first connection shaft 45 connects the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 so as to interlock with each other, the following operation is obtained. In other words, when one of the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 is switched from the guide position to the non-guide position, the other acts as a counterweight. Therefore, the load applied to the first branch guide roller mechanism 121 and the second branch guide roller mechanism 122 by the first cylinder 42 can be set small.

(10) Another embodiment

While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. In particular, the plurality of embodiments and modifications described in this specification may be arbitrarily combined as needed.

In the above embodiment, the carriage travels on an orbit suspended from the ceiling, but the present invention is not limited to this. The trajectory may be provided on the ground, or the conveyance car may be suspended from the trajectory.

The type of the combination of the detected part and the sensor and the purpose of the detection are not limited to the above embodiments.

The position and number of the to-be-detected portions are not limited to the above-described embodiment.

The present invention can be widely applied to a conveying car system using a conveying car capable of switching the guide roller to the guide position and the non-guide position.

1: Car carrier system
2: Orbit
3: Car carrier
4: Running rail
4a: a first running rail
4b: second running rail
4d: Driving surface
6: Guide rail
6a: first guide rail
6b: second guide rail
6c: My side
6d: outer surface (guide surface)
6e: Branch guiding rail portion (branch guiding rail)
10a: first feeder line
10b: a second feeder line
11:
12:
13: absence of wit
13a:
13b:
13c:
14:
17: Goods
18: Driving section
19:
20: Body frame
21: first drive wheel unit
22: second drive wheel unit
23: Fixed guide roller mechanism
24: Branch guide roller mechanism
25: first drive wheel
26: First motor
27: 1st reduction gear
28: second drive wheel
29: Second motor
30: Second reduction gear
31: first fixed guide roller
32: second fixed guide roller
33: third fixed guide roller
34: fourth fixing guide roller
35: Bearings
36: first branch guide roller
37: second branch guide roller
38: third branch guide roller
39: fourth branch guide roller
40: Branching guide roller driving mechanism
42: first cylinder
43: first shaft
44: Second shaft
45: first connecting shaft (connecting member)
47: Bracket
48: arm body
49: Connection
51:
52: Bracket
53: arm body
54:
55:
57: Body frame
58: First driven wheel unit
59: Second driven type wheel unit
60: Fixed guide roller mechanism
61: Branch guide roller mechanism
62: First wheel drive
63: The second kind of wheel
65: first fixed guide roller
66: second fixed guide roller
67: third fixed guide roller
68: fourth fixing guide roller
69: first branch guide roller
70: second branch guide roller
71: third branch guide roller
72: Fourth branch guide roller
73: Branching guide roller driving mechanism
74: Bearings
75: first photoelectric sensor
76: Second photoelectric sensor
77: Linear scale
78: Barcode reader
79a: first pick-up unit
79b: the second pick-up unit
80: conveyance car controller
81: CAD system
82: Controller body
83: first memory
84: System body
85: second memory
87: Control section (judging section)
88:
89:
90: Third memory
91: second cylinder
92: Third shaft
93: Fourth shaft
94: second connecting shaft
96: 1st encoder
97: 2nd encoder
98: Shaft
99: Shaft
101: first movable arm
103: second supporting member
104: reflective tape
105: iron plate
106: Barcode
118: Car carriage stop position
121: first branch guide roller mechanism
122: second branch guide roller mechanism
201: first straight line portion
202: second rectilinear section
203: Curved portion
204: third straight line portion
205: fourth straight line portion
206:
206a: branch point
207:
301: reflective tape
302: Fiber sensor
303: Amplifier
304: Guide sensor

Claims (4)

An orbit having a branching guide rail on a branching portion formed with a guide surface having a predetermined length in a vertical direction,
A traveling vehicle traveling along the trajectory;
A branching guide roller mechanism having a branching guide roller, a support member for supporting the branching guide roller, and a rotation support portion for rotatably supporting the support member,
A drive mechanism installed in the running vehicle for driving the branching guide roller mechanism to switch the branching guide roller to the guide position and the non-guide position with respect to the branching guide rail,
A detected member provided on the branch guide rail,
A detector provided on the support member and capable of detecting the detected member when the branching guide roller is in the guide position,
And a judging section which judges that the branching guide roller has been correctly moved to the guide position when receiving the detection signal from the detector when the branching guide roller is in the guide position,
Wherein the branching guide roller is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction at the guide position and is disposed in contact or close to the side of the guide surface,
Wherein the height position of the pivot center of the pivotal support portion is within a vertical width of a portion of the guide surface of the branch guide rail that can be brought into contact with the branch guide roller at the guide position.
The method according to claim 1,
The branching guide roller mechanism includes a first branching guide roller mechanism and a second branching guide roller mechanism provided on both sides of the traveling car and a second branching guide roller mechanism provided on both sides of the first branching guide roller mechanism and the second branching guide roller mechanism, Further comprising a connecting member,
The pivotal support portion has a first pivotal support portion provided on the first branch guide roller mechanism and a second pivotal support portion provided on the second branch guide roller mechanism,
And the connecting member connects the first pivotal support portion and the second pivotal support portion.
delete The method according to claim 1,
And the height position of the running surface of the track is close to the height position of the turning center of the turning support portion.

Images