Connection member

Abstract

To suppress influence on an object to be towed of inertia force and centrifugal force generated as the object is conveyed by a towing apparatus.SOLUTION: A connection member, which connects a towing apparatus to an object to be towed which is towed by the towing apparatus, comprises: a strut member that is mounted on the towing apparatus; a lengthy member, whose one side is connected to the object to be towed and whose other side is provided with a long hole extending along an advancing direction of the object to be towed, in which the strut member is inserted into the long hole and the strut member can relatively move along the advancing direction inside the long hole; and an impact absorbing member, formed in at least either of the strut member and the lengthy member, which when the strut member moves relatively with respect to the lengthy member, changes in a state to absorb impact which the lengthy member receives from the strut member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connecting member. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an automated guided vehicle that tows an object to be towed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the automated guided vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the rotation angle of the arm part connected to the object to be towed is controlled relative to the vehicle part, thereby suppressing the effect of the rotation of the vehicle part on the object to be towed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-015414 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the towing device that tows the towed object starts or stops, an inertial force is generated in the towed object. In addition, when the traveling direction of the towing device changes, a centrifugal force accompanying the change is generated in the towed object. These inertial and centrifugal forces affect the product mounted on the towed object. In order to suppress these effects on the product, it may be necessary to change the design, such as changing the method of fixing the product on the towed object. If the design change is not sufficient, it may be necessary to significantly modify the towed object or adjust the transport conditions of the towing device (travel speed and acceleration / deceleration). In order to adjust the transport conditions, new tests are required. Furthermore, if the transport speed is reduced, the transport efficiency deteriorates. If the method of fixing the product or the fixture for fixing it changes according to the type of product transported by the towed object, the burden on the worker increases, which becomes an obstacle to the complete automation of the towing device.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve at least some of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to suppress the effects on the towed object of the inertial force and centrifugal force generated in response to the transportation of the towing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized in the following forms.

[0007] (1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connecting member for connecting a towing device and a towed object to be towed by the towing device, the connecting member comprising: a strut member attached to the towing device, an elongated member having one side connected to the towed object and the other side having a long hole extending along the traveling direction of the towed object, the strut member being inserted into the long hole and capable of moving relatively along the traveling direction inside the long hole, and a shock absorbing member formed on at least one of the strut member and the elongated member, which changes its state when the strut member moves relative to the elongated member, thereby absorbing a shock that the elongated member receives from the strut member.

[0008] According to this configuration, the connecting member connects the towing device and the towed object. The support member is supported within a long hole formed in the long member so as to be swingable along the traveling direction of the towed object. When the towing device starts, stops, accelerates, decelerates, etc., the support member moves within the long hole and collides with the end face of the inner circumferential surface forming the long hole. The shock absorbing member changes its own state upon collision to absorb the shock that the long member receives from the support member. The shock absorption suppresses the effect on the towed object of the inertial force generated in response to the transportation of the towing device. In other words, by using the connecting member of this configuration, it is not necessary to redesign the fixing method of the product mounted on the towed object or the transportation conditions of the towing device, and transportation efficiency can be improved. In addition, by using the connecting member of this configuration, existing towed objects and towing devices can be utilized.

[0009] (2) In the connecting member according to the above aspect (1), a shock absorbing member may be fixed to at least one of the support member and the elongated member. According to this configuration, the shock absorbing member is fixed to at least one of the support member and the elongated member, so that shock can be absorbed more efficiently.

[0010] (3) In the connecting member described in the above form (1) or (2), the impact absorbing member may have a main body portion fixed to the elongated member and a tip portion extending from the main body portion in a direction along the traveling direction, and when the support member moves relative to the elongated member, the impact may be absorbed by changing the relative distance between the main body portion and the tip portion. According to this configuration, the shock absorbing member has a mechanism for absorbing shock by changing the relative distance between the main body and the tip. This can be realized by, for example, a spring, and can absorb a larger amount of shock.

[0011] (4) In the connecting member described in any one of the above forms (1) to (3), the shock absorbing member may have a first shock absorbing member that changes its state to absorb the shock when the support member moves relative to the elongated member in a first direction along the traveling direction, and a second shock absorbing member that changes its state to absorb the shock when the support member moves relative to the elongated member in a second direction opposite to the first direction. According to this configuration, the first shock absorbing member absorbs shocks due to relative movement along a first direction, and the second shock absorbing member absorbs shocks due to relative movement along a second direction. The directions in which the inertial force acts are different when the towing device starts and when it stops. According to this configuration, shocks are absorbed by separate members, the first shock absorbing member and the second shock absorbing member, respectively, when the towing device starts and when it stops, so shock absorption can be set separately for each of the starting and stopping.

[0012] (5) In the connecting member described in any one of the above forms (1) to (4), the impact absorbing member may be at least one of a shock absorber, a damper, a spring, or a rubber material fixed to the elongated member and coming into contact with the support member when the support member moves relative to the elongated member, thereby absorbing impact along the traveling direction, and a rubber material fixed to the support member and coming into contact with the elongated member when the support member moves relative to the elongated member, thereby absorbing impact along the traveling direction. According to this configuration, a mechanism for suppressing inertial force can be realized by using a shock absorber, damper, spring, or rubber material that has been conventionally used as a mechanism capable of absorbing impact.

[0013] (6) In the connecting member according to any one of the above forms (1) to (5), the towing device may be a transport vehicle driven by a person, an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), or an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). According to this configuration, a conventional transport vehicle, an unmanned transport vehicle which is an automatic transport device, and an autonomous transport robot can be used as a towing device.

[0014] The present invention can be realized in various aspects, for example, in the form of a connecting member, a shock absorbing device, a towing device, a transport vehicle, an automatic transport device, and a system including these. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a connecting member. [Figure 4] 13 is a schematic side view of the connecting member when the contact portion and the support are in contact with each other. FIG. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the impact absorbing device rotated around the support pillar. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a connecting member according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic transport system equipped with a loading table mechanism according to a reference example. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of a loading table mechanism according to a reference example. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of a loading table mechanism according to a reference example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic transport system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the automatic transport system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a towing device 10, a towed object 20 towed by the towing device 10, and a connecting member 30 connecting the towing device 10 and the towed object 20. In the present embodiment, the connecting member 30 changes its own state upon collision, thereby functioning as a shock absorbing member that absorbs the inertial force and centrifugal force generated in the towed object 20 according to the acceleration / deceleration and change in the traveling direction of the towing device 10. This suppresses the influence of the inertial force and centrifugal force generated by the towing device 10 on products and the like mounted on the towed object 20.

[0017] The towing device 10 of this embodiment is an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). The towed object 20 is a cart capable of carrying products, etc., as shown in Fig. 1. The towed object 20 is connected to the towing device 10 via a connecting member 30, and therefore moves following the towing device 10.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the coupling member 30. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged perspective view of the region RG in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the coupling member 30 of this embodiment includes a connection member 30B connected to the towed object 20, and a shock absorbing device 30A connecting the connection member 30B and the towing device 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the connection member 30B is fixed to the towed object 20 by a bolt. The connection member 30B is formed by combining two metal rods, which are rigid bodies.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the shock absorbing device 30A includes a support (support member) 31 attached to the towing device 10, a housing (long member) 32 fixed to a connection member 30B, and a shock absorber (shock absorbing member) 33 that changes its shape to absorb the shock that the housing 32 receives from the support 31. The Cartesian coordinate system CS shown in Fig. 2 is composed of a Z axis parallel to the vertical direction, and an X axis and a Y axis parallel to the horizontal direction. The Y axis is defined as an axis parallel to a long axis OL of a long hole HL (described later) formed in the housing 32. The Cartesian coordinate system CS shown in Fig. 2 corresponds to the Cartesian coordinate system CS shown in Fig. 3 and subsequent Figs.

[0020] The support 31 includes a columnar portion 31A that extends vertically with a constant cross-sectional area, and a large-diameter portion 31B that is disposed vertically above the columnar portion 31A. The large-diameter portion 31B has a disk-like shape with the same central axis as the central axis of the columnar portion 31A. The diameter of the large-diameter portion 31B is larger than the diameter of the cross-sectional area of ​​the columnar portion 31A.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 32 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the inside hollowed out. The housing 32 has a surface on the Z-axis positive direction side, which is one side of the Y-axis negative direction, fixed to the towed object 20 by a bolt. In the housing 32, a long hole HL having a long axis OL parallel to the Y-axis is formed on the Z-axis positive direction side surface and the Z-axis negative direction side surface on the Y-axis positive direction side, which is the opposite side to the surface on which the towed object 20 is fixed. A support 31 is inserted into the two long holes HL. The diameter of the short axis of the long hole HL, which is parallel to the X-axis and perpendicular to the long axis OL, is slightly larger than the diameter of the cross section of the columnar portion 31A of the support 31 and is smaller than the diameter of the large diameter portion 31B. The long hole HL has a semicircular inner circumferential surface slightly larger than the cross section of the columnar portion 31A at two end surfaces along the long axis OL. The long hole HL also has an inner circumferential surface formed by a plane parallel to the long axis OL that connects the two semicircular inner circumferential surfaces. Therefore, the support pillar 31 can move relatively along the long axis OL, i.e., along the traveling direction of the traction device 10, inside the two long holes HL located on the positive and negative sides of the Z axis. In other words, the support pillar 31 is supported relative to the housing 32 so as to be swingable along the long axis OL of the long holes HL. In addition, the housing 32 is supported relative to the support pillar 31 so as to be rotatable around the Z axis.

[0022] 3 is a schematic side view of the connecting member 30. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shock absorber 33 of this embodiment includes a main body 33A fixed to the housing 32 and a tip end 33B extending from the main body 33A along the major axis of the long hole HL of the towed object 20. The main body 33A has a substantially cylindrical shape, and oil and a spring are sealed inside the cylindrical shape. The tip end 33B includes a rod 33B1 connected to the main body 33A and a contact part 33B2 fixed to the tip of the rod 33B1 and arranged on the support 31 side.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the rod 33B1 extends along the long axis OL of the long hole HL so as to connect between the main body 33A and the contact portion 33B2. The rod 33B1 has a columnar shape with a smaller cross section than the main body 33A and the contact portion 33B2. One end of the rod 33B1 on the main body 33A side is connected to the end of the sprinkler in the main body 33A. The contact portion 33B2 has a columnar shape with the same central axis as the rod 33B1 as an axis. In the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support 31 is in contact with the end of the long hole HL on the positive side of the Y axis. In this state, the contact portion 33B2 is not in contact with the support 31. The distance that the support 31 can swing in the long hole HL is greater than the distance between the end face of the support 31 at the contact portion 33B2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the side face of the support 31 at the contact portion 33B2 side of the columnar portion 31A of the support 31.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of the connecting member 30 when the contact portion 33B2 and the support 31 are in contact with each other. When the support 31 swings in the long hole HL from the state shown in Figs. 2 and 3, that is, when the housing 32 moves relative to the support 31, the contact portion 33B2 comes into contact with the columnar portion 31A of the support 31, as shown in Fig. 4. When the contact portion 33B2 comes into contact with the support 31, the relative distance between the contact portion 33B2 and the rod 33B1 and the main body 33A changes so that the contact portion 33B2 approaches the main body 33A. When the relative distance changes, the support 31 comes into contact with the housing 32, and the shock in the traveling direction of the towed object 20 is absorbed by the oil and spring sealed in the main body 33A.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the shock absorbing device 30A rotated around the support 31. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the traveling direction of the towing device 10 has changed from the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the orientation of the towed object 20 relative to the towing device 10 has rotated about 120 degrees counterclockwise around the Z axis. In FIG. 5, the towing device 10, a part of the connecting member 30, and the towed object 20 are omitted. Since the housing 32 is supported rotatably around the Z axis with respect to the support 31 fixed to the towing device 10, when the traveling direction of the towing device 10 changes, as shown in FIG. 5, the traveling direction of the towing device 10 and the long axis OL of the long hole HL of the housing 32 change from the parallel state. Since the main body 33A of the shock absorber 33 is fixed to the housing 32, the central axis of the shock absorber 33 is always maintained parallel to the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 30B fixed to the housing 32. The orthogonal coordinate system CS is a coordinate system relative to the traction device 10 set in the shock absorbing device 30A.

[0026] As described above, in the automatic transport system 1 of this embodiment, the housing 32 has one end close to the towed object 20 on the Y-axis direction side fixed to the towed object 20 by a bolt. In the housing 32, a long hole HL having a long axis OL is formed on the Y-axis positive direction side, which is the opposite side to the side where the towed object 20 is fixed. Inside the long hole HL, the support 31 can move relatively along the traveling direction of the towing device 10. The shock absorber 33 absorbs the impact that the housing 32 receives from the support 31 by changing its shape. The connecting member 30 of this embodiment connects the towing device 10 and the towed object 20. The support 31 is supported so as to be able to swing along the traveling direction of the towed object 20 within the long hole HL formed in the housing 32. When the towing device 10 stops and decelerates, the support 31 moves within the long hole HL and hits the end face of the inner circumferential surface forming the long hole HL. The shock absorber 33 changes its own state upon collision to absorb the impact that the housing 32 receives from the support 31. Impact absorption suppresses the effect on the towed object 20 of the inertial force generated in response to the transportation of the towing device 10. In other words, by using the connecting member 30 of this embodiment, it is not necessary to redesign the fastening method of the product mounted on the towed object 20 or the transportation conditions of the towing device 10, and transportation efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, by using the connecting member 30 of this embodiment, the existing towed object 20 and towing device 10 can be utilized.

[0027] Moreover, the shock absorber 33 in this embodiment is fixed to the housing 32. That is, the shock absorber 33 is fixed to at least one of the support 31 and the housing 32, and therefore can absorb impacts more efficiently.

[0028] The shock absorber 33 of this embodiment includes a main body 33A fixed to the housing 32 and a tip end 33B extending from the main body 33A along the travel direction of the towed object 20. When the housing 32 moves relative to the support 31, the relative distance between the contact part 33B2 and the rod 33B1 and the main body 33A changes. When the relative distance changes, the support 31 and the housing 32 come into contact with each other, and the oil and spring sealed in the main body 33A absorb the shock along the travel direction of the towed object 20. The shock absorber 33 of this embodiment has a mechanism for absorbing the shock by changing the relative distance between the main body 33A and the tip end 33B. By using the shock absorber 33, more shock can be absorbed.

[0029] In this embodiment, when the relative distance between the contact portion 33B2 and the rod 33B1 and the main body 33A changes, the support 31 and the housing 32 come into contact with each other, and the shock absorber 33 absorbs the impact along the traveling direction of the towed object 20. In this embodiment, a mechanism for suppressing inertial force can be realized by using a shock absorber that has been conventionally used as a mechanism capable of absorbing impact.

[0030] The towing device 10 of this embodiment is an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). In this embodiment, a conventional transport vehicle, an unmanned transport vehicle that is an automatic transport device, and an autonomous mobile robot can be used as the towing device 10.

[0031] 5, the shock absorbing device 30A can rotate around the central axis of the support pillar 31. If the shock absorbing device 30A does not rotate around the support pillar 31, the shock absorber 33 may not be able to sufficiently absorb the shock when the direction in which the support pillar 31 can swing in the long hole HL differs from the traveling direction of the towed object 20. In contrast, the connecting member 30 of this embodiment does not need to be provided with multiple shock absorbers 33 corresponding to the direction that changes with the change in the traveling direction of the towing device 10, but the shock absorbers 33 rotate around the central axis according to the direction of the inertial force, and can therefore sufficiently absorb the shock. MaFurthermore, since the shock absorbing device 30A of this embodiment absorbs shock at the central axis of the support pillar 31, a space-saving and low-cost shock absorbing mechanism can be realized.

[0032] <Second embodiment> FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the connecting member 30a of the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, the shock absorbing device 30Aa, a part of the connection member 30B fixed to the housing 32a of the shock absorbing device 30Aa, and a part of the traction device 10 to which the support 31 is fixed are illustrated in the connecting member 30a. The shock absorbing device 30Aa of the second embodiment is significantly different from the shock absorbing device 30A of the first embodiment in that it further includes a shock absorber (second shock absorbing member) 34 as a shock absorbing member in addition to the shock absorber (first shock absorbing member) 33. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the same configuration, shape, etc. will be omitted.

[0033] 6, the shock absorber 34 has the same structure and shape as the shock absorber 33. The shock absorber 34 is disposed at a symmetrical position around the central axis of the support 31. The shock absorber 34 includes a main body 34A fixed to the housing 32a, and a tip end 34B extending from the main body 34A along the major axis of the long hole HLa of the towed object 20.

[0034] In the state shown in Fig. 6, the strut 31 is located at the center on the long axis of the long hole HLa. In this state, the contact portion 33B2 of the shock absorber 33 is not in contact with the strut 31, and the contact portion 34B2 of the shock absorber 34 is not in contact with the strut 31 either. When the strut 31 moves in the Y-axis negative direction (first direction) inside the long hole HLa due to the inertial force of the towing device 10, the contact portion 33B2 of the shock absorber 33 comes into contact with the strut 31. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the relative distance between the main body portion 33A and the tip portion 33B of the shock absorber 33 changes, and the shock absorber 33 absorbs the impact along the traveling direction of the towed object 20. On the other hand, when the strut 31 moves in the Y-axis positive direction (second direction) inside the long hole HLa due to the inertial force of the towing device 10, the contact portion 34B2 of the shock absorber 34 comes into contact with the strut 31. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the relative distance between the main body portion 34A and the tip portion 34B of the shock absorber 34 changes, and the shock absorber 34 absorbs the impact along the traveling direction of the towed object 20.

[0035] As described above, in the connecting member 30a of the second embodiment, when the support 31 moves in the long hole HLa toward the Y-axis negative direction (first direction), the shock absorber 33 comes into contact with the support 31, changing the relative distance between the main body 33A and the tip 33B, and the shock absorber 33 absorbs the impact along the traveling direction of the towed object 20. Also, when the support 31 moves in the long hole HLa toward the Y-axis positive direction (second direction), the shock absorber 34 comes into contact with the support 31, changing the relative distance between the main body 34A and the tip 34B, and the shock absorber 34 absorbs the impact along the traveling direction of the towed object 20. The direction in which the inertial force acts is different when the towing device 10 starts and stops. According to this embodiment, the shock absorber 33 absorbs the impact of the inertial force generated in the towed object 20 when the towing device 10 starts or accelerates. Furthermore, shock absorber 34 absorbs the impact of the inertial force generated in towed object 20 when towing device 10 stops or decelerates. That is, since shock absorbers 33 and 34 are separate members that absorb impact when starting and when stopping, respectively, shock absorption when starting and when stopping can be set separately.

[0036] <Reference example> Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic conveying system 1x equipped with a loading table mechanism of a reference example. In the automatic conveying system 1x shown in Fig. 7, a loading table mechanism 40 capable of loading products and the like is disposed vertically above a conveying device 10x similar to the towing device 10 of the first embodiment. The loading table mechanism 40 is supported by guide rails 46, 47 (described later) so as to be swingable along the travel direction (Y-axis direction) and the lateral direction (X-axis direction) relative to the conveying device 10x. The loading table mechanism 40 includes shock absorbers 41-44 (described later) that absorb the inertial force generated when the loading table mechanism 40 swings along the travel direction and the lateral direction relative to the conveying device 10x.

[0037] 8 and 9 are schematic side views of the loading table mechanism 40 of the reference example. In Figs. 8 and 9, of the loading table mechanism 40, a first-stage table portion 45 that is positioned vertically below the two-stage table shown in Fig. 1 and supported by the transport device 10x, and a vertically upper portion of the transport device 10x that supports the loading table mechanism 40 are shown. Fig. 8 shows a schematic side view of the loading table mechanism 40 as viewed from the positive direction of the X axis. Fig. 9 shows a schematic side view of the loading table mechanism 40 as viewed from the negative direction of the Y axis.

[0038] 8 and 9, the loading table mechanism 40 includes a table portion 45, guide rails 46 and 47, and shock absorbers 41 to 44. The guide rail 46 supports the table portion 45 so as to be movable along the Y-axis direction relative to the transport device 10x. The guide rail 47 supports the table portion 45 so as to be movable along the X-axis direction relative to the transport device 10x.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 8, the table portion 45 includes a horizontally parallel flat plate 45A on which products can be loaded, and contact plates 45B and 45C extending vertically downward from positions on the Y-axis positive side and the Y-axis negative side of the flat plate 45A. As shown in Fig. 9, the table portion 45 further includes contact plates 45D and 45E extending vertically downward from positions on the X-axis positive side and the X-axis negative side of the flat plate 45A.

[0040] Shock absorbers 41 to 44 shown in Figs. 8 and 9 are fixed to a vertically upper surface of the transport device 10x. As shown in Fig. 8, shock absorber 41 is disposed on the Y-axis positive side of contact plate 45B disposed on the Y-axis positive side. Therefore, when the transport device 10x moves in the Y-axis positive direction relative to the transport device 10x via guide rail 46 due to inertial force and centrifugal force generated by the movement of the transport device 10x, shock absorber 41 comes into contact with contact plate 45B. When the shock absorber 41 comes into contact with contact plate 45B, it changes its shape to absorb the impact generated by the contact with contact plate 45B.

[0041] 8, shock absorber 42 is disposed on the Y-axis negative side of contact plate 45C, which is disposed on the Y-axis negative side. Therefore, when table portion 45 moves toward the Y-axis negative side relative to conveyance device 10x via guide rail 46, shock absorber 42 comes into contact with contact plate 45C. At the time of contact, shock absorber 42 changes its own shape to absorb the impact generated by contact with contact plate 45C.

[0042] 9 is disposed on the negative X-axis side of the contact plate 45D disposed on the positive X-axis side. Therefore, when the table portion 45 moves to the negative X-axis side relative to the conveyance device 10x via the guide rails 46, the shock absorber 43 comes into contact with the contact plate 45D. When the shock absorber 43 comes into contact with the contact plate 45D, the shock absorber 43 changes its own shape to absorb the impact generated by the contact with the contact plate 45D.

[0043] 9, the shock absorber 44 is disposed on the positive side of the X-axis relative to the contact plate 45E disposed on the negative side of the X-axis. When the table portion 45 moves in the positive direction of the X-axis relative to the conveyance device 10x via the guide rails 46, the shock absorber 44 comes into contact with the contact plate 45E. At the time of contact, the shock absorber 44 changes its own shape to absorb the impact generated by the contact with the contact plate 45E.

[0044] As described above, in the automatic conveying system 1x of the reference example, the shock absorbers 41-44 are arranged vertically above the conveying device 10x on the Y-axis positive side and the Y-axis negative side, and on the X-axis positive side and the X-axis negative side. Each of the shock absorbers 41-44 absorbs the impact caused by the movement of the table unit 45 relative to the conveying device 10x. The impact of the inertial force generated in response to the conveying of the conveying device 10x on the products and the like mounted on the loading table mechanism 40 is suppressed by absorbing the impact. In other words, by using the loading table mechanism 40, it is not necessary to redesign the method of fixing the products mounted on the table unit 45 or the conveying conditions of the conveying device 10x, and the conveying efficiency can be improved. In addition, by using the loading table mechanism 40, the existing conveying device 10x can be utilized.

[0045] <Modifications of this embodiment> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the following modifications are also possible.

[0046] In the above first and second embodiments, the configuration has been described in which the connecting members 30, 30a including the support 31 and the housing 32 include the shock absorbers 33, 34 that change their shape to absorb the impact that the housing 32 receives from the support 31. However, the connecting members including the shock absorbing members that change their shape to absorb the impact can be deformed. For example, instead of the shock absorbers 33, 34, a damper, a spring, or a rubber material may be used as the impact absorbing member. These impact absorbing members may be fixed or disposed on the housing 32, or may be disposed on the support 31. For example, instead of the shock absorbers 33, 34, a rod-shaped rigid body that does not change its shape may be used, and the support 31 may be formed of an elastically deformable rubber material. In this case, the support 31 made of a rubber material may absorb the impact at the time of collision by elastically deforming its shape when colliding with the rod-shaped rigid body fixed to the housing 32. In addition, the support 31 in this case may be formed by disposing a rubber material around a core material of a metal rigid body. Furthermore, the support 31 may absorb the impact when colliding with the long hole HL formed in the housing 32, without providing a rod-shaped rigid body fixed to the housing 32. Furthermore, the impact absorbing member may not be formed in the support 31, but may be a rubber material provided on the inner circumferential surface forming the long hole HL of the housing 32. In this case, the rubber material provided on the inner circumferential surface of the long hole HL can absorb the impact when the support 31 swinging inside the long hole HL collides with the housing 32 in which the long hole HL is formed.

[0047] The towing device 10 in the first embodiment described above is an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), but any known device can be used as long as it can attach the connecting member 30 and tow the towed object 20. For example, the towing device 10 may be a transport vehicle driven by a person or an automated guided vehicle (AGV).

[0048] In the above first embodiment, the connecting member 30 has been described as a configuration different from both the towing device 10 and the towed object 20, but in other embodiments, it may be a part of the towing device 10 or a part of the towed object 20. In this case, the connecting members 30, 30a correspond to a configuration including a shock absorbing member that absorbs shocks of inertial force and centrifugal force generated by the movement of the towing device 10.

[0049] In the above first embodiment, the positional relationship between the central axis of the support pillar 31, which is the rotation axis of the shock absorbers 33, 34, and the towing device 10 is not particularly specified, but it is preferable that the central axis of the support pillar 31 is coaxial with the turning axis of the towing device 10. By arranging the central axis of the support pillar 31 coaxially with the turning axis, when the towing device 10 changes its traveling direction by turning, the load applied to the towed object 20 due to the turning can be suppressed.

[0050] In the shock absorbing device 30A of the first embodiment, the shock absorber 33 rotates around the central axis of the support 31, and the orientation of the shock absorber 33 relative to the towing device 10 can be changed, but in other embodiments, the orientation of the shock absorber 33 relative to the towing device 10 may be fixed. In this case, as in the second embodiment, multiple shock absorbers 33, 34 may be arranged along the direction in which shock is desired to be absorbed.

[0051] Although the present aspect has been described above based on the embodiment and modified examples, the above-mentioned embodiment of the aspect is intended to facilitate understanding of the present aspect and does not limit the present aspect. The present aspect may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents are included in the present aspect. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it may be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1,1x…Automatic transport system 10,10x…Transportation device 20...Towed object 30, 30a...Connecting member 30A, 30Aa...Shock absorbing device 30B…Connecting member 31...Support (support member) 31A...Columnar part 31B…Large diameter section 32, 32a...Housing (long member) 33, 34, 41-44...Shock absorbers (shock absorbing components) 33A, 34A…Shock absorber body 33B, 34B...Shock absorber tip 33B1...Shock absorber rod 33B2, 34B2...Shock absorber contact parts 40...Loading table mechanism 45…Table section 45A…Flat plate 45B,45C,45D,45E…Contact plate 46,47…Guide rail CS...Cartesian coordinate system HL,HLa…Long hole RG…area

Claims

1. A connecting member that connects a towing device and a towed object to be towed by the towing device, a strut member attached to the traction device; a long member having one side connected to the towed object and the other side having a long hole extending along the traveling direction of the towed object, the long hole having the strut member inserted therein, the strut member being movable relative to the towed object along the traveling direction inside the long hole; a shock absorbing member formed on at least one of the support member and the elongated member, the shock absorbing member changing its state when the support member moves relative to the elongated member, thereby absorbing a shock that the elongated member receives from the support member; A connecting member comprising:

2. The connecting member according to claim 1 , A connecting member, characterized in that the impact absorbing member is fixed to at least one of the support member and the elongated member.

3. The connecting member according to claim 2, The impact absorbing member is A main body portion fixed to the elongated member and a tip portion extending from the main body portion in a direction along the traveling direction, A connecting member characterized in that, when the support member moves relative to the elongated member, the relative distance between the main body portion and the tip portion changes, thereby absorbing the impact.

4. The connecting member according to claim 1 , The impact absorbing member is a first shock absorbing member that changes its state when the support member moves relative to the elongated member in a first direction along the traveling direction, to absorb the shock; a second shock absorbing member that changes its state when the support member moves relative to the elongated member in a second direction opposite to the first direction, thereby absorbing the shock; A connecting member comprising:

5. The connecting member according to claim 2, The impact absorbing member is a shock absorber, a damper, a spring, or a rubber material that is fixed to the long member and that absorbs impact along the traveling direction by coming into contact with the support member when the support member moves relative to the long member; a rubber material fixed to the support member and contacting the elongated member when the support member moves relative to the elongated member, thereby absorbing impact along the traveling direction; A connecting member characterized by being at least one of the above.

6. A connecting member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A connecting member characterized in that the towing device is a transport vehicle driven by a person, an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), or an autonomous mobile robot (AMR).

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