AGV trolley and trolley fork arm folding and unfolding method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of AGVs, in particular to an AGV and a method for retracting and releasing a fork arm of the AGV, the overall structure of the AGV is improved, a fork arm assembly is driven by a portal assembly to move in the X-axis direction with a frame assembly as a base point, a fork arm stretching and forking structure of a fork arm in a traditional fork arm is replaced, a power source is reduced, and the labor intensity of workers is reduced. Meanwhile, the fork arm assemblies connected to the same portal assembly can achieve the step of better synchronous fork stretching and retracting, the fork arm structure is simpler, driving work is more reliable, the structure that an upper plate and a lower plate in a traditional fork arm are integrally opened is improved, the structure of double shear forks and a supporting plate is adopted, the fork arm can adapt to the forking condition of a Chinese character'tian '-shaped support, and the forking efficiency is improved. Forking the matts-shaped tray; the adaptive fork arm folding and unfolding method can show good adaptability in practical application.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of AGV vehicles, and more specifically, it relates to an AGV vehicle and a method for retracting and extending the fork arms of the vehicle. Background Art

[0002] AGV vehicles are widely used in industries such as logistics and warehousing to reduce labor costs and improve work efficiency. In the structural design of traditional AGV vehicles, separate fork arms are installed on the frame assembly, which requires power sources for both extending and lifting the fork arms, resulting in a relatively complex structure. Moreover, the overall structure of the fork arms when fully opened makes it difficult to fork a cross-shaped pallet, and it cannot adapt to the application scenario of forking cross-shaped pallets during warehousing or transportation. Therefore, an AGV vehicle is proposed. The overall structure of the fork arms carried on the AGV vehicle meets the conditions for forking a cross-shaped pallet. At the same time, by adding a gantry assembly, the power source required for the fork arms to work is reduced, further increasing synchronization and work efficiency. Based on this AGV vehicle, the method for retracting and extending the fork arms of the vehicle further improves the working principle and application process in practical applications. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aiming at the deficiencies of the existing technology, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an AGV vehicle and a method for retracting and extending the fork arms of the vehicle to solve the problems described in the above background art.

[0004] The above technical objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: An AGV vehicle includes: a frame assembly, a gantry assembly, and at least one fork arm assembly for lifting and forking pallets; a fork arm receiving groove for receiving the fork arm assembly is provided on the frame assembly; the gantry assembly includes: a support frame for connecting and installing with the AGV vehicle, a first driving unit for driving the support frame to move, and a tightening unit for preventing the first driving unit from idling; the support frame is slidably connected to the frame assembly; a sliding groove is provided on the support frame; one end of the fork arm assembly is slidably received in the sliding groove.

[0005] Optionally, the fork arm assembly includes: a fork arm body for supporting and forking pallets, a connecting unit for connecting the fork arm body and the support frame, a lifting unit for lifting the fork arm body, and a second driving unit for driving the lifting unit; one end of the connecting unit is detachably connected to the fork arm body, and the other end of the connecting unit is slidably received in the sliding groove; the second driving unit is detachably connected to the fork arm body, and the output end of the second driving unit is fixedly connected to the lifting unit; the lifting unit is detachably connected to the fork arm body and is located at the bottom of the fork arm body.

[0006] Optionally, the lifting unit includes: a plurality of lifting members; the plurality of lifting members are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving unit; the lifting member includes: a first transmission rod, a second transmission rod, a first sliding block, a second sliding block, two first shear forks, two second shear forks corresponding to the two first shear forks, and a support plate; the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving unit; the first transmission rod is threadedly connected to the first sliding block; the second transmission rod is threadedly connected to the second sliding block; the first sliding block and the second sliding block are slidably connected to the fork arm body; the first shear fork and the corresponding second shear fork are hinged to each other to form a shear fork structure; one end of the first shear fork is hinged to the first sliding block; one end of the second shear fork is hinged to the second sliding block; the other end of the first shear fork is provided with a first connecting wheel; the other end of the second shear fork is provided with a second connecting wheel; the support plate is provided with: two first limiting blocks corresponding to the first shear forks one by one and two second limiting blocks corresponding to the second shear forks one by one; the first limiting block and the support plate cooperate to form a first limiting area; the second limiting block and the support plate cooperate to form a second limiting area; the first connecting wheel is slidably received in the corresponding first limiting area; the second connecting wheel is slidably received in the corresponding second limiting area.

[0007] Optionally, a plurality of guiding pulleys are arranged on both sides of the first sliding block and the second sliding block; guiding chutes corresponding to the guiding pulleys are formed on both side walls inside the fork arm body; the plurality of guiding pulleys are slidably received in the corresponding guiding chutes.

[0008] Optionally, the connecting unit includes: a connecting plate and a plurality of guiding wheels; one end of the connecting plate is detachably connected to the fork arm body; the plurality of guiding wheels are arranged on the other end of the connecting plate; the plurality of guiding wheels are slidably received in the chute.

[0009] Optionally, the first driving unit includes: a mounting frame, a driving wheel for contacting the frame of the AGV cart, and a first driving member for driving the driving wheel to rotate; the mounting frame is detachably connected to the support frame; the driving wheel is rotatably connected to the mounting frame; the second driving member is detachably connected to the mounting frame; the output end of the second driving member is in transmission connection with the driving wheel.

[0010] Optionally, the second driving unit includes: a second driving member for driving the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod; the second driving member is detachably connected to the fork arm body; the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving member.

[0011] Optionally, at least one linear rail slider is provided on the support frame; at least one guiding linear rail corresponding to the linear rail slider is provided on the vehicle frame assembly; and the linear rail slider can slide along the guiding linear rail for guiding.

[0012] An AGV cart fork arm retracting and extending method based on the above AGV cart includes:

[0013] Step A, the fork arm extends into the tray: The first driving unit drives the support frame to move on the vehicle frame assembly, thereby driving the fork arm assembly suspended on the support frame to extend into the interior of the tray.

[0014] Step B, the fork arm drives the tray to lift: The second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to extend, thereby driving the support plate to move downward along the direction of gravity until it contacts the ground; the second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to continue to extend. At this time, taking the support plate as the support base point, the fork arm body is driven to lift, thereby driving the picked tray to continue to be lifted to a high position.

[0015] Step C, the AGV cart moves to the position of the tray: The driving structure in the vehicle frame assembly drives the AGV cart to move to the bottom of the lifted tray. At this time, both the gantry assembly and the fork arm assembly are stationary relative to the ground.

[0016] Step D, the fork arm drives the tray to be placed on the AGV cart: The second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to retract, so that the fork arm body takes the support plate as the support base point and descends until the tray contacts the vehicle frame assembly, completing the placement of the tray on the AGV cart.

[0017] Step E, the fork arm retracts to the AGV cart: The second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to retract, so that the fork arm body takes the support plate as the support base point and descends to separate from the picked tray, and descends to the lowest position in the gantry assembly; the second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to retract, and takes the connecting unit as the support base point to retract the support plate, so that the support plate separates from the ground and resets to the initial state.

[0018] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. The fork arm assembly is driven by the gantry assembly to move in the X-axis direction with the frame assembly as the base point, that is, the step of extending the fork arm of the AGV trolley is completed, which replaces the fork arm extending and forking structure of the fork arm in the traditional fork arm, reduces the power source, and at the same time, the fork arm assemblies connected on the same gantry assembly can achieve better synchronous fork extension and retraction steps, further improving the scene adaptability; when the fork arm assembly is connected to the gantry assembly, the fork arm assembly will not contact the ground, reducing the fork lifting structure or caster retraction structure required in the traditional design, making the fork arm structure itself more concise.

[0020] 2. The structure of the fork arm assembly is simpler. The structure of the ground auxiliary wheel in the traditional fork arm is removed. At the same time, the structure of the overall opening of the upper and lower plates in the traditional fork arm is improved. The double scissors + support plate structure is adopted, so that the fork arm can adapt to the forking conditions of the field tray and fork the field tray pallet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the fork arm assembly of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the lifting member of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the door frame assembly of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of step A in the method of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a schematic side view of the overall structure of step A in the method of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the specific grounding position of the support plate of the fork arm assembly in step B of the method of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of step D in the method of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 It is a schematic front view of the overall structure of step D in the method of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1. Gantry assembly; 11. Support frame; 111. Chute; 12. First driving unit; 121. Mounting frame; 122. Driving wheel; 123. First driving member; 2. Fork arm assembly; 21. Fork arm body; 211. Guide chute; 212. Fork arm upper cover; 213. Fork arm frame; 22. Connection unit; 221. Connection plate; 222. Guide wheel; 23. Lifting unit; 24. Second driving unit; 241. Second driving member; 25. Tightening unit; 251. Connection frame; 252. Guide block; 253. Guide shaft; 254. Tightening spring; 3. Lifting member; 31. First transmission rod; 32. Second transmission rod; 33. First sliding block; 34. Second sliding block; 35. First scissors; 351. First connecting wheel; 36. Second scissors; 361. Second connecting wheel; 37. Support plate; 38. Guide pulley; 39. First limit block; 310. Second limit block; 311. First limit area; 312. Second limit area; 4. Frame assembly; 41. Fork arm receiving groove; 5. Guide rail; 6. Rail sliding block; 7. Tray. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] In order to make the objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following provides a detailed description of the specific implementation manners of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0032] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as "install", "connect", "couple", "fix", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention may be understood according to specific circumstances. The terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0033] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath" and "underneath" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature. Terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right", "up", "down" and similar expressions are only for the purpose of illustration, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0034] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0035] The present invention provides an AGV cart, as Figure 1 shown, comprising: a frame assembly 4, a gantry assembly 1 and at least one fork arm assembly 2 for lifting and picking up a pallet 7; a fork arm receiving groove 41 for receiving the fork arm assembly 2 is formed on the frame assembly 4; the gantry assembly 1 includes: a support frame 11 for connecting and installing with the AGV cart, a first driving unit 12 for driving the support frame 11 to move, and a tightening unit 25 for preventing the first driving unit 12 from idling; the support frame 11 is slidably connected to the frame assembly 4; a sliding groove is formed on the support frame 11; one end of the fork arm assembly 2 is slidably received in the sliding groove.

[0036] Specifically, the support frame 11 is connected to the frame assembly 4, the fork arm assembly 2 is suspended on the support frame 11 and received in the fork arm receiving groove 41 of the frame assembly 4; when it is necessary to pick up the pallet 7, the driving unit drives the support frame 11 to move on the AGV cart, so as to drive the fork arm assembly 2 connected to the support frame 11 to move in the X-axis direction, realizing the steps of extending and retracting the fork arm assembly 2. At the same time, the tightening unit 25 will provide a certain downward force along the gravity direction to the driving unit, making the driving unit in close contact with the AGV cart, preventing idling and resulting in the inability to realize the steps of extending and retracting the fork, and further improving the scene adaptability.

[0037] Further, the fork arm assembly 2 includes: a fork arm body 21 for supporting and picking up the pallet 7, a connection unit 22 for connecting the fork arm body 21 and the support frame 11, a lifting unit 23 for lifting the fork arm body 21, and a second driving unit 24 for driving the lifting unit 23; one end of the connection unit 22 is detachably connected to the fork arm body 21, and the other end of the connection unit 22 is slidably received in the sliding groove; the second driving unit 24 is detachably connected to the fork arm body 21, and the output end of the second driving unit 24 is fixedly connected to the lifting unit 23; the lifting unit 23 is detachably connected to the fork arm body 21 and is located at the bottom of the fork arm body 21.

[0038] In the first embodiment, as Figure 1-2 shown, through the connection unit 22, the fork arm body 21 is connected to the support frame 11. The driving unit is arranged in the fork arm body 21. By driving the lifting unit 23 arranged on the fork arm body 21, the fork arm body 21 is lifted. During the lifting process of the fork arm body 21, one end of the connection unit 22 slidably received in the chute 111 of the support frame 11 plays a certain guiding role, preventing the occurrence of displacement deviation and abnormal operation when the fork arm body 21 moves along the Z-axis.

[0039] Further, the lifting unit 23 includes: a plurality of lifting members 3; the plurality of lifting members 3 are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving unit 24; the lifting member 3 includes: a first transmission rod 31, a second transmission rod 32, a first sliding block 33, a second sliding block 34, two first shear forks 35, two second shear forks 36 corresponding to the two first shear forks 35, and a support plate 37; the first transmission rod 31 and the second transmission rod 32 are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving unit 24; the first transmission rod 31 is threadedly connected to the first sliding block 33; the second transmission rod 32 is threadedly connected to the second sliding block 34; the first sliding block 33 and the second sliding block 34 are slidably connected to the fork arm body 21; the first shear fork 35 and the corresponding second shear fork 36 are hinged to each other to form a shear fork structure; one end of the first shear fork 35 is hinged to the first sliding block 33; one end of the second shear fork 36 is hinged to the second sliding block 34; the other end of the first shear fork 35 is provided with a first connecting wheel 351; the other end of the second shear fork 36 is provided with a second connecting wheel 361; the support plate 37 is provided with: two first limiting blocks 39 corresponding to the first shear forks 35 one by one and two second limiting blocks 310 corresponding to the second shear forks 36 one by one; the first limiting block 39 and the support plate 37 cooperate to form a first limiting area 311; the second limiting block 310 and the support plate 37 cooperate to form a second limiting area 312; the first connecting wheel 351 is slidably received in the corresponding first limiting area 311; the second connecting wheel 361 is slidably received in the corresponding second limiting area 312.

[0040] In the second embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the lifting unit 23 is composed of a plurality of lifting members 3, and the lifting and lowering of the fork arm body 21 are realized by the telescopic shear forks of the lifting members 3;

[0041] When the second driving unit 24 drives the first transmission rod 31 and the second transmission rod 32 to rotate, the threaded connection between the first transmission rod 31 and the first sliding block 33 is a right-handed thread connection, and the threaded connection between the second transmission rod 32 and the second sliding block 34 is a left-handed thread connection. Thus, when rotating, the first sliding block 33 and the second sliding block 34 slide on the fork arm body 21, approaching or separating from each other, thereby driving the first shear fork 35 connected to the first sliding block 33 and the second shear fork 36 connected to the second sliding block 34 to expand and contract, thereby driving the support plate 37 to rise and fall;

[0042] When the shear fork structure formed by the first shear fork 35 and the second shear fork 36 extends and the support plate 37 descends to contact the ground, at this time, with the support plate 37 as the support base point, when the shear fork structure continues to expand and contract, the lifting of the fork arm body 21 is realized;

[0043] When the fork arm body 21 is in the lifted state and the scissor structure composed of the first scissor 35 and the second scissor contracts, the fork arm body 21 descends with the contact point between the support plate 37 and the ground as the support base point. When it descends to the lowest point connected to the support frame 11, the fork arm body 21 has completed its descent. At this time, the scissor structure continues to contract, and with the connection point between the fork arm body 21 and the support frame 11, that is, the connection unit 22 as the support base point, the support plate 37 is retracted to complete the entire descent and retraction step.

[0044] Specifically, as Figure 3 shown, the connection method of the first scissor 35 and the second scissor 36 to the support plate 37, through the cooperation of the first limit block 39 and the second limit block 310, enables the first connection wheel 351 and the second connection wheel 361 to slide on the support plate 37. Thus, during the up and down movement of the support plate 37, the support plate 37 is in a centered state when the fork arm body 21 is retracted, which can ensure that when lifting the cross-shaped pallet 7, it extends from the gap of the cross-shaped pallet 7 to avoid collision with the cross-shaped pallet 7, ensuring the reliability of the support plate 37 as the support base point.

[0045] In other embodiments, the support plate 37 can be removed, and the first connection wheel 351 on the first scissor 35 and the second connection wheel 361 on the second scissor 36 can be used as the support base point to also enable the normal operation of the fork arm body 21.

[0046] Furthermore, a plurality of guide pulleys 38 are provided on both sides of the first sliding block 33 and the second sliding block 34; corresponding guide chutes 211 are opened on the inner side walls on both sides of the fork arm body 21; and a plurality of the guide pulleys 38 are slidably received in the corresponding guide chutes 211.

[0047] In Embodiment 3, as Figure 2 shown, when the second drive unit 24 drives the first transmission rod 31 and the second transmission rod 32 to drive the first sliding block 33 and the second sliding block 34 to slide, the guide pulleys 38 on the first sliding block 33 and the second sliding block 34 slide in the corresponding guide chutes 211, thereby limiting the sliding process of the first sliding block 33 and the second sliding block 34 to avoid displacement exceeding the maximum limit range, resulting in a situation where normal operation cannot be carried out.

[0048] Specifically, the fork arm body 21 is composed of a fork arm upper cover 212 and a fork arm frame 213 to form an overall fork arm structure, and the guide chute 211 is provided on the fork arm frame 213.

[0049] Further, the connecting unit 22 includes: a connecting plate 221 and a plurality of guide wheels 222; one end of the connecting plate 221 is detachably connected to the fork arm body 21; the plurality of guide wheels 222 are arranged at the other end of the connecting plate 221; the plurality of guide wheels 222 are slidably received in the chute 111.

[0050] In the fourth embodiment, as Figure 1 shown, the fork arm assembly 2 and the support frame 11 are connected through the connecting plate 221, so as to realize that the fork arm assembly 2 is suspended on the support frame 11; when the fork arm assembly 2 moves in the Z-axis direction, the guide wheels 222 on the connecting plate 221 move in the chute 111 of the support frame 11, thereby realizing a certain guiding effect and avoiding the situation that the fork arm assembly 2 cannot work properly due to position deviation during the lifting process.

[0051] Optionally, the pressing unit 25 includes: a connecting frame 251, at least one guide block 252, at least one guide shaft 253 corresponding to the guide block 252, and at least one pressing spring 254 corresponding to the guide shaft 253; the connecting frame 251 is detachably connected to the support frame 11; one end of the guide shaft 253 is detachably connected to the connecting frame 251, and the other end is slidably connected to the guide block 252; the guide block 252 is detachably connected to the mounting frame 121; the pressing spring 254 is sleeved on the guide shaft 253; the abutting spring abuts against the guide block 252.

[0052] In the fifth embodiment, as Figure 4 shown, by installing the connecting frame 251 on the support frame 11, installing the guide block 252 on the mounting frame 121, the guide shaft 253 is located between the support frame 11 and the guide block 252, the abutting spring is sleeved on the guide shaft 253 and is in a compressed state, and the pressing spring 254 provides a downward elastic force along the gravity direction to the guide block 252. Through the guide block 252 as a medium, the driving wheel 122 on the mounting frame 121 connected to the guide block 252 is always in contact with the AGV cart, avoiding the situation of idling.

[0053] Further, the first driving unit 12 includes: a mounting frame 121, a driving wheel 122 for contacting the frame of the AGV cart, and a first driving member 123 for driving the driving wheel 122 to rotate; the mounting frame 121 is detachably connected to the support frame 11; the driving wheel 122 is rotatably connected to the mounting frame 121; the second driving member 241 is detachably connected to the mounting frame 121; the output end of the second driving member 241 is in transmission connection with the driving wheel 122.

[0054] In the sixth embodiment, it is installed on the support frame 11 through the mounting frame 121, so that the driving wheel 122 and the second driving member 241 are installed on the support frame 11. In the actual application process, the driving wheel 122 is in contact with the frame assembly 4 of the AGV vehicle. The second driving member 241 drives the driving wheel 122 to rotate, so as to realize the movement of the support frame 11 on the AGV vehicle, and then drive the fork arm assembly 2 to perform the step of extending the fork.

[0055] Further, the second driving unit 24 includes: a second driving member 241 for driving the first transmission rod 31 and the second transmission rod 32; the second driving member 241 is detachably connected to the fork arm body 21; the first transmission rod 31 and the second transmission rod 32 are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving member 241.

[0056] Specifically, the second driving member 241 is a lead screw motor, and the lead screw output end of the lead screw motor is connected to the first transmission rod 31 and the second transmission rod 32.

[0057] Further, at least one linear guide slider 6 is provided on the support frame 11; at least one guide linear guide 5 corresponding to the linear guide slider 6 is provided on the frame assembly 4; the linear guide slider 6 can slide along the guide linear guide 5 for guiding.

[0058] In the eighth embodiment, as Figure 1 and Figure 4 shown, a guide linear guide 5 will be installed on the AGV vehicle, and through cooperation with the linear guide slider 6 on the support frame 11, a further guiding effect is realized, avoiding the situation of abnormal operation caused by position deviation during the movement.

[0059] An AGV vehicle fork arm retracting and extending method based on the above AGV vehicle includes:

[0060] Step A, the fork arm extends to the tray 7: the first driving unit 12 drives the support frame 11 to move on the frame assembly 4, and then drives the fork arm assembly 2 suspended on the support frame 11 to extend into the inside of the tray 7;

[0061] Step B, the fork arm drives the tray 7 to lift: the second driving unit 24 in the fork arm assembly 2 drives the lifting member 3 to extend, and then drives the support plate 37 to move downward along the direction of gravity until it contacts the ground; the second driving unit 24 in the fork arm assembly 2 drives the lifting member 3 to continue to extend. At this time, with the support plate 37 as the support base point, the fork arm body 21 is driven to lift, and then the fork-taken tray 7 is driven to continue to lift to a high position;

[0062] Step C: The AGV cart moves to the position of the pallet 7: The drive structure in the frame assembly 4 drives the AGV cart to move to the bottom of the lifted pallet 7. At this time, both the gantry assembly 1 and the fork arm assembly 2 are stationary relative to the ground.

[0063] Step D: The fork arm drives the pallet 7 to be placed on the AGV cart: The second drive unit 24 in the fork arm assembly 2 drives the lifting member 3 to retract, causing the fork arm body 21 to descend with the support plate 37 as the support base point until the pallet 7 contacts the frame assembly 4, completing the placement of the pallet 7 on the AGV cart.

[0064] Step E: The fork arm retracts into the AGV cart; the second drive unit 24 in the fork arm assembly 2 drives the lifting member 3 to retract, causing the fork arm body 21 to descend with the support plate 37 as the support base point, separating from the pallet 7 being lifted, and descending to the lowest position within the gantry assembly 1; the second drive unit 24 in the fork arm assembly 2 drives the lifting member 3 to retract, with the connecting unit 22 as the support base point, retracting the support plate 37, causing the support plate 37 to separate from the ground and reset to the initial state.

[0065] In the specific implementation process, as Figure 1 shown, at this time the AGV cart is in the standby initial position, and the fork arm assembly 2 is suspended through the support frame 11 and is located within the fork arm receiving groove 41 of the frame assembly 4.

[0066] As Figure 5-6 shown, at this time the AGV cart is in the step of extending the fork into the cross-shaped pallet 7, corresponding to step A in the method. The first drive unit 12 drives the support frame 11 to move on the frame assembly 4, thereby driving the fork arm assembly 2 connected to the support frame 11 to move, and then completing the extension of the fork into the cross-shaped pallet 7.

[0067] When lifting the cross-shaped pallet 7, when the fork arm assembly 2 extends into the cross-shaped pallet 7, the second drive unit 24 drives the lifting member 3 to extend, so that the scissor structure formed by the cooperation of the first scissor 35 and the second scissor 36 drives the support plate 37 to move downward along the direction of gravity and extend out from the through hole of the cross-shaped pallet 7 to contact the ground; the second drive unit 24 continues to drive the lifting member 3 to extend, with the support plate 37 in contact with the ground as the support base point, as Figure 7 shown, causing the fork arm body 21 to move upward along the direction of gravity, contact the cross-shaped pallet 7, and lift it to a high position, corresponding to step B of the method.

[0068] When placing the tic-tac-toe tray 7 on the AGV cart, at this time, the frame assembly 4 has moved to the lower part of the lifted tic-tac-toe tray 7 through its own driving mechanism; the lifting member 3 is driven by the second driving unit 24 to retract, so that the lifted tic-tac-toe tray 7 takes the support plate 37 as the support base point and descends until the tic-tac-toe tray 7 is placed on the frame assembly 4, corresponding to step D of the method.

[0069] When retracting the lifting member 3 into the AGV cart, the second driving unit 24 is used to drive the lifting member 3 to retract, so that with the connection point between the fork arm body 21 and the support frame 11 as the support base point, the support plate 37 is retracted, and the fork arm assembly 2 as a whole is retracted into the fork arm receiving groove 41 of the frame assembly 4, as Figure 8-9 shown, corresponding to step E of the method.

[0070] An AGV cart and its method for retracting and extending the fork arm of the present invention drive the fork arm assembly 2 to move in the X-axis direction with the frame assembly 4 as the base point through the gantry assembly 1, that is, the step of extending and retracting the fork arm of the AGV cart is completed, replacing the fork arm self-extending and retracting structure in the traditional fork arm, reducing the power source. At the same time, the fork arm assemblies 2 connected to the same gantry assembly 1 can achieve better synchronous extending and retracting steps, further improving the scene adaptability; when the fork arm assembly 2 is connected to the gantry assembly 1, the fork arm assembly 2 will not contact the ground, reducing the required fork-lifting structure or caster retracting and extending structure in the traditional design, making the fork arm structure itself more concise; the structure of the fork arm assembly 2 is simpler, removing the ground auxiliary wheel structure in the traditional fork arm, and at the same time improving the overall opening structure of the upper and lower plates in the traditional fork arm, adopting a double scissors + support plate 37 structure, so that the fork arm can adapt to the fork-taking conditions of the tic-tac-toe tray and fork the tic-tac-toe tray 7.

[0071] The above is only the preferred implementation mode of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions within the idea of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An AGV vehicle, characterized in that: include: A frame assembly, a mast assembly and at least one fork arm assembly for lifting and forking a pallet; The frame assembly is provided with a fork arm receiving groove for accommodating the fork arm assembly; the gantry assembly comprises: a support frame for connecting and installing with the AGV trolley, a first driving unit for driving the support frame to move, and a tightening unit for preventing the first driving unit from idling; The support frame is slidably connected to the frame assembly; a sliding groove is provided on the support frame; and one end of the fork arm assembly is slidably received in the sliding groove.

2. The AGV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fork arm assembly comprises: a fork arm body for supporting a forked pallet, a connecting unit for connecting the fork arm body and the supporting frame, a lifting unit for lifting the fork arm body, and a second driving unit for driving the lifting unit; One end of the connecting unit is detachably connected to the fork arm body, and the other end of the connecting unit is slidably placed in the sliding groove; the second driving unit is detachably connected to the fork arm body, and the output end of the second driving unit is fixedly connected to the lifting unit; The lifting unit is detachably connected to the fork arm body and is located at the bottom of the fork arm body.

3. The AGV according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting unit comprises: a plurality of lifting members; the plurality of lifting members are respectively fixedly connected to the output ends of the second driving unit; The lifting member comprises: a first transmission rod, a second transmission rod, a first sliding block, a second sliding block, two first scissors, two second scissors corresponding to the two first scissors, and a support plate; The first transmission rod and the second transmission rod are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving unit; the first transmission rod is threadedly connected to the first sliding block; the second transmission rod is threadedly connected to the second sliding block; the first sliding block and the second sliding block can be slidably connected to the fork arm body; The first scissors fork and the corresponding second scissors fork are hinged to each other to form a scissors fork structure; one end of the first scissors fork is hinged to the first sliding block; one end of the second scissors fork is hinged to the second sliding block; The other end of the first scissors is provided with a first connecting wheel; the other end of the second scissors is provided with a second connecting wheel; The support plate is provided with: two first limit blocks corresponding to the first scissors one by one and two second limit blocks corresponding to the second scissors one by one; The first limiting block cooperates with the support plate to form a first limiting area; the second limiting block cooperates with the support plate to form a second limiting area; the first connecting wheel is slidably placed in the corresponding first limiting area; the second connecting wheel is slidably placed in the corresponding second limiting area.

4. The AGV according to claim 3, characterized in that: A plurality of guide pulleys are arranged on both sides of the first sliding block and the second sliding block; guide grooves corresponding to the guide pulleys are opened on the side walls on both sides of the fork arm body; and a plurality of the guide pulleys are slidably placed in the corresponding guide grooves.

5. The AGV according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting unit comprises: a connecting plate and a plurality of guide wheels; One end of the connecting plate is detachably connected to the fork arm body; a plurality of the guide wheels are arranged on the other end of the connecting plate; and a plurality of the guide wheels are slidably received in the slide groove.

6. The AGV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first driving unit includes: a mounting frame, a driving wheel for contacting the AGV trolley frame, and a first driving member for driving the driving wheel to rotate; The mounting frame is detachably connected to the supporting frame; the driving wheel is rotatably connected to the mounting frame; the second driving member is detachably connected to the mounting frame; and the output end of the second driving member is drivingly connected to the driving wheel.

7. The AGV according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second driving unit comprises: a second driving member for driving the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod; The second driving member is detachably connected to the fork arm body; the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod are respectively fixedly connected to the output end of the second driving member.

8. The AGV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support frame is provided with at least one linear rail sliding block; the frame assembly is provided with at least one guide linear rail corresponding to the linear rail sliding block; the linear rail sliding block can slide along the guide linear rail.

9. A method for retracting and extending an AGV fork arm of an AGV according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: Step A, fork arm extends to the pallet: the first driving unit drives the support frame to move on the frame assembly, thereby driving the fork arm assembly suspended on the support frame to extend into the interior of the pallet; Step B, the fork arm drives the pallet to lift: the second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to extend, thereby driving the support plate to move downward along the gravity direction until it contacts the ground; the second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to continue to extend, at this time, with the support plate as the support base point, drives the fork arm body to lift, thereby driving the forked pallet to continue to lift to a high position; Step C, the AGV moves to the pallet position: the driving structure in the frame assembly drives the AGV to move to the bottom of the lifted pallet, at which time the gantry assembly and the fork arm assembly are both in a stationary state relative to the ground; Step D, the fork arm drives the pallet to be placed on the AGV: the second drive unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to be retracted, so that the fork arm body is lowered with the support plate as the support base point until the pallet contacts the frame assembly, and the pallet is placed on the AGV; Step E, the fork arm is retracted to the AGV trolley; the second drive unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to be retracted, so that the fork arm body is lowered with the support plate as the support base point, separated from the forked pallet, and lowered to the lowest position in the gantry assembly; The second driving unit in the fork arm assembly drives the lifting member to be retracted, and with the connecting unit as the supporting base point, the supporting plate is retracted, so that the supporting plate is separated from the ground and reset to the initial state.

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