JP7538178B2 - Loading and unloading vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cargo handling vehicle equipped with a towing vehicle and a dolly towed by the towing vehicle.

Conventionally, cargo handling vehicles equipped with a towing vehicle and a dolly towed by the towing vehicle have been used for purposes such as transporting goods in factories. The towing vehicle is coupled to the dolly loaded with goods, and then transports the goods by towing the dolly.

JP 2000-231411 A discloses a device that automatically couples a towing vehicle and a bogie when the towing vehicle travels in front of the bogie. The towing vehicle is provided with a towing lever that protrudes to the side and can rotate left and right. A coupled device that protrudes forward is fixed to the bogie. When the towing vehicle passes in front of the bogie, the towing lever of the towing vehicle gets caught on the coupled device of the bogie. This couples the towing vehicle and the bogie. After coupling, the towing lever rotates backward as the towing vehicle travels. The bogie turns as it is towed by the towing vehicle, and then travels following the towing vehicle.

JP 2000-231411 A

However, it can be difficult to secure sufficient space in front of the bogies. For example, the number of bogies that a towing vehicle must tow is not limited to one, but can be two or more. In such cases, it is preferable to connect two or more bogies in advance. However, when two or more bogies are connected, the overall length of the bogies increases. It can be difficult to secure a travel space for the towing vehicle in front of two or more bogies that are connected in series.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a cargo handling transport vehicle that can automatically couple the towing vehicle and the dolly even when it is difficult to secure a travel space for the towing vehicle in front of the dolly.

The cargo handling transport vehicle disclosed herein includes a towing vehicle, a dolly, a towing hook provided on the towing vehicle, a towed hook provided on the dolly, a left-right rotating shaft provided on the towing vehicle, an up-down rotating shaft, and a towing hook drive device. The left-right rotating shaft supports the towing hook so that it can rotate left and right between a hook position extending laterally from the towing vehicle and a towing position extending rearward from the towing vehicle. One of the towing hook and the towed hook has a pin extending in the vertical direction, and the other of the towing hook and the towed hook has a hole extending in the vertical direction into which the pin is inserted. The up-down rotating shaft supports the towing hook so that it can rotate up and down between the hook position extending laterally from the towing vehicle and a non-hook position extending upward from the towing vehicle. The towing hook drive device moves the towing hook between the hook position and the non-hook position.

According to the above-mentioned cargo handling transport vehicle, after the towing vehicle passes by the side of the dolly, the towing hook drive device moves the towing hook from the non-hook position to the hook position, and the pin is inserted into the hole. This causes the towing hook and the towed hook to engage, and the towing vehicle and dolly are connected. Since there is no need to secure travel space for the towing vehicle in front of the dolly, the towing vehicle and dolly can be automatically connected even if it is difficult to secure travel space for the towing vehicle in front of the dolly.

The cargo handling transport vehicle may be provided with a towing hook rotation force applying member that is provided on the towing vehicle and applies a rotation force to the towing hook toward the hook position.

This allows the towing hook to be automatically positioned in the hook position before coupling, and allows the towing hook to be automatically returned to the hook position after uncoupling.

The towing hook rotation force imparting member may have a spring that biases the towing hook toward the hook position.

This allows the towing hook to be automatically positioned at the hook position without using a drive device such as an electric motor.

The towing vehicle may be an autonomous vehicle having wheels, a drive unit that drives the wheels, and a computer that controls the drive unit.

This allows the coupling of the towing vehicle and the trolley, and the movement of the towing vehicle and the trolley, to be automated.

The towing vehicle may be configured to be able to move forward but not in reverse.

The towing vehicle is automatically coupled to the bogie at the side of the bogie. Therefore, even if the towing vehicle cannot move in reverse, the towing vehicle and the bogie can be automatically coupled. A vehicle that cannot move in reverse can be used as the towing vehicle.

The loading and unloading vehicle may include another cart and a connector extending rearward from the cart and connecting the cart to the other cart. The connector may be connected to one or both of the cart and the other cart so as to be rotatable left and right.

Because the bogie is connected to the other bogies by a connector that can rotate left and right, when the towing vehicle pulls the bogie, the other bogies follow behind the bogie. The towing vehicle can pull two or more bogies lined up in series.

The present invention provides a cargo handling vehicle that can automatically couple a towing vehicle and a trolley, even when it is difficult to secure a travel space for the towing vehicle in front of the trolley.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cargo transport vehicle according to an embodiment before it is coupled to the cargo transport vehicle; FIG. 2 is a side view of a loading and unloading vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a towing hook drive device and a towing hook according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the loading and unloading vehicle when the towing hook and the towed hook start to be coupled to each other. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cargo transport vehicle when the towing hook and the towed hook are coupled together. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cargo handling vehicle when the towing hook and the towed hook are coupled together. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport vehicle when the carriage is being pulled by the towing vehicle. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport vehicle when the towing vehicle is towing a dolly. FIG. 13 is a side view of the towing hook and the towed hook as the pin is withdrawn from the hole. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the cargo handling transport vehicle when the dolly arranged to the side of the shelf and the towing vehicle are coupled together. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the loading and unloading vehicle when the towing vehicle transports the dolly to the side of another shelf. 13 is a plan view of the cart when moving an article to another shelf. FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a material handling vehicle 100 according to this embodiment. For convenience, in the following description, unless otherwise specified,
The symbols F, Rr, L, and R represent the front, rear, left, and right, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cargo handling transport vehicle 100 includes a towing vehicle 1, a dolly 2, and another dolly 5 arranged behind the dolly 2. The number of dollies to be towed by the towing vehicle 1 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, there are two dollies. The towing vehicle 1 is provided with a towing hook 3. The dolly 2 is provided with a towed hook 4. The towing vehicle 1 and the dolly 2 are connected by the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4. The towing vehicle 1 is provided with a towing hook drive device 16 for rotating the towing hook 3 up and down.

The towing vehicle 1 may be a manually operated vehicle, but in this embodiment, it is an automatic vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the towing vehicle 1 has wheels 13, an electric motor 12 that drives the wheels 13, a secondary battery (not shown) that supplies power to the electric motor 12, a computer 14, a detection sensor 15, and a position sensor 17. The computer 14 controls the electric motor 12 to control the running, stopping, left turning, and right turning of the towing vehicle 1. The computer 14 also controls the electric cylinder 41 (see FIG. 1), which will be described later. The towing vehicle 1 may be configured to be able to move forward and backward, but in this embodiment, it is configured to be able to move forward but not backward. The detection sensor 15 detects, for example, a guide line (not shown) formed on the road surface. The computer 14 receives a detection signal from the detection sensor 15 and controls the electric motor 12. In this way, the towing vehicle 1 is automatically driven. The towing hook drive device 16 rotates the towing hook 3 up and down. The computer 14 controls the towing hook drive device 16 when the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4 are coupled. The towing hook drive device 16 rotates the vertical rotation shaft 11 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later. In this way, the towing hook 3 is rotated up and down. The position sensor 17 detects the position of the towing vehicle 1 when the towing hook drive device 16 is driven to couple the towing vehicle 1 and the dolly 2. The computer 14 receives a signal from the position sensor 17 and controls the towing hook drive device 16. The position sensor 17 is, for example, a laser distance sensor. However, the position sensor 17 is not limited to this. The position sensor 17 can be composed of various types of sensors, such as an image recognition type sensor or an optical guidance type sensor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dolly 2 is a vehicle that travels by being towed, and is a vehicle that does not have a drive source for traveling. The dolly 2 is equipped with a drive device (not shown) for driving an electric cylinder 41, which will be described later. The dolly 2 is equipped with a vehicle body 23 having a loading platform 23A, and wheels 25. Articles 90 are loaded onto the loading platform 23A.

The dolly 5 is a vehicle that travels by being towed and does not have a drive source for travel. The dolly 5 has a body 53 with a loading platform 53A and wheels 55. Items 90 are loaded onto the loading platform 53A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the towing vehicle 1 is equipped with a towing hook drive device 16. The towing hook 3 is connected to a vertical rotation shaft 11 that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the towing hook 3 can rotate up and down. The towing hook 3 is also connected to a left-right rotation shaft 8 that extends in the vertical direction. Therefore, the towing hook 3 can rotate left and right. The towing hook 3 has a towing bar 31, which is a rod-shaped member connected to the left-right rotation shaft 8, and a connecting portion 33 that is connected to the towed hook 4.

One end of the vertical rotation shaft 11 is connected to the towing hook drive device 16, and the other end is connected to the left-right rotation shaft 8. As the vertical rotation shaft 11 rotates, the towing hook 3 moves between a non-hook position 3A and a hook position 3B. Here, the non-hook position 3A is a position where the towing hook 3 extends above the towing vehicle 1, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the non-hook position 3A is a position where the longitudinal direction of the towing bar 31 is approximately perpendicular to the floor. Also, the hook position 3B is a position where the towing hook 3 extends to the side of the towing vehicle 1, as shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the hook position 3B is a position where the towing bar 31 is approximately horizontal to the floor.

The towing hook drive device 16 is electrically connected to the computer 14 and is controlled by the computer 14. The towing hook drive device 16 rotates the vertical rotation shaft 11 to rotate the towing hook 3 between the non-hook position 3A and the hook position 3B. That is, the towing hook drive device 16 moves the towing hook 3 to the hook position 3B by rotating the vertical rotation shaft 11 counterclockwise by about 90 degrees from the state in which the towing hook 3 is in the non-hook position 3A. In this embodiment, the towing hook drive device 16 moves the towing hook 3 so that the hook position is located on the left side of the towing vehicle 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the left-right rotating shaft 8 is connected to the up-down rotating shaft 11, and the other end is connected to the towing bar 31. The left-right rotating shaft 8 connects the towing hook 3 so that it can rotate between hook position 3B and towing position 3C. Here, the towing position 3C is the position where the towing hook 3 extends rearward of the towing vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. 3. The towing position 3C is the position when the towing vehicle 1 tows the dolly 2. When the towing hook 3 is in the towing position 3C, the longitudinal direction of the towing bar 31 is the front-rear direction. In other words, the left-right rotating shaft 8 rotates approximately 90° to the right from the hook position 3B, and the towing hook 3 moves to the towing position 3C.

The towing vehicle 1 is provided with a rotational force imparting member 32. The rotational force imparting member 32 is a member that imparts a rotational force to the towing hook 3 from the towing position 3C toward the hook position 3B. In this embodiment, the rotational force imparting member 32 is fixed to the towing bar 31 and the left and right rotation shafts 8. In this embodiment, the rotational force imparting member 32 has a spring 32A that biases the towing hook 3 toward the hook position 3B.

The connecting portion 33 of the towing hook 3 is fixed to the tip of the towing bar 31. The connecting portion 33 is a thin plate-like member having a hole 10. The hole 10 of the connecting portion 33 engages with the pin 9 (see FIG. 1) of the towed hook 4, thereby connecting the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4. The size and shape of the hole 10 are not limited to those in this embodiment. The size and shape of the hole 10 may be any shape that allows the pin 9, which will be described later, to engage with it. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 33 is formed in a square frame shape, but it may also be formed in a circular or elliptical ring shape. The connecting portion 33 may also be formed in a hook shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, the towed hook 4 has a pin 9 that connects to the towing hook 3. An electric cylinder 41 is fixed to the pin 9. The towed hook 4 has a fixing bar 42 that fixes the electric cylinder 41 to the trolley 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric cylinder 41 is fixed to the tip of the fixed bar 42. The electric cylinder 41 is electrically connected to a drive device (not shown) of the cart 2. The pin 9 is raised and lowered by driving the electric cylinder 41.

As shown in FIG. 1, the trolley 2 and the trolley 5 are connected by a connector 6. The connector 6 connects the other trolley 5 to the trolley 2 so that the other trolley 5 can rotate left and right. The connector 6 may be connected to either the trolley 2 or the other trolley 5 so that the other trolley 5 can rotate left and right, or may be connected to both of the trolleys so that the other trolley 2 can rotate left and right.

The configuration of the cargo handling vehicle 100 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, the operations of the cargo handling vehicle 100 up to the point where the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4 are connected, and up to the point where the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4 are released from the connection will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed here that the trolleys 2 and 5 have been previously connected by the connector 6 and are waiting behind the wall 80. Because the distance between the wall 80 and the trolley 2 is short, there is not enough space in front of the trolley 2. Therefore, it is difficult for the towing vehicle 1 to pass in front of the trolley 2 and connect with the trolley 2. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as described below, the towing vehicle 1 connects with the trolley 2 at the side of the trolley 2.

As mentioned above, the towing hook 3 is biased to the non-hook position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, before the towing vehicle 1 and the dolly 2 are coupled, the towing hook 3 extends upward.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the position sensor 17 detects that the towing vehicle 1 has moved forward and passed the side of the dolly 2, the towing vehicle 1 stops temporarily. Then, the towing hook drive device 16 moves the towing hook 3 from the non-hook position 3A to the hook position 3B. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pin 9 of the towed hook 4 engages with the hole 10 of the towing hook 3. This connects the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4.

As shown in FIG. 4C, when the towing vehicle 1 moves forward, the towing bar 31 is pulled backward. The towing bar 31 rotates counterclockwise around the left and right rotation shafts 8 against the biasing force of the spring 32A of the rotational force applying member 32.

As shown in Figures 4D and 4E, when the dolly 2 is towed by the towing vehicle 1, the dolly 5 connected to the dolly 2 is also towed. The towing vehicle 1 tows the dolly 2 and the dolly 5, and transports the goods 90 (see Figure 2) loaded on the dolly 2 and the dolly 5. Note that Figure 4E shows the state in which the towing hook 3 is in the towing position.

After the towing vehicle 1 tows the dolly 2 and dolly 5 to a predetermined transport position, the towing vehicle 1 and dolly 2 are disconnected. FIG. 5 is a view of the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4 as seen from the right. As shown in FIG. 5, when the pin 9 is lowered by driving the electric cylinder 41, the pin 9 is pulled out from the hole 10. In this way, the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4 can be disconnected. When the connection is released, the towing hook 3 moves from the towing position 3C to the hook position 3B due to the biasing force of the spring 32A of the rotational force applying member 32. The towing hook drive device 16 rotates the upper and lower rotation shafts 11, so that the towing hook 3 returns from the hook position 3B to the non-hook position 3A. This makes it possible for the towing vehicle 1 to be connected to, for example, another dolly.

As described above, according to this embodiment, after the towing vehicle 1 passes by the side of the bogie 2, the towing hook drive device 16 moves the towing hook 3 from the non-hook position 3A to the hook position 3B, and the pin 9 of the towed hook 4 is inserted into the hole 10 of the towing hook 3. This causes the towing hook 3 and the towed hook 4 to engage with each other, and the towing vehicle 1 and the bogie 2 are connected. As shown in FIG. 1, even if it is difficult to secure a travel space for the towing vehicle 1 in front of the bogie 2, the towing vehicle 1 and the bogie 2 can be automatically connected.

According to this embodiment, the towing vehicle 1 is provided with a rotational force applying member 32 that applies a rotational force to the towing hook 3 from the towing position 3C toward the hook position 3B. After the towing vehicle 1 and the bogie 2 are disconnected, the towing hook 3 can be automatically returned to the hook position 3B.

The configuration of the rotational force imparting member 32 is not particularly limited. The rotational force imparting member 32 may be equipped with a drive device (e.g., an electric motor) that imparts a rotational force to the towing hook 3 from the towing position 3C toward the hook position 3B. However, according to this embodiment, the first rotational force imparting member 32 has a spring 32A. Therefore, the towing hook 3 can be automatically positioned from the towing position 3C to the hook position 3B without using an expensive drive device.

In this embodiment, the computer 14 controls the electric motor 12 to control the running, stopping, left turns, and right turns of the towing vehicle 1. The towing vehicle 1 is an autonomous vehicle. According to this embodiment, the towing vehicle 1 can be connected to the dolly 2 and the goods can be transported automatically.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the towing vehicle 1 moves forward toward the side of the bogie 2 and can be coupled to the bogie 2 at the side of the bogie 2, so that even if the towing vehicle 1 cannot move in reverse, the towing vehicle 1 and the bogie 2 can be automatically coupled. Vehicles that cannot move in reverse tend to be less expensive than vehicles that can. According to this embodiment, a vehicle that cannot move in reverse can be used as the towing vehicle 1, so the cost of the loading and unloading vehicle 100 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the bogie 2 is connected to another bogie 5 by a connector 6. The bogies 2 and 5 are connected by the connector 6 that can rotate left and right, so when the towing vehicle 1 tows the bogie 2, the bogie 5 runs following the bogie 2. The towing vehicle 1 can tow two or more bogies that are lined up in series in advance.

One embodiment has been described above, but the above embodiment is merely an example. Many other embodiments are possible.

In the above embodiment, the dolly 2 is in standby behind the wall 80 (see FIG. 1). However, the standby position of the dolly 2 is not limited in any way. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the dolly 2 may be in standby in front of a shelf 91. By placing the dolly 2 next to the shelf 91, it becomes easy to load the item 90 from the shelf 91 onto the dolly 2. After loading the item 90 from the shelf 91 onto the dolly 2, the towing vehicle 1 and the dolly 2 can be coupled without changing the orientation of the dolly 2.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6B, the towing vehicle 1 may couple with the dolly 2 and then transport the dolly 2 in front of another shelf 91. By parking the dolly 2 next to the shelf 92 in this way, as shown in FIG. 6C, it becomes easy to transfer the item 90 from the dolly 2 to the shelf 92. After that, other items may be loaded from the shelf 92 onto the dolly 2, and another towing vehicle may pass by the side of the dolly 2 to couple with the dolly 2 and transport the dolly 2 to another location.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the towing hook 3 rotates leftward from the non-hook position 3A to the hook position 3B. The towing hook 3 extends leftward from the towing vehicle 1 when in the hook position 3B. However, the towing hook 3 may rotate rightward from the non-hook position 3A to the hook position 3B, and the towing hook 3 may extend rightward from the towing vehicle 1 when in the hook position 3B. In this case, the towing vehicle 1 is coupled to the bogie 2 to the right of the bogie 2.

The method of releasing the connection between the towing vehicle 1 and the dolly 2 is not limited to controlling the electric cylinder 41. Other driving devices may be used instead of the electric cylinder 41 that drives the pin 9. Furthermore, the method of releasing the connection between the towing vehicle 1 and the dolly 2 is not limited to lowering the pin 9. The connecting part 33 may be raised when the towing hook 3 is in the towing position 3C. By raising the connecting part 33, the pin 9 is pulled out from the hole 10. Note that since there is no need to raise and lower the pin 9 at this time, the electric cylinder 41 and a driving device for driving the electric cylinder 41 are not required. The dolly 2 does not need to be equipped with the electric cylinder 41 and a driving device.

In the above embodiment, the pin 9 is provided on the towed hook 4 and the hole 10 is formed on the towed hook 3, but the pin 9 may be provided on the towed hook 3 and the hole 10 may be formed on the towed hook 4.

The form of the spring 32A is not limited in any way. The spring 32A may be, for example, a compression spring or a gas spring. In the above embodiment, the rotational force imparting member 32 is an example of a towing hook rotational force imparting member that imparts a rotational force toward the hook position to the towing hook 3. In the above embodiment, the rotational force imparting member 32 has the spring 32A, but the source of the rotational force is not limited to the spring 32A. The rotational force imparting member 32 may have an actuator such as an electric cylinder or an air cylinder.

The terms and expressions used herein are used for the purpose of explanation and not for limiting interpretation. It should be recognized that any equivalents of the features shown and described herein are not excluded, and that various modifications within the scope of the claimed invention are permitted. The present invention can be embodied in many different forms. This disclosure should be considered as providing an embodiment of the principles of the present invention. The embodiments are described herein with the understanding that it is not intended to limit the invention to the preferred embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. They are not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present invention also encompasses all embodiments including equivalent elements, modifications, deletions, combinations, improvements and/or alterations that can be recognized by a person skilled in the art based on this disclosure. The limitations of the claims should be interpreted broadly based on the terms used in the claims, and should not be limited to the embodiments described in the specification or prosecution of this application.

1... towing vehicle, 2... dolly, 3... towing hook, 4... towed hook, 5... dolly (other dolly), 6... connector, 8... left and right rotating shaft, 9... pin, 10... hole, 11... up and down rotating shaft, 12... electric motor (driving device), 13... wheel, 14... computer, 15... towing hook driving device, 32... rotational force applying member (towing hook rotational force applying member), 32A... spring, 33... electric cylinder (driving device), 100... cargo handling vehicle

Claims (6)

A tow vehicle and
A trolley and
A towing hook provided on the towing vehicle;
A towed hook provided on the carriage and engageable with the towing hook;
a left/right rotation shaft provided on the towing vehicle for supporting the towing hook so as to be rotatable left/right at a hook position extending laterally from the towing vehicle and a towing position extending rearward from the towing vehicle,
One of the towing hook and the towed hook has a pin extending in the vertical direction,
The other of the towing hook and the towed hook is formed with a hole extending in the vertical direction into which the pin is inserted,
a vertical rotation shaft that supports the towing hook so that the towing hook can rotate vertically between the hook position extending laterally from the towing vehicle and a non-hook position extending upward from the towing vehicle;
a towing hook drive device provided on the towing vehicle and configured to move the towing hook between the hook position and the non-hook position,
The towing hook drive device moves the towing hook from the non-hook position to the hook position when the towing hook and the towed hook are coupled together after the towing vehicle has passed by the side of the bogie . The cargo handling and transport vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a towing hook rotation force applying member provided on the towing vehicle, which applies a rotation force to the towing hook toward the hook position. The loading and unloading vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the towing hook rotation force applying member has a spring that biases the towing hook toward the hook position. The loading and unloading vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the towing vehicle is an autonomous vehicle having wheels, a drive unit for driving the wheels, and a computer for controlling the drive unit. The loading and unloading vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the towing vehicle is configured to be capable of moving forward but not in reverse. With other trolleys,
A connector extending rearward of the carriage and connecting the carriage to the other carriage,
The transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connector is connected to one or both of the carriage and the other carriage so as to be rotatable left and right.

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