Hooded transport vehicle and automatic transport system

Abstract

To reduce weight or costs of a hooded transport vehicle that has an openable hood.SOLUTION: A hooded transport vehicle 1 comprises a placement part 24 on which an article 40 is placed, a hood 28, a slide rail 32 supporting the hood 28 slidably, and a slider 30 fixed to the hood 28 and movable together with the hood 28. The hood 28 is configured to slide from a closed position where a portion of the periphery of the placement part 24 is covered to an open position where the portion of the periphery is opened by the slider 30 being pushed by a push rod 102 provided in equipment 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance vehicle with a roof and an automatic conveyance system including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the conveyance of articles in factories and the like, conveyance vehicles have been used. Also, a conveyance vehicle with an openable and closable roof is known so that articles are not exposed to rain or the like when traveling outdoors.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle body having a mounting table on which an article is placed, wheels provided at the lower part of the vehicle body, a steering motor and a traveling motor for driving the wheels, a bellows-type roof that can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and an electric motor for expanding and contracting the roof. When an article is placed on the mounting table and the roof is extended by the electric motor, the periphery of the mounting table can be closed. Therefore, the article can be conveyed without being exposed to rain or the like. When the roof is contracted by the electric motor, the periphery of the mounting table can be opened. Thereby, the article can be transferred from the mounting table.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the conveyance vehicle with a roof described in Patent Document 1, an electric motor is used as a drive source for generating a driving force for opening and closing the roof. This electric motor is provided in the conveyance vehicle with a roof. Also, a power transmission device such as a chain for transmitting the driving force of the electric motor to the roof is provided in the conveyance vehicle with a roof. Therefore, the mechanism for opening and closing the roof has caused an increase in the weight and cost of the conveyance vehicle with a roof.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to reduce the weight or cost of a carrier with a shutter that has an openable and closable shutter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The carrier with a shutter disclosed herein is a carrier with a shutter that transfers articles to and from equipment, and includes a vehicle body, a placement portion provided on the vehicle body on which articles are placed, a shutter provided on the vehicle body, a slide rail provided on the vehicle body that slidably supports the shutter, and a slider fixed to the shutter and movable together with the shutter. The shutter is configured to slide from a closed position covering a part of the periphery of the placement portion to an open position opening the part of the periphery when the slider is pushed into a push rod provided in the equipment.

[0008] According to the above-described carrier with a shutter, when the push rod provided in the equipment pushes the slider, the shutter moves from the closed position to the open position, and a part of the periphery of the placement portion is opened. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a driving source for driving the shutter in the carrier with a shutter. Thus, the weight or cost of the carrier with a shutter can be reduced.

[0009] The slide rail may have an upper and lower groove extending in the vehicle vertical direction and a left and right groove extending in the vehicle left and right direction connected to the upper end portion of the upper and lower groove. The shutter may have side edge portions slidably inserted into the upper and lower groove and the left and right groove. The slider may be fixed to the upper portion of the shutter and configured to slide in the vehicle left and right direction.

[0010] As a result, since the shutter slides up and down when opening and closing, it is not necessary to secure a space for storing the shutter at the front or rear of the vehicle body. A wide range in the vehicle front-rear direction of the placement portion can be opened. Thus, it becomes easy to carry out articles from the placement portion and the like.

[0011] The upper and lower grooves include curved grooves that extend and curve in the vehicle up-and-down direction and the vehicle left-and-right direction, and the curved grooves may be connected to the left-and-right grooves. The awning may be formed of a sheet-like member having bendable flexibility.

[0012] Accordingly, when moving the awning from the closed position to the open position, the awning can curve along the curved grooves. Since the awning is formed of a sheet-like member, the configuration of the awning can be simplified.

[0013] The awning may be formed of a synthetic resin sheet.

[0014] Accordingly, the awning can be lightened. When moving the awning from the closed position to the open position, the load on the actuator can be reduced.

[0015] The carrier vehicle with an awning may include a weight fixed to the awning. The awning may be configured to slide from the open position to the closed position by receiving a downward force due to the weight of the weight.

[0016] Accordingly, the awning can be moved from the open position to the closed position by the weight of the weight. A drive source for moving the awning from the open position to the closed position becomes unnecessary.

[0017] The carrier vehicle with an awning may include another awning provided on the vehicle body, another slide rail provided on the vehicle body and slidably supporting the other awning, and another slider fixed to the other awning and movable together with the other awning. The other awning may be configured to slide from a closed position where the other slider is pushed into a push rod provided in the facility and the other awning covers another part around the placement portion to an open position where the other part around the placement portion is opened. Either one of the awning and the other awning may be disposed on the right side in the vehicle left-and-right direction of the placement portion, and the other may be disposed on the left side in the vehicle left-and-right direction of the placement portion.

[0018] As a result, a shutter that can be opened and closed is provided on both the left and right sides of the placement section. It is possible to transfer articles on either the left or right side of the placement section.

[0019] The conveyance cart with a shutter may be provided with a guide rail on the vehicle body, which is engaged with the slider in a slidable manner.

[0020] As a result, since the guide rail guides the movement of the slider, when the slider is pushed into the push rod, the slider can move stably. Since the movement of the slider is stabilized, the shutter can be opened and closed well.

[0021] The conveyance cart with a shutter may include a towing vehicle having a drive wheel and a traveling drive source for driving the drive wheel, and a carriage connected to the towing vehicle. The carriage may have the vehicle body, a driven wheel provided on the vehicle body, the placement section, the shutter, the slide rail, and the slider.

[0022] According to the above configuration, the openable and closable shutter is provided on the carriage towed by the towing vehicle. It is not necessary to provide a traveling drive source on the carriage, nor is it necessary to provide a drive source for opening and closing the shutter. The carriage can be lightened or the cost can be reduced.

[0023] The automatic conveyance system disclosed herein includes the conveyance cart with a shutter and a facility for transferring articles with the conveyance cart with a shutter. The facility has a push rod and an actuator for pushing the push rod toward the slider.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight or cost of the conveyance cart with a shutter having an openable and closable shutter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of a conveyance vehicle with a cover (hereinafter referred to as a conveyance vehicle) 1 according to an embodiment. The conveyance vehicle 1 includes a towing vehicle 10 and a carriage 20 towed by the towing vehicle 10. In the present embodiment, the conveyance vehicle 1 is used for the purpose of conveying articles such as parts of products in a factory. The conveyance vehicle 1 conveys articles from one processing facility in the factory to another processing facility.

[0027]

[0028] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a part of the automatic conveyance system 2 according to the present embodiment. The automatic conveyance system 2 includes a conveyance vehicle 1 and a processing facility (hereinafter referred to as equipment) 100 that exchanges articles with the conveyance vehicle 1. Although not shown, the automatic conveyance system 2 includes a plurality of conveyance vehicles 1 and a plurality of equipment 100. The conveyance vehicle 1 receives an article from one equipment 100 and automatically travels toward another equipment 100. When the conveyance vehicle 1 reaches a position in front of the equipment 100, it automatically stops. Then, the conveyance vehicle 1 delivers the article to the equipment 100. FIG. 2 shows a state where the conveyance vehicle 1 has stopped at a position in front of the equipment 100. The conveyance vehicle 1 stops in front of the equipment 100 such that the side surface of the conveyance vehicle 1 faces the front of the equipment 100.In the figure, the symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D represent the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the left in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the right in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the upper in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the lower in the vertical direction of the vehicle, respectively. The symbols X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 in the figure represent the front in the longitudinal direction of the equipment 100, the rear in the longitudinal direction of the equipment 100, the left in the lateral direction of the equipment 100, and the right in the lateral direction of the equipment 100, respectively. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the left in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the right in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the upper in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the lower in the vertical direction of the vehicle shall be simply referred to as the front, the rear, the left, the right, the upper, and the lower, respectively.

[0029] The tractor 10 is configured to be capable of autonomous driving. That is, the tractor 10 is configured to automatically drive and automatically turn left and right. As shown in FIG. 1, the tractor 10 includes a vehicle body 11, left and right front wheels 12, left and right rear wheels 13, and an electric motor 14 as a driving source for traveling. The front wheels 12 and / or the rear wheels 13 are driving wheels driven by the electric motor 14. Further, the tractor 10 includes a control device 15 for controlling the operation. Note that the tractor 10 may be configured such that a person cannot board, but in the present embodiment, it is configured such that a person can board. In the present embodiment, the tractor 10 includes a seat 16 on which an occupant sits and a steering wheel 17. The tractor 10 is configured to be able to switch between automatic driving by the control device 15 and manual driving in which an occupant sitting on the seat 16 operates the steering wheel 17 or the like.

[0030] Next, the configuration of the carriage 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carriage 20. Note that reference numeral 18 represents the rear part of the tractor 10. In FIG. 3, the rear part 18 of the tractor 10 is extracted and illustrated. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the carriage 20 and is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 20 includes a vehicle body 21, left and right front wheels 22, and left and right rear wheels 23. Further, the carriage 20 includes three support columns 26 on each of the left and right sides. The three support columns 26 are arranged in the front-rear direction. Each support column 26 extends in the vertical direction. The carriage 20 includes a ceiling plate 27 supported by the support columns 26. The carriage 20 includes two awnings 28 on each of the left and right sides. The two awnings 28 are arranged in the front-rear direction. The front awning 28 is disposed between the front support column 26 and the central support column 26. The rear awning 28 is disposed between the central support column 26 and the rear support column 26. Further, the carriage 20 includes a front cover (not shown) bridged over the left and right front support columns 26 and a rear cover 25 bridged over the left and right rear support columns 26.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the carriage 20 includes a placement portion 24 provided on the vehicle body 21. The placement portion 24 is a portion on which the article to be conveyed is placed. The placement portion 24 is covered by the ceiling plate 27, the front cover, the rear cover 25, the left awning 28, and the right awning 28. When the transport vehicle 1 is running, the article placed on the placement portion 24 is covered by the ceiling plate 27, the front cover, the rear cover 25, and the left and right awnings 28. Therefore, the article being conveyed is prevented from being exposed to rain and dust.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, a slide rail 32 for slidably supporting the awning 28 is attached to the support column 26. Specifically, a slide rail 32 for slidably supporting the front edge portion of the front awning 28 is attached to the rear portion of the front support column 26. A slide rail 32 for slidably supporting the rear edge portion of the front awning 28 is attached to the front portion of the central support column 26. A slide rail 32 for slidably supporting the front edge portion of the rear awning 28 is attached to the rear portion of the central support column 26. A slide rail 32 for slidably supporting the rear edge portion of the rear awning 28 is attached to the front portion of the rear support column 26. Note that the front edge portion and the rear edge portion of the awning 28 are examples of the "side edge portions of the awning".

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the slide rail 32 is formed with an up-and-down groove 29A extending in the vertical direction and a left-and-right groove 29B extending in the horizontal direction. The up-and-down groove 29A has a vertical groove 29a extending in the vertical direction and a curved groove 29b extending in the vertical and horizontal directions and being curved. The curved groove 29b is connected to the left end portion of the left-and-right groove 29B and the upper end portion of the vertical groove 29a. Note that the up-and-down groove 29A and the left-and-right groove 29B of the slide rail 32 attached to the rear portion of the support column 26 are open toward the rear, and the front edge portion of the awning 28 is slidably inserted therein. The up-and-down groove 29A and the left-and-right groove 29B of the slide rail 32 attached to the front portion of the support column 26 are open toward the front, and the rear edge portion of the awning 28 is slidably inserted therein.

[0034] In the present embodiment, the awning 28 is formed of a sheet-like member having bendable flexibility. Here, the awning 28 is formed of a synthetic resin sheet. However, the material of the awning 28 is not particularly limited. The awning 28 may be formed of other bendable materials.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, sliders 30 are fixed to the upper parts of the left and right blinds 28 respectively. The slider 30 is slidably engaged with a guide rail 33 extending in the left-right direction. The slider 30 is configured to move in the left-right direction along the guide rail 33. When the left slider 30 slides to the right, the part of the left blind 28 engaged with the upper and lower groove 29A moves upward, and the part engaged with the left and right groove 29B moves to the right. When the right slider 30 slides to the left, the part of the right blind 28 engaged with the upper and lower groove 29A moves upward, and the part engaged with the left and right groove 29B moves to the left. Thereby, the blind 28 moves from the closed position covering a part around the placement portion 24 to the open position opening the said part of the periphery along the upper and lower groove 29A and the left and right groove 29B. The slider 30 has a contact surface 34 against which a push rod 102 (see Figs. 5 and 6) described later is pressed. The contact surface 34 faces outward in the vehicle width direction. Here, the outward in the vehicle width direction means the direction away from the vehicle center line. The inward in the vehicle width direction means the direction approaching the vehicle center line. The contact surface 34 of the left slider 30 faces rightward, and the contact surface 34 of the right slider 30 faces leftward.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 1, a weight 35 is fixed to the lower part of the blind 28. Due to the weight of the weight 35, a downward force is applied to the blind 28. The blind 28 is configured to slide from the open position to the closed position by receiving a downward force from the weight 35.

[0037] Above the blind 28, a side plate 36 connected to the ceiling plate 27 is arranged. A shutter 37 is attached to the side plate 36 by a hinge 38. The shutter 37 rotates inward in the vehicle width direction when pushed inward in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Fig. 4, the shutter 37 is arranged at a position facing the contact surface 34 of the slider 30. The shutter 37 and the contact surface 34 are located on the same straight line extending in the left-right direction.

[0038] In this embodiment, the carriage 20 is not provided with a driving device. As will be described later, the shutter 28 is driven from the closed position to the open position by the driving force of an actuator 104 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) provided in the facility 100. Further, the shutter 28 moves from the open position to the closed position by the weight of the weight 35. The carriage 20 is not provided with a driving device for driving the shutter 28. Also, the carriage 20 is not provided with a driving device for driving the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 23. The front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 23 are driven wheels.

[0039] The above is the configuration of the carriage 20. The tractor 10 and the carriage 20 are connected by a connecting device 50. The connecting device 50 has a first connecting member 51 connected to the rear part of the tractor 10 and a second connecting member 52 connected to the carriage 20. The first connecting member 51 and the second connecting member 52 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction. Also, the first connecting member 51 and the second connecting member 52 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. Since the tractor 10 and the carriage 20 are connected by the connecting device 50, the carriage 20 travels as the tractor 10 travels. That is, the carriage 20 is towed by the tractor 10.

[0040] The facility 100 is configured to transfer articles with the carriage 20. The facility 100 includes a transfer device (not shown) that receives articles from the placement portion 24 of the carriage 20 and delivers articles to the placement portion 24. As the transfer device of the facility 100, a well-known transfer device can be used. Since the transfer device is well-known, its description will be omitted.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, the facility 100 includes a pushing rod 102 and an actuator 104 that moves the pushing rod 102 in the front-rear direction of the facility 100 as a device for opening the cover 28 of the carriage 20. The actuator 104 only needs to be a device that generates a driving force for driving the pushing rod 102, and the type of the actuator 104 is not particularly limited. For example, an electric motor, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc. can be used as the actuator 104. The power transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the actuator 104 to the pushing rod 102 is not particularly limited either. The actuator 104 may be connected to the pushing rod 102 via a power transmission member such as a gear, a chain, or a transmission belt. For example, a rack may be provided on the side surface of the pushing rod 102, and a pinion that meshes with the rack may be connected to the actuator 104. A belt may be wound around a pulley connected to the actuator 104 and another pulley, and a part of the pushing rod 102 may be fixed to the belt.

[0042] The above is the configuration of the automatic conveyance system 2. Next, an example of the operation of the automatic conveyance system 2 will be described. As described above, the conveyance vehicle 1 receives an article from one facility 100 and automatically travels toward another facility 100. During the travel of the conveyance vehicle 1, the placement portion 24 is covered by the cover 28 or the like. Therefore, for example, when the conveyance vehicle 1 travels outdoors, the article placed on the placement portion 24 is prevented from being exposed to rain or wind. When the conveyance vehicle 1 reaches a position in front of the facility 100, it automatically stops (see FIG. 2).

[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the carriage 20 and the facility 100 when the conveyance vehicle 1 stops at a position in front of the facility 100. As shown in FIG. 5, when the conveyance vehicle 1 stops at a position in front of the facility 100, the cover 28 is closed, and the side of the placement portion 24 is covered by the cover 28. Note that reference numeral 39 represents a pallet, and reference numeral 40 represents an article placed on the pallet 39.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, after the carrier vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100, the actuator 104 of the facility 100 moves the push rod 102 forward in the front-rear direction of the facility 100. When the carrier vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100, the front in the front-rear direction of the facility 100 coincides with the right side in the left-right direction of the vehicle of the carrier vehicle 1. The push rod 102 pushes the shutter 37 of the carriage 20 to the right in the left-right direction of the vehicle. As a result, the shutter 37 opens, and the push rod 102 moves toward the slider 30. When the actuator 104 further moves the push rod 102, the push rod 102 eventually abuts against the contact surface 34 of the slider 30 and pushes the slider 30 to the right in the left-right direction of the vehicle (see arrow A1). As a result, the upper part of the awning 28 moves to the right in the left-right direction of the vehicle along the left-right groove 29B, and the lower part of the awning 28 moves upward in the up-down direction of the vehicle along the up-down groove 29A (see arrow A2). Thereby, the side of the mounting portion 24 is opened.

[0045] When the side of the mounting portion 24 is opened, the facility 100 draws the pallet 39 placed on the mounting portion 24 into the facility 100. As a result, the article 40 placed on the pallet 39 is carried into the facility 100 from the carriage 20 (see arrow A3). The article 40 carried into the facility 100 is processed by the facility 100.

[0046] The processed article 40 is loaded from the facility 100 onto the carriage 20 by the facility 100. After the article 40 is loaded onto the carriage 20, the actuator 104 moves the push rod 102 backward in the front-rear direction of the facility 100. As described above, a weight 35 is fixed to the awning 28. Therefore, when the push rod 102 moves backward in the front-rear direction of the facility 100, the awning 28 moves downward in the up-down direction of the vehicle along the up-down groove 29A and moves to the left in the left-right direction of the vehicle along the left-right groove 29B due to the gravity of the weight 35. Thereby, the side of the mounting portion 24 is closed by the awning 28.

[0047] Thereafter, the carrier vehicle 1 travels toward another facility 100. The above is an example of the operation of the automatic conveyance system 2. Next, various effects brought about by the present embodiment will be described.

[0048] As described above, the carrier vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes a slide rail 32 that slidably supports the awning 28 and a slider 30 that is movable together with the awning 28. The awning 28 is configured to slide from a closed position (see FIG. 5) that covers the side of the placement portion 24 to an open position (see FIG. 6) that opens the side of the placement portion 24 when the slider 30 is pushed into a push rod 102 provided in the facility 100. According to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide the carrier vehicle 1 with a drive source for moving the awning 28 from the closed position to the open position. Therefore, the weight of the carrier vehicle 1 can be reduced or the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a drive device for driving the awning 28 is provided in the carrier vehicle 1.

[0049] The slide rail 32 has an upper and lower groove 29A and a left and right groove 29B, and side edge portions of the awning 28 are slidably inserted into the upper and lower groove 29A and the left and right groove 29B. The slider 30 is fixed to the upper part of the awning 28 and is configured to slide in the left-right direction. Since the awning 28 slides up and down when opening and closing, it is not necessary to secure a space for storing the awning 28 when the awning 28 is opened at the front or rear part of the vehicle body 21 of the carriage 20. A wide range in the vehicle front-rear direction of the placement portion 24 can be opened. Therefore, it becomes easy to carry out articles from the placement portion 24 and the like.

[0050] The shape of the awning 28 is not particularly limited, and the awning 28 may be formed in a bellows shape, for example. However, according to the present embodiment, the upper and lower groove 29A has a curved groove 29b that connects to the left and right groove 29B, and the awning 28 is formed of a sheet-like member having bendable flexibility. When moving the awning 28 from the closed position to the open position, the awning 28 can bend along the curved groove 29b. Since the awning 28 is formed of a sheet-like member, the configuration of the awning 28 can be simplified.

[0051] The material of the awning 28 is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, the awning 28 is formed of a synthetic resin sheet. Therefore, the weight of the awning 28 can be reduced. When moving the awning 28 from the closed position to the open position, the load on the actuator 104 can be reduced.

[0052] A weight 35 is fixed to the shutter 28. The shutter 28 is configured to slide from the open position to the closed position by receiving a downward force due to the weight of the weight 35. Therefore, a drive source for moving the shutter 28 from the open position to the closed position is not required.

[0053] The shutter 28 may be provided on either the left side or the right side of the carriage 20, but in this embodiment, it is provided on both the left and right sides. The shutter 28 can be opened to transfer the article 40 on either the left side or the right side of the placement portion 24.

[0054] The guide rail 33 for guiding the slider 30 can be omitted, but in this embodiment, a guide rail 33 with which the slider 30 is slidably engaged is provided. Since the guide rail 33 guides the movement of the slider 30, when the slider 30 is pushed into the push rod 102, the slider 30 can move stably. Since the movement of the slider 30 is stabilized, the shutter 28 can be opened and closed well.

[0055] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 includes a towing vehicle 10 and a carriage 20 connected to the towing vehicle 10. The vehicle body 21, the placement portion 24, the shutter 28, the slide rail 32, and the slider 30 are provided on the carriage 20. The towing vehicle 10 includes front wheels 12 and / or rear wheels 13 driven by an electric motor 14, while the front wheels 22 and rear wheels 23 of the carriage 20 are driven wheels. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a traveling drive source for driving the front wheels 22 or the rear wheels 23 on the carriage 20. Also, it is not necessary to provide a drive source for opening and closing the shutter 28 on the carriage 20. Therefore, the weight of the carriage 20 can be reduced or the cost can be lowered.

[0056] As described above, an embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the above embodiment is merely an example, and various other embodiments are possible.

[0057] In the above embodiment, two shutters 28 arranged in the front-rear direction are provided on each of the left and right sides of the carriage 20. However, the number of shutters 28 provided on the left and right sides of the carriage 20 is not particularly limited. The number of shutters 28 provided on the left and right sides of the carriage 20 may be one, or may be three or more. The shutter 28 may be provided on only one of the left and right sides of the carriage 20.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100 such that the side surface of the transport vehicle 1 faces the front of the facility 100. However, the orientation of the transport vehicle 1 when it stops in front of the facility 100 is not particularly limited, and the position of the openable shutter 28 can be appropriately changed according to the orientation of the transport vehicle 1.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the shutter 28 moves from the closed position to the open position by moving upward. The shutter 28 is opened and closed by moving up and down. However, the opening and closing direction of the shutter 28 is not limited to up and down. For example, the shutter 28 may be configured to be opened and closed by moving in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0060] The transport vehicle 1 does not necessarily include two vehicles, namely the tractor 10 and the carriage 20. The transport vehicle 1 may include a single vehicle body, drive wheels provided on this vehicle body, and a placement portion, a shutter, a slide rail, and a slider provided on this vehicle body.

[0061] A weight 35 does not necessarily need to be fixed to the shutter 28. A drive device for moving the shutter 28 from the open position to the closed position may be installed in the facility 100.

[0062] The driving source for the travel of the transport vehicle 1 is not limited to the electric motor 14. The driving source for the travel may be an internal combustion engine.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0063] 1 Transport vehicle with shutter 2 Automatic transport system 10 Tractor 14 Electric motor (driving source for travel) 20 Carriage 21 Vehicle body 24 Mounting part 28 Canopy 29a Curved groove 29A Vertical groove 29B Horizontal groove 30 Slider 32 Slide rail 33 Guide rail 35 Weight 40 Article 100 Equipment 102 Pushing rod 104 Actuator

Claims

1. A conveyance cart with a cover for transferring an article to and from a facility, comprising: a vehicle body; a placement portion provided on the vehicle body for placing an article; a cover provided on the vehicle body; a slide rail provided on the vehicle body for slidably supporting the cover; a slider fixed to the cover and movable together with the cover; and the cover is configured to slide from a closed position covering a part of the periphery of the placement portion to an open position opening the part of the periphery when the slider is pushed into a push rod provided in the facility. The conveyance cart with a cover.

2. The slide rail has an up-and-down groove extending in the vehicle up-and-down direction and a left-and-right groove extending in the vehicle left-and-right direction connected to the upper end of the up-and-down groove, the cover has side edge portions slidably inserted into the up-and-down groove and the left-and-right groove, the slider is fixed to the upper part of the cover and configured to slide in the vehicle left-and-right direction. The conveyance cart with a cover according to claim 1.

3. The up-and-down groove includes a curved groove extending in the vehicle up-and-down direction and the vehicle left-and-right direction and being curved, the curved groove is connected to the left-and-right groove, the cover is formed of a sheet-like member having bendable flexibility. The conveyance cart with a cover according to claim 2.

4. The cover is formed of a synthetic resin sheet. The conveyance cart with a cover according to claim 1.

5. a weight fixed to the cover, the cover is configured to slide from the open position to the closed position by receiving a downward force due to the weight of the weight. The conveyance cart with a cover according to claim 1.

6. another cover provided on the vehicle body; another slide rail provided on the vehicle body for slidably supporting the another cover; another slider fixed to the another cover and movable together with the another cover; and the another cover is configured to slide from a closed position covering another part of the periphery of the placement portion to an open position opening the another part of the periphery when the another slider is pushed into a push rod provided in the facility, either one of the cover and the another cover is arranged on the right side in the vehicle left-and-right direction of the placement portion, and the other is arranged on the left side in the vehicle left-and-right direction of the placement portion. The conveyance cart with a cover according to claim 1.

7. The conveyance cart with a cover according to claim 1, further comprising a guide rail provided on the vehicle body for slidably engaging the slider.

8. A tractor having a driving wheel and a traveling drive source for driving the driving wheel, and a carriage connected to the tractor, wherein the carriage has the vehicle body, a driven wheel provided on the vehicle body, the mounting portion, the awning, the slide rail, and the slider. The conveying vehicle with an awning according to claim 1. **Claim 9** A conveying vehicle with an awning according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and a facility for transferring articles with the conveying vehicle with an awning, wherein the facility has a pushing rod and an actuator for pushing the pushing rod toward the slider. An automatic conveying system.

Images