Transport vehicle

Abstract

The design article is a transport vehicle used to transport items such as plates and trays in restaurants and other establishments. The vehicle's wheels are mounted on a pair of rails (rail pairs) arranged side by side in the left-right direction relative to the direction of travel (corresponding to the left-right direction in a front view), and the vehicle moves autonomously on the rails. The vehicle also has a lifting function that moves between rails (first rail, second rail, third rail) arranged vertically relative to the direction of travel. As shown in the reference diagram indicating the names of each part, the vehicle comprises a main body on which the items are placed, four wheels, travel actuators attached to each wheel to rotate the wheels, and two rotators arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the front and rear of the main body. Each rotator has four arms arranged at 90-degree intervals. Each arm is equipped with a support part, a second guide part, and a first guide part, attached in that order from the tip to the base. The rotators can rotate in both directions around an axis that runs along the direction of travel of the vehicle. As shown in Reference Diagram 1 for the usage state, this product moves on its own on the first rail by rotating the wheels while the arms of the rotors are not in contact with the rails and the wheels are placed on the first rail 1. When this product rises from the first rail to the second rail above it, the rotor is first rotated so that one support part of the rotor's arm comes into contact with the second rail, lifting the wheels off the first rail. The left and right rotors rotate in opposite directions, while the front and rear rotors rotate synchronously. Then, with the wheels lifted off the rail, the wheels are retracted toward the center of the left and right directions, and are positioned inside the rail in the left-right direction (Reference Diagram 2 for the usage state). When the rotor continues to rotate from this state, the second guide part comes into contact with the second rail, restricting the body's movement in the left-right direction while lifting the body. As the rotor rotates further, the first guide part comes into contact with the third rail, restricting the movement of the main body in the left-right direction (see reference diagram 3 for usage), and another arm, separate from the arm that contacts the second rail, comes into contact with the third rail, which is higher than the second rail (see reference diagram 4 for usage). Further rotation of the rotor then moves the arm away from the second rail. This causes the main body to be supported on the third rail by the arm.In this state, the rotating body is further rotated, and when the main body rises until the wheels reach the position of the second rail (Reference Figure 5 for use state), the wheels are moved outward in the left-right direction and positioned on the second rail. In this state, when the rotating body is rotated in the opposite direction to the previous rotation, the arm and the third rail are separated, and the wheels are placed on the second rail. In this way, the product rises from the first rail to the second rail. The product descends to the lower rail by performing the operation process in the reverse order of the operation process when rising.

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