JPH0465620B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] This invention automatically charges and replaces the battery of an automated guided vehicle that uses a battery as a power source and is operated automatically. This invention relates to an improved battery replacement/charging device.

[Prior art]

There are automatic guided vehicles that operate automatically, such as the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-168107. Most of these types of automated guided vehicles are powered by batteries, but the automated guided vehicles have to stop for long periods of time to charge the batteries, and they also require maintenance of the electrolyte in the batteries. There was a problem in which charging and replacement operations were restricted, resulting in low operating rates.

[Summary of the invention]

This invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks by automatically lowering a discharged battery of an automatic guided vehicle and connecting it to a charging device, and automatically loading and connecting another charged battery onto the automatic guided vehicle. , it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery replacement/charging device that can perform electrolyte maintenance without interfering with these charging and replacement operations.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

In the figure, 1 is a floor surface, 2 is a main body installed on the floor surface 1, 3 is a transfer device provided at the bottom of the main body 2, and 31 is a vertical movement that constitutes the main part of the transfer device 3. The mechanism, 31a is an electric cylinder of the vertical movement mechanism 31 provided in the main body 2, 31b is a rod connected to this, 31c is a first link whose one end is pivoted to the rod 31b and the other end is pivotally connected to the main body 2, 31d A second link has one end pivoted to a rod 31b and the other end pivoted to the base of a forward and backward movement mechanism 32 which is a main part of the transfer device 3, and 32b is a guide rod of the forward and backward movement mechanism 32 and is fixed to the base 32a. 32c is a forward and backward movement mechanism 32 that moves while being guided by a guide rod 32b.
33 is a transfer mechanism consisting of a chain conveyor supported by the drive body 32c, 33a is a first positioning body provided in the transfer mechanism 33, and 33b is a transfer mechanism provided in the transfer mechanism 33 apart from the first positioning body 33a. A second positioning body is provided, 34 is a lifting device provided on the main body 2, 34a is a guide rail of this, 34b is a sprocket pivotally attached to the upper part of the main body 2, 34c is a frame guided by the guide rail 34a, 34d is a chain having one end fixed to the frame 34c, wound around the sprocket 34b, and suspending a counterweight 34e from the other end; 35 is a conveying device provided on the frame 34c;
35d is a traversing mechanism of the transport device 35 consisting of a guide rod 35b and a feed screw 35c, and 35d is a traversing mechanism 35.
35e is a hanger for the gripping mechanism 35d; 4 is a battery shelf provided in the main body 2 and disposed apart from each other in the vertical direction; 4a is provided in the battery shelf 4; locating pin, 5 is a battery, 6 is a charging chamber provided in the main body 2, 7 is a charging device provided in the charging chamber 6,
Reference numeral 8 denotes an automatic guided vehicle that travels on the floor 1, and reference numeral 9 denotes a control device provided in the main body 2 to control the transfer device 3, the lifting device 34, and the transport device 35.

That is, the vertical movement mechanism 31 is normally placed in the lowered position, the transfer mechanism 33 is placed in the retracted position within the main body 2, and the battery shelf 4 is connected to the charging device 7 and is being charged. , or a charged battery 5 is placed. If the automatic guided vehicle 8 is stopped at a predetermined position on the outer surface of the main body 2 as shown in FIG.
The forward and backward movement mechanism 32 is energized by the first operation command, and the transfer mechanism 33 protrudes from the main body 2.The transfer mechanism 33 is also energized, and the first positioning body 33a is moved to the empty battery 5' of the automatic guided vehicle 8. They stop facing each other, and at the same time, the carrying device 35 rises so that the gripping mechanism 35d can hold the charging battery 5 on the battery shelf 4.
It stops when it faces about 30 mm below the charging battery 5, and the gripping mechanism 35d moves below the charging battery 5 by the traversing mechanism 35a. In this state, the transport device 35 is displaced upward by the lifting device 34, and the gripping mechanism 35d
The charging battery 5 is held by the horizontal mechanism 3.
5a toward the longitudinal center of the frame 34c, resulting in the state shown in FIG. Then, the vertical movement mechanism 31 is operated, and the transfer mechanism 33 is moved to the upper position from the state shown in FIG. 4 to support the empty battery 5' of the automatic guided vehicle 8. Then, as the transfer mechanism 33 retreats into the main body 2 due to the operation of the forward and backward movement mechanism 32, the transfer mechanism 33 also operates, and the empty battery 5' supported by the first positioning body 33a is moved to the transfer device 35 as shown in FIG. The object is transported to a position directly below the object. In this state, the second positioning body 33b is placed directly below the charging battery 5 held by the holding mechanism 35d. Next, the transporting device 35 is lowered by the lifting device 34, and the charging battery 5 is supported by the second positioning body 33b, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 5, and the gripping mechanism 35d is also released. Then, the transfer mechanism 33 operates and the forward/reverse mechanism 32 projects the empty battery 5' from the main body 2 toward the automatic guided vehicle 8 side, and the empty battery 5' is placed directly below the gripping mechanism 35d, resulting in the state shown in FIG. Next, the conveying device 35 rises from the state shown in FIG. 6, the gripping mechanism 35d grips the empty battery 5' and stops corresponding to a suitable battery shelf 4, and the positioning pin 4a of the opposing battery shelf 4 is moved by the operation of the traverse mechanism 35a. When the empty battery 5' reaches right above the
When the battery is released, the empty battery 5' is placed on the battery shelf 4.
The battery is stored in the battery, returns to the state shown in FIG. 3, and is connected to the charging device 7 to be charged. On the other hand, the transfer mechanism 33 further operates from the state shown in FIG.
2, the charging battery 5 connects to the automatic guided vehicle 8.
is transferred to a predetermined position, resulting in the state shown in FIG. Then, the vertical movement mechanism 31 moves downward to load and connect the charging battery 5 to the automatic guided vehicle 8, and then the transfer mechanism 33 retreats into the main body 2 and returns to the state shown in FIG. 3. In this way, the empty battery 5' of the automatic guided vehicle 8 is automatically replaced with the charging battery 5, so there is no need to stop the automatic guided vehicle 8 for a long time corresponding to battery charging, and the operating rate of the automatic guided vehicle 8 is improved. can be improved. In addition, the battery needs to be replenished with purified water to keep the electrolyte level at a specified level in case of evaporation of the electrolyte. When the second movement is commanded, the forward and backward movement mechanism 32 and the transfer mechanism 33 are energized, and the transfer mechanism 33 protrudes to the outer surface of the main body 2 on the side opposite to the automatic guided vehicle 8, and the battery controls the movement of the automatic guided vehicle 8 outside the main body 2. Placed in a place where it will not interfere. Therefore, fluid replacement work can be performed safely and easily without reducing the operating rate of the automatic guided vehicle 8.

In addition, in this embodiment, the transfer device 3, the lifting device 3
4. Batteries are replaced by combining the operations of the transport device 35, and since the batteries being charged are arranged in a stacked state, a battery replacement/charging device that can accommodate a large number of batteries can be provided in a small floor space. Further, the transfer mechanism 33 is provided with first and second positioning bodies 33a, 33b, and the empty battery 5',
Since the charging battery 5 is supported and either the empty battery 5' or the charging battery 5 is transported each time the transport device 35 moves up and down, the battery can be replaced in a short time.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention has a forward and backward movement mechanism that projects the transfer mechanism and a vertical movement mechanism that displaces the transfer mechanism up and down. A device that is provided with a transfer device that loads and unloads a battery for an automatic guided vehicle on an automatic guided vehicle that is installed on the main body and is stopped at a predetermined position on the outer surface, and that charges the battery that is carried into the main body via this transfer device. and a control device that performs a first operation of causing the transfer mechanism to protrude toward the automatic guided vehicle side to load and unload the battery, and a second operation of causing the transfer mechanism to protrude from the main body toward the side opposite to the automatic guided vehicle. It is. As a result, the battery can be automatically replaced and charged without stopping the automatic guided vehicle for a long time corresponding to battery charging, and the operating rate of the automatic guided vehicle can be improved. In addition, the battery replacement/charging device allows battery fluid replenishment work to be performed outside the main unit in a location that does not affect the operation of the automatic guided vehicle, and allows safe and easy fluid replenishment without reducing the operating rate of the automatic guided vehicle. It is something that will be realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view showing the principle of an embodiment of the battery exchange/charging device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a right side view of Fig. 1, and Figs. FIG. 1 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2... Main body, 3... Transfer device, 31... Vertical movement mechanism, 32... Forward and backward movement mechanism, 33... Transfer mechanism,
34...Lifting device, 35...Transportation device, 35a...
...Transverse mechanism, 35d...Gripping mechanism, 4...Battery shelf, 5,5'...Battery, 7...Charging device, 8...Automated guided vehicle, 9...Control device. In addition,
Identical parts in the figures are indicated by the same reference numerals.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A main body, a transfer mechanism configured to be able to protrude outward from both mutually opposing outer surfaces of the main body, a forward and backward movement mechanism that causes the transfer mechanism to protrude from the outer surface, and a forward and backward movement mechanism that vertically displaces the transfer mechanism. a transfer device having a vertical movement mechanism and configured to load and unload a battery for the automatic guided vehicle on the automatic guided vehicle that is provided on the main body and stopped at a predetermined position on the outer surface; a charging device for charging the battery brought in;
A first operation of energizing the forward and backward movement mechanism to project the transfer mechanism from the main body toward the automatic guided vehicle, and energizing the vertical movement mechanism and transfer mechanism to load and unload the battery of the automatic guided vehicle. and a control device for performing a second operation of energizing the forward and backward movement mechanism to project the transfer mechanism from the main body toward the side opposite to the automatic guided vehicle.