Automatic guided vehicle

Abstract

An automated guided vehicle is provided with: a vehicle body unit including a drive unit; a connecting part which is detachably connected with the trolley; and a control unit that controls the connection unit and the drive unit such that the trolley to be transported is transported to a destination after the connection unit is connected to the trolley to be transported among the plurality of dense trolleys and the trolley to be transported is moved away from the adjacent trolley.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses an automated guided vehicle (AGV). Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as such an AGV, a transporting AGV has been proposed: in a state of getting under a cart, a fitting pin for combination is fitted into a fitting groove of the cart, and thus the AGV is combined with the cart to transport the cart (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). A connecting ring is provided on the front surface of the base portion of the cart, and a connecting hook is provided on the rear surface of the base portion of the cart. Between a plurality of carts arranged one in front of the other, the connecting hook of the front cart is engaged with the connecting link of the rear cart, and thus the carts are connected to each other. The transporting AGV includes a pull rod protruding outward from the vehicle body, a rod integrally fixed orthogonally to the pull rod, and an electric motor for rotational movement for rotating the rod around the pull rod. When separating two mutually connected carts from each other, the transporting AGV gets under the front cart and combines with the front cart, then uses the rod to push up the connecting hook of the front cart upward, and in this state, makes the front cart move forward to pull the carts apart from each other and then stops.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-101222 Summary of the Invention

[0005] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In Patent Document 1, although it describes the case of separating a plurality of mutually connected carts from each other by a transporting AGV, it does not mention transporting a cart to be transported from a plurality of dense carts to a destination without interfering with other carts.

[0007] The main object of the present disclosure is to transport a cart to be transported among a plurality of dense carts to a destination without interfering with other carts.

[0008] Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The present disclosure adopts the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0010] The AGV of the present disclosure transports a cart. The AGV includes: a vehicle body portion including a driving portion; a connecting portion detachably connected to the cart; and a control portion for controlling the connecting portion and the driving portion so that after connecting the connecting portion to a cart to be transported among a plurality of dense carts and moving the cart to be transported away from adjacent carts, the cart to be transported is transported to a destination.

[0011] In the disclosed automated guided vehicle, after connecting to the target carriage among a plurality of closely arranged carriages and moving the target carriage away from adjacent carriages, the target carriage is transported to the destination. Thus, the target carriage among the plurality of closely arranged carriages can be transported to the destination without interfering with other carriages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective external view of a plurality of basket carriages densely arranged at a carriage placement area and an automated guided vehicle for transporting the basket carriages.

[0013] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a perspective external view of the automated guided vehicle.

[0014] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a side view of the automated guided vehicle.

[0015] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a side view of the automated guided vehicle.

[0016] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state where the automated guided vehicle drills under the basket carriage.

[0017] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state where the automated guided vehicle is connected to the basket carriage.

[0018] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an automated guided vehicle system including the automated guided vehicle and a management device.

[0019] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a transport control routine.

[0020] Figure 9 FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a case of transporting a target carriage from among densely arranged basket carriages.

[0021] Figure 10 FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a case of transporting a target carriage from among densely arranged basket carriages.

[0022] Figure 11 FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a case of transporting a target carriage from among densely arranged basket carriages.

[0023] Figure 12 FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a case of transporting a target carriage from among densely arranged basket carriages.

[0024] Figure 13 FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a case of transporting a target carriage from among densely arranged basket carriages.

[0025] Figure 14 FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a form in which the target carriage interferes with an adjacent basket carriage.

[0026] Figure 15 It is an explanatory diagram showing a form in which the transfer target cart interferes with the adjacent basket cart.

[0027] Figure 16 It shows Figure 8 A flowchart of a transfer control routine of a modified example.

[0028] Figure 17 It is a flowchart of a transfer control routine showing other embodiments.

[0029] Figure 18 It shows Figure 17 A flowchart of a transfer control routine of a modified example.

[0030] Figure 19 It is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the basket cart. Detailed implementation mode

[0031] Next, a mode for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 It is an external perspective view of a plurality of basket carts 100 densely arranged at the cart placement location L and an automated guided vehicle 10 for transporting the basket carts 100. Figure 2 It is an external perspective view of the automated guided vehicle 10. Figure 3 and Figure 4 It is a side view of the automated guided vehicle 10. Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle 10 drills under the basket cart 100. Figure 6 It is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the automated guided vehicle 10 is connected to the basket cart 100. Figure 7 It is a block diagram of an automated guided vehicle system 1 including the automated guided vehicle 10 and a management device 60.

[0033] The automated guided vehicle 10 of the present embodiment is used in a logistics center, a warehouse, a store, etc. As Figure 1 shown, it is a transport robot (AMR: Autonomous Mobile Robot) that can autonomously travel while being connected to the basket cart 100. As Figure 7 shown, the automated guided vehicle system 1 includes the automated guided vehicle 10 and a management device 60 that manages the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10.

[0034] As Figure 1As shown, the basket-type cart 100 is, for example, a basket-type cart having a rectangular and net-like loading platform portion 101 capable of loading goods and a plurality (for example, four) of casters 110 rotatably mounted on the lower surface of the loading platform portion 101. An AR marker, a two-dimensional code, a bar code, or the like, i.e., a marker M, for identifying the basket-type cart 100 is provided on the loading platform portion 101 of the basket-type cart 100. The automated guided vehicle 10 identifies the basket-type cart 100 (the cart to be transported) to be transported by reading the marker M. In addition, the marker M may also be attached to the goods loaded on the loading platform portion 101. In addition, the automated guided vehicle 10 may identify the outer shape of the basket-type cart 100 instead of the marker M.

[0035] As Figure 2 shown, the automated guided vehicle 10 of the present embodiment has a flat cuboid-shaped appearance with a relatively low height. The automated guided vehicle 10 includes: a vehicle body portion 11, a plurality (for example, four) of wheels 21 rotatably mounted on the bottom surface of the vehicle body portion 11, and a plurality (for example, four) of drive motors 22 (see Figure 7 ). In the present embodiment, the plurality of wheels 21 are configured as Mecanum wheels having a plurality of rollers on the outer periphery of the wheels that can rotate about an axis inclined 45 degrees with respect to the rotation axis of the wheels. The automated guided vehicle 10 can move the vehicle body portion 11 in all directions or turn (spin turn, spin turn, gentle turn, etc.) by independently controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the corresponding wheels 21 using the plurality of drive motors 22. In addition, the plurality of wheels 21 may be composed of omnidirectional wheels having a plurality of rollers that can rotate about an axis that intersects the rotation axis of the wheels three-dimensionally. That is, as long as the plurality of wheels 21 can move the vehicle body portion 11 in multiple directions or turn, they can be any type of wheels.

[0036] In addition, as Figure 3 , Figure 4 shown, the automated guided vehicle 10 includes a connecting portion 30 provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body portion 11 and capable of connecting to the basket-type cart 100 in a state where the vehicle body portion 11 has entered below the basket-type cart 100. The connecting portion 30 has a flat lifting plate 31, connecting pins 32, 33, 34 provided so as to extend upward from the lifting plate 31, and a lifting device 35 for lifting and lowering the lifting plate 31. The lifting plate 31 has a left-right width substantially the same as the left-right width of the vehicle body portion 11 so as to cover the upper surface of the vehicle body portion 11, and has a front-rear width slightly shorter than the front-rear width of the vehicle body portion 11. The connecting pin 32 is provided at the front portion of the lifting plate 31, the connecting pin 33 is provided at the rear portion of the lifting plate 31, and the connecting pin 34 is provided at an intermediate portion between the front portion and the rear portion of the lifting plate 31. As Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, in a state where the vehicle body portion 11 has entered below the basket-type cart 100, the lifting plate 31 is raised by the lifting device 35, whereby at least one of the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 engages with the back side of the loading portion 101 of the basket-type cart 100. Thus, the driverless transport vehicle 10 is connected to the basket-type cart 100, and the driverless transport vehicle 10 can transport (tow) the basket-type cart 100.

[0037] As Figures 2 - 4 shown, contact detection sensors 36 (spring sensors) for detecting contact (connection) between the connecting portion 30 (connecting pins 32, 33, 34) and the loading portion 101 of the basket-type cart 100 are provided on the left and right sides of the lifting plate 31. The contact detection sensor 36 has a plate that is urged upward by a spring with an upper end at approximately the same height as the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 with respect to the lifting plate 31. When the connecting pins 32, 33, 34 engage with the loading portion 101 of the basket-type cart 100, the plate of the contact detection sensor 36 contacts the loading portion 101, the spring is compressed and relatively descends with respect to the connecting pins 32, 33, 34. The contact detection sensor 36 detects contact (connection) between the connecting portion 30 and the loading portion 101 of the basket-type cart 100 by detecting the state of the relatively descending plate.

[0038] In addition, as Figure 7 shown, the driverless transport vehicle 10 includes: a control unit 40 responsible for overall control; a storage unit 41 that stores various information including map information; a communication unit 42 for communicating (wireless communication) with a management device 60 or other driverless transport vehicles; a camera unit 51 as a photographing device; sensor units 52, 53; and a light emitting unit 54 that irradiates the front of the vehicle body portion 11. The camera unit 51 is provided on the front surface of the vehicle body portion 11 to recognize the front of the vehicle body portion 11. The sensor units 52, 53 are provided on the front surface and the rear surface of the vehicle body portion 11 respectively to detect surrounding interfering objects. The sensor units 52, 53 detect surrounding objects and the distances to the objects. In the present embodiment, the sensor units 52, 53 use LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors, which scan laser light around and receive their respective reflected light, measure the time until the reflected light is received, and thereby measure distance data for each scanning angle to obtain surrounding point cloud data. The light emitting unit 54 is provided on the front surface of the vehicle body portion 11, and by irradiating the front, it becomes easy to recognize surrounding objects by the camera unit 51 in the dark.

[0039] The control unit 40 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU, and in addition to the CPU, it also includes a ROM that stores processing programs, a RAM that temporarily stores data, a timing unit, etc. As Figure 7As shown, an image signal from the camera unit 51, detection signals from the sensor units 52, 53, and the contact detection sensor 36, etc. are input to the control unit 40. Control signals, etc. are output from the control unit 40 to the drive motor 22 and the lifting device 35.

[0040] As Figure 7 shown, the management device 60 includes a processing unit 61, a storage unit 62 that stores various types of information including map information, and a communication unit 63 for communicating (wireless communication) with each automated guided vehicle 10. The processing unit 61 is configured as a microprocessor centered around a CPU, and in addition to the CPU, also includes a ROM that stores processing programs, a RAM that temporarily stores data, etc.

[0041] Next, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10 configured in this way in the present embodiment will be described. In particular, as Figure 1 shown, the operation when connecting to one basket trolley 100 (the trolley to be transported) from among a plurality of basket trolleys 100 arranged in a dense state near the wall W of the trolley placement area L and transporting (towing) the trolley to be transported to the destination will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a transportation control routine executed by the control unit 40 of the automated guided vehicle 10. This process is executed when the transportation of the basket trolley 100 (cargo) is instructed from the management device 60. Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 9 - 13 the transportation control routine will be described.

[0042] When the transportation control routine is executed, the control unit 40 first controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body unit 11 moves forward to approach the trolley placement area L (S100, Figure 9 ). Next, the control unit 40 identifies the basket trolley 100 (the trolley to be transported) to be transported by recognizing the marker M attached to the basket trolley 100 or the goods placed on the cargo table unit 101 using the camera unit 51 provided on the front surface of the vehicle body unit 11 (S102). In addition, the control unit 40 may identify the trolley to be transported based on the point cloud data detected by the sensor unit 52 instead of the camera unit 51.

[0043] Next, the control unit 40 identifies the casters 110 of the handling object cart to be identified (S104). This process is performed by identifying two objects (casters 110) located below the position where the marker M is identified by the camera unit 51 based on the point cloud data detected by the sensor unit 52. In addition, the control unit 40 can identify the two objects (casters 110) not only by the combination of the camera unit 51 and the sensor unit 52, but also based only on the point cloud data detected by the sensor unit 52. And, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body unit 11 drills under the handling object cart by forward travel from between the casters 110 of the handling object cart (S106, Figure 10 ). In the present embodiment, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 to advance to and stop at a first position shallower than the position directly below the handling object cart. This control can be performed, for example, by measuring the distance from the vehicle body unit 11 to the caster 110 using the sensor unit 52 and advancing the vehicle body unit 11 by a predetermined advance amount from the state where the measured distance is a predetermined distance.

[0044] Next, the control unit 40 raises the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 by the lifting device 35 so as to engage with the loading platform unit 101 of the handling object cart and connects to the handling object cart (S108). Since the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 are provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body unit 11 at the front part, the rear part, and the middle part in the front-rear direction, respectively, as long as a part of the vehicle body unit 11 drills under the handling object cart, the handling object cart can be connected to the vehicle body unit 11. In the present embodiment, the front-rear width of the vehicle body unit 11 is larger than the front-rear width of the handling object cart. Therefore, when the vehicle body unit 11 drills into a deeper position (a second position described later) of the handling object cart, as Figure 14 shown, the vehicle body unit 11 may protrude from the handling object cart and interfere (collide) with the casters 110 of the adjacent basket cart 100. In the present embodiment, when connecting to the handling object cart, a part of the vehicle body unit 11 drills under the handling object cart (the first position), so that interference (collision) between the vehicle body unit 11 and the casters 110 of the basket cart 100 adjacent to the handling object cart can be suppressed.

[0045] Next, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the connected handling object cart retreats from the adjacent basket cart 100 to ensure a certain gap C (S110, Figure 11 ). In the present embodiment, this process is performed by retreating a predetermined retreat amount. And, the control unit 40 lowers the connecting pins 32, 33, and 34 by the lifting device 35 to temporarily release the connection with the handling object cart (S112).

[0046] Next, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body unit 11 advances forward and drills into a deeper second position (a position near directly below the carriage target cart) of the carriage target cart (S114, Figure 12 ). In the present embodiment, the control unit 40 can perform this by advancing a predetermined amount from the above-described first position. Next, the control unit 40 raises the coupling pins 32, 33, and 34 by the lifting device 35 so as to engage with the loading platform unit 101 of the carriage target cart, and reconnects with the carriage target cart (S116).

[0047] Next, the control unit 40 obtains a conveyance path, and controls the drive motor 22 so as to turn the vehicle body unit 11 in a direction facing forward with respect to the conveyance direction (for example, a pivot turn) (S118, Figure 13 ). Then, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 to start conveyance to the destination according to the conveyance path (S120). When the unmanned carrier 10 turns while the carriage target cart connected to the unmanned carrier 10 and the adjacent basket cart 100 are in a close state, as Figure 15 shown, the carriage target cart may interfere (collide) with the adjacent basket cart 100. In the present embodiment, since a certain gap C is ensured between the carriage target cart and the adjacent basket cart 100, when the unmanned carrier 10 turns, it is possible to avoid a collision between the carriage target cart and the adjacent basket cart 100, and thus the carriage target cart can be conveyed smoothly.

[0048] In addition, the conveyance path is obtained as follows: The shape of the surroundings is grasped based on the point cloud data measured by the sensor units 52 and 53 (LiDAR), the current position of the own vehicle is identified by comparing (contrasting) the grasped shape of the surroundings with the map information stored in the storage unit 41, and a path search is performed based on the identified current position and the designated destination and based on the map information. In addition, regarding the acquisition of the conveyance path, the current position may be identified and sent to the management device, and the conveyance path generated by the management device based on the current position may be received. In addition, the conveyance path may be obtained at any timing as long as it is during the period from the start of execution of the conveyance control routine to the start of the process of S120. When starting the conveyance of the carriage target cart, the control unit 40 obtains its own position (S122) and determines whether it has reached the destination (S124). When the control unit 40 determines that it has not reached the destination, it returns to S122 and continues to travel. On the other hand, when the control unit 40 determines that it has reached the destination, it stops traveling (S126), and releases the connection with the carriage target cart (S128), ending this routine.

[0049] Here, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the present disclosure described in the claims will be described. That is, the basket trolley 100 (the trolley to be transported) of the present embodiment is an example of the trolley of the present disclosure, the drive motor 22 is an example of the drive unit, the vehicle body part 11 is an example of the vehicle body part, the connecting part 30 (connecting pins 32, 33, 34) is the connecting part, and the control part 40 corresponds to an example of the control part. In addition, the sensor parts 52, 53 are examples of the detection part.

[0050] In addition, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to any of the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various ways as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0051] For example, in the above embodiment, in the Figure 8 transport control routine, after the process of S112, the control part 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body part 11 advances and drills into the second position under the trolley to be transported. However, it can also be as shown in the Figure 16 transport control routine of the modified example. After the process of S112, the control part 40 retreats to a position where the trolley to be transported can be recognized (S130), recognizes the casters 110 of the trolley to be transported (S132), and controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body part 11 advances and drills into the second position under the trolley to be transported from between the casters 110 (S114).

[0052] In addition, in the above embodiment, the control part 40 approaches and connects to the trolley to be transported by advancing, and ensures a certain gap C between the trolley to be transported and the adjacent basket trolley 100 by retreating. However, the control part 40 can also approach and connect to the trolley to be transported by retreating, and ensure a certain gap C between the trolley to be transported and the adjacent basket trolley 100 by advancing. Figure 17 It is a flowchart showing the transport control routine of another embodiment. For Figure 17 the same processes in each process of the routine as those in the above Figure 8 routine are marked with the same step numbers. In addition, the detailed description of the same process is omitted due to repetition.

[0053] In the handling control routine of other embodiments, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body portion 11 approaches the cart placement location L backward (S100B). Next, the control unit 40 identifies the mark M of the basket cart 100 (the cart to be handled) placed at the cart placement location L, and also identifies the casters 110 of the cart to be handled (S102, S104). The automated guided vehicle 10 may also have a camera unit (identification unit) on the rear surface of the vehicle body portion 11, and the control unit 40 identifies the mark M through this camera unit. The drive motor 22 is controlled so that the vehicle body portion 11 drills downward from between the casters 110 of the cart to be handled to the first position by backward travel (S106B). Next, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that it is connected to the cart to be handled (S108), and the connected cart to be handled advances until a certain gap C is ensured with the adjacent basket cart 100 (S110B). Then, the control unit 40 temporarily releases the connection with the cart to be handled (S112), and controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body portion 11 drills backward to a deeper second position under the cart to be handled (a position near directly below the cart to be handled) (S114B).

[0054] Next, the control unit 40 reconnects with the cart to be handled (S116). Next, after the control unit 40 turns the vehicle body portion 11 by controlling the drive motor 22 in such a way that the handling direction with respect to the handling path faces forward (S118), the drive motor 22 is controlled so as to start handling to the destination along the handling path (S120 - S128). In this way, by approaching and connecting to the cart to be handled by backward travel, and ensuring a certain gap C between the cart to be handled and the adjacent basket cart 100 by forward travel, it is possible to reduce the amount of turning forward with respect to the subsequent handling path.

[0055] In this other embodiment, after the process of S112, the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body portion 11 drills backward under the cart to be handled. However, as shown in the handling control routine of the modification example of Figure 18 , after the process of S112, the control unit 40 advances to a position where the cart to be handled can be identified (S130B), identifies the casters 110 of the cart to be handled (S132), and controls the drive motor 22 so that the vehicle body portion 11 drills backward from between the casters 110 to the second position under the cart to be handled (S114B).

[0056] In addition, after connecting the carriage to be transported to the vehicle body 11, the control unit 40 can also detect obstacles around the vehicle body 11 through the sensor units 52 and 53, and move the vehicle body 11 to an area without obstacles, thereby ensuring a certain gap C between the carriage to be transported and the adjacent basket-type carriage 100.

[0057] In the above-described embodiment, the carriage to be transported is connected and transported from among a plurality of basket-type carriages 100 arranged in a dense state at a corner surrounded by the wall W as the carriage placement area L. However, as Figure 19 shown, as long as the carriage to be transported is connected and transported from among a plurality of basket-type carriages 100 (carriages) arranged densely in the space between a plurality of shelves S extending in parallel, it is sufficient to connect to one basket-type carriage 100 for transportation.

[0058] In the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 40 separates the carriage to be transported from the adjacent basket-type carriage 100, a part of the vehicle body 11 is drilled under the carriage to be transported and connected to the carriage. However, when the size of the vehicle body 11 is completely accommodated under the loading platform portion 101 of the carriage to be transported, the control unit may also drill the entire vehicle body 11 under the carriage to be transported and connect to the carriage. In this case, after connecting the carriage to be transported to the vehicle body 11 and separating it from the adjacent basket-type carriage 100 from among the densely arranged plurality of basket-type carriages 100, the control unit 40 may directly transport the carriage to be transported to the destination without temporarily releasing the connection to the carriage to be transported.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 40 measures the distance from the vehicle body 11 to the caster 110 of the carriage to be transported through the sensor unit 52 provided on the front surface of the vehicle body 11, and controls the position (depth) at which the vehicle body 11 drills into the carriage to be transported based on the measured distance. However, the automated guided vehicle 10 may also be provided with an object detection sensor having an upper detection range on the upper part of the vehicle body 11, and the control unit 40 controls the position (depth) at which the vehicle body 11 drills into the carriage to be transported based on the detection result of the object detection sensor. For example, after the object detection sensor detects the loading platform portion 101 of the carriage to be transported, the vehicle body 11 may be advanced by a predetermined amount, thereby controlling the position at which the vehicle body 11 drills into the carriage to be transported.

[0060] In the above-described embodiment, the automated guided vehicle 10 engages the connecting pin 34 of the connecting portion 30 with the loading platform portion 101 of the basket-type carriage 100 to tow the basket-type carriage 100. However, the automated guided vehicle 100 may also lift the basket-type carriage 100 using the connecting portion 30 for transportation.

[0061] As described above, in the automated guided vehicle of the present disclosure, after connecting to the target transport cart among a plurality of densely arranged carts and moving the target transport cart away from the adjacent carts, the target transport cart is transported to the destination. Thus, the target transport cart among the plurality of densely arranged carts can be transported to the destination without interfering with other carts.

[0062] In such an automated guided vehicle of the present disclosure, it may also be that the connecting portion is provided on the upper part of the vehicle body portion, and the control portion controls the connecting portion and the driving portion such that after the vehicle body portion is inserted into a position shallower than a predetermined position below the target transport cart, the connecting portion is connected to the target transport cart and the target transport cart is moved away from the adjacent carts, and then the connection with the target transport cart is temporarily released, the vehicle body portion is inserted into the predetermined position, the connecting portion is connected to the target transport cart again, and the target transport cart is transported to the destination. In this way, it is possible to prevent interference between the vehicle body portion and other adjacent carts when the vehicle body portion is inserted into a shallower position below the target transport cart in a state where a plurality of carts are densely arranged and the target transport cart is connected. In addition, after the target transport cart is moved away from other adjacent carts, the vehicle body portion is inserted into a deeper position below the target transport cart, thereby enabling the target transport cart to be more reliably connected to the vehicle body portion.

[0063] In this case, it may also be that the automated guided vehicle is provided with a detection portion for detecting the distance between the target transport cart and the vehicle body portion, and the control portion controls the driving portion based on the detection result of the detection portion such that the vehicle body portion is inserted into the target position below the transport cart. In this way, the position where the vehicle body portion is inserted can be controlled more accurately.

[0064] In addition, in the automated guided vehicle of the present disclosure, it may also be that the control portion controls the driving portion such that after approaching the target transport cart by forward driving and connecting to the target transport cart, the target transport cart is moved away from the adjacent carts by reverse driving; it may also be that the control portion controls the driving portion such that after approaching the target transport cart by forward driving and connecting to the target transport cart, the target transport cart is moved away from the adjacent carts by reverse driving. In this way, the target transport cart can be moved away from the adjacent carts by simple control.

[0065] In addition, in the automated guided vehicle of the present disclosure, it may also be that the control portion controls the driving portion such that after the target transport cart is moved away from the adjacent carts, it makes a turn and the target transport cart is transported to the destination by forward driving. In this way, the target transport cart can be transported more smoothly.

[0066] In this specification, the technical idea of changing "the automated guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3" to "the automated guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5" in claim 6 at the initial application is also disclosed.

[0067] Industrial Applicability

[0068] This disclosure can be applied to the manufacturing industry of automated guided vehicles and the like.

[0069] Description of Reference Numerals

[0070] 1 Automated guided vehicle system, 10 Automated guided vehicle, 11 Vehicle body part, 21 Wheels, 22 Drive motor, 30 Connecting part, 31 Lifting plate, 32, 33, 34 Connecting pins, 35 Lifting device, 36 Contact detection sensor, 40 Control part, 41 Storage part, 42 Communication part, 51 Camera part, 52, 53 Sensor parts, 54 Light emitting part, 60 Management device, 61 Processing part, 62 Storage part, 63 Communication part, 100 Basket trolley, 101 Loading platform part, 110 Caster wheels, L Trolley placement area, M Mark, S Shelf, W Wall.

Claims

1. An automatic guided vehicle that transports a trolley, the automatic guided vehicle comprising: A vehicle body portion including a drive portion; A connecting portion detachably connected to the trolley; and A control portion that controls the connecting portion and the drive portion so that after connecting the connecting portion to a target trolley among a plurality of densely arranged trolleys and moving the target trolley away from adjacent trolleys, the target trolley is transported to a destination.

2. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein The connecting part is provided on the upper part of the vehicle body part. The control part controls the connecting part and the driving part so that when the vehicle body part is drilled to a position shallower than a predetermined position below the transfer target cart, the connecting part is connected to the transfer target cart and the transfer target cart is moved away from the adjacent cart, then the connection with the transfer target cart is temporarily released, the vehicle body part is drilled to the predetermined position, the connecting part is connected to the transfer target cart again, and the transfer target cart is transported to the destination.

3. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 2, wherein The automatic guided vehicle is provided with a detection part for detecting the distance between the transfer target cart and the vehicle body part. The control part controls the driving part based on the detection result of the detection part so that the vehicle body part is drilled to the target position below the transfer cart.

4. The automatic guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The control part controls the driving part so that after approaching the transfer target cart by forward driving and connecting with the transfer target cart, the transfer target cart is moved away from the adjacent cart by reverse driving.

5. The automatic guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The control part controls the driving part so that after approaching the transfer target cart by reverse driving and connecting with the transfer target cart, the transfer target cart is moved away from the adjacent cart by forward driving.

6. The automatic guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The control part controls the driving part so that after the transfer target cart is moved away from the adjacent cart, it makes a turn and transports the transfer target cart to the destination by forward driving.

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