JP7751874B2 - Towed trolley - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a towable vehicle, and more specifically to a towable vehicle that can be towed by both a towing vehicle equipped with an engagement means at the rear end in the towing direction, and a submersible unmanned guided vehicle equipped with a connecting pin that can be raised and lowered.

In this specification and claims, left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from behind in the towing direction to the front in the towing direction.

A known towed bogie, which is towed by a towing vehicle, comprises a bogie body, a connecting frame attached to the front of the bogie body in the towing direction, and a towing vehicle coupling section attached to the coupling frame and connected to the towing vehicle. The coupling frame is attached laterally at a distance from one another in the center of the front end of the bogie body, and comprises two inclined straight sections that are inclined toward each other toward the tips, and a generally U-shaped curved section that opens rearward in the towing direction and connects the tips of the inclined straight sections together. The curved section serves as the towing vehicle coupling section, and engagement means attached to the towing vehicle is detachably engaged with the curved section (see Patent Document 1).

A towed carriage towed by a submersible automated guided vehicle is also known, which includes a carriage body and a generally U-shaped connecting pin receiver that protrudes downward from the underside of the carriage body and receives a connecting pin that is mounted on the automated guided vehicle so that it can be raised and lowered; the connecting pin receiver serves as a connecting mechanism for the automated guided vehicle that detachably connects the connecting pin that is mounted on the automated guided vehicle so that it can be raised and lowered (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-176826 Patent No. 5916011

However, the towed carriage described in Patent Document 1 is designed to be towed only by a towing vehicle, while the towed carriage described in Patent Document 2 is designed to be towed only by a submersible automated guided vehicle.

In view of the above situation, the object of this invention is to provide a towable carriage that can be towed by both a towing vehicle and a submersible automated guided vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following aspects.
1) The vehicle comprises a carriage body, a connecting frame provided on the front side of the carriage body in the towing direction, a towing vehicle connecting section provided on the connecting frame and connected to a towing vehicle, and an unmanned guided vehicle connecting mechanism provided on the connecting frame and connected to a crawling-type unmanned guided vehicle ,
the towing vehicle coupling portion is provided at the front end of the coupling frame in the towing direction and comprises a substantially U-shaped curved portion that opens rearward in the towing direction, and an engaging means provided on the towing vehicle is adapted to detachably engage with the curved portion ,
the automatic guided vehicle connecting mechanism detachably connects a connecting pin that is provided on the automatic guided vehicle so as to be able to rise and fall, and includes a substantially U-shaped connecting pin receiver that is provided on the connecting frame so as to protrude downward and that opens rearward in the towing direction, a stopper that is provided on the connecting frame and prevents the connecting pin that has entered the connecting pin receiver from coming off rearward in the towing direction, and a limiting member that is provided on the stopper and limits the movement of the stopper,
a towed carriage, wherein the stopper is rotatable about a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction so as to be movable between a first position where one end is located below the upper end of the raised connecting pin of the automated guided vehicle and a second position where the one end is located at a height equal to or higher than the upper end of the raised connecting pin, the stopper is pushed by the raised connecting pin of the automated guided vehicle to rotate from the first position toward the second position, and also rotates from the second position toward the first position due to its own weight, and the limiting member prevents the stopper from rotating from the first position in the direction opposite to the second position.

2) A towed carriage as described in 3) above, wherein the stopper comprises a pair of side plates spaced apart in the left-right direction and having a through-hole at the rear in the towing direction through which a horizontal shaft portion provided on the connecting frame extending in the left-right direction is passed, and an inclined plate provided between the side plates and inclined downward toward the front in the towing direction at the first position, one end of the inclined plate being located below the upper end of the raised connecting pin of the automatic guided vehicle at the first position so that the inclined plate is pushed forward in the towing direction by the connecting pin.

3) A towed bogie as described in 2) above, wherein the restricting member is provided on each side plate of the stopper, protrudes outward in the left-right direction, and engages with the connecting frame when the stopper is in the first position.

The towed carriages described in 1) to 3) above can be towed by a towing vehicle using the towing vehicle coupling section, and can be towed by a submersible type automatic guided vehicle using the automatic guided vehicle coupling mechanism, so that they can be towed by both a towing vehicle and a submersible type automatic guided vehicle.

According to the towed carriage of the above 1) , a known engaging means provided on the towing vehicle can be engaged with the towing vehicle coupling portion consisting of a curved portion.

According to the towed vehicle described in 1) above, when the towed vehicle is towed by a submersible-type AGV, the raised connecting pin of the AGV moving forward in the towing direction strikes the stopper located in the first position and pushes it forward in the towing direction, causing the stopper to rotate to the second position. When the stopper rotates to the second position, the connecting pin passes the stopper and enters the connecting pin receiver, and the stopper rotates under its own weight and returns to the first position. The limiting member prevents the stopper, which has returned to the first position, from rotating in the direction opposite the second position. Therefore, the connecting pin engages with the stopper, preventing it from leaving the connecting pin receiver. In this state, the towed vehicle is towed by the submersible-type AGV. Furthermore, even if the AGV suddenly stops, the limiting member prevents the connecting pin from leaving the connecting pin receiver, preventing the connection between the AGV and the towed vehicle from being released.

According to the towed carriage of the above 2) , the stopper can be made relatively simple in structure.

According to the towed carriage of the above 3) , the structure of the restricting member can be made relatively simple.

1A and 1B show the overall configuration of a towed vehicle according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a bottom view. 2A and 2B are enlarged views of a portion of the connecting frame of the towed carriage of FIG. 1, where FIG. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2(b) are cross-sectional views corresponding to FIG. 2(b) showing in sequence how a connecting pin of a submersible automatic guided vehicle is connected to the towed carriage of FIG. 1. [0023]FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the following explanation, front and rear will be referred to based on the direction of towing, with the front being the side in front of the towing direction and the opposite side being the rear.

Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of the towed carriage according to the present invention, and Figure 2 shows the configuration of the main parts. Furthermore, Figure 3 shows how the connecting pin of a crawler-type automated guided vehicle is connected to the towed carriage according to the present invention.

In Figure 1, the towed vehicle 1 comprises a cage-shaped vehicle body 2, a connecting frame 3 attached to the front of the vehicle body 2, a towing vehicle coupling section 4 attached to the connecting frame 3 and coupled to a towing vehicle (not shown), and an automated guided vehicle coupling mechanism 5 attached to the connecting frame 3 and coupled to a crawler-type automated guided vehicle 6.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connecting frame 3 consists of inclined straight sections 31 spaced apart in the left-right direction at the front end of the bogie body 2 and inclined toward each other as they approach the front. A roughly U-shaped curved section 32, which opens rearward and connects the front ends of the inclined straight sections 31, connects them together. Two center crosspieces 33, 34 are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction and extend left-to-right at the front between the inclined straight sections 31. The inclined straight section 31, the curved section 32, and the two center crosspieces 33, 34 are each made of round rods, and their central axes lie on the same horizontal plane. The curved section 32 serves as the towing vehicle coupling section 4, which detachably engages with an engagement means provided on the towing vehicle. The towing vehicle coupling section 4 is also detachably connected to the engagement means 21 provided at the rear end of the bogie body 2, allowing multiple towed bogies 1 to be connected using the towing vehicle coupling section 4 and the engagement means 21. The engagement means is well known, so detailed illustrations and explanations will be omitted.

The automatic guided vehicle connection mechanism 5 includes a generally U-shaped connection pin receiver 51 that protrudes downward from the connection frame 3 and opens to the rear to removably receive the connecting pin 61 that can be raised and lowered on the automatic guided vehicle 6; a stopper 52 that is attached to the connection frame 3 and prevents the connecting pin 61 from slipping rearward once it has entered the connecting pin receiver 51; a first limiting member 53 that is attached to the stopper 52 and limits its movement; and a second limiting member 54 that is attached to the connecting pin receiver 51 and limits its movement.

The connecting pin receiver 51 is located between the two middle crosspieces 33, 34 between the two inclined straight sections 31 of the connecting frame 3 and is fixed to the two inclined straight sections 31 and the two middle crosspieces 33, 34.

The stopper 52 is attached to the rear middle sash portion 34, located behind the connecting pin holder 51, so as to be freely rotatable around a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction, and moves between a first position (see solid line in Figure 2(b)) in which one end is located below the upper end of the raised connecting pin 61 of the automated guided vehicle 6, and a second position (see solid line in Figure 3(a)) in which one end is at a height position higher than the upper end of the raised connecting pin 61 of the automated guided vehicle 6 and is located forward of the first position. The stopper 52 comprises a pair of left and right side plates 521 spaced apart in the left-right direction and having a through hole 5211 at the rear through which the rear middle crosspiece 34 (a horizontal shaft extending in the left-right direction) of the connecting frame 3 passes, and an inclined plate 522 disposed between the side plates 521 and inclined downward toward the front in the first position; in the first position, the front end of the inclined plate 522 is positioned below the upper end of the raised connecting pin 61 of the automatic guided vehicle 6 and is pushed forward by the connecting pin 61. Positioning rings 35 are fitted around the rear middle crosspiece 34 on the left-right outer sides of the side plates 521 of the stopper 52 on the connecting frame 3 to restrict left-right movement of the stopper 52.

The first limiting member 53 is fixed to the upper ends of both side plates 521 of the stopper 52 and is plate-shaped with its tip protruding outward in the left-right direction. The first limiting member 53 engages with the inclined linear portion 32 of the connecting frame 3, thereby preventing the stopper 52 from rotating from the first position in the direction opposite the second position (counterclockwise in Figure 2(b)). The first limiting member 53 may also engage with the connecting pin receiver 51 to prevent the stopper 52 from rotating from the first position in the direction opposite the second position.

The second limiting member 54 is a plate-like member fixed to the front end of the connecting pin receiver 51 and protruding rearward. The inclined plate 522 of the stopper 52 comes into contact with the second limiting member 54, thereby preventing excessive rotation of the stopper 52 in the clockwise direction in Figure 3(a). The second limiting member 54 may also be fixed to the front middle crosspiece 33 of the connecting frame 3 and protruding rearward.

When towing a towed dolly 1 configured as described above with a towing vehicle having an engagement means at its rear end similar in configuration to engagement means 21, the engagement means of the towing vehicle and the towing vehicle coupling 4 are coupled as follows: That is, the towed dolly 1 is parked in a predetermined position with the towing vehicle coupling 4 facing forward, the towing vehicle is reversed from in front of the towed dolly 1 toward the towed dolly 1, and the engagement means of the towing vehicle is coupled to the towing vehicle coupling 4 of the towed dolly 1.

Furthermore, when the towed vehicle 1 configured as described above is towed by a submersible AGV 6 that has a connecting pin 61 that can be raised and lowered and travels along a predetermined transport route, the connecting pin 61 of the submersible AGV 6 is connected to the AGV coupling mechanism 5 of the towed vehicle 1 as follows: The towed vehicle 1 is positioned at one of the AGV 6's stop stations with the connecting frame 3 facing forward. In this state, the AGV 6, with its connecting pin 61 lowered, is advanced to submerge beneath the towed vehicle 1, and when the connecting pin 61 passes the vehicle body 2, the connecting pin 61 is raised. In this state, when the AGV 6 is advanced further, the connecting pin 61 comes into contact with the underside of the inclined plate 522 of the stopper 52, which is in the first position (see the chain line in Figure 2(b)). If the automated guided vehicle 6 is then moved further forward, the connecting pin 61 pushes the stopper 52, causing it to rotate clockwise as indicated by arrow X in Figure 2(b). When it rotates to the second position (see Figure 3(a)), the connecting pin 61 passes over the stopper 52 and enters the connecting pin receiver 51, engaging with the front end of the connecting pin receiver 51 (see Figure 3(b)). Meanwhile, the stopper 52 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 3(a) due to its own weight, returning to the first position. The second limiting member 54 prevents excessive rotation of the stopper 52 as it rotates from the first position to the second position.

Then, the first limiting member 53 prevents the stopper 52, which has returned to the first position, from rotating counterclockwise in Figure 3(b) from the first position, so the connecting pin 61 engages with the stopper 52 and is prevented from coming out of the connecting pin receiver 51. When the AGV 6 moves forward in this state, the towed vehicle 1 is towed by the AGV 6. Furthermore, even if the AGV 6 suddenly stops, the stopper 52 prevents the connecting pin 61 from coming out of the connecting pin receiver 51, preventing the connection between the AGV 6 and the towed vehicle 1 from being released.

In the above-described embodiment, the carriage body 2 of the towed carriage 1 is cage-shaped, but this is not limited to this and may be flat or of other shapes.

The towed carriage of this invention can be suitably used for both towing by a towing vehicle and by an underwater automated guided vehicle.

1: towed vehicle, 2: vehicle body, 3: connecting frame, 31: inclined straight section, 32: curved section, 4: towing vehicle connection section, 5: automatic guided vehicle connection mechanism, 51: connection pin receiver, 52: stopper, 521: side plate, 522: inclined plate, 53: first limiting member, 6: crawling automatic guided vehicle, 61: connection pin

Claims (3)

the vehicle includes a carriage body, a connecting frame provided on the front side of the carriage body in the towing direction, a towing vehicle connecting section provided on the connecting frame and connected to a towing vehicle, and an automatic guided vehicle connecting mechanism provided on the connecting frame and connected to a crawling type automatic guided vehicle ,
the towing vehicle coupling portion is provided at the front end of the coupling frame in the towing direction and comprises a substantially U-shaped curved portion that opens rearward in the towing direction, and an engaging means provided on the towing vehicle is adapted to detachably engage with the curved portion,
the automatic guided vehicle connecting mechanism detachably connects a connecting pin that is provided on the automatic guided vehicle so as to be able to rise and fall, and includes a substantially U-shaped connecting pin receiver that is provided on the connecting frame so as to protrude downward and that opens rearward in the towing direction, a stopper that is provided on the connecting frame and prevents the connecting pin that has entered the connecting pin receiver from coming off rearward in the towing direction, and a limiting member that is provided on the stopper and limits the movement of the stopper,
a towed carriage, wherein the stopper is rotatable about a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction so as to be movable between a first position where one end is located below the upper end of the raised connecting pin of the automated guided vehicle and a second position where the one end is located at a height equal to or higher than the upper end of the raised connecting pin, the stopper is pushed by the raised connecting pin of the automated guided vehicle to rotate from the first position toward the second position, and also rotates from the second position toward the first position due to its own weight, and the limiting member prevents the stopper from rotating from the first position in the direction opposite to the second position . 2. The towed carriage according to claim 1, wherein the stopper comprises a pair of side plates spaced apart in the left-right direction and having a through hole at the rear in the towing direction through which a horizontal shaft portion provided on the connecting frame and extending in the left-right direction is passed, and an inclined plate provided between the side plates and inclined downward toward the front in the towing direction at the first position, one end of the inclined plate being located below the upper end of the raised connecting pin of the automatic guided vehicle at the first position so that the inclined plate is pushed forward in the towing direction by the connecting pin . 3. The towed vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the restricting members are provided on both side plates of the stopper, protrude outward in the left-right direction, and engage with the connecting frame when the stopper is in the first position .