An automatic guided vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of AGV vehicles, and specifically to an automatic guided vehicle, which includes a vehicle body and a brush, a wheel is installed on the vehicle body, an elastic shock absorbing mechanism is provided between the vehicle body and the wheel, the brush is assembled on the vehicle body so as to be reciprocatingly movable in the vertical direction, an electric drive device is installed on the vehicle body, and the electric drive device is connected to the brush in a transmission manner so as to drive the brush to rise and fall correspondingly when the vehicle body descends and rises relative to the wheel. During loading and unloading, the brush adjusts the height of the brush from the ground accordingly through the electric drive device when the vehicle body descends and rises, so that the brush will not bend due to contact with the ground, and can also perform normal cleaning work, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the automatic guided vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of AGV vehicles, and in particular to an automatic guided vehicle. Background Art

[0002] AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) refers to a transport vehicle equipped with an electromagnetic or optical automatic guidance device that can travel along a specified guidance path. Generally, its route and behavior can be controlled by a computer, or its route can be set using an electromagnetic track. However, when an AGV is traveling in a relatively messy work site, plastic, paper scraps and other debris left on the ground will interfere with the AGV's movement and even cause the AGV to collide.

[0003] In the prior art, an obstacle removal device is provided on the AGV to clean up the debris on the AGV's running path. For example, a Chinese utility model patent with the authorization announcement number CN206466623U discloses an AGV logistics vehicle, which includes a vehicle head, a protective cover is provided at the front of the vehicle head, and a brush is provided at the bottom of the protective cover. The brush is used to clean up the debris on the AGV's running path to ensure the normal operation of the AGV.

[0004] When the AGV is traveling on an uneven road, in order to prevent the AGV from being bumpy during operation, a shock-absorbing mechanism is generally installed on the driving wheel of the AGV in the prior art. For example, the Chinese utility model patent with the authorization announcement number CN206086257U discloses a shock-absorbing driving wheel assembly, which includes a driving wheel body and a connecting seat for assembling on the driving wheel body, and the connecting seat has upward supporting surfaces on both sides of the driving wheel body, and each supporting surface is provided with an elastic supporting unit, and the elastic supporting unit includes a shock-absorbing spring arranged on the supporting surface for supporting the vehicle body. When the AGV travels on an uneven ground, each driving wheel can rely on the expansion and contraction of the shock-absorbing spring to enable the driving wheel to expand and contract relative to the vehicle body to ensure the stability of the AGV during travel.

[0005] However, after the AGV body is loaded with goods, the weight of the goods resists the elastic force of the shock-absorbing mechanism and presses the body downward. At the same time, the brush installed on the body moves downward with the body, causing the brush to bend when encountering ground obstruction, affecting the normal work of the brush. At the same time, the brush will increase the resistance to movement, increase the power consumption of the AGV during operation, and affect the working efficiency of the AGV. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention provides an automatic guided vehicle to solve the technical problem in the prior art that after cargo is loaded on the body of an AGV, the dead weight of the cargo resists the elastic force of a shock absorbing mechanism to press the body downward, and at the same time, a brush installed on the body moves downward with the body, causing the brush to bend when it encounters a ground obstruction.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution of the automatic guided vehicle provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0008] The automatic guided vehicle comprises a vehicle body and a brush. Wheels are mounted on the vehicle body. An elastic shock absorbing mechanism is arranged between the vehicle body and the wheels. The brush is mounted on the vehicle body so as to be reciprocatingly movable in the vertical direction. An electric drive device is mounted on the vehicle body. The electric drive device is connected to the brush in a transmission manner so as to drive the brush to rise or fall accordingly when the vehicle body descends or rises relative to the wheels.

[0009] The beneficial effects are as follows: when cargo is loaded on the body of the automatic guided vehicle, the dead weight of the cargo resists the elastic force of the elastic shock-absorbing mechanism and presses the body down, and the brush installed on the body descends with the body. At this time, the electric drive device is started to drive the brush to rise, so that the brush maintains a set height with the ground, avoiding the brush from bending due to contact with the ground and wearing during operation, so that the brush will not affect the normal movement of the automatic guided vehicle, and the brush can still perform the cleaning function to ensure the normal operation of the automatic guided vehicle; in addition, when the cargo is unloaded, the elastic shock-absorbing mechanism supports the body to rise under the action of the elastic force, and the brush rises with the body. At this time, the distance between the brush and the ground is greater than the set height, and normal cleaning work cannot be performed. At this time, the electric drive device is started to drive the brush to descend, so that the distance between the brush and the ground is restored to the set height to ensure normal cleaning work.

[0010] Furthermore, the vehicle body is provided with a position monitoring device for monitoring the lifting and lowering of the vehicle body relative to the wheels and a controller for connecting the signal of the position monitoring device. The controller is control-connected to the electric drive device to control the operation of the electric drive device when the vehicle body is lifted and lowered relative to the wheels.

[0011] The beneficial effect is that by arranging a position monitoring device and a controller on the vehicle body, the electric drive device can automatically control the brush height adjustment to ensure the normal movement of the automatic guided vehicle, which is more intelligent and convenient.

[0012] Furthermore, the vehicle body includes a frame and a wheel mounting seat, the wheel is arranged on the wheel mounting seat, the elastic shock absorbing mechanism is arranged between the frame and the wheel mounting seat, and the position monitoring device is a distance sensor installed on the frame or the wheel mounting seat.

[0013] The beneficial effect is that a distance sensor is arranged on the frame or the wheel mounting seat to facilitate the monitoring of the vertical position of the vehicle body, and then the electric drive device can be controlled more accurately to adjust the position of the brush to ensure the normal movement of the automatic guided vehicle.

[0014] Furthermore, the electric drive device is a drive motor, and the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the brush in a spiral transmission manner to drive the brush to rise or fall when the output shaft of the drive motor rotates.

[0015] The beneficial effects are: the output shaft of the driving motor is connected to the brush through a spiral transmission, which simplifies the connection structure, facilitates processing and installation, and is also convenient for directly adjusting the position of the brush through the driving motor. At the same time, through the threaded connection, the control is also more precise.

[0016] Furthermore, the brush is provided with a threaded hole extending in the up-down direction, and the output shaft of the driving motor is provided with an external thread that matches the threaded hole.

[0017] The beneficial effects are: a threaded hole is directly arranged on the brush, and an external thread matching the threaded hole is arranged on the output shaft, which has a simple structure and is convenient for processing.

[0018] Furthermore, a limit plate is fixedly provided on the vehicle body between the driving motor and the brush, a shoulder is provided on the output shaft of the driving motor, and the limit plate has a stop surface for vertically stopping the shoulder to prevent the output shaft of the driving motor from moving.

[0019] The beneficial effect is that the limiting cooperation between the limiting plate and the shaft shoulder can prevent the output shaft of the driving motor from axial movement, thereby increasing the service life of the driving motor.

[0020] Furthermore, the brush comprises a brush body and a fixing block fixedly connected to the brush body, and the fixing block is provided with the threaded hole.

[0021] The beneficial effect is that a threaded hole threadedly connected to the output shaft of the driving motor is provided on the fixing block, and the fixing block is fixedly connected to the brush, that is, the transmission connection between the brush and the driving motor is realized through the fixing block, the structure is simple, and the assembly is convenient.

[0022] Furthermore, a fixing hole is provided on a side of the fixing block facing the brush body, and the fixing block and the brush body cooperate with a fastener through the fixing hole to achieve a fixed connection.

[0023] The beneficial effect is that the brush body is fixedly connected to the fixing block by the fastener, which facilitates the connection and fixing of the fixing block and saves costs.

[0024] Furthermore, the vehicle body is a rectangular parallelepiped having four side walls, and the number of the brushes is four and they are arranged one-to-one on the inner sides of the four side walls of the vehicle body.

[0025] The beneficial effect is that the brushes are arranged one by one on the inner sides of the four side walls of the vehicle body, that is, the brushes can clean the surroundings of the automatic guided vehicle. At the same time, when the automatic guided vehicle adopts an optical automatic guidance device to guide the vehicle, it can also block the light, avoid the interference of light outside the vehicle body, and ensure the accuracy of guidance.

[0026] Furthermore, the brush comprises a brush body and a fixing block fixedly connected to the brush body, the fixing block is arranged between two adjacent brush bodies to be fixedly connected to the two brush bodies respectively, and the electric drive device is transmission-connected to the corresponding brush body via the fixing block.

[0027] The beneficial effects are: one fixing block connects two adjacent brush bodies, which reduces the number of motors and saves the cost of the automatic guided vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an automatic guided vehicle embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Middle AA section view;

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The enlarged view of point I in the middle;

[0031] In the figure, 1-body; 2-drive motor; 3-limiting plate; 4-wheel mounting seat; 5-wheel; 6-body frame; 7-elastic shock absorbing mechanism; 8-output shaft; 9-brush body; 10-distance sensor; 11-controller; 12-fixing block; 13-shaft shoulder; 14-fixing plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The specific implementation of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0033] An embodiment of the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention is as follows Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the automatic guided vehicle includes a body and a brush mounted on the body, wheels 5 are mounted on the body, an elastic shock absorbing mechanism 7 is arranged between the body and the wheel 5, the brush is vertically movably assembled on the body, a driving motor 2 is mounted on the body, and the driving motor 2 is connected to the brush in a spiral transmission to drive the brush to rise and fall accordingly when the body descends and ascends.

[0034] Specifically, Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the vehicle body includes a vehicle shell 1 and a frame 6 installed in the vehicle shell 1, wherein the vehicle shell 1 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the vehicle body also includes a wheel mounting seat 4. Specifically, four elastic shock absorbing mechanisms 7 are installed on the frame 6, and the elastic shock absorbing mechanism 7 is located between the frame 6 and the wheel mounting seat 4. A wheel 5 is installed below the wheel mounting seat 4. The elastic shock absorbing mechanism 7 is a mature product in the prior art and will not be described here. When the automatic guided vehicle is loaded with cargo, although the elastic shock absorbing mechanism 7 can provide an upward elastic support to the vehicle body through the frame 6, the vehicle body is still pressed down by the elastic force of the elastic shock absorbing mechanism 7 due to the dead weight of the cargo. At this time, the brush will bend in contact with the ground and wear during operation, affecting the normal movement of the automatic guided vehicle.

[0035] Therefore, in order to avoid this situation, four driving motors 2 are correspondingly fixed on the inner side walls at the four corners of the car body 1 through the fixing plate 14, and the output shaft 8 of the driving motor 2 is vertically downward, and each output shaft 8 is connected to the corresponding brush by transmission. Specifically, the brush includes a brush body 9 and a fixing block 12, the fixing block 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and a threaded hole vertically penetrating the fixing block 12 is provided on the fixing block 12, and an external thread matching the threaded hole is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the output shaft 8, and the fixing block 12 is connected to the output shaft 8 by screw transmission, and when the output shaft 8 rotates in the forward direction, the fixing block 12 rises through the threaded engagement, and when the output shaft 8 rotates in the reverse direction, the fixing block 12 falls.

[0036] A fixing hole is provided on the side of the fixing block 12 facing the brush body 9, and the fixing block 12 is fixed to the brush body 9 by screws in cooperation with the fixing hole. In this embodiment, the four side walls of the vehicle shell 1 constitute the four side walls of the vehicle body, and the four brush bodies 9 are arranged one by one on the inner side of the four side walls through the fixing blocks 12, and two adjacent brush bodies 9 are connected by a fixing block 12, so the four brush bodies 9 are connected end to end through the four fixing blocks 12 to form a closed loop located in the vehicle shell 1, and the fixing block 12 is arranged on the inner side of the connection position of two adjacent brush bodies 9. When the automatic guided vehicle uses an optical automatic guidance device to guide the vehicle to move, the closed loop formed by the four brush bodies 9 can block light, avoid light interference from the outside of the vehicle body, and ensure the accuracy of guidance.

[0037] A distance sensor 10 is installed on the frame 6 corresponding to each wheel mounting seat 4. The distance sensor 10 is used to monitor the relative distance between the wheel mounting seat 4 and the frame 6 to reflect the relative height of the brush and the ground. The distance sensor 10 is connected to a controller 11 arranged in the vehicle body through a wire signal, and the controller 11 is connected to the drive motor 2 through a wire control connection. The data monitored by the distance sensor 10 is transmitted to the controller 11, and the controller 11 controls the rotation amount of the drive motor 2 by calculating the data. The distance sensor 10 can be an infrared, ultrasonic, laser or other sensor, which is not limited here.

[0038] A stop plate 3 is fixedly arranged between the driving motor 2 and the corresponding brush on the vehicle housing 1. Figure 3 As shown, each limit plate 3 is vertically fixed on the inner wall of the vehicle shell 1, and a through hole for the output shaft 8 to pass through is provided on the limit plate 3. The output shaft 8 is installed on the limit plate 3 from top to bottom, and a shoulder 13 is provided on the bare rod section of the output shaft 8 (above the external threaded part of the output shaft 8) for limiting the limit plate 3 along the up and down directions. The upper end surface of the limit plate 3 is the stop surface for vertically stopping the shoulder 13 to prevent the axial movement of the output shaft 8 of the drive motor 2, that is, the shoulder 13 is matched with the hole of the through hole to prevent the output shaft 8 from axial movement and affect the service life of the drive motor 2.

[0039] When the automatic guided vehicle of the present invention is loaded with goods, the weight of the goods resists the elastic force of the elastic shock-absorbing mechanism 7, pressing the vehicle body down relative to the wheel. When the distance sensor 10 detects that the distance between the frame 6 and the wheel mounting seat 4 is less than the set distance, the corresponding distance between the brush and the ground is less than the set height. The distance sensor 10 sends a signal to the controller 11. After receiving the signal, the controller 11 controls the drive motor 2 to work, and the output shaft 8 rotates in the forward direction. Since the fixed block 12 is threadedly connected to the output shaft 8, the fixed block 12 rises, thereby driving the brush body 9 to rise to the set height (the set height is the height of the brush relative to the ground when the brush is working normally; the set distance refers to the relative distance between the frame 6 and the wheel mounting seat 4 when the brush is at the set height), so that the brush will not affect the normal movement of the automatic guided vehicle and can still perform the cleaning function. When the cargo is unloaded, the elastic shock absorbing mechanism 7 supports the vehicle body upward, the vehicle body rises relative to the wheel 5, and the brush body 9 rises accordingly. At this time, the relative distance between the wheel mounting seat 4 and the frame 6 returns to the set distance, but at this time the distance between the brush and the ground is greater than the set height. The distance sensor 10 sends a signal to the controller 11. After receiving the signal, the controller 11 controls the drive motor 2 to work, the output shaft 8 rotates in the opposite direction, and the fixed block 12 drives the brush body 9 to descend to the set height from the ground. Therefore, during the whole process, the brush can be adjusted when the vehicle body descends and rises to keep the brush at the set height, and the brush body 9 will not bend due to contact with the ground, so as to ensure the normal operation of the automatic guided vehicle and still perform the cleaning function.

[0040] In this embodiment, the position detection device is combined with a controller to automatically control the operation of the drive motor. In other embodiments, the descending distance of the vehicle body can be observed by human eyes, and the operation of the drive motor can be manually controlled to adjust the height of the brush from the ground.

[0041] In this embodiment, the position monitoring device is a distance sensor. In other embodiments, it can also be a weight sensor. The conversion is performed according to the deformation of the elastic shock absorbing mechanism when it is subjected to gravity. For example, the elastic shock absorbing mechanism includes a spring. The relationship between the load of the automatic guided vehicle and the deformation of the spring is used to calculate the descent height of the vehicle body and feed it back to the controller. The position of the brush is adjusted accordingly according to the descent height.

[0042] In this embodiment, the distance sensor is mounted on the vehicle frame. In other embodiments, the distance sensor may be mounted on a wheel mounting seat to monitor the distance between the vehicle frame and the wheel mounting seat.

[0043] In this embodiment, the driving device is a driving motor. In other embodiments, the electric driving device is an electric push rod. The telescopic rod of the electric push rod is fixedly connected to the brush, and the brush is raised or lowered by the telescopic rod.

[0044] In this embodiment, the output shaft is provided with an external thread, and the fixing block is provided with a threaded hole adapted to the output shaft. In other embodiments, a screw rod may be provided on the brush, and a threaded hole adapted to the screw rod thread may be provided on the output shaft.

[0045] In this embodiment, a limit plate is provided on the vehicle shell, and a shaft shoulder which cooperates with the limit plate is provided on the output shaft. In other embodiments, the limit plate and the shaft shoulder may not be provided.

[0046] In this embodiment, the fixing block and the brush are connected by screws. In other embodiments, the fixing block and the brush may be connected by welding.

[0047] In this embodiment, the threaded hole passes through the fixing block. In other embodiments, the threaded hole may be a blind hole with an opening facing upward.

[0048] In this embodiment, the fixing block is a rectangular block, and the fixing block is fixedly connected to the brush by screws. In other embodiments, the fixing block may be a cylindrical block, and the fixing block and the brush are fixedly connected together by welding.

[0049] In this embodiment, the brushes are arranged on the inner sides of the four side walls. In other embodiments, the brushes may be arranged on the outer sides of the four side walls respectively, and the corresponding motors are arranged on the outer sides of the four side walls.

[0050] In this embodiment, two adjacent brushes are connected by a fixed block. In other embodiments, two fixed blocks are arranged on the inner side of the connection position of the two adjacent brushes. The two fixed blocks are respectively arranged at the ends of the corresponding brushes, and each fixed block corresponds to a driving motor.

[0051] In this embodiment, the fixing block connects the four brush bodies together end to end. In other embodiments, the four brush bodies can be directly connected end to end to form a whole, and the fixing block is only fixed to the connected brush bodies by screws and no longer serves to connect the four brush bodies together.

[0052] In this embodiment, the brush body is connected to the output shaft via a fixed block. In other embodiments, the fixed block may not be provided, and the brush body can be directly connected to the output shaft by providing a threaded hole on the brush body. In this case, the brush body is thicker to reserve a position for the threaded hole.

Claims

1. An automatic guided vehicle, comprising a vehicle body and a brush, wherein the vehicle body comprises a frame and a wheel mounting seat, a wheel is mounted on the wheel mounting seat, and an elastic shock absorbing mechanism is provided between the vehicle body and the wheel mounting seat, characterized in that: The brush is mounted on the vehicle body so as to be reciprocatingly movable in the vertical direction. A position monitoring device is provided on the vehicle body for monitoring the lifting and lowering of the vehicle body relative to the wheel. The position monitoring device is used to monitor the relative distance between the wheel mounting seat and the vehicle frame. An electric drive device is installed on the vehicle body. The electric drive device is transmission-connected to the brush to control the lifting and lowering of the brush according to the relative distance, so as to drive the brush to rise and fall accordingly when the vehicle body falls and rises relative to the wheel, so as to keep the brush at a set height, so as to avoid the brush body from bending due to contact with the ground.

2. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle body is provided with a controller for signal connection with the position monitoring device, and the controller is control-connected with the electric drive device to control the action of the electric drive device when the vehicle body is raised or lowered relative to the wheel.

3. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The position monitoring device is a distance sensor installed on the vehicle frame or the wheel mounting seat.

4. The automated guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The electric drive device is a drive motor, and the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the brush in a spiral transmission so as to drive the brush to rise or fall when the output shaft of the drive motor rotates.

5. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The brush is provided with a threaded hole extending in the up-down direction, and the output shaft of the driving motor is provided with an external thread that is threadably matched with the threaded hole.

6. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: A limit plate is fixedly arranged on the vehicle body between the driving motor and the brush, a shaft shoulder is arranged on the output shaft of the driving motor, and the limit plate has a stop surface for vertically stopping the shaft shoulder to prevent the output shaft of the driving motor from moving.

7. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The brush comprises a brush body and a fixing block fixedly connected to the brush body, and the fixing block is provided with the threaded hole.

8. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that: A fixing hole is provided on one side of the fixing block facing the brush body, and the fixing block and the brush body cooperate with a fastener through the fixing hole to achieve fixed connection.

9. The automated guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The vehicle body is a rectangular parallelepiped having four side walls. The number of the brushes is four and they are arranged one by one on the inner sides of the four side walls of the vehicle body.

10. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that: The brush comprises a brush body and a fixing block fixedly connected to the brush body, the fixing block is arranged between two adjacent brush bodies to be fixedly connected to the two brush bodies respectively, and the electric drive device is transmission-connected to the corresponding brush body via the fixing block.

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