Rail shuttles

Abstract

The rail shuttle vehicle is characterized in that the walking device is movable on the rail, and the walking device is provided with a centering device; the centering device comprises a first translation mechanism for lateral movement and a second translation mechanism for longitudinal movement; at least one pair of distance measuring units are arranged at the two ends of the walking device in the longitudinal direction; a workpiece is placed on the centering device, and is first moved laterally to the measuring range of the distance measuring unit through the first translation mechanism, and then is moved longitudinally through the second translation mechanism until the workpiece is in the centered position. The position of the workpiece is adjusted in two degrees of freedom directions through the two translation mechanisms, and the centering correction is completed by the distance measuring unit, so that the position of the workpiece can be adjusted during the transportation of the rail shuttle vehicle, so that the grabbing component at the next location can directly grab the goods and store them in the warehouse, without the need for positioning the goods again for grabbing, so that the operation is more convenient, the walking is more accurate, and time and manpower are saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of warehousing and logistics machinery and equipment, specifically a rail shuttle vehicle capable of centering transported goods. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, storage racks and access equipment are commonly used in warehousing and logistics to handle the inbound and outbound processes of goods / workpieces. Rail connections are typically established between different racks, warehouses, or mechanical equipment, and rail shuttles are used to transport goods.

[0003] In the process of a rail shuttle picking up goods and transporting them to the next location, the initial placement of goods on the shuttle is often haphazard, leading to inaccurate or insufficient positioning. This results in the goods not perfectly aligning with the grabbing mechanism at the next location when the shuttle arrives at the preset position. To solve this problem, additional positional correction is usually required after placement and before transport, or the grabbing device must re-determine the goods' position and grab them upon arrival at the next location. This not only wastes time and manpower but also requires additional machinery, increasing warehousing and logistics time and manufacturing costs. Therefore, a rail shuttle is needed to perform positional adjustments during transport, achieving high-precision positioning to meet practical application requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the existing problems, this invention aims to provide a rail shuttle vehicle capable of centering and adjusting transported goods.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention includes a walking device and a centering device; wherein: the walking device can move on a track, and the walking device is provided with a centering device; the centering device includes a first translation mechanism for lateral movement and a second translation mechanism for longitudinal movement, which are superimposed on each other; and at least one pair of ranging units, which are arranged at both ends of the walking device along the longitudinal direction.

[0006] The workpiece is placed on the centering device and first moved laterally to the measuring range of the distance measuring unit by the first translation mechanism. Then, it is moved longitudinally by the second translation mechanism until the distance measuring unit displays that the workpiece is in the center position. Further, the first translation mechanism includes a telescopic base mounted on the second translation mechanism and a telescopic arm arranged laterally. The telescopic arm is equipped with a rack. The first drive component drives the gear meshing with the rack to rotate, or the first drive component drives the gear to rotate through the drive gear on its output shaft, thereby causing the telescopic arm to extend / retract laterally.

[0007] Furthermore, the lower end face of the telescopic arm is provided with a transverse groove, and a horizontal rack is provided at the bottom of the groove and meshes with a vertically arranged gear.

[0008] Furthermore, the telescopic base is composed of two vertically arranged plates that fit together, with the gear located in the interlayer between the two plates.

[0009] Furthermore, the side of the vertical plate is provided with several bearings, which are in contact with the bottom of the groove of the telescopic arm.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper end of the telescopic arm is provided with a bracket for placing workpieces.

[0011] Furthermore, the first translation mechanism consists of two parts, and the first drive assembly drives two gears to rotate via a longitudinally arranged optical rod.

[0012] Furthermore, the second translation mechanism includes a support member for supporting the first translation mechanism. The support member can slide in a longitudinally arranged groove via a slider. The support member is also movably connected to the centering screw via a threaded sleeve. The second drive unit drives the centering screw to rotate, thereby moving the support member longitudinally.

[0013] Furthermore, the support consists of several horizontally arranged square tubes, with a connecting block at the top of each square tube supporting the first translation mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, several longitudinal reinforcing tubes connect the square tubes.

[0015] Furthermore, the slider is located at the bottom of the square tube.

[0016] Furthermore, the groove is a dovetail groove.

[0017] Furthermore, the bottom of the support is also fixedly connected to the threaded sleeve via an upper support base.

[0018] Furthermore, the second drive unit drives one end of the centering screw, and the other end of the centering screw is rotatably connected to the fixed tailstock through a tailstock bearing.

[0019] Furthermore, the traveling device includes a base frame and several traveling wheels, which are rotatably connected to the base frame via axles.

[0020] Furthermore, the motor drives the wheel axle to rotate through the reducer, thereby realizing the movement of the walking device.

[0021] Furthermore, the base frame is formed by connecting the longitudinal beams on both sides through several transverse beams.

[0022] Furthermore, the centering device is located on one side of the base frame, while the battery box is located on the other side as a counterweight.

[0023] Furthermore, the base frame is also equipped with a ranging module for positioning the walking position.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention adjusts the position of the workpiece in the longitudinal and transverse directions through two translation mechanisms, and the centering detection and correction are completed by the ranging unit. The position of the workpiece can be adjusted during the transportation of the track shuttle, so that the gripping component at the next location can directly grab the goods and put them into storage without stopping the operation to reposition the goods. The operation is more convenient, the positioning is more accurate, and time and manpower are saved. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the rail shuttle vehicle;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the walking device;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first translation mechanism.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a sectional view of the first translation mechanism;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the second translation mechanism;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the rail shuttle vehicle;

[0031] Referring to the attached diagram, the components are: 1. Traveling wheel; 2. Base frame; 3. Mounting bracket; 4. Telescopic arm; 5. First drive assembly; 6. Telescopic base; 7. Battery box; 8. Laser rangefinder; 9. Laser rangefinder module; 10. Motor; 11. Reducer; 12. Dovetail groove; 13. Second drive assembly; 14. Light rod; 15. Centering screw; 16. Support component; 17. Drive gear; 18. Rack; 19. Bearing; 20. Gear. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0033] See Figures 1 to 6 , Figures 1 to 6 This illustration depicts one embodiment of the invention, which mainly includes a traveling device responsible for the horizontal movement of the entire mechanism, and a centering device for centering the mechanism after loading. The traveling device can move on a track connecting two storage racks / equipment, and the traveling device is equipped with the centering device. For ease of explanation, the direction of travel of the traveling device along the track is defined as longitudinal, and the direction perpendicular to it is defined as transverse.

[0034] The centering device includes a first translation mechanism for lateral movement, a second translation mechanism for longitudinal movement, and a ranging unit, all stacked on top of each other. The two translation mechanisms, stacked vertically, allow for adjustment of the workpiece in two horizontal degrees of freedom. In this embodiment, a set of two ranging units are positioned longitudinally at the center of both ends of the traveling device; the space between the two units represents its measurable range. See also... Figure 1 The ranging unit includes a mounting bracket and a laser ranging sensor. The mounting bracket is a straight rod, erected at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the traveling device. The laser ranging sensor is located on the upper section of the mounting bracket, and its height should be adapted to the workpiece whose position is to be adjusted. Ranging units are installed on both sides simultaneously, allowing for the detection of the distance between the laser ranging unit and both ends of the workpiece, achieving high-precision centering detection. Furthermore, the number of ranging units and their installation positions can be adaptively adjusted according to the shape characteristics of the transported workpiece and the needs of the gripping components at the next location to accommodate various positional requirements.

[0035] See Figure 3 The first translation mechanism includes two sets of telescopic bases mounted on the second translation mechanism, and corresponding telescopic arms arranged laterally. The lower end face of the telescopic arm has a groove arranged laterally, with a cross-section in the shape of an inverted U. A rack with its teeth facing downwards is also horizontally positioned at the bottom of the U-shape of the groove, meshing with a gear whose wheel surface is vertically arranged to achieve high-precision transmission. The first drive assembly (servo motor) drives the drive gear on its output shaft to rotate forward / reverse. The drive gear drives the passive rotation of the gear, and the gear teeth, by moving the rack, cause the telescopic arm to extend / retract laterally.

[0036] Preferably, the telescopic base consists of two vertically oriented plates joined together, with a space between them. A gear is mounted within this space via a horizontal gear shaft. The upper portion of the gear extends beyond the space and meshes with a rack, while the lower end meshes with a drive gear driven by a first drive assembly (servo motor). See also... Figure 4 In this embodiment, there are two sets of telescopic bases and telescopic arms, and therefore two sets of gear and rack mechanisms. The first drive assembly drives two active gears to rotate by driving a horizontally arranged rod along the longitudinal direction. The active gears drive two passively rotating gears to actuate the rack, so that the two telescopic arms move synchronously.

[0037] Preferably, the telescopic arm has several bearings arranged in a straight line on both sides. The upper end of the bearing is slightly higher than the top surface of the telescopic base, and the upper end of the bearing also contacts the bottom of the groove of the telescopic arm, which serves to guide movement and reduce wear. In addition, the upper end face of the telescopic arm is provided with a bracket for placing the workpiece. The shape of the bracket is adapted to the workpiece; and the two brackets are aligned in the longitudinal direction, which is conducive to the measurement of the distance measuring unit.

[0038] See Figure 5 The second translation mechanism includes a support member for supporting the first translation mechanism. In this embodiment, the support member consists of two horizontally arranged square tubes, with connecting blocks at the top of both ends of the square tubes for supporting the connecting plate below the telescopic base of the first translation mechanism. The support member can slide within a longitudinally arranged groove via a slider at its bottom. The groove is preferably a dovetail groove, and the dovetail groove is machined from a single piece of sheet metal to ensure its load-bearing capacity. Preferably, multiple sliders are installed in the dovetail groove to facilitate good stability and guidance. The support seat on the support member is fixedly connected to a threaded sleeve, and the threaded sleeve and the centering screw form a movable screw-nut mechanism; after the second drive unit (servo motor) is started, it drives the centering screw to rotate, driving the support member to move longitudinally.

[0039] As a preferred option, see Figure 5 The second drive unit drives one end of the centering screw, and the other end of the centering screw is rotatably connected to the fixed tailstock through the tailstock bearing, which helps the centering screw to remain horizontal and stable.

[0040] In this embodiment, corresponding to the two sets of telescopic bases and telescopic arms, two sets of support members are also provided. Preferably, two longitudinal reinforcing tubes are connected between the two sets of support members and the two square tubes in each set. The cross-section of the reinforcing tubes is also square, which can improve the overall strength of the structure.

[0041] See Figure 2 The traveling device includes a base frame and several wheels. The base frame is composed of longitudinal beams on both sides connected by three cross beams. Two axles are mounted on the base frame, with wheels at both ends. The axles are rotatably connected to the base frame via bearings. A motor, through a reducer, increases torque to drive one of the axles to rotate, thus enabling the movement of the traveling device. The base frame is entirely housed within the four axles, ensuring that the center of the traveling device is located inside the track.

[0042] Preferably, the aforementioned centering device is located on the longitudinal rear side of the base frame, while the battery box, welded from sheet metal, is located on the longitudinal front side as a counterweight, ensuring stability during workpiece transport. The batteries in the battery box can power all components of the entire rail shuttle.

[0043] As a preferred option, see Figure 1 The base frame is also equipped with a laser ranging module for positioning the walking device. When the walking device moves to the preset position, the laser ranging module receives the signal and sends a signal to the controller to stop its operation.

[0044] In use, the workpiece is first placed on the bracket of the centering device by manually operating the manual boom or robotic arm. See also Figure 6 In this embodiment, the workpiece is a cylinder, the bracket is arranged longitudinally, and the axis of the cylinder is also placed longitudinally when it is placed on the bracket.

[0045] Initially, the telescopic arm extends laterally to the left. First, the first drive assembly is activated. The first drive assembly drives two gears to rotate via the guide rod and the drive gear, which in turn rotates the racks of the two telescopic arms, moving the telescopic arm with the workpiece on it to the right until the telescopic arm reaches the central position (or moves to another position within the measurable range as needed). At this point, the first drive assembly stops operating.

[0046] Secondly, the laser rangefinder of the ranging unit receives the reflected signals from both ends of the workpiece and reads the distance values, automatically or manually determining whether they are consistent. Then, based on the two distance values, the second translation mechanism is automatically or manually controlled to move the workpiece longitudinally. If it is confirmed that the workpiece deviates from the center position, the second drive assembly is activated, which rotates the centering screw to drive the support component to move longitudinally along the dovetail groove. The moving distance is determined according to the distance values ​​until the workpiece is in the center position (the distance readings of the reflected signals from both ends of the workpiece are the same), at which point the second drive assembly is deactivated. When the traveling device moves to the preset position, the gripping component at the next location can directly and accurately grip the workpiece and transport it through fixed preset actions, without the need for further calibration or adjustment. Furthermore, the operator can perform the above control via a wireless network on the control panel.

[0047] This embodiment can center and adjust the position of the workpiece during the transportation of the track shuttle, so that the gripping component at the next location can directly grab the goods and put them into storage without having to reposition the goods. This makes the operation more convenient, the positioning more accurate, and saves time and manpower.

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A track shuttle vehicle, characterized in that: Includes a walking device and a centering device; wherein: The traveling device can move on a track and is equipped with a centering device; the centering device includes a first translation mechanism for lateral movement, a second translation mechanism for longitudinal movement; and at least one pair of ranging units, which are arranged at both ends of the traveling device along the longitudinal direction. The first translation mechanism includes a telescopic base mounted on the second translation mechanism and a telescopic arm arranged laterally. The telescopic arm is provided with a rack, and the first drive component drives the gear meshing with the rack to rotate, or the first drive component drives the gear to rotate through the drive gear on its output shaft, thereby causing the telescopic arm to extend / retract laterally. The upper end face of the telescopic arm is provided with a bracket for placing workpieces, and the lower end face of the telescopic arm is provided with a horizontal groove. A horizontal rack is located at the bottom of the groove and meshes with a vertically arranged gear. The second translation mechanism includes a support member for supporting the first translation mechanism. The support member slides in a longitudinally arranged groove via a slider. The support member is also movably connected to the centering screw via a threaded sleeve. The second drive unit drives the centering screw to rotate, thereby moving the support member longitudinally. The workpiece is placed on the centering device. First, the first translation mechanism moves it laterally into the measuring range of the distance measuring unit. Then, the second translation mechanism moves it longitudinally until the distance measuring unit displays that the workpiece is in the center position.

2. The rail shuttle vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic base consists of two vertically arranged plates joined together, with the gear located in the interlayer between the two plates.

3. The rail shuttle vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: Several bearings are provided on the side of the vertical plate, and the bearings are in contact with the bottom of the groove of the telescopic arm.

4. The rail shuttle vehicle according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The first translation mechanism consists of two parts, and the first drive assembly drives two gears to rotate via a longitudinally arranged optical rod.

5. The rail shuttle vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support consists of several horizontally arranged square tubes, with a connecting block at the top of each square tube supporting the first translation mechanism.

6. The rail shuttle vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second drive unit drives one end of the centering screw, and the other end of the centering screw is rotatably connected to the fixed tailstock.

7. The rail shuttle vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking device includes a base frame and several wheels, which are rotatably connected to the base frame via axles; it also includes a motor that drives the axles to rotate via a reducer; the base frame is also equipped with a distance measuring module for positioning the walking position.

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