JPH0243658B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a self-propelled cargo transport system that is used in containers having side walls on the left and right sides or in cargo shrinkage areas such as warehouses, and which lifts and lowers cargo and automatically transports the cargo. It's about cars.

[Prior art]

Conventional equipment for transporting cargo placed on pallets in containers, warehouses, etc.
−52210 transport vehicle is known. Such conventional transportation vehicles are configured to have a rotatable roller conveyor embedded in the floor surface along the transport direction of the cargo, and to transport the cargo on the truck by pushing it manually.

According to such a conventional conveying device, it was necessary to bury a specific roller conveyor or the like in the warehouse. Another problem is that cargo cannot be automatically transported into such warehouses, and it takes time to carry them in and out.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of conventional transport vehicles, and is designed to be a self-propelled vehicle that can run on a flat floor, lifts and lowers cargo by loading it on pallets, etc., and has side walls on the left and right. An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled vehicle for transporting cargo that can automatically move straight through a warehouse or a container.

[Structure of the invention]

The present invention is a self-propelled cargo transport vehicle that lifts cargo and transfers the cargo to a storage area having left and right side walls, and includes a pair of left and right traveling means that have a drive motor and drive the vehicle back and forth; A luggage lifting means for raising and lowering luggage on the vehicle; side proximity sensors provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle to detect the proximity of the mobile vehicle to the side walls of the storage area into which the luggage is carried;
By simultaneously driving a pair of traveling means, driving the corresponding left and right traveling means based on the detection signal from the side proximity sensor, and stopping the other traveling means, the self-propelled vehicle is rotated. It is characterized by comprising a control means for advancing or retreating.

[Effect]

In this way, the self-propelled cargo transfer vehicle according to the present invention travels while lifting the cargo on the vehicle, and detects the detection output on the side where the detection output is based on the side wall detection output of the proximity sensors installed on the left and right sides of the vehicle. By driving one traveling means as it is and stopping the other traveling means, the vehicle can move forward or backward without contacting the side wall.

[Explanation of Examples]

(Configuration of a self-propelled vehicle) FIGS. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a side view of a self-propelled vehicle according to this embodiment. In these figures, the self-propelled vehicle 1 is provided with bases 2a and 2b separated into left and right sides. Left and right bases 2a, 2 of the self-propelled vehicle 1
b is formed so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle along an axis, and is configured to move smoothly even when a portion of the vehicle rises due to unevenness of the floor surface or the like.
A generator 3 for supplying power to each part is mounted on the bases 2a and 2b, and a pair of left and right motors 4 and 5 are provided on both sides of the generator 3. Motors 4 and 5
are connected to crawlers 8 and 9 via belts 6 and 7, respectively.
It is intended to drive the As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the crawlers 8 and 9 have a plurality of driven wheels within crawler covers 10 and 11 that are L-shaped in cross section and are provided along the left and right side walls of the self-propelled vehicle 1, and are able to handle uneven floor surfaces. It forms a traveling means for moving the vehicle regardless of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing means for lifting and lowering luggage provided on the self-propelled vehicle 1. In this embodiment, a compressor 12 driven by a generator 3 is provided on the base 2b of the self-propelled vehicle, and compressed air is supplied to the check valve 1.
3 to the air tank 14 on the base 2a. The air tank 14 holds a certain amount of compressed air, and supplies the compressed air to the left and right air tubes 15 and 16 via a valve mechanism. At the top of the crawler covers 10 and 11, a sixth
As shown in FIG. 7, which is a partial sectional view taken along the line A-A, lift plates 17 and 18, which are elevating members with an L-shaped cross section, are provided like the crawler covers 10 and 11, and the crawler cover 10, lift plate 17, and crawler cover Air tubes 15 and 16 are inserted between the lift plate 11 and the lift plate 18 as shown. On the lower surface of the lift plate 17, a large number of shafts 19a, 19b, etc., which pass through the through holes of the crawler cover 10 and have heads at their tips, are provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle.
The lift plate 17 is held so as to be freely raised and lowered only in the vertical direction. Similarly, the space between the crawler cover 11 and the lift plate 18 is held so that it can move up and down.
In this way, the air tubes 15, 16 are filled with compressed air and expanded, or the air tubes 15, 16 are filled with compressed air and expanded.
Lift plate 1 by opening 16 to the atmosphere.
7, 18 are raised and lowered, and the luggage on the self-propelled vehicle 1 is
Pallets etc. can be raised and lowered.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a reel 21 on which a cable 20 is wound is provided on the base 2b of the self-propelled vehicle 1, and the generator 3 and the left and right motors 4, 5 are connected via the cable 20. A control panel for controlling the compressor 12 is connected. And this self-propelled car 1
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, there are proximity sensors 22 and 23 at the front of the vehicle whose detection areas are on the left and right front sides, and proximity sensors 24 and 25 whose detection areas are on the left and right rear sides at the rear of the vehicle. Further, proximity sensors 26 and 27 whose front detection areas are in front of the self-propelled vehicle are provided. These proximity sensors 22-27
are crawler covers 10, 11 and lift plate 17,
It is configured to protrude from 18 and detect obstacles to the self-propelled vehicle 1.

(Configuration of Control Circuit) Next, the configuration of the control circuit of the self-propelled vehicle 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are diagrams showing a relay control circuit of a self-propelled vehicle according to this embodiment,
FIG. 10 is a front view of the panel surface of the control panel. In these figures, the relay control device shown in FIG. 8 is connected to the generator 3 via a fuse F. A control panel connected to the self-propelled vehicle 1 via a cable 21 is provided with a switch S1 for turning on the power and a switch S2 for cutting off the power. The switch S1 is a normally open contact switch, and the switch S2 is a push button switch having a normally closed contact, each of which is a relay as shown in FIG.
Connected in series with Xo. Relay Xo is driven when the power is turned on and supplies power to various parts of self-propelled vehicle 1 through normally open contact Xoa ₁ , and its normally open contact Xoa ₂ is connected in parallel to switch S1 to form a self-holding circuit. The normally open contact Xoa ₃ supplies power to a relay control circuit, which will be described later, by driving the relay Xo. An indicator 30 for indicating power-on is connected in parallel to relay Xo. 10 on the panel surface
As shown in the figure, a changeover switch S3 is provided for switching forward and backward movement of the self-propelled vehicle 1. The switching contacts of the switch S3 are connected to the power supply terminal, and the contacts S3a and S3 are switched when moving forward and backward.
Relays X1 and X2 are connected to b, respectively, and indicators 31 and 32 are connected in parallel to them.

The control panel is also provided with pushbutton switches S4 and S5 for automatically and manually controlling the motor 4 on the right side, and pushbutton switches S6 and S7 for automatically and manually controlling the motor 5 on the left side. Switch S4
As shown in Figure 8, one terminal is connected to the power line, and the other terminal is connected to the A contact X of relays X1 and X2.
1a ₁ and X2a ₁ , and proximity sensors 23 and 25 respectively provided on the left side of the self-propelled vehicle 1 are connected in series. These contacts and a switch S5 for manual operation are connected in parallel, and the right forward relay MCRf and reverse relay MCRb are connected to the common connection end via the A contacts X1a ₂ and X2a ₂ of relays X1 and X2, respectively. are connected in parallel. And their common connection is further connected to the other power supply terminal via a thermal relay ThR. Further, as shown in the figure, the B contact of a proximity sensor 26 for detecting an object in front of the self-propelled vehicle is connected between the relay contact _X1a2 and the terminal of the forward relay MCRf. Similarly, A contacts X1a ₃ and X2a ₃ of two relays X1 and X2 are connected to the push button switch S6 that controls the motor 5 on the left side, and proximity sensors 22 and 24 on the right side are connected in series. These contacts and a push button switch S7 for manual operation are connected in parallel, and A contacts X1a ₄ ,
_2a4 and motor control relays MCLf and MCLb are connected in series, and furthermore, they are commonly connected to thermal relay ThL. Further, the B contact of a proximity sensor 27 for detecting an object in front is connected between the A contact _X1a4 and the contact of the relay MCLf.

The power supply end of generator 3 is the relay contact Xoa ₁ mentioned above.
Connected to the power supply end of each device via. That is, the compressor 12 mentioned above is activated via the switch S8.
is connected. The compressor 12 is equipped with a motor that compresses the atmosphere and a pressure switch that automatically stops when the pressure of the compressed air exceeds a predetermined value.A display 33 is provided in parallel to the compressor 12 to display its operation. . Further, left and right motors 4 and 5 are connected to the power supply end of the generator 3 via thermal relays ThR and ThL. The motor 4 is connected to rotate forward by the A contacts MCRfa ₁ and MCRfa ₂ of the forward relay MCRf, and the motor 5 is connected to rotate forward by the A contacts MCLfa ₁ and MCLfa ₂ of the relay MCLf. relay MCRb, MCLb
A contacts MCRba ₁ , MCRba ₂ and MCLba ₁ ,
Connected for counter-rotation by MCLba ₂ .

Furthermore, switches S9 and S10 are connected to the control device. Switch S9 has a solenoid that supplies compressed air to left and right air tubes 15 and 16.
SOL1 and SOL3 are connected, and switch 10
are connected to solenoids SOL2 and SOL4, respectively, which operate to release the compressed air held in the air tubes 15 and 16 to the atmosphere. Further, indicators 34 and 35, which light up when the switches S9 and S10 are pressed, are connected in parallel to the solenoids SOL3 and SOL4.

(Operation of Example) Next, the operation of the self-propelled luggage transfer vehicle according to this example will be described. First, cargo such as a small container 41 mounted on a pallet 40 is lifted from the ground so that it can be transported by the self-propelled vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. At this time, the self-propelled vehicle is first inserted into the opening of the pallet 40 as shown in FIG. 6, and the generator 9 on the self-propelled vehicle is driven. Then, a predetermined voltage is applied from the generator 3 via the fuse F to the control device shown in FIG. If switch S1 is pressed here, relay Xo will be driven and its A
The contacts Xoa ₁ to _{Xoa 3} are closed and self-maintained, and the voltage of the generator 3 is applied to each circuit. When the switch S8 is turned on, voltage is supplied to the compressor 12, and compressed air is stored in the air tank 14 from the compressor 12. Next, when the switch S9 is turned on, the solenoids SOL1 and SOL3 are driven, and compressed air is given to the left and right air tubes 15 and 16. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the lift plates 17 and 18 on the crawler covers 10 and 11 are pushed up by the expansion of the air tubes 15 and 16.
The pallet 40 and the container 41 above it can be pushed up at the same time, and the container 41 can be raised. When the luggage is raised in this way, the switch S9
Turn off and stop driving solenoids SOL1 and SOL3. Then air tube 15, 16
The compressed air will remain inside.

For example, as shown in FIG.
2 or the like, and the container 41 is inserted into the entrance of a large container 43 to be carried in and stopped at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Next, the neutral contact of the changeover switch S3 on the control panel is switched to the forward contact S3a. Then, the relay X1 is driven and the indicator 31 lights up to indicate that the vehicle is moving forward, and its normally open contacts X1a ₁ to X1a ₄ are closed. Next, when the automatic travel switch S4 is pressed down, if the left and right proximity sensors 23 and 25 do not detect the side wall, these contacts are also closed, so the relay MCRf is driven. Similarly, switch S for automatic driving
By pressing 6 at the same time, relay MCLf is also driven, and the respective contacts MCRfa ₁ , MCRfa ₂ ,
MCLfa ₁ and MCLfa ₂ are closed and motors 4 and 5 are driven in the forward direction. Therefore, the self-propelled vehicle 1 loads the container 41 on the pallet 40 and moves forward within the container 43. At this time, self-propelled car 1
Since the reel 21 provided above automatically rotates and the cable 20 extends, the operator can control the operation of the self-propelled vehicle 1 by operating the control panel outside the container 43. can.

Now, when the self-propelled vehicle 1 advances and reaches a position close to the inner wall of the container 43 in the traveling direction as shown by the broken line in FIG. Open. Therefore, relays MCRf and MCLf are simultaneously deenergized and motors 4 and 5 immediately stop rotating. Therefore, self-propelled vehicle 1
will stop at a position separated from the inner wall by a predetermined distance without colliding with the inner wall of the container 43.
In addition, self-propelled vehicle 1 approaches container 4 from either the left or right front.
3, only the right or left proximity sensor 26 or 27 operates and the motor 4 or 5
to stop. For example, when the self-propelled vehicle 1 approaches an inner wall from the right side and the proximity sensor 26 detects the front inner wall, the motor 4 stops, but the motor 5 continues to rotate. Therefore, the self-propelled vehicle 1 starts rotating to the left and stops when the left front proximity sensor 27 detects the front wall and becomes approximately perpendicular to the inner wall. Furthermore, when the self-propelled vehicle 1 advances while rotating slightly in either the left or right direction and approaches the right or left side wall, the proximity sensor 22 or 23 is activated. For example, when the front of the self-propelled vehicle approaches a side wall on the right side in the direction of travel and the proximity sensor 22 detects the side wall, its normally closed contact opens. Therefore, the left relay MCLf is deenergized and the motor 5 is stopped, causing the self-propelled vehicle 1 to rotate to the left. Also self-propelled car 1
When the vehicle rotates to the left while traveling and proximity sensor 23 detects proximity to the left side wall, the normally closed contact of proximity sensor 23 opens and relay MCRf is deenergized. Therefore, the motor 4 stops and the self-propelled vehicle rotates to the right. When the left and right deviation of the self-propelled vehicle 1 is corrected and it starts moving straight, the side walls of the container are no longer detected by the proximity sensors 22 and 23 again, so the motors 4 and 5 are simultaneously driven, and the self-propelled vehicle 1 We will move forward.

In this way, the self-propelled vehicle 1 is placed close to the inner wall inside the container.
stops, the operator presses switch S10 on the control panel.
Turn on and drive solenoids SOL2 and SOL4. By doing so, the compressed air in the air tubes 15 and 16 is released to the atmosphere, so that the air tubes 15 and 16 are rapidly contracted and the lift plates 17 and 18 are
The pallet 40 is lowered onto the floor of the container 43 by contacting the crawler covers 10 and 11 via the pallet 16. After that, turn off the switch S10 and turn off the solenoid.
Return SOL2 and SOL4 to their original positions. Then, the changeover switch S3 is switched to the S3b contact on the reverse side. This will de-energize relay X1 and relay X2
is driven and its normally open contact X2a ₁ ~
When X2a ₄ is closed, the indicator 32 lights up.
Furthermore, in the same manner, the left and right automatic driving switches S4,
If S6 is pressed at the same time, relays MCRb and MCLb are simultaneously driven instead of relays MCRf and MCLf, allowing the self-propelled vehicle 1 to move backward. At this time, the left and right sensors 2 whose detection areas are the front sides mentioned above
The self-propelled vehicle 1 can be moved backward without contacting the side wall by detecting the side wall with the proximity sensors 24, 25 whose detection areas are on the rear side instead of the sensors 2, 23. Also manual switches S5, S7
If pressed at the same time, the side proximity sensors 22 to 25
The self-propelled vehicle can be moved forward or backward regardless of the Further, when the small container 41 is stored in the large container 43, the self-propelled vehicle 1 is advanced into the container 43 and manually advanced, thereby inserting the vehicle body into the pallet. Therefore, in this state, if the container on the pallet is raised and retreated, the cargo can be automatically carried out from inside the container 43.

By using a self-propelled vehicle configured in this way, there is no need to bury large containers or roller conveyors on the warehouse floor, and the vehicle can drive on a flat floor and automatically carry in and out pallets. It is possible to make it a self-propelled vehicle. Furthermore, if the container 41 containing this pallet is carried into the warehouse and another container is carried in by a self-propelled vehicle in the same way, the previous container will serve as the front wall, so small containers will be inserted into the large container at predetermined intervals. It becomes possible to carry it in.

Although this embodiment describes a self-propelled vehicle that transports a small container into a large container, a self-propelled vehicle that transports a container into a warehouse may also be used.
In addition, the present invention can be applied not only to containers but also to transport vehicles that automatically transport various types of cargo.

Further, although this embodiment describes a self-propelled vehicle that uses compressed air as a means for lifting and lowering cargo, it goes without saying that various other lifting means can be used.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the self-propelled vehicle of the present invention having such characteristics, it is not necessary to install a roller conveyor or the like on the floor in advance, and it is extremely easy to carry cargo into a warehouse with a flat floor or a large container with side walls on the left and right sides. It becomes possible to carry it in or out. Therefore, it is possible to greatly simplify the work of carrying goods into and out of the warehouse, and it is possible to improve work efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a self-propelled vehicle for transporting cargo according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, Fig. 3 is a side view showing the state with the crawler cover removed, and Fig. 4 is a main body. A rear view of the self-propelled vehicle according to the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the compressed air control section of the lifting device according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are for raising and lowering pallets by an air tube. Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the control device according to the present invention, and Fig. 9 shows the connection state of the generator and the compressor and motor connected thereto. A circuit diagram, FIG. 10 is a front view showing the operation panel of the control device of this embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the operation when carrying a small container into a large container using a self-propelled vehicle according to this embodiment. It is a diagram. 1... Self-propelled car, 2a, 2b... Base, 3...
Generator, 4, 5...Motor, 8, 9...Crawler, 12...Computusa, 14...Air tank, 15, 16...Air tube, 22-27
... Proximity sensor, 40 ... Palette, 41, 43
……container.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A self-propelled cargo transfer vehicle that lifts cargo and transfers the cargo to a storage area having left and right side walls, comprising a pair of left and right running vehicles that have a drive motor and drive the vehicle back and forth. means for raising and lowering luggage on the vehicle of the self-propelled vehicle; and means for detecting proximity of the self-propelled vehicle to a side wall of a storage area provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle into which the luggage is carried. simultaneously driving the side proximity sensor and the pair of traveling means;
a control means for driving the corresponding left and right traveling means based on a detection signal from the side proximity sensor and stopping the other traveling means to move the self-propelled vehicle forward or backward while rotating; A self-propelled vehicle for transporting luggage, comprising: 2. The load elevating means has an air tube provided between the vehicle and a mounting portion that is held movably up and down and to which compressed air is supplied, and expands by supplying compressed air to the air tube and contracts by discharging it. 2. The self-propelled vehicle for transporting luggage according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle lifts and lowers luggage on the vehicle. 3. The side proximity sensors are installed in pairs on the left and right sides of the front and rear sides of the self-propelled vehicle, and the control means includes a pair of side proximity sensors whose detection area is the front side when the self-propelled vehicle moves forward. Claim 1, characterized in that the left and right traveling means are controlled by a proximity sensor, and when reversing, the left and right traveling means are controlled by another pair of proximity sensors whose detection area is the rear side. Or a self-propelled vehicle for transporting cargo as described in paragraph 2.