A rack and factory transportation system adapted for AGVs

Abstract

The application discloses a rack for AGV and a factory transportation system, and relates to the field of material racks. The rack for AGV comprises a material rack for placing materials, the material rack is transported by an AGV and is delivered between racks for AGV, a positioning mechanism, the positioning mechanism comprises a baffle and a positioning driving device, and the positioning driving device drives the baffle to rotate to adjust the material rack transported by the AGV to a predetermined placement position. The AGV transports the material rack from a previous rack to a target rack and places the material rack on a support frame of the target rack. During the transportation process, the transported material rack may deviate or rotate due to jolting. Deviation of the placement position of the material rack from the predetermined placement position may cause the material rack to fall off. The positioning mechanism of the rack adjusts the placement position of the material rack immediately after the material rack is placed on the support frame, so that the material rack is placed on the predetermined placement position, and the material rack is prevented from falling off the rack due to deviation from the predetermined placement position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of material racks, and more particularly to a rack adapted for AGVs. Background Technology

[0002] AGV is an abbreviation for Automated Guided Vehicle. It refers to an unmanned automated vehicle that is equipped with automatic guidance devices such as magnetic strips, tracks or lasers, travels along a planned path, is powered by batteries, and is equipped with safety protection and various auxiliary mechanisms (such as transfer and assembly mechanisms).

[0003] In factories, AGVs are responsible for transporting materials. Typically, an AGV carries a material rack on top, which holds the materials. During transportation, uneven surfaces or small obstacles can cause the AGV to bump along, causing the material rack to deviate or rotate. When the AGV moves the material rack onto the platform, it can cause the rack to deviate from its intended position, making it easy for the rack to fall off the platform and damage the materials. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application provides a platform adapted for AGVs, which can prevent the material racks transported by the AGV from deviating from their predetermined placement positions on the platform.

[0005] According to an embodiment of this application, the AGV-adaptive platform includes: a material rack for placing materials, which is transported between the AGV-adaptive AGV platforms via AGV transport; and a positioning mechanism, which includes a baffle and a positioning drive device, wherein the positioning drive device drives the baffle to rotate and adjusts the material rack transported by the AGV to a predetermined placement position.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this application, the frame adapted to the AGV includes a lifting mechanism for lifting the material rack transported by the AGV.

[0007] According to one embodiment of this application, the baffle is movably connected to the positioning drive device and the lifting mechanism. When the lifting mechanism lifts the material rack transported by the AGV, the positioning drive device drives the baffle to rotate. During the rotation of the baffle, the material rack is pushed so that the material rack is positioned in a predetermined placement position.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this application, the baffle includes a drive hinge portion and a lifting hinge portion. The baffle is hinged to the positioning drive device via the drive hinge portion and to the lifting mechanism via the lifting hinge portion.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this application, the material rack includes rack holes, and a positioning mechanism is disposed on the periphery of the material rack and at the rack holes to adjust the plane position of the material rack.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, a support frame is included for placing a material rack.

[0011] According to one embodiment of this application, the support frame is formed as a support column, and there are multiple support columns evenly distributed in the platform; the top of the support frame is provided with a mounting protrusion, and the material rack is provided with mounting holes corresponding to the mounting protrusion at the bottom.

[0012] According to one embodiment of this application, a protective net is provided on the outer side of the lifting mechanism and the positioning mechanism.

[0013] A factory transport system according to another embodiment of this application includes the aforementioned AGV-adapted platform.

[0014] A factory transport system according to another embodiment of this application includes a control unit and an AGV. The control unit is used to control the AGV to transport material racks between platforms adapted to the AGV, and to control a lifting mechanism and a positioning mechanism.

[0015] The AGV-adaptive platform according to the embodiments of this application has at least the following beneficial effects: the AGV transports the material rack from the previous platform to the target platform and places the material rack on the support frame of the target platform. During the transportation process, the transported material rack may be shaken and deviate or rotate. If the placement position of the material rack deviates from the predetermined placement position, it is easy for the material rack to fall off. The positioning mechanism of the platform immediately adjusts the position of the material rack after it is placed on the support frame so that it is placed in the predetermined placement position, thus avoiding the easy fall off the platform due to deviation from the predetermined placement position.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the AGV-adapted platform according to one embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a platform adapted to an AGV according to one embodiment of this application. The protective net on the left side of the figure is not shown.

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A magnified view of part A in the middle;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the AGV-adaptive platform from another perspective, representing one embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of part B in the middle section;

[0023] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A partial sectional view obtained by the CC section line.

[0024] Figure label:

[0025] 1000, AGV compatible platform; 2000, factory transportation system

[0026] 100. Material rack; 110. Material; 120. Rack hole; 130. Mounting hole;

[0027] 200. Positioning mechanism; 210. Baffle; 211. Drive hinge; 212. Lifting hinge; 220. Positioning drive device;

[0028] 300. Lifting mechanism; 310. Lifting rod; 320. Lifting drive device;

[0029] 400, Support frame; 410, Mounting protrusion; 500, Protective net; 600, Platform base. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0031] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0032] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0033] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0034] In the description of this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0035] In modern industrial production and logistics, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) play an increasingly important role as a key type of automated equipment. AGVs, equipped with advanced automatic guidance devices such as magnetic strips, tracks, or lasers, can travel stably along pre-planned paths. They are battery-powered and equipped with comprehensive safety protection systems and various practical auxiliary mechanisms, such as specialized mechanisms for material handling or assembly operations. In daily factory operations, AGVs primarily undertake the task of material transportation, typically carrying a material rack on top to hold various materials to be transported. However, current AGVs face some pressing problems in actual transportation. Because factory floor surfaces are rarely perfectly smooth, small bumps, depressions, or debris often occur, causing varying degrees of bumps and jolting during AGV operation. When an AGV experiences these bumps, the material rack it carries is affected by external forces, causing it to deviate or rotate. When an AGV transports a material rack to the target platform and places it, the rack often deviates or rotates due to previous bumps, resulting in significant positional deviations. This not only makes the rack prone to falling off the platform but can also damage the materials, causing numerous inconveniences and risks to the normal production process. It also impacts factory production efficiency and the safety and stability of material management. Therefore, it is necessary to improve and optimize AGV technology to solve these problems.

[0036] The following is for reference. Figures 1 to 6 Describes a platform adapted for AGVs according to embodiments of this application.

[0037] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, this application discloses a frame adapted to AGVs. The frame 1000 adapted to AGVs includes a material rack 100 and a positioning mechanism 200.

[0038] The material rack 100 is used to place the material 110. The material rack 100 is transported between the various AGV-compatible racks 1000 by AGV. The positioning mechanism 200 includes a baffle 210 and a positioning drive device 220. The positioning drive device 220 drives the baffle 210 to rotate and adjust the material rack 100 transported by the AGV to the predetermined placement position.

[0039] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the AGV-compatible frame 1000 includes a frame base 600. The frame base 600 has a passageway in the middle for the AGV 2000 to enter the frame 1000. The area above the frame base 600 is used to place material racks 100, which carry various materials 110. The AGV transports materials 110 between the various frames 1000 within the factory. During transport, the AGV places the materials 110 along with the material racks 110 on top of the AGV. Because factory floor surfaces are rarely perfectly flat, small bumps, depressions, or debris are frequently encountered, causing the material racks 100 transported by the AGV to easily deviate. However, the AGV's transport trajectory is fixed and the orientation of the material racks 100 placed on the frame 1000 is not adjusted due to deviation. Therefore, as... Figure 3 As shown ( Figure 3 for Figure 2 (Enlarged view of section A), a positioning mechanism 200 is provided in the test bench 1000. Please refer to... Figure 5 ( Figure 5 for Figure 4 (Enlarged view of part B) The positioning mechanism 200 includes a baffle 210 and a positioning drive device 220. The positioning drive device 220 is a cylinder. The baffle 210 is formed as an obtuse-angled triangular steel sheet with a certain thickness. When the AGV transports the material rack 100 to the platform 1000, the positioning drive device 220 drives the baffle 210 to rotate. The rotation of the baffle 210 corrects the deviation of the material rack 100 and restores it to its original state. After this correction, it is placed on the platform 1000. This can prevent the material rack from falling off the platform due to deviation from the predetermined placement position, thereby improving the production efficiency of the factory and the safety and stability of material management.

[0040] Please refer to some specific embodiments of this application. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The AGV-compatible platform 1000 includes a lifting mechanism 300 for lifting the material rack 100 transported by the AGV. In other words, as... Figure 3 As shown, the test bench 1000 has a lifting mechanism 300 above the test bench base 600. The lifting mechanism 300 includes a lifting rod 310 and a lifting drive device 320. In some specific embodiments, the lifting drive device 320 is a cylinder, and the cylinder pushes the lifting rod 310 to move upward. Please refer to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The AGV carrying the material rack 100 enters the platform 1000. The lifting drive device 320 of the lifting mechanism 300 drives the lifting rod 310 upward to lift the material rack 100, thus detaching the material rack 100 from the AGV and facilitating the AGV's exit from the platform 1000. There are four lifting mechanisms 300; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6 ( Figure 6 yes Figure 1 (Partial sectional view obtained by the CC section line) The lifting mechanism 300 is located at the four corners below the rectangular material rack 100. The lifting mechanism 300 is set up in this way to lift the material rack 100 smoothly.

[0041] It is understood that there can be multiple lifting mechanisms 300. The reasonable arrangement of the lifting mechanisms 300 can enable the material rack 100 to be lifted smoothly. This is something that those skilled in the art can understand and will not be elaborated further. The lifting drive device 320 can be a drive device other than a cylinder, such as a servo motor, hydraulic pump, etc.

[0042] Please refer to some specific embodiments of this application. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The baffle 210 is movably connected to the positioning drive device 220 and the lifting mechanism 300. When the lifting mechanism 300 lifts the material rack 100 transported by the AGV, the positioning drive device 220 drives the baffle 210 to rotate. During the rotation of the baffle 210, it pushes the material rack 100, positioning it in the predetermined placement position. Further details can be found in the following section. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The baffle 210 includes a drive hinge portion 211 and a lifting hinge portion 212. The baffle 210 is hinged to the positioning drive device 220 via the drive hinge portion 211 and to the lifting mechanism 300 via the lifting hinge portion 212. Further, please refer to... Figure 6 The material rack 100 includes rack holes, and the positioning mechanism 200 is disposed on the periphery of the material rack 100 and at the rack holes to adjust the plane position of the material rack 100.

[0043] In other words, such as Figure 6 As shown, there are eight positioning mechanisms 200, which are respectively arranged around the perimeter of the material rack 100 and in the rack holes 120 around the material rack 100, defining the pre-set placement position of the material rack 100; please refer to Figure 5 ( Figure 5 for Figure 4(Enlarged view of part B) Taking one of the positioning mechanisms 200 as an example, the positioning mechanism 200 includes a baffle 210 and a positioning drive device 220. The positioning drive device 220 is a cylinder. The baffle 210 is formed as an obtuse-angled triangular steel sheet with a certain thickness. One acute angle of the baffle 210 serves as a drive hinge 211 and is hinged to the positioning drive device 220. The obtuse angle of the baffle 210 serves as a lifting hinge 212 and is hinged to the lifting mechanism 300. When the lifting mechanism 300 lifts the material rack 100 placed by the AGV, the positioning drive device 220, located outside the material rack 100, simultaneously drives the drive hinge 211 of the baffle 210 to move upward at a faster speed than the lifting mechanism 300. Then, the baffle 210 moves around the lifting hinge 212 as follows: Figure 5 As shown, when rotated clockwise, the other acute-angled portion of the baffle 210, which is not used as a drive hinge 211, moves from the outside of the material rack 100 toward the material rack 100, thus defining the placement position of the material rack 100.

[0044] For example Figure 5 Similarly, the positioning mechanism 200 shown also limits the placement position of the material rack 100, adjusting the material rack 100 that deviates from the preset placement position to prevent the material rack from easily falling off the shelf due to deviation from the predetermined placement position.

[0045] It is understood that there can be multiple positioning mechanisms 200. The arrangement of the positioning mechanisms 200 is sufficient to limit the material rack 100 to a pre-set placement position. The baffle 210 can also be of other shapes, as long as it can move under the drive of the positioning drive device 220 to limit the material rack 100. For example, several baffles that can form the outer contour of the material rack 100 can be set. Under the drive of the positioning drive device 220, they can move to surround the material rack 100 and limit it to a pre-set placement area. This is something that those skilled in the art can understand and will not be elaborated further. The positioning drive device 220 can be a drive device other than a cylinder, such as a servo motor, hydraulic pump, etc.

[0046] Further, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The AGV-compatible platform 1000 includes a support frame 400 for placing the material rack 100, and a lifting mechanism 300 for lifting the material rack 100. After the AGV exits the platform, the lifting mechanism 300 resets, and the material rack 100 descends with the lifting mechanism 300 onto the support frame 400. In other words, as... Figure 3As shown, a support frame 400 is provided above the base 600 of the platform 1000. After the AGV transports the material rack 100 in, the material rack 100 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 300. During the lifting process, the positioning mechanism 200 positions the material rack 100. After the AGV exits the platform 1000, the lifting mechanism 300 resets and descends, taking the material rack 100 down to the support frame 400. The lifting mechanism 300 continues to descend and no longer carries the material rack 100. It can be understood that before lifting the material rack 100, the position of the lifting mechanism 300 is lower than that of the support frame 400.

[0047] Furthermore, the support frame 400 is formed as a support column, and there are multiple support columns evenly distributed in the platform; the top of the support frame 400 is provided with a mounting protrusion 410, and the material rack 100 is provided with mounting holes 130 corresponding to the mounting protrusion 410 at the bottom. Figure 3 As shown, the support frame 400 is formed as a support column, and a mounting protrusion 410 is provided at the top of the support column. The material rack 100 is provided with a mounting hole 130 at the corresponding position at the bottom. When the material rack 100 descends and lands on the support frame 400, the mounting hole 130 and the mounting protrusion 410 cooperate, which not only helps the material rack 100 to descend accurately and land on the mounting protrusion 410 of the support frame 400, but also enhances the stability of the support and reduces the safety hazards that may be caused by the shaking of the material rack 100.

[0048] Please refer to some specific embodiments of this application. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The lifting mechanism 300 and the positioning mechanism 200 are equipped with protective nets 500 on their outer sides.

[0049] In another specific embodiment of this application, a factory transportation system is disclosed, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the device includes the AGV-adaptor frame 1000 as described above, as well as the AGV 2000 and the control unit. The control unit controls the AGV 2000 to transport the material rack 100 between the AGV-adaptor frames. The control unit also controls the lifting mechanism 300 and the positioning mechanism 200 of the AGV-adaptor frames to lift and position the transported material rack 100.

[0050] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A frame adapted for AGVs, characterized in that, include: A material rack is used to place materials, and the material rack is transported between the racks of various compatible AGVs via AGVs. The positioning mechanism includes a baffle and a positioning drive device, wherein the positioning drive device drives the baffle to rotate and adjust the material rack transported by the AGV to a predetermined placement position.

2. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes a lifting mechanism for lifting the material rack transported in by the AGV.

3. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 2, characterized in that, The baffle is movably connected to the positioning drive device and the lifting mechanism. When the lifting mechanism lifts the material rack transported by the AGV, the positioning drive device drives the baffle to rotate. During the rotation of the baffle, the material rack is pushed so that the material rack is positioned in a predetermined location.

4. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 3, characterized in that, The baffle includes a drive hinge and a lifting hinge. The baffle is hinged to the positioning drive device via the drive hinge and to the lifting mechanism via the lifting hinge.

5. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 3, characterized in that, The material rack includes rack holes, and the positioning mechanism is disposed on the periphery of the material rack and at the rack holes to adjust the plane position of the material rack.

6. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 2, characterized in that, Includes a support frame for placing the material rack.

7. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 6, characterized in that, The support frame is formed as a support column, and there are multiple support columns evenly distributed in the platform; the top of the support frame is provided with a mounting protrusion, and the material rack is provided with mounting holes corresponding to the mounting protrusion at the bottom.

8. The AGV-adaptive platform according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism and the positioning mechanism are equipped with protective nets on their outer sides.

9. A factory transportation system, characterized in that, Includes a frame adapted for AGV as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The factory transportation system according to claim 9, characterized in that, It includes a control unit and an AGV. The control unit is used to control the AGV to transport the material rack between the platforms of the adapted AGV, and to control the lifting mechanism and the positioning mechanism.

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