TWM654784U - Automated guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an automatic transport vehicle, which includes a traction vehicle body. The traction vehicle body is generally used to be controlled and driven to move objects. The automatic transport vehicle further includes: a magnetic navigation sensing unit installed in front of the traction vehicle body, used to sense the track laid on the ground through magnetic induction; a steering unit installed at the faucet rotation of the traction vehicle body, used to control the forward direction of the traction vehicle body; and a central control unit, which receives the track sensing information transmitted from the magnetic navigation sensing unit and controls the steering unit to turn according to the track sensing information to maintain the traction vehicle body in the direction along the track, wherein when the automatic transport vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the central control unit sends a start signal to drive the traction vehicle body.

Description

Automatic transport vehicle

The present invention relates to an automatic transport vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic transport vehicle having magnetic sensing capability.

With the development of industry, new types of factories have begun to develop in the direction of automation to save manpower, resources and costs. In automated factories, automated handling equipment or automated transport vehicles are a particularly important part of automated equipment. A factory with an automated transport vehicle is a milestone in the factory's move towards automation.

However, replacing the manually operated transport vehicles in the factory with automatic transport vehicles is a very costly project.

In order to reduce the transportation cost in the factory, an automatic transport vehicle is proposed, which is mainly a modified and upgraded traction vehicle body operated manually, thereby completing the present invention.

The present invention provides an automatic transport vehicle, which includes a traction vehicle body, and the traction vehicle body is generally used to be controlled and driven to move objects. The automatic transport vehicle further includes: a magnetic navigation sensing unit, which is installed in front of the traction vehicle body and is used to sense the track laid on the ground through magnetic induction; a steering unit, which is installed at the rotation of the traction vehicle body and is used to control the forward direction of the traction vehicle body; and a central control unit, which receives the track sensing information transmitted from the magnetic navigation sensing unit and controls the steering unit to turn according to the track sensing information to maintain the traction vehicle body in the direction along the track. When the automatic transport vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the central control unit sends a start signal to drive the traction vehicle body.

In a preferred embodiment, the central control unit includes a navigation controller for receiving track sensing information and transmitting a steering control signal to the steering unit, and the magnetic navigation sensor can also sense the track selection label and transmit the sensed track selection label back to the navigation controller, and the navigation controller selects one of the multiple tracks as the track to be followed according to the sensed track selection label.

In a preferred embodiment, the central control unit includes an operating controller for controlling the towing vehicle to drive or stop, and the towing vehicle has a manual/automatic switch. When the manual/automatic switch is switched to the automatic option, the automatic driving mode is entered, and the operating controller sends a start signal accordingly.

In a preferred embodiment, the automated transport vehicle further includes an obstacle sensing unit for detecting whether there are obstacles in the direction of travel and transmitting the results back to the central control unit.

In a preferred embodiment, the automatic transport vehicle further includes a decelerator for decelerating the traction vehicle body according to a deceleration control signal sent from the central control unit.

In a preferred embodiment, the automatic transport vehicle further includes a motor unit, and when in the automatic driving mode, the motor unit drives the traction vehicle body to move according to the start signal.

In a preferred embodiment, the motor unit includes a driving power source for providing driving power for the motor unit.

In a preferred embodiment, the automated transport vehicle further includes a human-machine interface for receiving operation input commands and viewing status.

In a preferred embodiment, the automated transport vehicle further includes an external command input unit for receiving commands from outside the automated transport vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment, the automated transport vehicle further includes a manual control panel, and the operator can intervene in the operation of the automated transport vehicle through the manual control panel.

Through the present invention, the design of the automatic transport vehicle can be completed by installing additional components on the existing traction vehicle body. In this way, there is no need to re-manufacture a new automatic transport vehicle from scratch, thereby achieving the effect of cost saving.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more obvious, an embodiment is given and the accompanying drawings are used to explain it in detail as follows.

10: Automatic transport vehicle

101: Central control unit

101a: Operation controller

101b: Navigation controller

103: Magnetic navigation sensing unit

105: Steering unit

107: Obstacle sensing unit

109: Human-machine interface

111: External command input unit

113: Reducer

115: Motor unit

21: Towing the vehicle body

23: Control box

25: Control panel

27: Track

29: Sensor tag

203: Bracket

205: Turn to the motor

31: Power switch

32~35: Status light

36~38: Control button

41~45: Display status on the human-machine interface

46~50: Function buttons on the human-machine interface

[Figure 1] shows a system architecture diagram of an automatic transport vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] shows a physical structure diagram of a portion of an automatic transport vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] shows a sample diagram of a control panel according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figures 4a and 4b] show sample diagrams of a human-machine interface according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] shows a sample schematic diagram of an external command input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the following description, various embodiments may have the same component symbols, where the same component symbols represent the same or similar components.

FIG1 shows a system architecture diagram of an automatic transport vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG1, the automatic transport vehicle 10 proposed by the present invention at least includes a traction vehicle body (such as element 21 in FIG2) and a central control unit 101, a magnetic navigation sensing unit 103, a steering unit 105, an obstacle sensing unit 107, a human-machine interface 109, an external command input unit 111, a speed reducer 113 and a motor unit 115 thereon. Among them, the central control unit 101 may include an operation controller 101a and a navigation controller 101b.

It should be noted that the automatic transport vehicle 10 proposed in this invention is mainly used for transporting items in workshops or factories, so the above-mentioned "traction vehicle body" in this invention refers to the vehicle body traditionally operated by personnel in factories, etc., and it does not have the function of automatic driving.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the automated transport vehicle has at least a "manual operation mode" and an "automatic driving mode". In this embodiment, the operator can select the desired mode through, for example, a human-machine interface 109 or an operating button on the traction vehicle body. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and any other modes used in automatic driving scenarios can be added, such as "high-speed driving mode", "energy saving mode"... etc.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the power is turned on and the "autopilot mode" is entered, the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103 will sense the track arranged on the ground (such as element 27 in FIG. 2) based on magnetic force, and transmit the sensed track sensing information back to the central control unit 101. In addition, when the power is turned on and the "autopilot mode" is entered, the central control unit 101 will send a start signal to the motor unit 115. At this time, the motor unit 115 will drive the traction vehicle to move according to the start signal.

In one embodiment of the present invention, after the central control unit 101 receives the track sensing information transmitted from the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103, the central control unit 101 will indicate the direction that the steering unit 105 should currently travel according to the track sensing information. Then, the steering unit 105 turns according to the direction indicated by the central control unit 101 to control the forward direction of the traction vehicle.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic transport vehicle 10 also includes a reducer 113. The reducer 113 can accelerate, decelerate or stop according to the instructions transmitted by the central control unit 101 of the automatic transport vehicle 10.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic transport vehicle 10 also includes an obstacle sensing unit 107. The obstacle sensing unit 107 is used to detect whether there is an obstacle in the direction of travel, and transmit the detection result back to the central control unit 101. In an embodiment of the present invention, if the detection result finds an obstacle, the obstacle sensing unit 107 can send a signal to instruct the reducer 113 to decelerate or stop.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the automated transport vehicle 10 further includes a human-machine interface 109. The human-machine interface 109 enables the automated transport vehicle 10 to interact with the operator through a touch screen (not shown), and is used to receive operation input commands and view the current status associated with the automated transport vehicle 10 through the operation interface settings on the touch screen.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic transport vehicle 10 further includes an external command input unit 111 for receiving commands from outside the automatic transport vehicle 10. Generally speaking, this external command is not an instruction currently executed by the operator, but a series of pre-set action commands. After input through the external command input unit 111, the automatic transport vehicle 10 will then execute the above series of commands in sequence or at the indicated time.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the central control unit 101 can also be divided into an operation controller 101a and a navigation controller 101b according to its main functions.

In one aspect of this embodiment, the operation controller 101a can mainly receive commands from the operator through the human-machine interface 109, receive external commands from the external command input unit 111, and receive obstacle detection results returned by the obstacle sensing unit 107. In addition, the operation controller 101a is used to control the traction vehicle to drive or stop. For example, the traction vehicle has a manual/automatic switch. When the manual/automatic switch is switched to the automatic option, the automatic driving mode is entered, and the operation controller 101a sends a start signal to the motor unit 115 accordingly. In another example, if the operation controller 101a receives a message from the obstacle sensing unit 107 that an obstacle is detected, the operation controller 101a will notify the reducer 113 to decelerate or stop.

In one aspect of this embodiment, the navigation controller 101b mainly controls the functional units related to navigation. For example, the navigation controller 101b can receive track sensing information from the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103, and generate a steering control signal based on the track sensing information and transmit it to the steering unit 105, thereby enabling the automatic transport vehicle 10 to continuously follow the track.

FIG. 2 shows a physical structure diagram of a part of an automatic transport vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 together. The automatic transport vehicle 10 includes a traction vehicle body 21. In the first embodiment, the traction vehicle body 21 has a control box 23 above the faucet. In the first embodiment, the central control unit 101 can be, for example, disposed inside the control box 23, and the human-machine interface 109 can be, for example, disposed on the upper surface of the control box 23. In addition, the external command input unit 111 can be, for example, disposed at a position on the control box 23 that is convenient for the operator to operate.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103 may be installed in front of the towing vehicle body 21, such as below the front wheel. In one aspect of the present embodiment, the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103 may further include a bracket 203. In one aspect of the present embodiment, the bracket 203 may be an adjustable bracket, and the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103 may be moved closer to or farther from the ground by adjusting the length of the bracket 203, thereby adjusting the sensitivity of the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103 to the magnetic induction of the track 27 arranged on the ground.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the implementation method of the track 27 can be arranged on the desired route using magnetic tape (magnetic tape sticker). Due to the use of magnetic tape stickers, the track 27 can be easily arranged or removed. In addition, in one aspect of the present embodiment, at the bifurcation of multiple tracks (such as track A and track B in Figure 2), a sensor tag (sensing card) 29 for identification can be provided. The sensor tag 29 can be given a different magnetic property from the track 27. The automatic transport vehicle 10 detects the sensor tag 29 through the magnetic navigation sensing unit 103, and selects one of the multiple tracks (such as track A and track B in Figure 2) to follow according to the sensor tag 29.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the steering unit 105 is installed at the rotation point below the faucet of the traction vehicle body 21 to control the forward direction of the automatic transport vehicle 10 by rotating the faucet of the traction vehicle body 21.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the steering unit 105 is composed of at least a steering driver (not shown) and a steering motor 205. In addition, in order to stabilize the steering, the reducer 113 is required to cooperate with the deceleration during the steering. In one aspect of the present embodiment, the steering motor can be a stepper motor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle sensing unit 107 can detect whether there is an obstacle by, for example, emitting infrared light and then detecting the reflected infrared light. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the obstacle sensing unit 107 can also sense whether there is an obstacle by, for example, emitting sound waves/ultrasound waves, or even calculating the distance to the obstacle.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the motor unit 115 may include a battery mounted on the traction vehicle body 21 to provide driving force for the automatic transport vehicle 10 to move forward. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the motor unit 115 may also provide driving force for moving forward through a general fuel engine.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic transport vehicle 10 may further include a control panel 25 disposed on the control box 23 of the towing vehicle body 21. The control panel 25 has a plurality of control buttons so that the operator can switch the mode of the automatic transport vehicle 10 at any time, for example, the automatic transport vehicle 10 can be switched from the "automatic driving mode" to the "manual operation mode" through the control panel 25.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the central control unit 101 can be implemented by, for example, a system on a chip or a computer device. If implemented by a computer device, the computer device at least includes a processor, a memory, a user input/output (I/O) interface, a communication interface, and a bus. Among them, the processor, the memory, the user input/output interface, and the communication interface are internally coupled or communicatively connected through a bus. Specifically, the processor of the computer device can implement the central control unit 101 by reading program codes into the memory and matching peripheral hardware devices. The technology can be easily understood by those with ordinary knowledge in this field through the enlightenment of the above-mentioned embodiment description content, so it is not described in detail here. In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, the communication interface may include wired and wireless communication interfaces, and common wireless communication interfaces include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

FIG3 shows an example diagram of a control panel 25 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG3 , the control panel shown in FIG3 includes the following control buttons 36-38, switch 31 and status lights 32-35: Power switch 31: When the power switch is turned to on, the control system power is started, and the power light 32 is on; Automatic light 33: When the automatic switch is turned to automatic, the automatic light is on; Online light 34: The magnetic navigation detection tape is on, Light on; Abnormal light 35: The light is on when the magnetic navigation does not detect the tape, an abnormality occurs, or an emergency stop occurs; Forward 36: In automatic mode and the magnetic navigation detects the tape, press the button, the car moves forward, and the light is on; Stop 37: When the car is moving forward automatically, press the button, the car stops, and the forward light goes out; Reset 38: When an abnormality occurs, confirmation is required to resolve the abnormality.

However, the control panel 25 shown in FIG. 3 is only an example, and other function buttons, switches or status lights may be added according to the needs of the user.

Figures 4a and 4b show example diagrams of a human-machine interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. The human-machine interface proposed by the present invention can display the status of the automatic transport vehicle to the operator, and can also provide function buttons on the touch screen for the user to operate. Please refer to Figure 4a, which shows an example diagram of the display status of the human-machine interface in this embodiment, wherein the displayed status includes: power display 41, WIFI connection status 42, reading RFID (radio frequency identification) 43, location display 44 and abnormal display 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the status display of the human-machine interface shown in Figure 4a above is only an example, and other statuses related to the automatic transport vehicle can also be displayed according to the needs of the user.

Please refer to FIG. 4b. The human-machine interface shown in FIG. 4b is used to provide function buttons to intervene in the control of the automatic transport vehicle. The function buttons shown in FIG. 4b include: obstacle detection related buttons 46, speed control related buttons 47, driving direction related buttons 48, light switch buttons 49 and start/stop buttons 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The function buttons of the human-machine interface shown in FIG. 4b are only an example. Other function buttons related to the automatic transport vehicle can also be displayed according to the needs of the user.

FIG5 shows an example schematic diagram of an external command input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG5 , which schematically shows the use of command card numbers (command codes) for inputting the external command input unit. The command card numbers include: speed category command card numbers, obstacle detection category command card numbers, and running category command card numbers. Please refer to Table 1, which shows the correspondence between commands and card numbers (command codes). However, the expression form of the external command input unit of the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, the commands received by the external command input unit can also add more command codes according to the needs of the user, such as the command to turn on and off the lighting. Furthermore, the input command form of the external command input unit may not only be able to input command codes, but may also be, for example, input a section of program code to the processor of the central control unit for execution. In addition, the input method of the external command input unit does not necessarily have to use the command card method, but can also be input through wireless communication, for example.

Although the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are described based on various diagrams and embodiments, it should be noted that anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can easily make various changes and modifications based on the disclosure of the present invention, and it should be noted that such changes and modifications are included in the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. For example, the functions contained in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged in a non-logically contradictory manner, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined into one, or can be divided. In addition, the components shown in each embodiment can also be combined as appropriate.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the field will understand that the details of the above embodiments can be modified and embellished without departing from the basic principles of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

10: Automatic transport vehicle

101: Central control unit

101a: Operation controller

101b: Navigation controller

103: Magnetic navigation sensing unit

105: Steering unit

107: Obstacle sensing unit

109: Human-machine interface

111: External command input unit

113: Reducer

115: Motor unit

Claims (10)

An automatic transport vehicle includes a traction vehicle body, the traction vehicle body is generally used to be controlled and driven to move objects, and the automatic transport vehicle further includes: a magnetic navigation sensing unit installed in front of the traction vehicle body, used to sense the track arranged on the ground through magnetic induction; a steering unit installed at the faucet rotation of the traction vehicle body, used to control the The forward direction of the traction vehicle body; and the central control unit receives the track sensing information transmitted by the magnetic navigation sensing unit, and controls the steering unit to turn according to the track sensing information to maintain the traction vehicle body in the direction along the track, wherein when the automatic transport vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the central control unit sends a start signal to drive the traction vehicle body. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the central control unit includes a navigation controller for receiving the track sensing information and transmitting a steering control signal to the steering unit, and wherein the magnetic navigation sensing unit can also sense a track selection label and transmit the sensed track selection label back to the navigation controller, and the navigation controller selects one of the multiple tracks as the track to be followed according to the sensed track selection label. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the central control unit includes an operation controller for controlling the towing vehicle body to move or stop, and wherein the towing vehicle body has a manual/automatic switching switch, and when the manual/automatic switching switch is switched to the automatic option, the automatic driving mode is entered, and the operation controller sends the start signal accordingly. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes an obstacle sensing unit for detecting whether there are obstacles in the direction of travel and transmitting the results back to the central control unit. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes a decelerator for decelerating the traction vehicle body according to the deceleration control signal sent from the central control unit. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes a motor unit, which drives the traction vehicle body to move according to the start signal when in the automatic driving mode. An automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 6, wherein the motor unit includes a driving power source for providing driving power for the motor unit. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes a human-machine interface for receiving operation input commands and viewing status. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes an external command input unit for receiving commands from outside the automatic transport vehicle. The automatic transport vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes a manual control panel, through which the operator can intervene in the operation.