Travel regulation device

Abstract

To provide a travel regulation device which can bring a conveyance vehicle into an emergency stop quickly even in the case where the conveyance vehicle starts travelling unintentionally.SOLUTION: In a conveyance facility including a travel rail 20, and a conveyance vehicle which has wheels rolling on a travel surface 21 of the travel rail 20, a drive device for the wheels, and a bumper 14 and which travels along the travel rail 20, a travel regulation device 1 regulates the travel of the conveyance vehicle. The travel regulation device includes a body part 3, a locking part 4, and a connection part 5. The body part 3 includes an opposing surface 31 arranged at a position opposing the bumper 14 in a state of being placed on the travel surface 21, and a supported part 34 which becomes a portion supported by the travel surface 21 when the opposing surface 31 is pressed by the bumper 14. The locking part 4 is configured to come into contact with a rail lower surface 29 on the approach side in the travel direction, relative to the opposing surface 31 and the supported part 34, when the opposing surface 31 is pressed by the bumper 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel restriction device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, International Publication No. 2014 / 129066 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology related to a travel restriction device. In the following description of the background art, the reference numerals in parentheses refer to those in Patent Document 1.

[0003] In the automated warehouse of Patent Document 1, a transport vehicle (stacker crane 2) is used as a transport device for transporting articles. This transport vehicle includes a lower dolly (4) guided by a lower rail (12), an upper dolly (6) guided by an upper rail (14), a mast (8) fixed to the lower dolly (4) and connecting the lower dolly (4) and the upper dolly (6), and a transfer device (10) provided on the mast (8). The lower dolly (4) includes wheels (drive wheels 22) that roll on the upper surface of the lower rail (12) and a support part (28) located at a position away from the wheels. In addition, a displacement mechanism is provided on the lower dolly (4). The displacement mechanism raises and lowers the support part (28) between a grounding position supported by the lower rail (12) and a retracted position above the lower rail (12). When the transport vehicle is operated, the support part (28) is raised to the retracted position. Furthermore, when the transport vehicle is to be installed on the lower rail (12) and the upper rail (14) or when the transport vehicle is stopped for maintenance, the support portion (28) is lowered to the ground contact position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2014 / 129066 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the automated warehouse of Patent Document 1, the posture of the lower cart (4) and the mast (8) can be stabilized by lowering the support part (28) to the grounding position. This makes it easier to install the transport vehicle on the rail and perform maintenance work on the transport vehicle. On the other hand, while a worker is performing such work, there are cases where the transport vehicle must be moved, and a situation may occur where the transport vehicle unintentionally starts moving while it is moving. In such a case, the transport vehicle must be stopped immediately from the viewpoint of ensuring the safety of the worker and avoiding damage to the equipment, but Patent Document 1 does not mention this point.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a travel restriction device that can quickly bring the transport vehicle to an emergency stop even if the transport vehicle starts traveling unintentionally. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A travel restriction device according to the present disclosure is a travel restriction device for restricting travel of a transport vehicle in a transport facility including a travel rail having a running surface facing upward and a rail underside facing downward and disposed below the running surface, wheels that roll on the running surface of the travel rail, a drive unit for the wheels, and a bumper that is disposed above the running surface and stops the drive unit upon collision with an obstacle, the travel restriction device being for restricting travel of the transport vehicle, A main body portion placed on the travel surface; A locking portion disposed opposite the lower surface of the rail; A direction along the traveling rail is a traveling direction, and a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction when viewed in a vertical direction is a width direction. A connecting portion integrally connects the main body portion and the locking portion on the outer side of the traveling surface in the width direction, A side away from the bumper in the traveling direction is defined as a traveling direction away side, and a side approaching the bumper in the traveling direction is defined as a traveling direction approaching side, the main body portion includes an opposing surface that is disposed at a position opposing the bumper from the traveling direction separation side when placed on the traveling surface, and a supported portion that becomes a portion supported by the traveling surface when the opposing surface is pressed toward the traveling direction separation side by the bumper, The engaging portion is configured to abut the underside of the rail on the closer side in the traveling direction than the opposing surface and the supported portion when the opposing surface is pressed toward the farther side in the traveling direction by the bumper.

[0008] According to this configuration, when the transport vehicle travels unintentionally and the opposing surface is pressed by the bumper, the main body is supported by the traveling surface at the supported portion, and the locking portion abuts and is pressed against the underside of the rail on the traveling direction closer side than the opposing surface and the supported portion. In this way, the travel restriction device can be fixed to the traveling rail by the frictional force with the traveling rail caused by pressing the locking portion against the underside of the rail using the pressing force of the bumper against the opposing surface. Therefore, the bumper can be pushed back by the opposing surface, so that the drive unit of the transport vehicle can be securely brought to an emergency stop. Furthermore, with this configuration, the travel restriction device can be easily installed on the travel rail by placing the main body on the travel surface and aligning the engaging portion opposite the underside of the rail. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the travel restriction device is fixed to the traveling rail by friction with the traveling rail, utilizing the pressing force of the bumper against the opposing surface. Therefore, even after the transport vehicle has been stopped by the travel restriction device, the travel restriction device can be easily removed from the traveling rail by simply releasing the engaging portion from the underside of the rail.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the travel restriction device will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, which is given with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a traveling carriage of the transport vehicle; [Diagram 2] Control Block Diagram [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a travel restriction device; [Figure 4] Rear view of the driving restriction device [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state in which the bumper presses against the opposing surface of the travel restriction device; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a rear view of the travel restriction device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the travel restriction device will be described with reference to the drawings, taking an example in which the travel restriction device is used in a transport device.

[0012] As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the conveying equipment 9 includes a traveling rail 20 and a conveying vehicle 10 that travels along the traveling rail 20. In this embodiment, the conveying equipment 9 is configured to convey articles. Specifically, the conveying vehicle 10 is an article conveying vehicle that conveys articles, and conveys the articles to a predetermined destination by traveling along the traveling rail 20. The conveying equipment 9 is provided, for example, inside an automated warehouse equipped with storage shelves that accommodate a plurality of articles, and can be used to load and unload articles between the inside and outside of the storage shelves.

[0013] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the traveling rail 20 has a running surface 21 facing upward and a rail underside 29 arranged below the running surface 21 and facing downward. In this example, the traveling rail 20 has a rail main body 20a and a rail support portion 20b that supports the rail main body 20a from the lower side. The rail support portion 20b is provided on the floor surface or the like of the conveying equipment 9. Here, the running surface 21 is a surface facing the upper side of the rail main body 20a. The rail underside 29 is a surface facing the lower side of the rail main body 20a. In the illustrated example, the rail underside 29 is formed in an area other than the connection portion between the rail main body 20a and the rail support portion 20b. Specifically, the dimension in the width direction Y of the rail main body 20a is larger than the dimension in the width direction Y of the rail support portion 20b, and the rail underside 29 is formed as a pair separated in the width direction Y with the connection portion sandwiched therebetween. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a groove 61 recessed upward is formed in each of the pair of rail lower surfaces 29. The groove 61 is formed along the extending direction of the traveling rail 20.

[0014] In this example, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, a pair of traveling rails 20 are provided separately in the width direction Y. The transport vehicle 10 is configured to travel in a traveling direction X while being guided by the pair of traveling rails 20. In the following, the direction along the traveling rails 20 is referred to as the traveling direction X, and the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction X when viewed in the up-down direction is referred to as the width direction Y. In addition, the side away from the first bumper 14 in the traveling direction X is referred to as the traveling direction away side X2, the side approaching the first bumper 14 in the traveling direction X is referred to as the traveling direction approach side X1, one side of the width direction Y is referred to as the width direction first side Y1, and the opposite side is referred to as the width direction second side Y2.

[0015] 1 and 2, the transport vehicle 10 includes wheels 11 that roll on a running surface 21 of a traveling rail 20, a drive unit 12 for the wheels 11, and a first bumper 14 that is disposed above the running surface 21 and stops the drive unit 12 when it collides with an obstacle. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 10 further includes a second bumper 18. The first bumper 14 corresponds to the "bumper."

[0016] In this example, as shown in Fig. 1, the transport vehicle 10 is provided with a plurality of wheels 11 (four in this example) separated in the travel direction X and width direction Y so as to correspond to each of a pair of travel rails 20. Also, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the transport vehicle 10 is provided with a travel cart section 17 that moves while being guided by the travel rails 20, a transfer device 28 that transfers an article to be transported, a lifting section 27 that raises and lowers the article, and a control section H that controls the entire transport vehicle 10. The travel cart section 17 is provided with the above-mentioned wheels 11, and also houses a drive device 12 that drives the wheels 11, and the control section H.

[0017] The driving device 12 is configured to drive at least one of the multiple wheels 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving device 12 includes a traveling motor M and a transmission mechanism 19 that transmits the driving force of the traveling motor M to the wheels 11. In the illustrated example, a plurality of driving devices 12 are provided corresponding to the wheels 11 arranged separately in the traveling direction X (i.e., the wheels 11 on the front side and the wheels 11 on the rear side in the traveling direction X). In the example of FIG. 1, a plurality of guide wheels 24 corresponding to a pair of traveling rails 20 are provided on the traveling carriage unit 17. In addition, each of the side surfaces on both sides of the traveling rail 20 in the width direction Y is set as a rail side surface 23, and the multiple guide wheels 24 are configured to roll on each of the rail side surfaces 23 on both sides in the width direction Y. In this embodiment, the rail side surface 23 is set as a side surface on both sides of the rail main body portion 20a in the width direction Y. In this example, a wheel support member 71 is provided corresponding to each of the multiple wheels 11. In the example of FIG. 1, the wheel support member 71 is provided on the traveling carriage unit 17. Further, the wheel support member 71 supports the wheel 11 rotatably around an axis P along the width direction Y. Here, the wheel support member 71 is formed so as to cover both outer sides of the wheel 11 in the running direction X and the outer side in the width direction Y (the side on which the running cart unit 17 is not arranged).

[0018] The transfer device 28 is configured to hold the article being transported and to transfer the article between the transfer target location. The transfer device 28 places and holds the article, and transfers the article to the transfer target location by inserting and removing the article in the width direction Y. In this example, the transfer device 28 is of a conveyor type, but may be of a slide fork type or the like. Here, the transfer device 28 is provided on the lifting section 27. In this example, the transport vehicle 10 is a stacker crane. Therefore, a mast (not shown) is provided on the traveling cart section 17 along the vertical direction. The lifting section 27 is configured to be able to rise and fall along the mast.

[0019] The transport vehicle 10 is not limited to a stacker crane, and may be a transport vehicle (so-called shuttle vehicle) on which an article is placed and transported. In that case, the transfer device 28 may be provided in the traveling vehicle section 17. The transport vehicle 10 may be a parent vehicle on which a child vehicle that travels in the width direction Y to transport an article can be placed, or may be a ceiling transport vehicle that travels while being guided by rails suspended and supported from the ceiling.

[0020] A plurality of first bumpers 14 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of (four here) wheels 11. The first bumpers 14 are arranged on the outer side (the traveling direction side X2) of the wheels 11 in the traveling direction X. In this example, the first bumpers 14 are fixed to the wheel support members 71 via the bumper support members 76. The first bumpers 14 are arranged to protrude on the traveling direction side X2 with respect to the traveling carriage unit 17 when viewed in the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the first bumpers 14 are arranged above the traveling rails 20 (more specifically, the traveling surface 21). In addition, when an object such as an obstacle is placed on the traveling rails 20 ahead of the transport vehicle 10 in the traveling direction, the first bumpers 14 will come into contact with the object in principle.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 10 further includes a switch unit 7. The switch unit 7 is configured to be turned on when, for example, an obstacle or the like on the travel rail 20 ahead of the transport vehicle 10 in the travel direction hits the first bumper 14. When the switch unit 7 is switched from the off state to the on state, the power supply to the drive unit 12 is cut off and the transport vehicle 10 stops. In this example, the first bumper 14 has a switch function. That is, the first bumper 14 itself is the switch unit 7. Specifically, when the tip of the first bumper 14 comes into contact with another object and is pushed inward (the approaching side X1 in the travel direction) while the transport vehicle 10 is traveling, the transport vehicle 10 stops. In this way, since the first bumper 14 has a switch function, when the transport vehicle 10 collides with an object on the travel rail 20, in addition to the original function of protecting the wheels 11, the wheel support member 71, the traveling cart unit 17, etc. from the impact, the first bumper 14 performs a function of bringing the transport vehicle 10 to an emergency stop. The switch unit 7 may be provided separately from the first bumper 14. For example, the switch unit 7 may be provided on the traveling cart unit 17, the wheel support member 71, or the like.

[0022] The second bumpers 18 are disposed on both outer sides of the traveling cart section 17 in the traveling direction X. The second bumpers 18 are disposed so as to be sandwiched between a pair of traveling rails 20. In the example of FIG. 1, the second bumpers 18 are disposed between a pair of first bumpers 14 disposed separately in the width direction Y. Here, the second bumpers 18 have the same function as the first bumpers 14. Specifically, the second bumpers 18 have a function of protecting the traveling cart section 17 and the like from the impact when the transport vehicle 10 collides with an obstacle, and a switch function of bringing the transport vehicle 10 to an emergency stop. Specifically, when the tip of the second bumper 18 comes into contact with another object and is pushed inward (the approaching side X1 in the traveling direction) while the transport vehicle 10 is traveling, the transport vehicle 10 is configured to stop. Note that the second bumper 18 does not necessarily have to have a switch function.

[0023] For example, when the control unit H receives command information from a higher-level controller that controls the entire automated warehouse (not shown), it controls the lifting unit 27, the transfer device 28, and the drive device 12 based on the command information. Furthermore, when the first bumper 14 switches from an off state to an on state, the control unit H cuts off the power supply to the drive device 12 to stop the transport vehicle 10. The control unit H includes a processor such as a microcomputer and peripheral circuits such as a memory, and the above-mentioned functions are realized by cooperation between these hardware and a program executed on the hardware such as the processor.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, the travel restriction device 1 restricts travel of the transport vehicle 10. The travel restriction device 1 is configured to be supported on a running surface 21 of a traveling rail 20, so that the transport vehicle 10 does not travel beyond the travel restriction device 1. Specifically, the travel restriction device 1 is disposed on the traveling direction remote side X2 of the first bumper 14 so as to face the first bumper 14 of the transport vehicle 10. For example, when a worker performs maintenance work on the transport vehicle 10, the worker places the travel restriction device 1 on the traveling rail 20.

[0025] 3 and 4, the travel restriction device 1 includes a main body 3 placed on the running surface 21, a locking portion 4 arranged to face the rail underside 29, and a connecting portion 5 that integrally connects the main body 3 and the locking portion 4 on the outer side of the running surface 21 in the width direction Y. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 5 is supported by the main body 3, and connects the main body 3 and the locking portion 4 so as to support the locking portion 4.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the main body 3 includes an opposing surface 31 disposed at a position facing the first bumper 14 from the traveling direction separation side X2 when placed on the traveling surface 21, and a supported portion 34 that is supported by the traveling surface 21 when the opposing surface 31 is pressed by the first bumper 14 toward the traveling direction separation side X2. The main body 3 also includes a bottom surface 33 that is configured to be parallel to the traveling surface 21 when the opposing surface 31 is pressed by the first bumper 14 and the locking portion 4 abuts against the rail lower surface 29. In this embodiment, the main body 3 is a columnar member extending in the width direction Y. In this example, the main body 3 is formed so that the dimension in the width direction Y is larger than the dimension in the width direction Y of the traveling rail 20. In the following, the posture in which the traveling restriction device 1 is properly attached to the traveling rail 20 (the right side of the paper in FIG. 5) will be described as a reference posture T1. 5, the reference posture T1 is the posture of the driving restriction device 1 in which the supported portion 34 abuts against the running surface 21 and the bottom surface 33 is inclined without contacting the running surface 21. In the following, the posture of the driving restriction device 1 in a state in which the first bumper 14 presses the opposing surface 31 and the entire bottom surface 33 abuts against the running surface 21 (left side of the paper in FIG. 5) will be described as the overturned posture T2.

[0027] The facing surface 31 is a surface facing the approaching side X1 in the traveling direction of the main body 3 in the reference posture T1. The facing surface 31 is a surface that comes into contact with the first bumper 14 when the transport vehicle 10 travels. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the facing surface 31 is formed in a concave shape recessed toward the traveling direction away side X2 so that the tip end 16 of the traveling direction away side X2 of the first bumper 14 fits into the facing surface 31. In this example, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the facing surface 31 is formed in a concave shape that matches the shape of the tip end 16 of the first bumper 14. Here, the facing surface 31 has a plurality of surfaces (here, inclined surfaces). More specifically, the facing surface 31 has an upper facing surface 31a and a lower facing surface 31b. The upper facing surface 31a is formed as an inclined surface that extends in the width direction Y and inclines toward the traveling direction away side X2 as it approaches the lower side. The lower opposing surface 31b is formed continuously from the lower end of the upper opposing surface 31a, and is an inclined surface that inclines toward the traveling direction approaching side X1 as it goes downward. That is, the opposing surface 31 is formed in a concave shape such that the connecting portion between the upper opposing surface 31a and the lower opposing surface 31b is recessed most toward the traveling direction separating side X2. In the illustrated example, the first bumper 14 is formed in an arc shape that protrudes toward the traveling direction separating side X2 when viewed in the width direction Y. Then, when the transport vehicle 10 travels, the tip portion 16 of the first bumper 14 and a portion above the tip portion 16 abut against and press against the upper opposing surface 31a. Note that the opposing surface 31 does not have a plurality of surfaces, and may be, for example, a single curved surface.

[0028] The bottom surface 33 is a surface that comes into contact with the running surface 21 in the inverted posture T2 of the travel restriction device 1. That is, the bottom surface 33 is a surface facing downward of the main body 3 in the inverted posture T2 (the surface located at the bottom). In the inverted posture T2, the bottom surface 33 is ideally in surface contact with the running surface 21, but strictly speaking, it does not have to be in surface contact. In this example, the bottom surface 33 is formed in an area of ​​the main body 3 that overlaps with the running surface 21 when viewed in the up-down direction, and is not formed on both ends of the main body 3 (in the illustrated example, the portions located on both outer sides of the width direction Y of the traveling rail 20).

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the supported portion 34 is formed using an edge of the bottom surface 33 on the approaching side X1 in the traveling direction. When the facing surface 31 is pressed against the first bumper 14, the main body 3 rotates around an axis along the width direction Y with the supported portion 34 as a fulcrum. In this example, in the reference posture T1, the bottom surface 33 is an inclined surface that inclines upward toward the traveling direction separating side X2, and the area of ​​the bottom surface 33 other than the supported portion 34 does not abut against the traveling surface 21. Then, when the facing surface 31 is pressed against the first bumper 14, the main body 3 rotates with the supported portion 34 as a fulcrum, and the entire bottom surface 33 rotates and abuts against the traveling surface 21. In this way, the bottom surface 33 is in a posture parallel to the traveling surface 21 in the fallen posture T2.

[0030] The locking portion 4 is disposed below the running surface 21 and on the running direction approaching side X1 with respect to the main body 3 in both the reference posture T1 and the overturned posture T2 of the travel restriction device 1. The locking portion 4 is disposed so as to overlap the running rail 20 (for example, the running surface 21, the rail underside 29, etc.) when viewed in the up-down direction. Here, the locking portion 4 is configured to abut against the rail underside 29 on the running direction approaching side X1 with respect to the facing surface 31 and the supported portion 34 when the facing surface 31 is pressed toward the running direction separating side X2 by the first bumper 14. The locking portion 4 rotates around an axis along the width direction Y with the supported portion 34 as a fulcrum. The locking portion 4 rotates integrally with the main body 3 described above. In this embodiment, the travel restriction device 1 includes a pair of such locking portions 4. The pair of locking portions 4 are disposed separately in the width direction Y. In this example, the pair of locking portions 4 are disposed to correspond to a pair of rail lower surfaces 29 formed separately in the width direction Y. The pair of locking portions 4 are configured to abut against the pair of rail lower surfaces 29 from below. Here, the pair of locking portions 4 have the same structure as each other.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, in this embodiment, the part of the locking part 4 that abuts against the rail underside 29 is the abutting part 42, and at least the abutting part 42 is configured to be detachable from the target part 40, which is either the connecting part 5 or a part of the locking part 4 other than the abutting part 42 (hereinafter, "locking body part 43"). In this example, the locking part 4 includes the abutting part 42 and the locking body part 43 that supports the abutting part 42. Here, the target part 40 is the locking body part 43. That is, the abutting part 42 is detachable from the locking body part 43. The locking body part 43 connects the abutting part 42 and the connecting part 5 and supports the abutting part 42. In the illustrated example, the locking body part 43 supports the abutting part 42 from below. The abutting part 42 may be fixed to the locking body part 43 by a fastening member or the like. The abutment portion 42 may be fixed to the locking body portion 43 by a fitting mechanism, or may be fixed by a combination of these. In this embodiment, the abutment portion 42 is made of an elastic member (e.g., synthetic rubber, etc.). The abutment portion 42 is formed in a shape corresponding to the rail lower surface 29. In the illustrated example, the rail lower surface 29 is formed with the groove portion 61 as described above. The abutment portion 42 is formed in a convex shape so as to engage with the groove portion 61. The abutment portion 42 may be made of a metal that has been subjected to a knurling process, for example. The shape of the abutment portion 42 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the rail lower surface 29.

[0032] 3 to 5, in the reference posture T1, the abutment portion 42 abuts against the rail lower surface 29 and engages with the groove portion 61. Here, the abutment portion 42 is an elastic member formed in a convex shape whose dimension in the width direction Y decreases toward the upper side. The dimension in the width direction Y of the upper end of the abutment portion 42 is formed slightly larger than the dimension in the width direction Y of the groove portion 61. Therefore, in the reference posture T1, the upper end portion of the abutment portion 42 abuts against the rail lower surface 29 and engages with the groove portion 61.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the travel restriction device 1 includes a pair of connecting parts 5 corresponding to the pair of locking parts 4. The pair of connecting parts 5 are arranged on both outer sides in the width direction Y with respect to the traveling rail 20. Each of the pair of connecting parts 5 is provided to connect the end of the main body part 3 in the width direction Y with the corresponding locking part 4. Hereinafter, of the pair of connecting parts 5, the connecting part 5 on the first width direction side Y1 may be referred to as the first connecting part 54, and the connecting part 5 on the second width direction side Y2 may be referred to as the second connecting part 53. In this embodiment, the pair of connecting parts 5 are configured to sandwich the traveling rail 20 from both sides in the width direction Y in a state in which the main body part 3 is placed on the traveling surface 21. In this example, the connecting part 5 faces the rail side surface 23 with a small gap in the width direction Y (FIG. 5). Therefore, when the main body part 3 is placed on the traveling surface 21, it is possible to avoid interference between each of the pair of connecting parts 5 and the traveling rail 20.

[0034] The connecting portion 5 is disposed so as to incline downward toward the approaching side X1 in the traveling direction in both the reference posture T1 and the overturned posture T2. Moreover, the connecting portion 5 is a member extending from below the rail lower surface 29 to above the traveling surface 21 as viewed in the width direction Y. In this example, the first connecting portion 54 is fixed to an end portion of the main body portion 3 on the first width direction side Y1. Moreover, the locking body portion 43 of the locking portion 4 is connected to the tip portion (lower end portion) of the first connecting portion 54. Here, the first connecting portion 54 and the locking body portion 43 are integrally formed. The locking body portion 43 is disposed so as to protrude from the tip portion of the first connecting portion 54 toward the inside in the width direction Y (here, the first width direction side Y1). And, the abutting portion 42 is attached to the surface facing the upper side of the locking body portion 43 (here, the surface facing the upper side and toward the approaching side X1 in the traveling direction). In this embodiment, at least one of the pair of connecting parts 5 is configured to be detachable from the main body part 3. Here, the second connecting part 53 is configured to be detachable from the main body part 3. In this example, the second connecting part 53 is detachably fixed to the end of the main body part 3 on the second width direction side Y2. Other configurations of the second connecting part 53 are the same as those of the first connecting part 54, so their explanations are omitted. Below, a configuration in which the second connecting part 53 is detachable from the main body part 3 will be described. In the example of FIG. 4, the first connecting part 54 is fixed to the main body part 3 by a fastening member, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be fixed by welding, for example.

[0035] In the example of FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, a fitting groove 64 that opens in the width direction Y and upward is formed at the upper end of the second connecting part 53. The fitting groove 64 is configured to fit the end of the main body part 3 on the second width direction side Y2. In the illustrated example, when the main body part 3 is fitted into the fitting groove 64, the second connecting part 53 and the main body part 3 are fixed by fastening with the fastening member 52 (FIG. 5). A hole for inserting the fastening member 52 is formed at the fitting groove 64 and the end of the main body part 3 on the second width direction side Y2. A knob is attached to the fastening member 52. Therefore, by using the knob of the fastening member 52 to remove the second connecting part 53 from the main body part 3, the travel restriction device 1 in the tumbled posture T2 can be easily removed from the travel rail 20. Therefore, the work efficiency after stopping the transport vehicle 10 that has traveled unintentionally can be improved.

[0036] In this embodiment, the travel restriction device 1 further includes a pair of width direction guide parts 44 that are fixed integrally to the main body part 3 and are arranged to face the pair of rail side surfaces 23 from both outer sides in the width direction Y, thereby restricting the movement of the main body part 3 in the width direction Y, and at least one of the pair of width direction guide parts 44 is configured to function as the connecting part 5. In this example, both of the pair of width direction guide parts 44 function as the connecting part 5. That is, of the pair of width direction guide parts 44, the width direction guide part 44 on the first width direction side Y1 is the first connecting part 54, and the width direction guide part 44 on the second width direction side Y2 is the second connecting part 53. The pair of width direction guide parts 44 (here, the pair of connecting parts 5) face the rail side surfaces 23 with a small gap in the width direction Y. Therefore, when the main body part 3 is placed on the travel surface 21, it is easy to position the main body part 3 in the width direction Y. Furthermore, when the main body part 3 is placed in the reference posture T1, the movement of the travel restriction device 1 in the width direction Y is restricted. Therefore, the opposing surface 31 is pressed against the first bumper 14, and the travel-restricting device 1 can be prevented from falling off the travel rail 20 while changing its posture from the reference posture T1 to the overturned posture T2. In this example, as described above, the second connecting portion 53 is configured to be detachable from the main body 3. Therefore, it can be said that the width direction guide portion 44 on the second width direction side Y2 of the pair of width direction guide portions 44 is configured to be detachable from the main body 3.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, in the reference position T1 of the travel restriction device 1, the supported portion 34 abuts against the travel surface 21, and the locking portion 4 (here, a pair of locking portions 4) abuts against and locks against the rail underside 29. This maintains the reference position T1 of the travel restriction device 1. When the opposing surface 31 (here, the upper opposing surface 31a) is pressed against the first bumper 14 by the travel of the transport vehicle 10, the travel restriction device 1 moves to the travel direction separation side X2 and rotates about an axis along the width direction Y with the supported portion 34 as a fulcrum, thereby changing its position from the reference position T1 to a tipping position T2. ​​In the tipping position T2, the entire bottom surface 33 of the main body 3 abuts against the travel surface 21. In addition, the abutting portion 42 of the locking portion 4 is locked so as to bite into the groove portion 61 of the rail underside 29. Therefore, when the travel restriction device 1 is in the tipping position T2, the rotation of the travel restriction device 1 stops. As a result, the upper opposing surface 31a is in a more upright position than the reference position T1. The first bumper 14 is pushed toward the traveling direction approaching side X1 relative to the opposing surface 31 by the reaction force of the upper opposing surface 31a, and the drive unit 12 of the transport vehicle 10 is stopped. In this example, the contact portion 42 of the locking portion 4 is configured to contact the rail lower surface 29 and lock into the groove portion 61, but this is not limited thereto. For example, if the groove portion 61 is not formed on the rail lower surface 29, the contact portion 42, which is an elastic member, may contact the rail lower surface 29 and the contact portion 42 may elastically deform to press the rail lower surface 29 from below, thereby locking the locking portion 4 to the rail lower surface 29.

[0038] Other embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, the traveling cart unit 17 is described as being guided by a pair of traveling rails 20 to travel, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the traveling cart unit 17 may be guided by a single traveling rail 20 to travel.

[0039] (2) In the above embodiment, the main body 3 and the connecting portion 5 are formed from separate members, and the abutting portion 42 of the locking portion 4 is formed from a separate member from the connecting portion 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the main body 3, the connecting portion 5, and the locking portion 4 may each be separate members, or may all be formed integrally.

[0040] (3) In the above embodiment, the opposing surface 31 has a concave shape recessed toward the moving direction separating side X2, but the present invention is not limited to this. The opposing surface 31 may have a flat shape extending along the vertical direction and the width direction Y, for example. In this way, the shape of the opposing surface 31 can be changed as appropriate.

[0041] (4) In the above embodiment, the supported portion 34 is configured using the edge of the bottom surface 33 on the traveling direction approaching side X1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the supported portion 34 can be configured using the edge of a different surface that is not adjacent to the bottom surface 33. Meanwhile, in the reference position T1 of FIG. 5, the shape of the supported portion 34 can be a surface that abuts against the traveling surface 21. In this case, it is preferable to make the dimension of the supported portion 34 in the traveling direction X relatively small so that the traveling restriction device 1 can easily change its position. In this way, the shape and position of the supported portion 34 can be changed as appropriate.

[0042] (5) In the above embodiment, the abutting portion 42 is detachably attached to the portion of the locking portion 4 other than the abutting portion 42, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the entire locking portion 4 (here, the abutting portion 42 and the locking body portion 43) may be configured to be detachable from the connecting portion 5. In this case, the target portion 40 becomes the connecting portion 5.

[0043] (6) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which both of the pair of width direction guide portions 44 function as the connecting portion 5 has been described as an example, but this is not limited thereto. For example, each of the pair of width direction guide portions 44 may be provided as a member separate from the connecting portion 5.

[0044] (7) In the above embodiment, at least one of the pair of connecting parts 5 is configured to be detachable from the main body part 3, but this is not limited to the above. Both of the pair of connecting parts 5 may be configured to be detachable from the main body part 3, or both of the pair of connecting parts 5 may not be configured to be detachable from the main body part 3.

[0045] (8) In the above embodiment, the travel restriction device 1 has been described as having a pair of connecting portions 5 corresponding to the pair of locking portions 4, but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portion 5 may be provided on only one side in the width direction Y with respect to the travel surface 21 and may be configured integrally with the main body 3. In this example, the travel restriction device 1 is provided with a locking portion 4 that locks onto the rail underside 29 on the first width direction side Y1, and is not provided with a locking portion 4 that locks onto the rail underside 29 on the second width direction side Y2. For this reason, a first connecting portion 54 that connects the locking portion 4 and the main body 3 is provided on the first width direction side Y1, and a second connecting portion 53 is not provided. As shown in FIG. 6, a width direction guide portion 44 fixed integrally to the main body portion 3 is provided on the other side of the width direction Y with respect to the traveling surface 21, and the connecting portion 5 and the width direction guide portion 44 are configured to sandwich the traveling rail 20 from both sides in the width direction Y when the main body portion 3 is placed on the traveling surface 21. In this example, the width direction guide portion 44 is provided on the second width direction side Y2 with respect to the traveling surface 21, which is the side on which the locking portion 4 is not provided. Specifically, the width direction guide portion 44 is fixed to an end portion of the second width direction side Y2 of the main body portion 3. The first connecting portion 54 and the width direction guide portion 44 sandwich the traveling rail 20 (here, the rail main body portion 20a) from both sides in the width direction Y. In the example of FIG. 6, the first connecting portion 54 functions as the width direction guide portion 44. Therefore, it can be said that the traveling restriction device 1 is provided with a pair of width direction guide portions 44 arranged separately in the width direction Y.

[0046] (9) Note that the configurations disclosed in each of the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments (including combinations of the embodiments described as other embodiments) as long as no contradiction occurs. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] Summary of the above embodiment The travel restriction device described above will be summarized below.

[0048] A travel restriction device according to the present disclosure is a travel restriction device for restricting travel of a transport vehicle in a transport facility including a travel rail having a running surface facing upward and a rail underside facing downward and disposed below the running surface, wheels that roll on the running surface of the travel rail, a drive unit for the wheels, and a bumper that is disposed above the running surface and stops the drive unit upon collision with an obstacle, the travel restriction device being for restricting travel of the transport vehicle, A main body portion placed on the travel surface; A locking portion disposed opposite the lower surface of the rail; A direction along the traveling rail is a traveling direction, and a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction when viewed in a vertical direction is a width direction. A connecting portion integrally connects the main body portion and the locking portion on the outer side of the traveling surface in the width direction, A side away from the bumper in the traveling direction is defined as a traveling direction away side, and a side approaching the bumper in the traveling direction is defined as a traveling direction approaching side, the main body portion includes an opposing surface that is disposed at a position opposing the bumper from the traveling direction separation side when placed on the traveling surface, and a supported portion that becomes a portion supported by the traveling surface when the opposing surface is pressed toward the traveling direction separation side by the bumper, The engaging portion is configured to abut the underside of the rail on the closer side in the traveling direction than the opposing surface and the supported portion when the opposing surface is pressed toward the away side in the traveling direction by the bumper.

[0049] According to this configuration, when the transport vehicle travels unintentionally and the opposing surface is pressed by the bumper, the main body is supported by the traveling surface at the supported portion, and the locking portion abuts and is pressed against the underside of the rail on the traveling direction closer side than the opposing surface and the supported portion. In this way, the travel restriction device can be fixed to the traveling rail by the frictional force with the traveling rail caused by pressing the locking portion against the underside of the rail using the pressing force of the bumper against the opposing surface. Therefore, the bumper can be pushed back by the opposing surface, so that the drive unit of the transport vehicle can be securely brought to an emergency stop. Furthermore, with this configuration, the travel restriction device can be easily installed on the travel rail by placing the main body on the travel surface and aligning the engaging portion opposite the underside of the rail. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the travel restriction device is fixed to the traveling rail by friction with the traveling rail, utilizing the pressing force of the bumper against the opposing surface. Therefore, even after the transport vehicle has been stopped by the travel restriction device, the travel restriction device can be easily removed from the traveling rail by simply releasing the engaging portion from the underside of the rail.

[0050] Here, it is preferable that the opposing surface has a concave shape recessed toward the side away from the traveling direction so that a tip end portion of the bumper on the side away from the traveling direction fits into the opposing surface.

[0051] According to this configuration, when the bumper presses against the opposing surface, the possibility that the tip of the bumper will come off the top or bottom of the opposing surface and be unable to press the opposing surface properly can be reduced. Therefore, the pressing force of the bumper against the opposing surface can be used to increase the reliability of the operation of fixing the travel restriction device to the travel rail.

[0052] The main body portion further includes a bottom surface configured to be parallel to the running surface when the opposing surface is pressed by the bumper and the engaging portion is in contact with the lower surface of the rail, The supported portion is preferably configured using an edge of the bottom surface on a side closer to the traveling direction.

[0053] According to this configuration, the supported portion can be formed using the edge of the bottom surface of the main body portion that is closer to the traveling direction, making it easy to simplify the configuration of the main body portion. In addition, with this configuration, the bottom surface of the main body is parallel to the running surface when the locking portion is in contact with the underside of the rail, so it is easy to ensure a large frictional force between the bottom surface of the main body and the running surface, and therefore it is easy to increase the force with which the running restriction device is fixed to the running rail. In addition, according to this configuration, the main body has a shape that allows it to rotate easily around the supported part as a fulcrum, which makes it easy to increase the force with which the locking part abuts against the underside of the rail, thereby effectively increasing the force with which the travel-restricting device is fixed to the travel rail.

[0054] It is also preferable that the portion of the engaging portion that abuts against the underside of the rail is an abutment portion, and that at least the abutment portion is configured to be freely attached and detached to a target portion, which is either the connecting portion or a portion of the engaging portion other than the abutment portion.

[0055] According to this configuration, even if the contact part is damaged by contacting the underside of the rail, it can be replaced with another contact part. In this way, by making the contact part, which is relatively easily damaged, detachable, it is not necessary to replace the entire travel restriction device due to damage to the contact part.

[0056] In addition, each of the side surfaces on both sides of the traveling rail in the width direction is defined as a rail side surface, A pair of width direction guide portions are fixed integrally to the main body portion and arranged to face the pair of rail side surfaces from both outer sides in the width direction, thereby restricting the movement of the main body portion in the width direction, It is preferable that at least one of the pair of width direction guide portions is configured to also function as the connecting portion.

[0057] With this configuration, the travel-restriction device can be easily positioned at an appropriate position in the width direction relative to the traveling rail, and the travel-restriction device can be prevented from shifting in the width direction even when the opposing surface is pressed by a bumper. Therefore, when the opposing surface is pressed by a bumper, the locking portion can be reliably abutted against the underside of the rail.

[0058] The locking portion includes a pair of locking portions, and the connecting portion includes a pair of locking portions corresponding to the pair of locking portions, The pair of connecting portions are configured to sandwich the traveling rail from both sides in the width direction when the main body portion is placed on the traveling surface, It is preferable that at least one of the pair of connecting portions is configured to be detachable from the main body portion.

[0059] According to this configuration, since the device is provided with a pair of connecting parts and a pair of locking parts connected to the main body by the respective connecting parts, when the bumper presses against the opposing surface, the load can be supported evenly in the width direction by the locking parts on both sides in the width direction. Therefore, even if the pressing force of the bumper against the opposing surface is biased in the width direction, the load of the bumper can be stably supported and the travel restriction device can be fixed to the travel rail. In addition, according to this configuration, the pair of connecting parts are configured to sandwich the traveling rail from both sides in the width direction, so that the traveling restriction device can be easily positioned in an appropriate position in the width direction relative to the traveling rail, and even if the opposing surface is pressed by a bumper, the traveling restriction device can be prevented from shifting in the width direction. Furthermore, according to this configuration, by removing at least one of the pair of connecting parts from the main body, the travel restriction device pressed by the bumper can be easily removed from the travel rail.

[0060] The connecting portion is provided on only one side in the width direction with respect to the running surface and is integrally formed with the main body portion, a width direction guide portion integrally fixed to the main body portion is provided on the other side in the width direction with respect to the running surface, It is preferable that the connecting portion and the width direction guide portion are configured to sandwich the traveling rail from both sides in the width direction when the main body portion is placed on the traveling surface.

[0061] According to this configuration, since the connecting portion and the locking portion are provided on only one side in the width direction, it is easier to install the travel restriction device on the travel rail compared to a configuration in which these are provided on both sides in the width direction. In addition, according to this configuration, the connecting portion and the width-wise guide portion are configured to sandwich the traveling rail from both sides in the width direction, so that the traveling restriction device can be easily positioned in an appropriate position in the width direction relative to the traveling rail, and even if the opposing surface is pressed by a bumper, the traveling restriction device can be prevented from shifting in the width direction. Therefore, with this configuration, it is possible to achieve both ease of installation of the travel restriction device on the travel rail and stability of the position of the travel restriction device when the opposing surface is pressed by the bumper.

[0062] It is sufficient for the travel restriction device according to the present disclosure to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1: Driving control device 3: Main body 4: Locking part 5:Connection part 9:Transportation equipment 10: Transport vehicle 11: Wheels 12: Drive unit 16:Tip 20: Running rail 21: Running surface 23: Rail side 29: Underside of rail 31: Opposite surface 33: Bottom surface 34: Supported portion 40: Target portion 42: Contact portion 44: Width direction guide portion X: Travel direction X1: Travel direction approaching side X2: Travel direction separating side Y: Width direction

Claims

1. A travel regulating device for regulating travel of a transport vehicle in a transport facility comprising: a travel rail having an upward-facing travel surface and a rail underside that is disposed below the travel surface and faces downward; wheels that roll on the travel surface of the travel rail; a drive device for the wheels; and a bumper that is disposed above the travel surface and stops the drive device upon collision with an obstacle, the travel regulating device comprising: A main body portion placed on the travel surface; A locking portion disposed opposite the lower surface of the rail; A direction along the traveling rail is a traveling direction, and a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction when viewed in a vertical direction is a width direction. A connecting portion integrally connects the main body portion and the locking portion on the outer side of the traveling surface in the width direction, A side away from the bumper in the traveling direction is defined as a traveling direction away side, and a side approaching the bumper in the traveling direction is defined as a traveling direction approaching side, the main body portion includes an opposing surface that is disposed at a position opposing the bumper from the traveling direction separation side when placed on the traveling surface, and a supported portion that becomes a portion supported by the traveling surface when the opposing surface is pressed toward the traveling direction separation side by the bumper, A travel regulating device, wherein the engaging portion is configured to abut against the underside of the rail on the side closer to the travel direction than the opposing surface and the supported portion when the opposing surface is pressed toward the away side from the travel direction by the bumper.

2. The travel restriction device according to claim 1 , wherein the opposing surface is formed into a concave shape recessed toward the side away from the travel direction so that a tip end portion of the bumper on the side away from the travel direction fits into the opposing surface.

3. the main body portion has a bottom surface configured to be parallel to the running surface when the opposing surface is pressed by the bumper and the engaging portion abuts against the lower surface of the rail, The travel restriction device according to claim 1 , wherein the supported portion is configured using an edge of the bottom surface on a side approaching the travel direction.

4. 2. A travel restriction device as described in claim 1, wherein a portion of the engaging portion that abuts against the underside of the rail is an abutment portion, and at least the abutment portion is configured to be freely attached and detached to a target portion which is either the connecting portion or a portion of the engaging portion other than the abutment portion.

5. Each of the side surfaces on both sides in the width direction of the traveling rail is defined as a rail side surface, A pair of width direction guide portions are fixed integrally to the main body portion and arranged to face the pair of rail side surfaces from both outer sides in the width direction, thereby restricting the movement of the main body portion in the width direction, The travel restriction device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of width direction guide portions is configured to also function as the connecting portion.

6. A pair of the locking portions and a pair of the connecting portions corresponding to the pair of the locking portions, The pair of connecting portions are configured to sandwich the traveling rail from both sides in the width direction when the main body portion is placed on the traveling surface, The travel restriction device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of connecting portions is configured to be detachable from the main body portion.

7. The connecting portion is provided on only one side in the width direction with respect to the running surface and is integrally formed with the main body portion, a width direction guide portion integrally fixed to the main body portion is provided on the other side in the width direction with respect to the running surface, The travel restriction device according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion and the width direction guide portion are configured to sandwich the traveling rail from both sides in the width direction when the main body portion is placed on the traveling surface.

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