A dolly and floating drive cover

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of floating drive cover, comprising: bridge, with the fixed frame of carrier vehicle, bridge front end is equipped with the contact detection device with on state and off state;Drive cover, including front side, front side is equipped with trigger part corresponding to the contact detection device;Drive cover is connected between bridge by hinged arm, drive cover can be floating relative to the bridge, and when floating occurs, the contact state of the trigger part and the contact detection device changes.The present application also relates to a plate carrier with the above floating drive cover.The drive cover of the above scheme can trigger micro switch at any angle in the direction of vehicle advancement, and realize vehicle shutdown control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of transport vehicle technology, and more particularly to a transport vehicle and a floating drive cover. Background Technology

[0002] The standard for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) (ISO 3691-4:2020 Industrial vehicles – Safety requirements and validation – Part 4: Unmanned industrial vehicles and systems thereof) requires that vehicles be equipped with personnel monitoring measures in automatic mode. Currently, the design of AGVs on the market uses long-range lidar detection and short-range mechanical pressure-sensitive switches. Specifically, a protective strip with a pressure-sensitive resistor is placed around the front side of the drive housing. When the protective strip is triggered in the vehicle's forward direction, the system receives a signal, and the vehicle stops. However, the trigger area of ​​this protective strip is small and easily damaged, resulting in high maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a floating drive cover that can trigger a micro switch at any angle in the vehicle's forward direction, thereby achieving vehicle shutdown control.

[0004] A floating drive shield, comprising:

[0005] The cable tray is fixed to the frame of the transport vehicle. The front end of the cable tray is equipped with a contact detection device that has a conducting state and an open state. The contact detection device is connected to the control circuit of the transport vehicle. In the conducting state, the control circuit is conducting, and in the open state, the control circuit is open.

[0006] The drive cover includes a front side surface, and a trigger part is provided on the front side surface corresponding to the contact detection device. The contact detection device is controlled to switch between a conducting state and a disconnected state according to the contact or separation state between the trigger part and the contact detection device.

[0007] The drive cover is connected to the cable tray via a hinged arm. The drive cover can float relative to the cable tray, and while it is floating, the contact state between the trigger and the contact detection device changes.

[0008] Preferably, the drive cover is in a reference position in its natural state, and the contact detection device includes a normally open micro switch. When the drive cover is in the reference position, the trigger part is in contact with the normally open micro switch, and the control circuit is connected. After the drive cover floats relative to the cable tray, the trigger part separates from the normally open micro switch, and the control circuit is disconnected.

[0009] Preferably, the contact detection device further includes a normally closed micro switch, the normally open micro switch and the normally closed micro switch are connected in series, and the control circuit is disconnected when the normally closed micro switch is triggered.

[0010] Preferably, the hinge arm includes a first hinge arm and a second hinge arm. One end of the first hinge arm is hinged to the cable tray and rotates about a first axis. The other end of the first hinge arm is hinged to one end of the second hinge arm and rotates about a second axis. The first axis and the second axis are perpendicular to each other. The other end of the second hinge arm is hinged to the drive cover.

[0011] Preferably, the first hinge arm rotates up and down relative to the bridge frame about a first axis, and a first elastic element for driving the first hinge arm to reset is provided between the first hinge arm and the bridge arm.

[0012] Preferably, the cable tray includes a downwardly extending first extension, a first hinged arm includes a second extension corresponding to the first extension, a first elastic member is elastically compressed between the first extension and the second extension, and the upper end of the first hinged arm is provided with an adjusting member for adjusting the distance between the first extension and the second extension.

[0013] Preferably, a limiting plate is provided on the upper side of the cable tray, the first hinge arm is located below the limiting plate, and the adjusting component is an adjusting bolt. The adjusting bolt is threadedly connected to the upper part of the first hinge arm, and the upper end of the adjusting bolt abuts against the limiting plate.

[0014] Preferably, the second hinge arm rotates left and right relative to the cable tray about the second axis, and a second elastic element for driving the second hinge arm to reset is provided at the connection between the first hinge arm and the second hinge arm.

[0015] Preferably, the second elastic element is a bidirectional torsion spring, and the second hinge arm includes a connecting rod located between the two torsion arms of the bidirectional torsion spring.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle, including a floating drive cover as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0017] This invention, employing the aforementioned solution, triggers a contact detection device at the front end of the cable tray via a triggering part located on the front side of the drive cover, thereby controlling the on / off state of the transport vehicle's control circuit. The drive cover and the cable tray are connected by a hinged arm. The drive cover can trigger the contact detection device at any angle in the vehicle's forward direction. Stopping control is achieved simply by the drive cover being subjected to external force that changes the contact state between the triggering part and the contact detection device. Compared to the existing anti-collision strip solution, where the triggering surface is only the area covered by the anti-collision strip, the triggering surface in this application is the entire drive cover. Furthermore, the triggering scheme using a contact detection device eliminates the need for direct impact to the contact detection device, making it less prone to damage compared to the anti-collision strip solution. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the floating drive cover (the arrow in the diagram points to the front).

[0019] Figure 2 This is a side view of the floating drive cover (the drive cover is not shown).

[0020] Figure label:

[0021] Cable tray 1, first extension 11, drive cover 2, trigger part 21, contact detection device 3, normally open micro switch 31, normally closed micro switch 32, hinge arm 4, first hinge arm 41, second extension 411, second hinge arm 42, first elastic element 43, second elastic element 44, limit plate 5, adjusting bolt 6. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

[0023] Example 1:

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a floating drive cover, including:

[0025] The cable tray 1 is fixed to the frame of the transport vehicle. The front end of the cable tray 1 is provided with a contact detection device 3 that has a conducting state and an open state. The contact detection device 3 is connected to the control circuit of the transport vehicle. In the conducting state, the control circuit is conducting, and in the open state, the control circuit is open.

[0026] The drive cover 2 includes a front side, and a trigger part 21 is provided on the front side corresponding to the contact detection device 3. The contact detection device 3 is controlled to switch between a conducting state and a disconnected state according to the contact or separation state between the trigger part 21 and the contact detection device 3.

[0027] The drive cover 2 is connected to the cable tray 1 by a hinge arm 4. The drive cover 2 can float relative to the cable tray 1, and at the same time as the floating occurs, the contact state between the trigger part 21 and the contact detection device 3 changes.

[0028] In this embodiment, the bridge frame 1 is a mounting bracket for fixing to the vehicle frame, and the drive cover 2 refers to a cover installed on the outside of the drive unit of the transport vehicle to cover the drive unit. The aforementioned floating drive cover 2 is fixed to the vehicle frame as a whole by the bridge frame 1. The drive cover 2 and the bridge frame 1 are connected by a hinge arm. The number of joints and the rotation direction of the hinge arm are set according to the floating direction required by the drive cover 2, thereby controlling the actuating parts on the drive cover 2. Furthermore, during normal driving without contacting external obstacles, the drive cover can maintain a reference position relative to the bridge frame, keeping the contact detection device in a conductive state, allowing the vehicle to drive normally. In this embodiment, the drive cover includes at least a front side and left and right sides, which are U-shaped to cover the drive unit.

[0029] like Figure 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the articulated arm 4 includes a first articulated arm 41 and a second articulated arm 42. One end of the first articulated arm 41 is hinged to the bridge frame 1 and rotates about a first axis. The other end of the first articulated arm 41 is hinged to one end of the second articulated arm 42 and rotates about a second axis. The first axis and the second axis are perpendicular. The other end of the second articulated arm 42 is hinged to the drive cover 2. Specifically, the first articulated arm 41 rotates up and down relative to the bridge frame 1 about the first axis, and the second articulated arm 42 rotates left and right relative to the bridge frame 1 about the second axis. With the above configuration, the drive cover 2 can float relative to the bridge frame 1 in at least the up, down, left, and right directions. When it touches an obstacle from these angles in the driving direction, it can trigger a change in the conduction state of the contact detection device. In other embodiments, the articulated arm is not limited to including only two joints, the first articulated arm 41 and the second articulated arm 42, and may also include other joints. In other embodiments, the first articulated arm 41 can rotate left and right relative to the bridge frame 1, and the second articulated arm 42 can rotate up and down relative to the bridge frame 1 to achieve the same effect. Preferred, such as Figure 2 As shown, in order to facilitate the connection between the drive cover 2 and the hinge arm, a connecting block is fixed on the inner side of the bottom surface of the drive cover 2, and the lower end of the second hinge arm 42 is hinged to the drive cover 2 through the connecting block.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the cable tray 1 and the drive cover 2 are connected by a set of hinged arms. The set of hinged arms includes two or more hinged arms with the same structure. These hinged arms are symmetrically arranged or evenly distributed to provide a stable and reliable connection.

[0031] As a further preferred embodiment, a first elastic element 43 for driving the first hinge arm 41 to reset is provided between the first hinge arm 41 and the bridge frame 1, and a second elastic element 44 for driving the second hinge arm 42 to reset is provided at the connection between the first hinge arm 41 and the second hinge arm 42. The position of the drive cover 2 when it is not subjected to external force is determined as the reference position. At this reference position, the contact part on the drive cover 2 cooperates with the contact detection device 3 to make the control circuit conduction. At this time, the transport vehicle travels normally. After deviating from the reference position to a certain extent, the contact state between the contact part and the contact detection device 3 changes, the control circuit is disconnected, and the transport vehicle stops. The purpose of setting the first elastic element 43 and the second elastic element 44 is that after the external force applied to the drive cover 2 is removed, the restoring force of the elastic element can make the drive cover 2 return to the reference position. At the same time, at the reference position, due to the setting of the first elastic element 43 and the second elastic element 44, the external force applied to the drive cover 2 needs to be able to overcome the elastic tension before the drive cover 2 can be deviated from the reference position, thereby avoiding the situation where normal shaking during normal operation of the transport vehicle causes the drive cover 2 to deviate from the reference position and stop the transport vehicle.

[0032] like Figure 2As shown, in a specific embodiment, the cable tray 1 includes a downwardly extending first extension 11, and a first hinge arm 41 includes a second extension 411 corresponding to the first extension 11. A first elastic member 43 is elastically compressed between the first extension 11 and the second extension 411. The first extension 11 can be independently formed and fixed to the cable tray 1, or it can be integrally formed with the cable tray 1. In this embodiment, the first elastic member 43 is a compression spring. As a preferred embodiment, the upper end of the first hinge arm 41 is provided with an adjusting member for adjusting the distance between the first extension 11 and the second extension 411. By adjusting the distance between the first extension 11 and the second extension 411, the compression distance of the first elastic member 43 is adjusted when the drive cover 2 is in the reference position, thereby adjusting its initial tension. In a specific embodiment, a limiting plate 5 is provided on the upper side of the cable tray 1, the first hinge arm 41 is located below the limiting plate 5, and the adjusting member is an adjusting bolt 6. The adjusting bolt 6 is threadedly connected to the upper part of the first hinge arm 41, and the upper end of the adjusting bolt 6 abuts against the limiting plate 5.

[0033] The second elastic element 44 is a bidirectional torsion spring. The first hinge arm 41 and the second connecting arm are connected by a hinge pin. The bidirectional torsion spring is sleeved on the hinge pin. The second hinge arm 42 includes a connecting rod. The connecting rod is located between the two torsion arms of the bidirectional torsion spring, so that the connecting rod of the second hinge arm 42 can move the torsion arms of the bidirectional torsion spring.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the contact detection device 3 includes a normally open micro switch 31. When the drive cover 2 is in a reference position, the trigger part 21 remains in contact with the normally open micro switch 31, and the control circuit is connected. After the drive cover 2 floats relative to the cable tray 1, the trigger part 21 separates from the normally open micro switch 31, and the control circuit is disconnected. With the above settings, the basic function of parking control of the transport vehicle based on the floating drive cover 2 can be realized.

[0035] Preferably, the contact detection device 3 in this embodiment further includes a normally closed micro switch 32. The normally open micro switch 31 and the normally closed micro switch 32 are connected in series. When the normally closed micro switch 32 is triggered, the control circuit is disconnected. In this embodiment, the contact heads of the normally closed micro switch 32 and the normally open micro switch 31 can be steel balls, so the trigger part can be set as a protruding structure to facilitate their cooperation. In this embodiment, another trigger part 21 can be set corresponding to the normally closed micro switch 32. Setting a normally closed micro switch can cooperate with the normally open micro switch 31 to control the on / off state of the control circuit. When the normally open micro switch 31 deviates from the trigger position or the normally closed micro switch 32 enters the trigger position, the control circuit can be disconnected, controlling the transport vehicle to stop, which can improve reliability. On the other hand, after the drive cover 2 is deformed by an external force, for example, the front side of the drive cover 2 deforms inward, causing the drive cover 2 to float a certain distance but still cannot disengage the trigger part 21 from the normally open micro switch 31 (the drive cover 2 can disengage from the normally open micro switch 31 by floating this distance under normal shape). At this time, since the normally closed micro switch 32 is set close to the normally open micro switch 31, the position of the deformation of the drive cover 2 can trigger the normally closed micro switch 32, thereby causing the control circuit to be disconnected and the machine to stop.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, when the vehicle is driving normally, the trigger part 21 of the drive cover 2 is in contact with the normally open micro switch 31. The normally open micro switch 31 is triggered, and the control circuit is connected. When the drive cover 2 is subjected to external force and floats in the up, down, left, and right directions, the contact head of the trigger part 21 and the normally open micro switch 31 separates. The normally open micro switch 31 is not triggered, the control circuit is disconnected, and the transport vehicle stops.

[0037] After the drive cover 2 is deformed by an external force, for example, after the front side of the drive cover 2 is deformed to a certain extent, the normally closed micro switch 32 is triggered, the control circuit is disconnected, and the transport vehicle stops.

[0038] Example 2:

[0039] This embodiment provides a transport vehicle, including the floating drive cover of Embodiment 1.

[0040] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A floating drive cover, characterized in that, include: The cable tray is fixed to the frame of the transport vehicle. The front end of the cable tray is equipped with a contact detection device that has a conducting state and an open state. The contact detection device is connected to the control circuit of the transport vehicle. In the conducting state, the control circuit is conducting, and in the open state, the control circuit is open. The drive cover includes a front side surface, and a trigger part is provided on the front side surface corresponding to the contact detection device. The contact detection device is controlled to switch between a conducting state and a disconnected state according to the contact or separation state between the trigger part and the contact detection device. The drive cover is connected to the cable tray via a hinged arm. The drive cover can float relative to the cable tray, and the contact state between the trigger part and the contact detection device changes when the float occurs. The hinge arm includes a first hinge arm and a second hinge arm. One end of the first hinge arm is hinged to the cable tray and rotates about a first axis. The other end of the first hinge arm is hinged to one end of the second hinge arm and rotates about a second axis. The first axis and the second axis are perpendicular to each other. The other end of the second hinge arm is hinged to the drive cover. The first hinge arm rotates up and down relative to the bridge frame about the first axis, and a first elastic element for driving the first hinge arm to reset is provided between the first hinge arm and the bridge arm. The cable tray includes a downwardly extending first extension, a first hinged arm includes a second extension corresponding to the first extension, a first elastic member is elastically compressed between the first extension and the second extension, and the upper end of the first hinged arm is provided with an adjusting member for adjusting the distance between the first extension and the second extension. A limiting plate is provided on the upper side of the cable tray, and the first hinge arm is located below the limiting plate. The adjusting component is an adjusting bolt, which is threadedly connected to the upper part of the first hinge arm, and the upper end of the adjusting bolt abuts against the limiting plate. The second hinge arm rotates left and right relative to the cable tray about the second axis, and a second elastic element is provided at the connection between the first hinge arm and the second hinge arm for driving the second hinge arm to reset.

2. The floating drive cover according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive cover is in a reference position under natural conditions. The contact detection device includes a normally open micro switch. When the drive cover is in the reference position, the trigger part is in contact with the normally open micro switch, and the control circuit is connected. After the drive cover floats relative to the cable tray, the trigger part separates from the normally open micro switch, and the control circuit is disconnected.

3. A floating drive cover according to claim 2, characterized in that, The contact detection device also includes a normally closed micro switch, and the normally open micro switch and the normally closed micro switch are connected in series. When the normally closed micro switch is triggered, the control circuit is disconnected.

4. A floating drive cover according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second elastic element is a bidirectional torsion spring, and the second hinge arm includes a connecting rod located between the two torsion arms of the bidirectional torsion spring.

5. A transport vehicle, characterized in that, Includes a floating drive cover as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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