JP7471193B2 - Transport robot and transport system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport robot and a transport system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a retrieval system that includes a structure in which multiple horizontal rails are arranged vertically, and a transport robot that can travel along the horizontal rails. In the structure, the transport robot can ascend and descend to other horizontal rails via ramps and vertical rails that are provided intersecting the multiple horizontal rails. The ramps have chains that mesh with the sprocket gears of the mobile robot to hoist it.

JP 2018-517646 A

However, in the retrieval system described in Patent Document 1, in order to raise and lower the transport robot, the structure needs to be provided with a dedicated lifting mechanism such as a ramp or vertical rail. This makes the structure complicated.

Therefore, the present invention was made with an eye on this problem, and aims to provide a transport robot and transport system that can move up and down in a structure that does not have a dedicated lifting mechanism.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in a structure having a lifting area in which a pair of rails are arranged at intervals, a transport robot that travels on a running rail among the plurality of rails arranged at intervals during a running operation and lifts and lowers between each of the plurality of rails arranged at intervals during a lifting and lowering operation includes a main body, a pair of wheels that are respectively provided so as to be able to roll on the pair of rails, a lifting mechanism that is provided on the main body and raises and lowers the main body and the pair of wheels individually relative to the pair of rails during the lifting and lowering operation, and a travelling position that is provided on the lifting mechanism and that overlaps the pair of wheels with the pair of rails in the vertical direction, A transport robot is provided that includes a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms that adjust the main body between a position where the main body is placed and a lifting position between the pair of rails, a travel actuator that is provided on the wheel position adjustment mechanism and that causes the main body to travel by rolling the pair of wheels, and a support mechanism that is provided on the main body and temporarily supports the main body on the pair of rails so that the pair of wheels adjusted to the lifting position during lifting operation can be lifted and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism, and when the pair of wheels adjusted to the running position during lifting operation are placed on the pair of rails, the main body is lifted and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport system including a structure having a lifting area in which a pair of rails are arranged at intervals, and a transport robot that travels on one of the rails arranged at intervals during a traveling operation and lifts and lowers between the rails arranged at intervals during a lifting operation, the transport robot including a main body, a pair of wheels that are respectively provided so as to be able to roll on the pair of rails, a lifting mechanism provided on the main body for lifting and lowering the main body and the pair of wheels individually relative to the pair of rails during a lifting operation, and a lifting mechanism provided on the lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the pair of wheels in the up and down direction, A conveyance system is provided that includes a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms that adjust the main body between a running position overlapping the pair of rails and a lifting position located between the pair of rails, a travel actuator that is provided in the wheel position adjustment mechanism and causes the main body to travel by rolling the pair of wheels, and a support mechanism that is provided in the main body and temporarily supports the main body on the pair of rails so that the pair of wheels adjusted to the lifting position during lifting operation can be raised and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism, and when the pair of wheels adjusted to the running position during lifting operation are placed on the pair of rails, the main body is raised and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism.

According to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a transport robot and transport system that can move up and down in a structure that does not have a dedicated lifting mechanism.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transport system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the first modified example. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the transfer robot. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a traveling state in which the transport robot travels along the rails during a traveling operation. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a turning state in which the transport robot turns during the turning operation. FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing that the main body rises relative to the wheels during a lifting operation, and the transport robot changes from a traveling state to a turning state. FIG. 6B is a front view showing that the main body rises relative to the wheels during the lifting operation, and the transport robot changes from a traveling state to a turnable state. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing a support state of the support portion in which the support portion moves from the retracted position to the support position and is placed on the middle rail during lifting and lowering operations. FIG. 7B is a front view showing a support state of the support portion in which the support portion moves from the retracted position to the support position and is placed on the middle rail during lifting/lowering operation. FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing a wheel retracted state in which the wheels are retracted from a traveling position to a lifted position during lifting and lowering operations. FIG. 8B is a front view showing a wheel retracted state in which the wheels are retracted from the traveling position to the lifting position during lifting and lowering operations. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a first wheel raised state in which the wheels are raised relative to the lower rail during lifting and lowering operation. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second wheel raised state in which the wheels are raised relative to the lower rail during lifting and lowering operation. FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing a wheel deployed state in which the wheels are deployed from a lifting position to a traveling position during lifting and lowering operation. FIG. 11B is a front view showing a wheel deployed state in which the wheels are deployed from the lifting position to the traveling position during lifting and lowering operation. FIG. 12A is a perspective view showing a support section retracted state in which the support section moves from the support position to the retracted position during lifting/lowering operation. FIG. 12B is a front view showing a support section retracted state in which the support section moves from the support position to the retracted position during lifting/lowering operation. FIG. 13A is a perspective view showing that the main body rises relative to the wheels during a lifting operation, and the transport robot changes from a suspended state to a running state. FIG. 13B is a front view showing that the main body rises relative to the wheels during the lifting operation, and the transport robot changes from a suspended state to a running state. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a transfer robot according to a first modified example. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a support section support state in which the support section of the transport robot of the first modified example moves from the retreated position to the support position during lifting and lowering operation and is placed on the lower rail. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a retracted state in which the wheels of the transport robot of the first modified example are retracted from a traveling position to a lifting position during a lifting operation. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a wheel raised state in which the wheels of the transport robot of the first modified example are raised relative to the main body of the transport robot of the first modified example during a lifting/lowering operation. FIG. 18A is a perspective view showing a wheel deployed state in which the wheels of the transport robot of the first modified example are deployed from a lifting position to a running position during a lifting operation. FIG. 18B is a front view showing a wheel deployed state in which the wheels of the transport robot of the first modified example are deployed from the lifting position to the running position during lifting and lowering operation. FIG. 19A is a perspective view showing a support part retracted state in which the support part of the transport robot of the first modified example moves from a support position to a retracted position during a lifting/lowering operation. FIG. 19B is a front view showing a support part retracted state in which the support part of the transport robot of the first modified example moves from the support position to the retracted position during lifting and lowering operation. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main body of the transport robot of the first modified example is raised relative to the wheels of the transport robot of the first modified example during a lifting operation. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a transfer robot according to a second modified example. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main body of the transport robot of the second modified example is raised relative to the wheels due to extension of the link structure of the lifting mechanism during lifting operation. FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a wheel raised state in which the main body of the transport robot of the second modified example is supported by the support part during a lifting operation, and the wheels stored in the lifting position from the traveling position are raised relative to the main body. Figure 24 is an oblique view showing a wheel raised state in which the wheels of the transport robot of the second modified example are deployed from the lifting position to the running position during lifting operation, and the main body is raised relative to the wheels due to contraction of the link structure of the lifting mechanism. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a transfer state in which the placement unit of the transfer robot of the second modified example is transferred from the transfer position to the receiving position by the transfer mechanism.

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals throughout.

(Configuration of the transport system)
First, a transfer system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the transport system 100 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 100 according to this embodiment includes a structure 10 having a lifting area 11 in which a pair of rails 111 are arranged at a predetermined interval H (see FIG. 6B), and a transport robot 1 capable of traveling on the rails 111 as traveling rails.

The transport system 100 is installed in a restaurant such as a sushi shop, and connects the dining area with the kitchen via a structure 10. Specifically, the transport system 100 provides food from the kitchen to the dining hall by moving a transport robot 1, on which plates are placed as tableware for dishes such as sushi, along rails 111 that are visible to customers, for example, and then raises and lowers the transport robot 1 in the lifting area 11, places an empty plate on it, and then travels it along other rails 111 that are not visible to customers, for example, to retrieve the empty plate from the dining hall to the kitchen.

In this way, food serving and tableware collection are performed using the conveying system 100, which reduces the number of restaurant employees and contributes to reducing labor costs. In addition, food serving and tableware collection are performed by having the conveying robot 1 travel on rails 111 visible to customers and other rails 111 not visible to customers, respectively, which improves the hygiene and aesthetics of the conveying system compared to when food serving and tableware collection are performed by having the conveying robot travel on the same rails.

In this embodiment, the conveying system 100 has been described as being installed in a restaurant, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be installed, for example, in a logistics warehouse that distributes logistics.

(Structural composition)
Next, a structure 10 that constitutes a part of the transport system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the structure 10 has a lifting area 11 where the transport robot 1 can move up and down, and a turning area 12 where the transport robot 1 can turn.

The lifting area 11 does not have a dedicated lifting mechanism such as a ramp or vertical rail as in the prior art, but has multiple pairs (three pairs in this case) of rails 111 arranged vertically (upper rail 111A, middle rail 111B, lower rail 111C) and multiple support frames (not shown) that extend vertically and support the multiple pairs of rails 111. In this embodiment, all of the rails 111 are used as both running rails and lifting rails.

In this embodiment, the pairs of rails 111 are arranged to extend horizontally, but this is not limited thereto, and may be arranged, for example, to extend at a slight incline relative to the horizontal plane. In this case, the transport system 100 can transport between locations with elevation differences.

In addition, in this embodiment, the pairs of rails 111 are arranged to extend in a straight line, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, they may be arranged to extend in a curved line. In this case, the conveying system 100 can perform conveying between locations that are not on a straight line.

Each rail 111 has an L-shaped cross section and includes a mounting section 112 on which wheels 52 (see FIG. 3) of the transport robot 1, which will be described later, can be placed, and a wheel-fall prevention wall 113 that is erected on the mounting section 112 and prevents the wheels 52 from falling off the mounting section 112.

The upper surface of the mounting section 112 is formed to be flat. The upper surface (flat surface) of the mounting section 112 has a smoothness that allows the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 to roll. A wheel derailment prevention wall 113 is erected on the other side (outer side) of the mounting section 112 of the pair of rails 111, opposite to the opposing one side (inner side) of the mounting section 112. The wheel derailment prevention wall 113 can regulate the position of the wheels 52 by abutting against the rolling wheels 52, and as a result, can prevent the wheels 52 from falling off the mounting section 112.

The turning area 12 is a plate material formed to straddle a pair of rails 111. The transport robot 1 can turn freely in the turning area 12.

In this embodiment, the pairs of rails 111 are arranged in parallel with a predetermined interval H between them. However, the number of pairs of rails 111 is not limited to this, and may be arranged in parallel with different intervals between them, for example, vertically. In this case, it is sufficient to set the interval between the different rails 111 (i.e., the interval between the mounting surfaces of the mounting parts 112 on the rails 111) to be equal to or less than the predetermined interval H. If the interval between the rails 111 exceeds the predetermined interval H, the transport robot 1 cannot move up and down between the rails 111. In other words, if there is a location where the interval between the rails 111 exceeds the predetermined interval H, that location does not belong to the lifting and lowering area 11 of the structure 10. In other words, all locations where the interval between the rails 111 is equal to or less than the predetermined interval H belong to the lifting and lowering area 11. Details of the "predetermined interval H" will be described later.

(Structure of the First Modification)
Next, a structure 10 according to a first modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that in this first modified example, the description of the same points as in the above-mentioned embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be focused mainly on the points that differ from the above-mentioned embodiment.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure 10 of the first modified example.

In the above-described embodiment, the structure 10 is composed only of the lifting region 11 and the turning region 12, but is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the structure 10 may be composed of multiple (here, two) lifting regions 11 and a non-lifting region 13 that connects the multiple lifting regions 11.

In this case, each lifting area 11 has an upper rail 111a, a middle rail 111b, and a lower rail 111c that are arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance H evenly spaced apart. The non-lifting area 13 is a transport path that has an upper running rail 131a and a lower running rail 131b that are arranged in parallel with a distance greater than the predetermined distance H.

The upper running rail 131a connects the multiple upper rails 111a, and the lower running rail 131b connects the multiple lower rails 111c. That is, the upper rails 111a are connected to both ends of the upper running rail 131a, and the lower rails 111c are connected to both ends of the lower running rail 131b.

As in the first modified example, by appropriately providing non-lifting and lowering areas 13 as transport paths in the structure 10, it is possible to reduce unnecessary transport rails compared to a structure 10 that does not have non-lifting and lowering areas 13 but has lifting and lowering areas 11. As a result, it is possible to simplify and reduce the weight of the structure 10.

(Configuration of the transport robot)
Next, the transfer robot 1 constituting another part of the transfer system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the transport robot 1. In the figure, the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction), left-right direction (width direction), and up-down direction (height direction) of the transport robot 1 are defined as directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, respectively. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the transport robot 1 will be simply referred to as the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport robot 1 according to this embodiment is a transport body that travels on a pair of rails 111 when the transport robot 1 is traveling (hereinafter simply referred to as traveling), and moves up and down between a plurality of rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10 when the transport robot 1 is lifting (hereinafter simply referred to as lifting). As shown in FIG. 3, the transport robot 1 includes a main body 2, a pair of lifting mechanisms 3, a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms 4 at the front and rear, a pair of travel mechanisms 5, and a support mechanism 6.

The main body 2 is a rectangular base member extending in the front-rear direction. The main body 2 is provided with a placement surface 21 on which tableware S (here, plates) as the transported object is placed. The main body 2 is also equipped with a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of each mechanism, specifically, the lifting mechanism 3, the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4, the traveling mechanism 5, and the support mechanism 6. Under the control of the control unit, the transport robot 1 can perform a traveling operation that travels on a pair of rails 111, and a lifting operation that lifts and lowers between multiple rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H.

The main body 2 is formed so that its width in the left-right direction is smaller than the distance between the pair of rails 111. This allows the main body 2 to pass between the pair of rails 111 without interfering with them during lifting and lowering operations, and therefore allows the main body 2 to move up and down between the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined distance H.

The pair of lifting mechanisms 3 are mechanisms that raise and lower the main body 2 and the wheels 52 individually relative to the pair of rails 111 during lifting and lowering operations. The pair of lifting mechanisms 3 are provided on the main body 2, specifically, on both ends of the main body 2 in the front-rear direction. Each lifting mechanism 3 includes a lifting actuator 31 and a swinging unit 32.

Each lift actuator 31 is a drive unit for swinging each swinging unit 32. One lift actuator 31 and the other lift actuator 31 are fixed to one end (front end) in the front-rear direction of the main body 2 and the other end (rear end) in the front-rear direction of the main body 2, for example, by screwing. Each lift actuator 31 also has a swing drive shaft (not shown) that extends along the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and is rotatable both clockwise and counterclockwise. Each swing drive shaft is arranged so that both ends protrude from both the left and right sides of each lift actuator 31.

Each oscillating part 32 is provided on each lifting actuator 31 so as to be oscillable around the axis of each oscillating drive shaft. When driven by each lifting actuator 31, each oscillating part 32 oscillates up and down within a predetermined range of angles (here, 180 degrees) around the axis of each oscillating drive shaft.

Each oscillating section 32 has a pair of oscillating arms 321 whose base ends are connected (fixed) to both ends of each oscillating drive shaft, and a connection section 322 that connects the pair of oscillating arms 321. This allows each oscillating section 32 to rotate integrally with each oscillating drive shaft by driving each lifting actuator 31. Then, each oscillating section 32 swings up and down a predetermined range of angles (here, 180 degrees) around the axis of each oscillating drive shaft as each oscillating drive shaft rotates by driving each lifting actuator 31.

The pair of swing arms 321 are arranged to sandwich the lift actuator 31 in the left-right direction. A connection portion 322 is provided at the tip of the pair of swing arms 321, that is, the connection portion 322 connects the tips of the pair of swing arms 321.

Each wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 is provided on each lifting mechanism 3 and adjusts the pair of wheels 52 in the vertical direction between a running position where the wheels 52 overlap with the pair of rails 111 and a lifting position between the pair of rails 111. This allows the wheels 52 to move up and down between the multiple rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H without interfering with the pair of rails 111 in the lifting position.

In this embodiment, each wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 is composed of a pair of steering actuators 41 that respectively steer the traveling mechanism 5 (specifically, a pair of wheels 52). As a result, by using the pair of steering actuators 41 as the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4, there is no need to provide a dedicated adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the wheels 52, and the position of the wheels 52 can be easily adjusted. As a result, the structure of the transport robot 1 can be simplified.

As described above, the pair of steering actuators 41 each steer the pair of traveling mechanisms 5, so that the transport robot 1 can perform a steering operation to steer itself in addition to the traveling operation and the lifting and lowering operation under the control of the control unit.

The pair of turning actuators 41 are fixed to both left and right side surfaces of the oscillating part 32 of the lifting mechanism 3, for example, by screwing. Specifically, the pair of turning actuators 41 are fixed to the opposing side surfaces of the pair of oscillating arms 321 of the oscillating part 32 by screwing. In this case, even if the pair of oscillating arms 321 are oscillated by the driving of the lifting actuator 31, the pair of turning actuators 41 rotate in conjunction with the oscillation of the pair of oscillating arms 321, but always sandwich the lifting actuator 31 in the left and right direction.

In this way, by fixing a pair of turning actuators 41 to both left and right sides of the swinging arm 321, the size of the connection part 322 can be made smaller than when the pair of turning actuators 41 are fixed to both left and right sides of the connection part 322 that connects the tips of the pair of swinging arms 321. As a result, the swinging part 32 can be made smaller, and therefore the entire transport robot 1 can be made smaller.

In this embodiment, the pair of turning actuators 41 are fixed to the side surfaces of the pair of swing arms 321, but this is not limited thereto, and may be fixed, for example, to both left and right sides of the connection part 322. In this case, the distance from the turning actuators 41 to the swing drive shaft serving as the fulcrum is greater than in the case where the pair of turning actuators 41 are fixed to both left and right sides of the swing arm 321, so the wheels 52 can be raised and lowered even if the driving force of the lifting actuator 31 is reduced. As a result, energy conservation can be achieved for the entire transport robot 1.

Each of the turning actuators 41 has a turning drive shaft (not shown) that extends along the extension direction of the swing arm 321 of the swinging part 32 (specifically, the direction extending from the base end to the tip end of the swing arm 321) and is rotatable both clockwise and counterclockwise. Each turning drive shaft protrudes from one side of each of the turning actuators 41 on the same side as one side of the connection part 322 facing away from the lifting actuator 31. A travel actuator 51 of the travel mechanism 5, which will be described later, is connected (fixed) to the turning drive shaft.

In this embodiment, each wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 is composed of a pair of steering actuators 41, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, a sliding mechanism for sliding each wheel 52 in the left-right direction.

The traveling mechanism 5 is a mechanism for moving the transport robot 1. Each traveling mechanism 5 is equipped with a pair of traveling actuators 51 at the front and rear, respectively, and a pair of wheels 52 that roll when driven by the pair of traveling actuators 51.

The pair of travel actuators 51 are driving units that respectively rotate the pair of wheels 52. Each travel actuator 51 extends along the axial direction of the steering drive shaft of each steering actuator 41, and is provided on each steering actuator 41 so as to be rotatable around the axis of each steering drive shaft. Each travel actuator 51 rotates integrally with each steering drive shaft by driving each steering actuator 41. Then, each travel actuator 51 turns around the axis of each steering drive shaft together with each wheel 52 as each steering drive shaft rotates by driving each steering actuator 41.

Each traveling actuator 51 also has a rolling drive shaft (not shown) that is perpendicular to the turning drive shaft of each steering actuator 41 and is rotatable both clockwise and counterclockwise. Each rolling drive shaft is disposed on the tip side of each traveling actuator 51, opposite the base end side that faces each steering actuator 41. Each wheel 52 is connected (fixed) to each rolling drive shaft. This allows the wheels 52 to roll integrally with the rolling drive shaft when driven by the traveling actuator 51.

The support mechanism 6 is provided on the main body 2. The support mechanism 6 temporarily supports the main body 2 on the pair of rails so that the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position during lifting operation can be raised and lowered between the rails 111 by the lifting mechanism 3. The support mechanism 6 also includes a pair of support actuators 61 and a pair of support parts 62.

The pair of support part actuators 61 are drive parts for moving each of the pair of support parts 62 between a support position and a retracted position, which will be described later. Specifically, the pair of support part actuators 61 move each of the pair of support parts 62 between the support position and the retracted position by rotating them. The pair of support part actuators 61 are fixed below the placement surface 21 of the main body 2 so that they are positioned on both sides of the main body 2 in the left-right direction, for example, by tightening screws. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the support part actuators 61 and the tableware S.

Each support actuator 61 has a support drive shaft that extends in the vertical direction and is rotatable both clockwise and counterclockwise. Each support drive shaft protrudes from the underside of each support actuator 61. Each support 62 is fixed to each support drive shaft. As a result, each support 62 rotates around the axis of each support drive shaft together with each support drive shaft when driven by each support actuator 61.

Each support part 62 is provided on each support part actuator 61 around the support part drive shaft of each support part actuator 61. The pair of support parts 62 are provided so that they can move (pivot) between a support position (see Figures 7A and 7B) where they overlap with the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction and a retracted position (see Figures 6A and 6B) where they are located between the pair of rails 111 by driving the pair of support part actuators 61.

The pair of support parts 62 are formed in a semicircular shape in a plan view. When the pair of support parts 62 are rotated to the support position by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61, the straight parts of the semicircular shape face each other, and the arc parts of the semicircular shape are placed on the rail 111 (see Figs. 7A and 7B). On the other hand, when the pair of support parts 62 are rotated to the retracted position by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61, the arc parts of the semicircular shape face each other (see Figs. 6A and 6B). This makes it possible to prevent interference between one support part 62 and the other support part 62 when the pair of support parts 62 simultaneously rotate between the support position and the retracted position. When the pair of support parts 62 are rotated to the retracted position by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61, at least a part of them is stored below the main body 2.

In this embodiment, the support mechanism 6 is composed of a pair of support part actuators 61 and a pair of support parts 62, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, a single support part actuator and a single support part. In this case, the single support part actuator is provided in the center of the main body 2 in the left-right direction, and the single support part is provided on the single support part actuator so as to be rotatable around the axis of the support part drive shaft extending in the up-down direction. This makes it possible to simplify the structure of the support mechanism 6, and as a result, makes it possible to simplify the structure of the transport robot 1.

In this first modified example, similar to the present embodiment, the single support part is provided so as to be movable (rotatable) between a support position where it overlaps with the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction and a retracted position located between the pair of rails 111 by driving a single support part actuator. The single support part is formed, for example, from a long plate material. When the single support part is rotated to the support position, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the single support part are placed on the pair of rails 111. On the other hand, when the single support part is rotated to the retracted position, it is stored below the main body 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the pair of support part actuators 61 are configured to move the pair of support parts 62 between the support position and the retracted position by rotating each of the pair of support parts 62. However, the pair of support part actuators 61 are not limited to this, and may be configured, for example, to move the pair of support parts 62 between the holding position and the retracted position by sliding them in the left-right direction.

Below, we will explain each operation (i.e., running operation, turning operation, and lifting operation) performed by the transport robot 1 according to this embodiment with reference to Figures 4 to 13B.

(Traveling motion of transport robot)
First, the traveling operation performed by the transfer robot 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the transport robot 1 traveling along the rails 111 during a traveling operation. Note that in Figure 4, the rails arranged on the front side of the multiple pairs of rails 111 are omitted so that the transport robot 1 can be easily seen.

As shown in FIG. 4, during the traveling operation, the transport robot 1 travels along the rails 111 (specifically, the lower rail 111C) of the structure 10 in a flat state extending in the front-to-rear direction. This allows a larger placement area above the placement surface 21 for placing the tableware S to be secured compared to a transport robot 1 that is not flattened during the traveling operation. As a result, when multiple transport robots 1 travel on different rails 111 at the top and bottom, it becomes easier to avoid interference between the tableware S placed on the placement surface 21 of the transport robot 1 traveling on the lower rail 111 and the transport robot 1 traveling on the upper rail 111.

In this case, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 and the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the pair of lifting actuators 31, the two pairs of turning actuators 41, and the two pairs of travel actuators 51 are positioned on the same horizontal plane. In this case, the connection parts 322 of the pair of swinging parts 32 face forward and backward, respectively.

The transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of travel actuators 51 and rolls the two pairs of wheels 52 on the rails 111 to perform forward or backward travel operations. During travel operations, the turning drive shaft of the turning actuator 41 that turns the travel actuator 51 extends along the front-rear direction. In this case, the travel actuator 51 can only rotate around the axis of the turning drive shaft extending along the front-rear direction by the drive of the turning actuator 41, so during travel operations, the transport robot 1 cannot be turned by the drive of the turning actuator 41.

(Turning operation of the transport robot)
Next, the turning operation performed by the transport robot 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the turning state of the transport robot 1 during the turning operation.

During the turning operation, the transport robot 1 stands up from the flat state during the running operation by driving the pair of lifting actuators 31, and turns by changing the direction of the running mechanism 5 in the turning area 12 of the structure 10 by driving the turning actuator 41.

When changing from a traveling operation to a turning operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 so that the pair of swinging parts 32 swing downward. Then, the pair of swinging parts 32 swing downward by driving the lifting actuators 31, and the two pairs of traveling actuators 51 provided on the pair of swinging parts 32 via the two pairs of turning actuators 41 change from a horizontal state to an upright state. In other words, the two pairs of traveling actuators 51 change so that the turning drive shaft of each turning actuator 41 extends in the vertical direction. As a result, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1 is supported by the two pairs of turning actuators 41 and the two pairs of traveling actuators 51 and stands up (rises) on the two pairs of wheels 52.

As shown in FIG. 5, during the turning operation, the turning drive shaft of each turning actuator 41 extends in the vertical direction, so that the direction of each travel actuator 51 connected to each turning drive shaft and the wheels 52 provided on each travel actuator 51 are changed by driving the turning actuator 41, thereby turning the transport robot 1.

(Lifting and lowering operation of the transport robot)
Next, the lifting and lowering operation performed by the transport robot 1 in the lifting and lowering area 11 of the structure 10 will be described.

Then, only the ascending operation of the transport robot 1 will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 13B. As the descending operation of the ascending operation is the exact opposite of each step of the ascending operation, a description of it will be omitted.

Figure 6A is a perspective view showing that the main body 2 rises relative to the wheels 52 during the ascending operation, and the transport robot 1 changes from the running state to the turnable state. Figure 6B is a front view showing that the main body 2 rises relative to the wheels 52 during the ascending operation, and the transport robot 1 changes from the running state to the turnable state. Figure 7A is a perspective view showing a support part support state in which the support part 62 moves from the retracted position to the support position and is placed on the middle rail 111B during the ascending operation. Figure 7B is a front view showing a support part support state in which the support part 62 moves from the retracted position to the support position and is placed on the middle rail 111B during the ascending operation. Figure 8A is a perspective view showing a wheel storage state in which the wheels 52 are stored from the running position to the lifting position during the ascending operation. Figure 8B is a front view showing a wheel storage state in which the wheels 52 are stored from the running position to the lifting position during the ascending operation. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a wheel rise state 1 in which the wheels 52 rise relative to the lower rail 111C during the ascending operation. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second wheel raised state in which the wheels 52 rise relative to the lower rail 111C during the raising operation. FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing a wheel deployed state in which the wheels 52 are deployed from the lifting position to the running position during the raising operation. FIG. 11B is a front view showing a wheel deployed state in which the wheels 52 are deployed from the lifting position to the running position during the raising operation. FIG. 12A is a perspective view showing a support part retreat state in which the support part 62 moves from the support position to the retreat position during the raising operation. FIG. 12B is a front view showing a support part retreat state in which the support part 62 moves from the support position to the retreat position during the raising operation. FIG. 13A is a perspective view showing that the main body 2 rises relative to the wheels 52 during the raising operation and the transport robot 1 changes from the suspended state to the running state. FIG. 13B is a front view showing that the main body 2 rises relative to the wheels 52 during the raising operation and the transport robot 1 changes from the suspended state to the running state during the raising operation. In addition, in Figures 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 10A, 11A, 12A, and 13A, the rails arranged at the front side of the multiple pairs of rails 111A, 111B, and 111C have been omitted to make the transport robot 1 easier to see.

In this embodiment, as described above, in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10 where the transport robot 1 can lift and lower, three pairs of rails 111 (upper rail 111A, middle rail 111B, lower rail 111C) are arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance H between them.

First, in step S1 during the ascending operation, the transport robot 1 placed on the lower rail 111C in the lifting area 11 rises from the flat state during the traveling operation by driving the pair of lifting actuators 31. Specifically, when changing from the flat state during the traveling operation to the turnable state during the ascending operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 so that the pair of oscillating parts 32 oscillate downward by a predetermined angle (here, 90 degrees).

The pair of swinging parts 32 swing downward by a predetermined angle due to the drive of the lifting actuators 31, and the two pairs of travel actuators 51 change from a horizontal state to an upright state. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1 is supported by the two pairs of turning actuators 41 and the two pairs of travel actuators 51 as the pair of swinging parts 32 swing due to the drive of the pair of lifting actuators 31, and stands up (rises) relative to the two pairs of wheels 52. In this way, the lifting mechanism 3 can raise the main body 2 relative to the pair of rails 111 separately from the two pairs of wheels 52 during the lifting operation (specifically, when the two pairs of wheels 52 are placed on the pair of rails 111).

When changing from a flat state during traveling to a turnable state during lifting, the transport robot 1 may assist in driving the pair of lifting actuators 31 by controlling the two pairs of traveling actuators 51 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 approach each other.

When changing from the flat state during traveling to the turnable state during lifting, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1, the pair of lifting actuators 31, the two pairs of turning actuators 41, the pair of support actuators 61, and the pair of support parts 62 pass between the pair of middle rails 111B and rise.

In the turning-enabled state during the upward movement, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1 and the pair of support parts 62 are positioned above the pair of middle rails 111B (see FIG. 6B). This allows the pair of support parts 62 to be placed on the pair of middle rails 111B by driving the pair of support part actuators 61.

Next, in step S2 during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of support actuators 61 so that the pair of support parts 62 rotate from a retracted position between the pair of rails 111 to a support position where the pair of support parts 62 overlap with the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction.

Then, as shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the pair of support parts 62 are rotated from the retracted position to the support position by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61, and are placed on the pair of middle rails 111B, respectively. In this case, the transport robot 1 is supported by the pair of lower rails 111C and the pair of middle rails 111B in the lifting area 11 by the pair of support parts 62 in addition to the two pairs of wheels 52.

Next, in step S3 during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 rotate from a running position where they overlap with a pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction to a lifting position located between the pair of rails 111.

Then, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the two pairs of wheels 52 are rotated from the traveling position to the lifting position by the drive of the two pairs of turning actuators 41. In this case, the transport robot 1 is no longer supported by the two pairs of wheels 52, and is temporarily supported on the middle rail 111B only by the pair of support parts 62. This allows the two pairs of wheels 52 to move up and down between the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H. When the pair of wheels 52 are rotated to the lifting position, the pair of wheels 52 face each other.

Next, in step S4 during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 so that the pair of oscillating parts 32 oscillate from below to above by twice the specified angle (here, 180 degrees).

9 and 10, the pair of oscillating parts 32 are driven by the pair of lifting actuators 31 to oscillate from below to above together with the two pairs of turning actuators 41 and the two pairs of travel actuators 51 by a predetermined angle that is twice as large. As a result, the two pairs of wheels 52 provided on the two pairs of travel actuators 51 move upward between the rails 111 in conjunction with the pair of oscillating parts 32, passing between the pair of middle rails 111B and rising above the pair of upper rails 111A. In this way, the lifting mechanism 3 can raise the two pairs of wheels 52 relative to the pair of rails 111 separately from the main body 2 during the lifting operation (specifically, when the main body 2 is temporarily supported by the pair of rails 111 by the support mechanism 6).

Next, in step S5 during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 rotate from the lifting position to the traveling position.

As shown in Figures 11A and 11B, the two pairs of wheels 52 are rotated from the lifting position to the running position by the drive of the two pairs of turning actuators 41, and are placed on the pair of upper rails 111A, respectively. In this case, the transport robot 1 is supported by the pair of upper rails 111A and the pair of middle rails 111B by the two pairs of wheels 52 and the pair of supports 62.

Next, in step S6 during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of support actuators 61 so that the pair of support parts 62 rotate from the support position to the evacuation position.

Then, as shown in Figures 12A and 12B, the pair of support parts 62 are rotated from the support position to the retracted position by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61. In this case, the transport robot 1 is no longer supported by the pair of support parts 62, and is supported on the pair of upper rails 111A only by the two pairs of wheels 52.

Next, in step S7 during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 changes from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation by driving the pair of lifting actuators 31. Specifically, when changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 so that the pair of oscillating parts 32 oscillate downward by a predetermined angle.

As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, the pair of swinging parts 32 swing downward by a predetermined angle when driven by the lifting actuator 31, so that the two pairs of turning actuators 41 and the two pairs of travel actuators 51 change from an upright state to a horizontal state.

When changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation, the transport robot 1 may assist the driving of the pair of lifting actuators 31 by controlling the two pairs of running actuators 51 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 move away from each other.

When changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1, the pair of lifting actuators 31, the two pairs of turning actuators 41, the pair of support actuators 61, and the pair of support parts 62 pass between the pair of upper rails 111A and rise. In this way, the lifting operation of the transport robot 1 is completed.

The "predetermined distance H" between the rails 111 arranged vertically is the distance between the position of the wheel 52 located at the lowest position when the oscillating part 32 is swung to the lowest position (here, the oscillating part 32 is swung downward by 90 degrees from the horizontal position) and the position of the wheel 52 located at the highest position when the oscillating part 32 is swung to the highest position (here, the oscillating part 32 is swung upward by 90 degrees from the horizontal position).

In other words, when the distance between the rails 111 arranged vertically is greater than the predetermined distance H, if the swinging part 32 swings from the lowest position to the highest position, the two pairs of wheels 52 placed on the pair of rails 111 arranged on the lower tier cannot be placed on the pair of rails 111 arranged on the upper tier adjacent to the pair of rails 111 arranged on the lower tier even if they are raised.

The above describes the lifting operation in which the transport robot 1 rises from a pair of lower rails 111C to a pair of upper rails 111A via a pair of middle rails 111B in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the transport robot 1 may perform a lifting operation in which the transport robot 1 rises from a pair of lower rails 111C to a pair of middle rails 111B in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10.

The effects of this embodiment are explained below.

The transport robot 1 according to the present embodiment is a structure 10 having a lifting area 11 in which a pair of rails 111 are arranged at a predetermined interval H. The transport robot 1 travels on the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H during a travelling operation and lifts and lowers between the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H during a lifting operation. The transport robot 1 comprises a main body 2, a pair of wheels 52 each provided so as to be capable of rolling on the pair of rails, a lifting mechanism 3 provided on the main body 2 for lifting and lowering the main body 2 and the pair of wheels 52 individually on the pair of rails 111 during the lifting operation, and a lifting mechanism 3 provided on the lifting mechanism 3 for lifting and lowering the pair of wheels 52 on the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction. The vehicle is equipped with a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms 4 that adjust the vehicle between a running position where the vehicle overlaps the rails 111 and a lifting position between the pair of rails 111, a travel actuator 51 that is provided on the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 and that causes the main body 2 to travel by rolling the pair of wheels 52, and a support mechanism 6 that is provided on the main body 2 and temporarily supports the main body 2 on the pair of rails 111 so that the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position during lifting operation can be lifted and lowered between the rails 111 by the lifting mechanism 3, and when the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the running position during lifting operation are placed on the pair of rails 111, the main body 2 is lifted and lowered between the rails 111 by the lifting mechanism 3.

The transport system 100 according to the present embodiment is a transport system 100 including a structure 10 having a lifting area 11 in which a pair of rails 111 are arranged at a predetermined interval H, and a transport robot 1 that travels on the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H during a traveling operation and lifts and lowers between the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H during a lifting operation. The transport robot 1 includes a main body 2, a pair of wheels 52 that are respectively provided so as to be able to roll on the pair of rails, a lifting mechanism 3 that is provided on the main body 2 and that lifts and lowers the main body 2 and the pair of wheels 52 individually relative to the pair of rails 111 during a lifting operation, and a lifting mechanism 3 that is provided on the lifting mechanism 3 and that moves the pair of wheels 52 The device has a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms 4 that adjust the main body 2 between a running position overlapping the pair of rails 111 and a lifting position between the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction, a travel actuator 51 provided on the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 that causes the main body 2 to travel by rolling the pair of wheels 52, and a support mechanism 6 provided on the main body 2 that temporarily supports the main body 2 on the pair of rails 111 so that the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position during lifting operation can be lifted and lowered between the rails 111 by the lifting mechanism 3, and when the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the running position during lifting operation are placed on the pair of rails 111, the main body 2 is lifted and lowered between the rails 111 by the lifting mechanism 3.

According to these configurations, when the main body 2 is temporarily supported by the pair of rails 111 by the support mechanism 6 during lifting and lowering operations, the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting and lowering position are raised and lowered between the rails 111 by the lifting mechanism 3, and when the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the running position during lifting and lowering operations are placed on the pair of rails 111, the main body 2 is raised and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism 3, so that the transport robot 1 can raise and lower between the rails 111 arranged vertically at any location in the lifting and lowering area 11 of the structure 10 that is not provided with a dedicated lifting and lowering mechanism. In addition, since the lifting and lowering area 11 does not have a dedicated lifting and lowering mechanism as in the prior art, the structure of the structure 10 can be simplified.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 3 is provided at one end and the other end of the main body 2 in the front-rear direction, and includes a lifting actuator 31 having a swing drive shaft extending along the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and a swing part 32 provided on the lifting actuator 31 so as to be swingable around the axis of the swing drive shaft. During the lifting operation, when the main body 2 is temporarily supported by a pair of rails 111 via the support mechanism 6, the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position rise and fall between the rails 111 in conjunction with the swing part 32 that swings due to the drive of the lifting actuator 31.

With this configuration, the lifting mechanism 3 can be easily configured using the lifting actuator 31 and the swinging part 32 provided on the lifting actuator 31. In addition, the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position rise and fall between the rails 111 in conjunction with the swinging part 32 that is swung by the lifting actuator 31, so that the pair of wheels 52 can be easily raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 3.

In addition, in this embodiment, when a pair of wheels 52 are placed on a pair of rails 111 during lifting and lowering operation, the main body 2 moves up and down between the rails 111 as the oscillating part 32 oscillates due to the drive of the lifting actuator 31.

With this configuration, when a pair of wheels 52 are placed on a pair of rails 111 during lifting and lowering operation, the main body 2 rises and falls between the rails 111 as the oscillating part 32 swings due to the drive of the lifting actuator 31, so that the lifting and lowering of the main body 2 can be easily achieved by the lifting mechanism 3.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 is composed of a pair of steering actuators 41 that are provided on both the left and right sides of the swinging portion 32 and that respectively steer the pair of wheels 52.

With this configuration, the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4 can be easily realized by a pair of steering actuators 41. Furthermore, by using the pair of steering actuators 41 as the wheel position adjustment mechanism 4, there is no need to provide a separate dedicated adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the wheels 52, and the position of the wheels 52 can be easily adjusted. As a result, the structure of the transport robot 1 can be simplified.

In addition, in this embodiment, the travel actuator 51 is provided on a pair of steering actuators 41 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the steering drive shaft of the steering actuator 41.

With this configuration, the direction of the travel actuator 51 can be easily changed by driving the turning actuator 41, allowing the transport robot 1 to turn.

In addition, in this embodiment, the support mechanism 6 has a support part 62 that is movable between a support position that overlaps with the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction and a retracted position that is located between the pair of rails 111, and a support part actuator 61 that moves the support part 62 between the support position and the retracted position.

With this configuration, the support mechanism 6 can be easily configured using the support part 62 and the support part actuator 61 that moves the support part 62.

In this embodiment, the main body 2 is provided with a placement surface 21 for placing the tableware S, and the support actuator 61 is provided below the placement surface 21.

With this configuration, by providing the support actuator 61 below the placement surface 21, interference between the support actuator 61 and the tableware S can be avoided.

(Configuration of the Transport Robot of the First Modification)
Next, the configuration of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Note that in this first modified example, the description of the same points as in the above-mentioned embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the points that differ from the above-mentioned embodiment.

Figure 14 is a perspective view showing the transport robot 1 of the first modified example.

In the above-described embodiment, the pivoting drive shaft of each pivoting actuator 41 is arranged to extend along the extension direction of the swing arm 321 of the swinging part 32, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, as shown in FIG. 14, it may be arranged to extend along a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the swing arm 321.

In this case, the turning drive shaft of each turning actuator 41 is arranged to extend in the vertical direction during the traveling operation. In other words, the transport robot 1 can be switched from a traveling operation to a turning operation without swinging the swinging part 32 of the lifting mechanism 3. This simplifies each operation of the entire transport robot 1.

In the above-described embodiment, the support mechanism 6 is composed of a pair of support actuators 61 having a support drive shaft extending along the vertical direction, and a pair of support parts 62 provided on the pair of support actuators 61 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the support drive shaft extending along the vertical direction. However, the support mechanism 6 is not limited to this, and may be composed of, for example, a pair of support actuators 61A (see FIG. 15) provided on both the left and right sides of the main body 2 and having a rotation drive shaft extending along the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 14, and a pair of support parts 62A provided on the pair of support actuators 61 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the rotation drive shaft.

In this case, each support portion 62A can be formed into a rectangular shape extending in the front-rear direction rather than a semicircular shape in a plan view. As a result, when the main body 2 is temporarily supported on the pair of rails 111 by the pair of support portions 62A, the contact area between the pair of support portions 62A and the pair of rails 111 can be increased compared to the above-described embodiment, thereby improving the stability of the support.

(Running and Turning Operations of the Transport Robot of the First Modification)
The travelling and turning operations performed by the transport robot 1 of the first modified example are generally similar to those in the above-described embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

(Lifting and lowering operation of the transport robot according to the first modified example)
Next, the lifting and lowering operation performed by the transport robot 1 of the first modified example in the lifting and lowering area 11 of the structure 10 will be described.

With reference to Figures 15 to 20, only the ascending operation of the ascending and descending operation performed by the transport robot 1 of the first modified example will be described. In addition, the descending operation of the ascending and descending operation is the exact opposite of each step of the ascending operation, so its description will be omitted.

Figure 15 is a perspective view showing a support part support state in which the support part 62A of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example moves from the retreat position to the support position and is placed on the lower rail during the lifting operation. Figure 16 is a perspective view showing a storage state in which the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example move from the running position to the lifting position during the lifting operation. Figure 17 is a perspective view showing a wheel rise state in which the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example rise relative to the main body 2 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example during the lifting operation. Figure 18A is a perspective view showing a wheel deployment state in which the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example deploy from the lifting position to the running position during the lifting operation. Figure 18B is a front view showing a wheel deployment state in which the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example deploy from the lifting position to the running position during the lifting operation. Figure 19A is a perspective view showing a support part retreat state in which the support part 62A of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example moves from the support position to the retreat position during the lifting operation. 19B is a front view showing a support part retracted state in which the support part 62A of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example moves from a support position to a retracted position during lifting and lowering operations. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a main body raised state in which the main body 2 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example rises relative to the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 of the first modified example during lifting and lowering operations.

In the above-described embodiment, in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10 where the transport robot 1 can be lifted and lowered, the rails 111 are arranged in three pairs spaced apart at a predetermined interval H, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Figs. 15 to 20, two pairs (upper rail 111D, lower rail 111E) may be arranged. In this case, the lifting area 11 does not have the middle rail 111B of the above-described embodiment. That is, the transport robot 1 can be lifted from the lower rail 111E to the upper rail 111D without using the middle rail 111B. Note that in Figs. 15, 16, 17, 18A, 19A, and 20, the rails arranged on the front side of the multiple pairs of rails 111D, 111E are omitted so that the transport robot 1 can be easily seen.

First, in step S1A during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of support actuators 61A so that the pair of support parts 62A rotate from a retracted position between the pair of rails 111 to a support position where the pair of support parts 62A overlap with the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 15, the pair of support parts 62A are rotated from the retracted position to the support position as indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 15 by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61, and are placed on the pair of lower rails 111E, respectively. In this case, the transport robot 1 is supported on the pair of lower rails 111E in the lifting area 11 by the pair of support parts 62A in addition to the two pairs of wheels 52.

Next, in step S2A during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 rotate from a running position where they overlap with a pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction to a lifting position located between the pair of rails 111.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the two pairs of wheels 52 are rotated from the traveling position to the lifting position by the drive of the two pairs of turning actuators 41. In this case, the transport robot 1 is no longer supported by the two pairs of wheels 52, and is temporarily supported on the lower rail 111E only by a pair of support parts 62A. This allows the two pairs of wheels 52 to move up and down between the rails 111. Note that when the pair of wheels 52 are rotated to the lifting position, the pair of wheels 52 face each other.

Next, in step S3A during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 so that the pair of oscillating parts 32 oscillate from below to above by twice the specified angle (here, 180 degrees).

As shown in FIG. 17, the pair of oscillating parts 32 are oscillated upward by a predetermined angle that is twice as large as the two pairs of turning actuators 41 and two pairs of travel actuators 51, by the drive of the pair of lifting actuators 31. As a result, the two pairs of wheels 52 provided on the two pairs of travel actuators 51 rise between the rails 111 in conjunction with the pair of oscillating parts 32 so as to be positioned above the pair of upper rails 111D. In this way, the lifting mechanism 3 can raise the two pairs of wheels 52 relative to the pair of rails 111 separately from the main body 2 during the lifting operation (specifically, when the main body 2 is temporarily supported by the pair of rails 111 by the support mechanism 6).

Next, in step S4A during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 rotate from the lifting position to the traveling position.

As shown in Figures 18A and 18B, the two pairs of wheels 52 are rotated from the lifting position to the running position by the drive of the two pairs of turning actuators 41, and are placed on the pair of upper rails 111D. In this case, the transport robot 1 is supported by the pair of upper rails 111D and the pair of lower rails 111E by the two pairs of wheels 52 and the pair of supports 62.

Next, in step S5A during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of support actuators 61A so that the pair of support parts 62A rotate from the support position to the evacuation position.

Then, as shown in Figures 19A and 19B, the pair of supports 62A are rotated from the support position to the retracted position by the drive of the pair of support actuators 61A. In this case, the transport robot 1 is no longer supported by the pair of supports 62A, and is supported on the pair of upper rails 111D only by the two pairs of wheels 52.

Next, in step S6A during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 changes from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the running operation (or turning state) by driving the pair of lifting actuators 31. Specifically, when changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the running operation (or turning state), the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31 so that the pair of oscillating parts 32 oscillate downward by twice the specified angle (here, 180 degrees).

As shown in FIG. 20, the pair of oscillating parts 32 are driven by the lifting actuator 31 to swing downwards by twice the specified angle (here, 180 degrees), changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the running operation, and the main body 2 of the transport robot 1, the pair of lifting actuators 31, the two pairs of turning actuators 41, the two pairs of running actuators 51, the pair of support part actuators 61A and the pair of support parts 62A pass between the pair of upper rails 111D and rise. In this way, the lifting operation of the transport robot 1 is completed.

In this first modified example, the ascent operation does not include step S1 included in the ascent operation of the above-described embodiment, and therefore the procedure for the ascent operation can be simplified, and therefore the procedure for the ascent and descent operation can be simplified.

(Configuration of the Transport Robot of the Second Modification)
Next, the configuration of the transport robot 1 of the second modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 21. Note that in this second modified example, the description of the same points as in the above-mentioned modified example 1 will be omitted, and the description will be focused mainly on the points that differ from the above-mentioned first embodiment.

Figure 21 is a perspective view showing the transport robot 1 of the second modified example. Note that in Figure 21, the rails arranged at the front side of the multiple pairs of rails 111A, 111B, and 111C are omitted so that the transport robot 1 can be easily seen.

In the first modified example described above, the main body 2 is composed of a rectangular base member extending along the front-rear direction, but this is not limited thereto, and the main body 2 may be composed of, for example, a base member that is cross-shaped in plan view (see FIG. 25). In this case, the main body 2 can be made lighter than a rectangular base member.

In the first modified example described above, each lifting mechanism 3 is composed of a lifting actuator 31 having a swing drive shaft extending along the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and a swinging part 32 provided on the lifting actuator 31 so as to be swingable around the axis of the swing drive shaft. However, the lifting mechanism 3 is not limited to this, and may be composed of, for example, a pair of lifting actuators 31A having a swing drive shaft provided at one or the other end of the main body 2 in the front-rear direction and extending along the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 21, and a vertical link structure 33 as a link structure provided on the pair of lifting actuators 31A so as to be swingable around the axis of the lifting drive shaft. In this case, the pair of lifting actuators 31A are driving parts for swinging the vertical link structure 33.

The vertical link structure 33 is formed in a pantograph shape (see Figures 21 to 25). The vertical link structure 33 also has a pair of long upper links 331, one end of which is hinged to the swing drive shaft of each of the pair of lift actuators 31A, a pair of long lower links 332, one end of which is hinged to the other end of each of the pair of upper links 331, and a long horizontal portion 333, the center of which is hinged to the other end of the pair of lower links 332 and extends in the left-right direction (horizontal direction).

As shown in FIG. 21, a pair of steering actuators 41 are provided as wheel position adjustment mechanisms 4 at both ends (specifically, at both left and right ends) of the horizontal section 333. As in the above-described embodiment and the first modified example, each travel actuator 51 of the travel mechanism 5 is provided on each steering actuator 41 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the steering drive shaft of the steering actuator 41.

The pantograph-shaped vertical link structure 33 expands and contracts in the vertical direction when driven by the lifting actuator 31A. Specifically, the vertical link structure 33 is configured such that the upper link 331 rotates integrally with each swing drive shaft when driven by each lifting actuator 31A, and the lower link 332 moves the horizontal section 333 up and down between each rail 111 in conjunction with the rotation of the upper link 331 (see Figures 21 to 24). This allows the turning actuator 41 provided on the horizontal section 333 and the travel actuator 51 provided on the turning actuator 41 to move up and down between each rail 111. As a result, the wheels 52 provided on the travel actuator 51 can move up and down between each rail 111.

The upper link 331 is disposed between the lower link 332 and the lift actuator 31A in the front-rear direction, and the lower link 332 is disposed between the horizontal section 333 and the upper link 331 in the front-rear direction. As a result, even if each upper link 331 swings due to the drive of each lift actuator 31A, each lower link 332 does not interfere with each lift actuator 31A. As a result, each upper link 331 swings up and down a predetermined range of angles (here, 180 degrees) around the axis of each swing drive shaft due to the drive of each lift actuator 31A.

In the first modified example described above, the transport robot 1 includes a main body 2 on which a placement surface 21 is provided, but is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, in addition to the main body 2, the transport robot 1 may include a placement unit 7 and a transport mechanism 8 (see FIG. 25) that is provided on the main body 2 and transports the placement unit 7 between a transport position located between a pair of rails 111 and a receiving position located outside the pair of rails 111. In this case, the main body 2 does not include a placement surface 21. The "receiving position" is a position for receiving tableware S (see FIG. 1).

The placement portion 7 is formed of a rectangular plate material in a plan view. Like the placement surface 21, the placement portion 7 is a member for placing the tableware S.

The transport mechanism 8 has a pair of transport actuators 81 that are provided in the center of the main body 2 and have a transport rotation shaft that extends in the vertical direction, and a pantograph-shaped horizontal link structure 82 that is provided on the pair of transport actuators 381 so that it can swing around the axis of the transport drive shaft. Note that the configuration of the horizontal link structure 82 is similar to that of the vertical link structure 33, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The horizontal link structure 82 expands and contracts in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) when driven by the transport actuator 81. This allows the placement unit 7 connected to the horizontal link structure 82 to be transported to a receiving position located on either side of the pair of rails 111. As a result, it is possible to diversify the receiving positions.

In this modified example, the transport mechanism 8 is composed of a pair of transport actuators 81 and a horizontal link structure 82, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, a single transport actuator 81 and a swing arm having one end hinged to the transport drive shaft of the transport actuator and the other end fixed to the support section 7.

(Traveling Operation of the Transport Robot of the Second Modification)
The traveling operation performed by the transport robot 1 of the second modified example is generally similar to that of the above-described embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

(Lifting and lowering operation of the transport robot according to the second modified example)
Next, the lifting and lowering operation performed by the transport robot 1 of the second modified example in the lifting and lowering area 11 of the structure 10 will be described.

With reference to Figures 21 to 24, only the ascending operation of the ascending and descending operation performed by the transport robot 1 of the second modified example will be described. In addition, the descending operation of the ascending and descending operation is the exact opposite of each step of the ascending operation, so its description will be omitted.

Figure 22 is a perspective view showing a body-rising state in which the body 2 of the transport robot 1 of the second modified example rises relative to the wheels 52 due to the extension of the vertical link structure 33 of the lifting mechanism 3 during lifting and lowering operations. Figure 23 is a perspective view showing a wheel-rising state in which the body 2 of the transport robot 1 of the second modified example is supported by the support part 62A during lifting and lowering operations, and the wheels 52 stored from the running position to the lifting position rise relative to the body 2. Figure 24 is a perspective view showing a wheel-rising state in which the wheels 52 of the transport robot 1 of the second modified example are deployed from the lifting position to the running position during lifting and lowering operations, and the body 2 rises relative to the wheels 52 due to the contraction of the vertical link structure 33 of the lifting mechanism 3 during lifting and lowering operations. Note that in Figures 22 to 24, the multiple rails arranged on the near side of the multiple pairs of rails 111A, 111B, 111C are omitted so that the transport robot 1 can be easily seen.

First, in step S1B during the ascending operation, the transport robot 1 placed on the lower rail 111C in the lifting area 11 rises from the flat state during the running operation by driving the lifting actuator 31. Specifically, when changing from the flat state during the running operation (the state shown in FIG. 21) to the main body raised state during the ascending operation (the state shown in FIG. 22), the transport robot 1 controls the pair of lifting actuators 31A so that the pair of upper links 331 of the vertical link structure 33 swing downward from the horizontal state by a predetermined angle (here, 90 degrees).

As shown in FIG. 21, the vertical link structure 33 of the transport robot 1 is folded when in a flat state during running. That is, the vertical link structure 33 is configured such that the upper link 331, the lower link 332, and the horizontal section 333 overlap each other when viewed from the front (or rear) when in a flat state during running.

When the pair of wheels 52 are placed on the pair of lower rails 111C, respectively, and the pair of upper links 331 are swung downward from the horizontal state by the drive of the lifting actuator 31A, the entire vertical link structure 33 extends (deploys) in the vertical direction (see FIG. 22). As a result, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1 passes between the middle rails 111B and rises.

When the body changes from its flat state during travel to its raised state during lifting, not only the body 2 but also the two pairs of lifting actuators 31A, the pair of support actuators 61A, the pair of support parts 62A, the placement part 7, and the transfer mechanism 8 of the transport robot 1 pass between the pair of middle rails 111B and rise.

Next, in step S2B during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of support actuators 61A so that the pair of support parts 62A rotate from a retracted position between the pair of rails 111 to a support position where the pair of support parts 62A overlap with the pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction.

23, the pair of support parts 62A are rotated from the retracted position to the support position by the drive of the pair of support part actuators 61A, and are placed on the pair of middle rails 111B, respectively. In this case, the transport robot 1 is supported by the pair of lower rails 111C and the pair of middle rails 111B in the lifting area 11 by the pair of support parts 62A in addition to the two pairs of wheels 52.

Next, in step S3B during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 rotate from a running position where they overlap with a pair of rails 111 in the vertical direction to a lifting position located between the pair of rails 111.

The two pairs of wheels 52 then rotate from the traveling position to the lifting position by driving the two pairs of steering actuators 41. In this case, the transport robot 1 is no longer supported by the two pairs of wheels 52, and is temporarily supported on the middle rail 111B only by a pair of support parts 62A. This allows the two pairs of wheels 52 to move up and down between the rails 111 arranged at a predetermined interval H.

Next, in step S4B during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls a pair of lifting actuators 31A so that the pair of upper links 331 of each vertical link structure 33 swings upward from below through twice the specified angle (here, 180 degrees).

The pair of upper links 331 of each vertical link structure 33 swings upward at a predetermined angle twice as large as the pair of turning actuators 41 and the pair of travel actuators 51 by driving the pair of lifting actuators 31A. At this time, the vertical link structure 33 changes from an extended state (deployed state) to a contracted state (folded state), and then raises the horizontal part 333 so as to change from the contracted state (folded state) to the extended state (deployed state). As a result, the pair of wheels 52 provided on the pair of travel actuators 51 pass between the pair of middle rails 111B in conjunction with the extension and contraction of the vertical link structure 33 and rise between the rails 111 so as to be positioned above the pair of upper rails 111A. In this way, the lifting mechanism 3 can raise the pair of wheels 52 separately from the main body 2 relative to the pair of rails 111 during the lifting operation (specifically, when the main body 2 is temporarily supported by the pair of rails 111 by the support mechanism 6).

Next, in step S5B during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the two pairs of turning actuators 41 so that the two pairs of wheels 52 rotate from the lifting position to the traveling position.

23, the two pairs of wheels 52 are rotated from the lifting position to the running position by the drive of the two pairs of steering actuators 41, and are placed on the pair of upper rails 111A. In this case, the transport robot 1 is supported on the pair of upper rails 111A and the pair of middle rails 111B by the two pairs of wheels 52 and the pair of supports 62A.

Next, in step S6B during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 controls the pair of support actuators 61 so that the pair of support parts 62A rotate from the support position to the evacuation position.

The pair of supports 62A are then rotated from the support position to the retracted position by the drive of the pair of support actuators 61A. In this case, the transport robot 1 is no longer supported by the pair of supports 62A, and is supported on the pair of upper rails 111A only by the two pairs of wheels 52.

Next, in step S7B during the lifting operation, the transport robot 1 changes from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation by driving the lifting actuator 31A. Specifically, when changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation, the transport robot 1 controls the lifting actuator 31A so that the upper link 331 of the vertical link structure 33 swings downward by a predetermined angle.

24, the upper link 331 of the vertical link structure 33 is driven by the lift actuator 31A to swing downward at a predetermined angle, causing the entire vertical link structure 33 to contract (fold). As a result, the transport robot 1 changes from the suspended state in the raised state (the state shown in FIG. 23) to the flat state during the traveling operation (the state shown in FIG. 24).

When changing from the suspended state during the lifting operation to the flat state during the running operation, the main body 2 of the transport robot 1, the two pairs of lifting actuators 31A, the two pairs of turning actuators 41, the pair of support actuators 61, and the pair of support parts 62 pass between the pair of upper rails 111A and rise. In this way, the lifting operation of the transport robot 1 is completed.

The "predetermined distance H" between the rails 111 arranged vertically is the distance between the position of the wheel 52 located at the lowest position when the upper link 331 of the vertical link structure 33 is swung to the lowest position (here, the upper link 331 is swung downward by 90 degrees from the horizontal position) and the position of the wheel 52 located at the highest position when the upper link 331 is swung to the highest position (here, the upper link 331 is swung upward by 90 degrees from the horizontal position).

In other words, when the distance between the rails 111 arranged vertically is greater than a predetermined distance H, if the upper link 331 swings from the lowest position to the highest position, the two pairs of wheels 52 placed on the pair of rails 111 arranged on the lower tier cannot be placed on the pair of rails 111 arranged on the upper tier adjacent to the pair of rails 111 arranged on the lower tier even if they are raised.

The above describes the lifting operation in which the transport robot 1 of the second modified example rises from a pair of lower rails 111C to a pair of upper rails 111A via a pair of middle rails 111B in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10, but this is not limited to this, and for example, the transport robot 1 may perform a lifting operation in which it rises from a pair of lower rails 111C to a pair of middle rails 111B in the lifting area 11 of the structure 10.

(Transfer Operation of Placement Unit of Transport Robot of Second Modification)
Next, a receiver transport operation performed by the transport robot 1 of the second modified example (hereinafter simply referred to as receiver transport operation) will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 25 is a perspective view showing a transfer state in which the placement unit 7 of the transport robot 1 of the second modified example is transferred from the transfer position to the receiving position by the transfer mechanism 8. Note that in Figure 25, the multiple rails arranged on the front side of the multiple pairs of rails 111A, 111B, and 111C are omitted so that the transport robot 1 can be easily seen.

As shown in FIG. 25, during the placement unit transport operation, the horizontal link structure 82 extends (deploys) to the left (horizontally) by the drive of the transport actuator 81, and the placement unit 7 connected to the horizontal link structure 82 is transported to a receiving position located to the left of the pair of rails 111.

Next, we will explain the effects of this second modified example.

In this second modified example, the lifting mechanism 3 has a lifting actuator 31A provided at both ends of the main body 2 in the front-rear direction and having a swing drive shaft extending along the front-rear direction, and a vertical link structure 33 provided on the lifting actuator 31A so as to be swingable around the axis of the swing drive shaft. When the main body 2 is temporarily supported by a pair of rails 111 via the support mechanism 6 during lifting operation, the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position move up and down between the rails 111 in conjunction with the vertical link structure 33 which expands and contracts as a result of the drive of the lifting actuator 31A.

With this configuration, the lifting mechanism 3 can be easily configured using the lifting actuator 31A and the vertical link structure 33 provided on the lifting actuator 31A. In addition, the pair of wheels 52 adjusted to the lifting position move up and down between the rails 111 in conjunction with the vertical link structure 33 that expands and contracts due to the lifting actuator 31A, so that the pair of wheels 52 can be easily raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 3.

Furthermore, the lifting actuator 31A is arranged so that its swing drive shaft extends along the front-to-rear direction, so that although the entire vertical link structure 33 expands and contracts along the up-and-down direction during lifting and lowering operations, no part of the transport robot 1 protrudes in the front-to-rear direction. As a result, the transport robot 1 can be made smaller in the front-to-rear direction than the transport robot 1 of the embodiment described above.

In addition, in this second modified example, when a pair of wheels 52 are placed on a pair of rails 111 during lifting and lowering operation, the main body 2 moves up and down between the rails 111 as the vertical link structure 33 expands and contracts due to the drive of the lifting actuator 31A.

With this configuration, when a pair of wheels 52 are placed on a pair of rails 111 during lifting and lowering operation, the main body 2 rises and falls between the rails 111 as the vertical link structure 33 expands and contracts due to the drive of the lifting actuator 31A, so that the lifting and lowering of the main body 2 can be easily achieved by the lifting mechanism 3.

In addition, in this second modified example, the transport robot 1 further includes a placement unit 7 and a transport mechanism 8 provided on the main body 2 for transporting the placement unit 7 between a transport position located between the pair of rails 111 and a receiving position located outside the pair of rails 111.

With this configuration, the loading section 7 can be transferred to the receiving position by the transfer mechanism 8 while the transport robot 1 is positioned on the rail 111 without providing a special turning area in the structure 10, making it easy to receive the transported object.

The present embodiment and each of the modified examples have been described above, but the above embodiment and each of the modified examples merely show application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiment.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Transport robot 2 Main body 3 Lifting mechanism 4 Wheel position adjustment mechanism 5 Travel mechanism 6 Support mechanism 10 Structure 11 Lifting area 12 Turning area 31 Actuator 32 Swinging part 41 Turning actuator 51 Travel actuator 52 Wheel 61 Support part actuator 62 Support part 100 Transport system 111 Rail

Claims (12)

In a structure having a lifting area in which a pair of rails are arranged at intervals, a transport robot travels on a running rail among the rails arranged at intervals during a traveling operation, and lifts and lowers between each of the rails arranged at intervals during a lifting operation,
The main body,
A pair of wheels rollably mounted on the pair of rails;
a lifting mechanism provided on the main body and configured to lift and lower the main body and the pair of wheels individually relative to the pair of rails during a lifting operation;
a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms provided in the lifting mechanism and configured to adjust the pair of wheels in a vertical direction between a running position where the wheels overlap the pair of rails and a lifted position between the pair of rails;
a travel actuator provided in the wheel position adjustment mechanism for causing the main body to travel by rolling the pair of wheels;
a support mechanism that is provided on the main body and temporarily supports the main body on the pair of rails so that the pair of wheels adjusted to a lifting position during a lifting operation can be lifted and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism;
When the pair of wheels adjusted to a running position during lifting and lowering operation are placed on the pair of rails, the main body is lifted and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 1 ,
The lifting mechanism includes:
a lifting actuator provided at one end or the other end of the main body in a front-rear direction and having a swing drive shaft extending along a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction;
a swing unit provided on the lift actuator so as to be swingable around an axis of the swing drive shaft,
When the main body is temporarily supported on the pair of rails via the support mechanism during a lifting operation, the pair of wheels adjusted to a lifting position lifts and lowers between the rails in conjunction with the swinging part which swings due to the drive of the lifting actuator.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 2,
When the pair of wheels are placed on the pair of rails during lifting and lowering operation, the main body moves up and down between the rails in accordance with the swinging of the swinging part due to the driving of the lifting actuator.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 2 or 3,
The wheel position adjustment mechanism includes:
A pair of steering actuators are provided on both the left and right sides of the swinging portion and configured to steer the pair of wheels,
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 4,
The traveling actuator is provided to the pair of steering actuators so as to be rotatable around an axis of a steering drive shaft of the steering actuator.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The support mechanism includes:
a support portion that is movable between a support position that overlaps the pair of rails in the vertical direction and a retracted position that is located between the pair of rails;
A support part actuator that moves the support part between a support position and a retracted position.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 6,
The main body is provided with a placement surface on which an object to be transported is placed,
The support actuator is provided below the placement surface.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 6,
The support actuator is provided on both the left and right sides of the main body and has a rotation drive shaft extending along the front-rear direction,
The support part is provided on the support part actuator so as to be rotatable around the axis of the rotation drive shaft.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 1 ,
The lifting mechanism includes:
a lifting actuator provided at one or the other end of the main body in the front-rear direction and having a swing drive shaft extending along the front-rear direction;
a link structure provided on the lifting actuator so as to be swingable around an axis of the swing drive shaft,
When the main body is temporarily supported on the pair of rails via the support mechanism during a lifting operation, the pair of wheels adjusted to a lifting position lifts and lowers between the rails in conjunction with the link structure which expands and contracts when driven by the lifting actuator.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 9,
When the pair of wheels are placed on the pair of rails during lifting and lowering operation, the main body moves up and down between the rails as the link structure expands and contracts due to the drive of the lifting actuator.
Transport robot. The transport robot according to claim 9 or 10,
A placement portion;
a transport mechanism provided in the main body for transporting the placement unit between a transport position located between the pair of rails and a receiving position located outside the pair of rails,
Transport robot. A structure having a lifting area in which a pair of rails are arranged at intervals;
In the structure, a transport robot travels on a travel rail among the plurality of rails arranged at intervals during a traveling operation, and rises and falls between the plurality of rails arranged at intervals during a lifting and lowering operation,
The transport robot includes:
The main body,
A pair of wheels rollably mounted on the pair of rails;
a lifting mechanism provided on the main body and configured to lift and lower the main body and the pair of wheels individually relative to the pair of rails during a lifting operation;
a pair of wheel position adjustment mechanisms provided in the lifting mechanism and configured to adjust the pair of wheels in a vertical direction between a running position where the wheels overlap the pair of rails and a lifted position between the pair of rails;
a travel actuator provided in the wheel position adjustment mechanism for causing the main body to travel by rolling the pair of wheels;
a support mechanism that is provided on the main body and temporarily supports the main body on the pair of rails so that the pair of wheels adjusted to a lifting position during a lifting operation can be lifted and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism;
When the pair of wheels adjusted to a running position during lifting and lowering operation are placed on the pair of rails, the main body is lifted and lowered between the rails by the lifting mechanism.
Conveying system.

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