JP5131787B2 - Automated guided vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined transport path and transports a workpiece.

  Generally, in order to deliver a workpiece at a predetermined position, the automatic transport vehicle needs to adjust the height of the mounting table on which the workpiece is placed. In particular, when workpieces are delivered to and from a stationary conveyor fixedly installed on the road surface, it is required to align the mounting surface of the mounting table with the transport surface of the stationary conveyor.

  For this reason, the conventional automatic conveyance vehicle 100 is provided with the outrigger 20 which can protrude with respect to a road surface, as shown in FIG. 4 (for example, refer patent document 1). The outrigger 20 includes a hydraulic cylinder 21 having a piston rod 22.

  In the conventional automatic transport vehicle 100, the mounting surface 24a of the mounting table 24 is made to extend by extending the piston rod 22 so that the tip of the piston rod 22 fits into a conical cone 23 provided on the road surface. It is aligned with the transfer surface of the stationary conveyor.

JP 2003-201050 A

  However, in the conventional automatic guided vehicle 100, since the piston rod 22 cannot be extended during traveling, the mounting surface 24a of the mounting table 24 is flush with the transport surface of the stationary conveyor after stopping near a predetermined position. There was a need to align. For this reason, in the conventional automatic conveyance vehicle 100, it took time to deliver the workpiece W.

  Further, in the conventional automatic transport vehicle 100, when a step occurs on the road surface (such as near the transport path or stop position of the automatic transport vehicle 100) due to secular change or the like, the mounting table 24 is tilted together with the vehicle body due to the step, and the mounting table Even when the height of 24 is adjusted, there is a case where the mounting surface 24a of the mounting table 24 cannot be aligned with the transport surface of the stationary conveyor. For this reason, in the conventional automated guided vehicle 100, there was a possibility that the delivery of the workpiece W could not be performed smoothly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic transport vehicle capable of smoothly delivering a workpiece and reducing the time required for delivering the workpiece. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an automatic transport vehicle according to the present invention is an automatic transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined transport path and transports a workpiece, and a mounting table for mounting the workpiece, A base provided below the mounting table, a spherical body sandwiched between the mounting table and the base and abutting the mounting table or the center of the base on the spherical surface, and a lower surface of the mounting table centering on the spherical body Four tilting devices that are provided point-symmetrically and tilt the mounting table horizontally, a lifting device that lifts and lowers the mounting table, the base, the spherical body, and the four tilting devices, and controls the four tilting devices and the lifting device. And a control device.

According to this configuration, since the lifting device for raising and lowering the mounting table and the four tilting devices for tilting the mounting table in the horizontal direction are provided, not only the height of the mounting table but also the tilt can be adjusted. Delivery can be performed smoothly.
Furthermore, according to this configuration, since the height and inclination of the mounting table can be adjusted even during traveling, the time required for workpiece transfer can be shortened.

  The automatic transport vehicle according to the present invention preferably further includes a fixing device for fixing the mounting table.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent the height and inclination of the mounting table from being changed due to vibration during traveling, the weight of the workpiece, and the like.

  In the automated guided vehicle according to the present invention, the tilting device includes, for example, a screw shaft that supports the lower surface of the mounting table via a first spherical bush, and a screw shaft that is provided on the base via a second spherical bush. The holding means for rotatably holding, and the screw shaft raising / lowering means provided on the holding means for raising and lowering the screw shaft with respect to the holding means by rotating the screw shaft under the control of the control device. .

  In the automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, the spherical body can be formed integrally with, for example, one of the mounting table and the base.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the automatic conveyance vehicle which can perform delivery of a workpiece | work smoothly and can shorten the time concerning delivery of a workpiece | work can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an automatic conveyance vehicle which concerns on this invention, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing in line AA of (a). It is a block diagram which shows the relationship between the control apparatus in this invention, a raising / lowering apparatus, and a tilting apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating height adjustment and inclination adjustment of the mounting base in this invention, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing which shows an initial state, (b) is the state which raised the mounting base from the state of (a) (C) is sectional drawing which shows the state which inclined the mounting base from the state of (b). It is a front view of the conventional automatic conveyance vehicle.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is laid on wheels 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4 provided at four corners of the vehicle body, and on a travel route. And a guide sensor for detecting the position of the traveling guide G, which travels along the traveling guide G and delivers a workpiece at a predetermined position. In particular, the traveling guide G is fixedly installed in a direction orthogonal to the traveling guide G. The workpiece is transferred to and from a stationary conveyor 12 (not shown).

  In order to deliver the workpiece to and from the stationary conveyor 12, the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment has a mounting table 2 on which the workpiece is mounted as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). A base 3 provided below the mounting table 2, a spherical body 4 provided between the mounting table 2 and the base 3, and four tilting devices 5 for tilting the mounting table 2 in the horizontal direction. 1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, the mounting table 2, the base 3, the spherical body 4, and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4 are moved up and down collectively. A lifting device 6 and tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4 and a control device 9 (not shown) for controlling the lifting device 6 are provided.

  The mounting table 2 is formed in a square shape in plan view that occupies substantially the entire upper surface of the vehicle body so that a large gap is not formed between the mounting table 2 and the conveying surface of the stationary conveyor 12 when the workpiece is transferred. The mounting table 2 has a spherical body 4 integrally formed with the base 3 in contact with the center of the lower surface, and the four corners are screws of the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4. It is supported by the shaft 5a. A first spherical bush 7 is provided between the mounting table 2 and the screw shaft 5a. For this reason, the mounting table 2 raises one screw shaft 5a and lowers the other screw shaft 5a among the diagonally positioned screw shafts 5a, thereby using the contact portion of the spherical body 4 as a fulcrum. It can be tilted horizontally.

  Further, a fixing device (not shown) is provided on the side surface of the mounting table 2 in order to prevent the height and inclination of the mounting table 2 from being changed due to vibration during traveling, the weight of the workpiece, and the like. The fixing device can protrude from the side surface of the mounting table 2, and the mounting table 2 is fixed by pressing the opposite surface of the vehicle body that protrudes from the side surface and faces the side surface.

  The base 3 is formed in a square shape in plan view that is slightly smaller than the mounting table 2, and is mounted on the lifting platform 6 b of the lifting device 6. On the upper surface of the base 3, a metal spherical body 4 that is in contact with the center of the mounting table 2 on a spherical surface is integrally formed. In addition, mounting frames 11 for mounting the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the base 3.

The tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 each include a screw shaft 5a, a holding means 5b that rotatably holds the screw shaft 5a, and a screw shaft 5a that moves up and down relative to the holding means 5b. Screw shaft lifting and lowering means, which are provided symmetrically about the spherical body 4 at the four corners of the lower surface of the mounting table 2 and the base 3 (in this embodiment, 90 degrees apart).
The screw shaft 5a has a male screw portion.
The holding means 5b includes a female screw part that is screwed into the male screw part of the screw shaft 5a, a support part that is integrally formed with the female screw part at one end via the second spherical bush 8, and that supports the screw shaft lifting means at the other end. have. The holding means 5 b is attached to the attachment frame 11 of the base 3 via the second spherical bush 8.
The screw shaft raising / lowering means has a pair of spur gears 5c and a motor 5d with a speed reducer. The pair of spur gears 5c is provided at one end of the first spur gear provided on the motor shaft of the motor 5d with a speed reducer and the screw shaft 5a, and rotates when the first spur gear rotates, together with the screw shaft 5a. It consists of a second spur gear that moves up and down.

  The elevating device 6 includes an electric pantograph mechanism including a fixed base 6a, an elevating table 6b, and an X-shaped cross link 6c, and an elevating table elevating unit 6d that elevates and lowers the elevating table 6b by expanding and contracting the pantograph mechanism. It is a lifter. The elevating device 6 raises and lowers the mounting table 2, the base 3, and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 by moving the elevating table 6 b up and down.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 9 includes a control unit 9a and a storage unit 9b.
The storage unit 9b stores in advance command values related to the operation amounts of the lifting device 6 and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4. These command values are calculated based on the positional relationship between the conveying surface of the stationary conveyor 12 and the mounting surface of the mounting table 2.
Each command value stored in the storage unit 9b is updated during maintenance or the like in accordance with the road surface condition.

  The control unit 9a moves up and down the screw shafts of the elevating unit elevating means 6d and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 of the elevating device 6 based on the command value stored in the storage unit 9b. The means (motor 5d with a speed reducer) is controlled.

  That is, according to the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the lifting platform 6b of the lifting device 6 is raised and lowered under the control of the control unit 9a and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5- The height and inclination of the mounting table 2 can be adjusted by moving the four screw shafts 5 a up and down, so that the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 can be aligned with the transport surface of the stationary conveyor 12.

Next, height adjustment and inclination adjustment of the mounting table 2 in the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
In this specific example, it is assumed that a recess is formed below the wheels 10-2 and 10-4 at the stop position of the automatic guided vehicle 1. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3A, in the initial state where the mounting table 2 is returned to the predetermined reference position, the mounting table 2 is inclined with respect to the road surface.
In addition, the storage unit 9b of the control device 9 has command values relating to the operation amounts of the lifting device 6 and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 calculated in consideration of the recess. Assume that it is stored in advance.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the automatic guided vehicle 1 first sets the lifting device 6 under the control of the control unit 9a based on the command value relating to the operation amount of the lifting device 6 stored in the storage unit 9b. The lifting platform 6b is raised. More specifically, the height of the facing portion 2 a facing the abutting portion of the spherical body 4 on the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 and the central portion 12 a in the width direction of the conveying surface of the stationary conveyor 12 are matched. Next, the lifting platform 6b of the lifting device 6 is raised.

  Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the automatic guided vehicle 1 includes command values relating to the operation amounts of the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 stored in the storage unit 9 b. Based on the above, the screw shafts 5a of the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 are moved up and down under the control of the control unit 9a. More specifically, the height of the opposing portion 2a of the mounting table 2 and the central portion 12a in the width direction of the stationary conveyor 12 so that the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 and the transport surface of the stationary conveyor 12 are flush with each other. The screw shaft 5a of the tilting devices 5-2 and 5-4 is raised by driving the motor 5d with a speed reducer and rotating the pair of spur gears 5c while keeping the thicknesses matched, and the tilting device 5 -5, the screw shaft 5a of the tilting devices 5-1, 5-3 is lowered by the amount raised by the screw shaft 5a.

  Eventually, according to the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, first, the height of the mounting table 2 is adjusted by moving the lifting table 6b of the lifting device 6 up and down, and then the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2. By moving the screw shafts 5a of 5-3 and 5-4 up and down to adjust the inclination of the mounting table 2, the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 is fixed even if a step such as a recess is formed on the road surface. It can be flush with the conveying surface of the conveyor 12, and workpieces can be smoothly transferred to and from the stationary conveyor 12.

  Furthermore, in the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the command value related to the operation amount of the lifting device 6 and the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 calculated in consideration of the road surface condition. Is stored in the storage unit 9b in advance, so that the height and inclination of the mounting table 2 can be adjusted even during traveling. For this reason, according to the automatic conveyance vehicle 1 which concerns on this embodiment, the time concerning delivery of a workpiece | work can be reduced significantly.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of the automatic conveyance vehicle which concerns on this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said structure.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the mounting table 2 and the base 3 are formed in a square shape in plan view, but these shapes can be arbitrarily changed.

  In the above embodiment, the four tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 are provided at the bottom corners of the mounting table 2 and the base 3. If provided symmetrically, the position and number of the tilting devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 can be arbitrarily changed.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the spherical body 4 is formed integrally with the base 3, but may be formed integrally with the mounting base 2, or may be formed separately from the mounting base 2 and the base 3. Good. The spherical body 4 may have a spherical shape or a hemispherical shape as long as it has a spherical shape that can contact the mounting table 2 or the base 3.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the fixing device is provided in the side surface of the mounting base 2, you may provide in the opposing surface of the vehicle body facing the side surface of the mounting base 2. FIG. In this case, the fixing device provided on the opposite surface of the vehicle body fixes the mounting table 2 by pressing the side surface of the mounting table 2.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, since the recessed part was formed under wheel 10-2, 10-4, while raising the screw shaft 5a of tilting device 5-2, 5-4, tilting device 5-1, 5-. Although the inclination of the mounting table 2 is adjusted by lowering the screw shaft 5a of No. 3, for example, when a convex portion is formed only below the wheel 10-2 at the stop position of the automatic transport vehicle 1, the tilt is tilted. The tilt of the mounting table 2 may be adjusted by lowering the device 5-2 and raising the tilt device 5-3 that is provided symmetrically with the tilt device 5-2 around the spherical body 4.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic conveyance vehicle 2 Mounting base 3 Base 4 Spherical body 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4 Tilt device 5a Screw shaft 5b Holding means 5c A pair of spur gears 5d Motor with reduction gear 6 Lifting device 6a Fixed base 6b Elevating base 6c Crossing link 6d Elevating base elevating means 7 First spherical bush 8 Second spherical bush 9 Control unit 9a Control unit 9b Storage units 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4 Wheel 11 Mounting frame 12 Stationary conveyor

Claims (4)

An automatic transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined transport path and transports a workpiece,
A mounting table for mounting the workpiece;
A base provided below the mounting table;
A spherical body sandwiched between the mounting table and the base, and in contact with the center of the mounting table or the base in a spherical surface;
Four tilting devices that are provided point-symmetrically on the lower surface of the mounting table around the spherical body and tilt the mounting table in the horizontal direction;
Lifting device for raising and lowering the mounting table, the base, the spherical body and the four tilting devices;
A control device for controlling the four tilting devices and the lifting device;
An automated guided vehicle comprising:   The automatic conveyance vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing device for fixing the mounting table. The tilting device is
A screw shaft that supports the lower surface of the mounting table via a first spherical bush;
A holding means provided on the base via a second spherical bush, and rotatably holding the screw shaft;
A screw shaft raising / lowering means that is provided in the holding means and raises and lowers the screw shaft relative to the holding means by rotating the screw shaft under the control of the control device;
The automatic conveyance vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The automatic transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spherical body is integrally formed with one of the mounting table and the base.

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