Dolly towing system
The trolley towing system addresses the need for compact joining and easy turning of trolleys in semi-automated food factories by using a powered vehicle with a joining device and a drive unit to lift wheels, facilitating safe and efficient trolley movement.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023206777
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-19
AI Technical Summary
In semi-automated food factory environments, there is a need to enable a transport vehicle and a trolley to be joined compactly and to facilitate easy turning of the trolley, while preventing collisions between transport vehicles and workers and ensuring efficient movement of the trolley.
A trolley towing system that includes a joining device fixed to a powered vehicle, capable of being joined to the trolley. The system features a drive unit that lifts a part of the trolley's wheels from the ground contact surface, allowing the vehicle to enter and join the trolley compactly, and an arm portion that rotates to facilitate joint connection.
The system allows for compact joining of the transport vehicle and trolley, enabling easy and efficient small turning of the trolley, while ensuring safety by preventing collisions between vehicles and workers.
Smart Images
Figure 2025091530000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a cart traction system including a mechanism for towing a cart.
Background Art
[0002] In recent years, the automation or robotization of many facilities in factories has been progressing rapidly. For example, in each process of a production line, what was conventionally carried out by workers using their hands or carts for raw materials and semi-finished products (referred to as raw materials, etc.) of products is now replaced by a system in which vehicles or robots with an automatic driving function carry or tow carts loaded with raw materials, etc. and move safely (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003] Many of the current factory environments are semi-automated environments in which workers and robots coexist rather than fully automated unmanned environments. In particular, transportation work of objects that are difficult to transport by hand, such as heavy or large objects, work that can achieve higher accuracy than human hands, or work in dangerous environments, etc. have been replaced from workers by automatically controlled transport vehicles or robots. On the other hand, work that is difficult to introduce robots, such as the production of seasonal products or complex work, is carried out by the hands of workers.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] The semi-automated environment described above has also been introduced into food factories. In the food factory of the present applicant, for example, a trolley on which food is placed and a small automated control transport vehicle with power for towing the trolley exist within the working environment of the worker. The trolley is not powered. Therefore, the trolley will be moved by the manual labor of the worker or by being towed by the automated control transport vehicle. The automated control transport vehicle has previously memorized the flow line for moving within the factory and moves along the memorized track.
[0006] In such a factory, since workers and transport vehicles exist within the factory, it is necessary to make the movement range of the workers as wide as possible and prevent the transport vehicles from coming into contact with the workers. Also, for the trolley, it is necessary to be able to turn easily in accordance with the movement of the transport vehicle.
[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above requirements, that is, an object thereof is to enable a transport vehicle and a trolley to be joined compactly and to easily realize the small turning of the trolley.
Means for Solving the Problem
[0008] (1) A trolley towing system according to an embodiment for achieving the above object is a trolley, a trolley towing system comprising at least a joining device fixed to a powered vehicle for towing the trolley and capable of being joined to the trolley. The trolley is a mounting table for placing an article, a group of columns assembled to float the mounting table from the ground surface on which the trolley is grounded, a plurality of wheels fixed to the column group and in contact with the ground surface in a state where the trolley is grounded, either a trolley-side concave portion with an opening facing the ground surface side or a trolley-side convex portion with a tip facing the ground surface side, formed in a part of the columns within the column group, and the joining device is Either a joint device side convex portion insertable into the cart side concave portion or a joint device side concave portion into which the cart side convex portion can be inserted, and a drive unit for driving the joint device side joint portion to a position where a part of the wheels close to the entrance side where the vehicle enters the inside of the cart are lifted from the ground contact surface; Comprising The support columns of the cart are assembled so as to secure a space into which a part of the vehicle enters the inside of the cart from one direction of the cart. Among the plurality of wheels, a part of the wheels close to the entrance side where the vehicle enters the inside of the cart are provided between the position of the end portion on the entrance side and the position at the center of the length of the cart in the one direction so as to secure the space. A part of the wheels close to the entrance side are lifted from the ground contact surface, and while the other wheels other than the part of the wheels are grounded on the ground contact surface, the cart can be towed by the vehicle. (2) In the cart towing system according to another embodiment, preferably, The joint device further includes an arm portion that can rotate in both a direction approaching and a direction away from the support column including the cart side joint portion around a fulcrum located closer to the ground contact surface than the cart side joint portion. A part of the arm portion includes the joint device side joint portion. By driving the drive unit, the arm portion rotates around the fulcrum so that the joint device side joint portion can be jointed to the cart side joint portion. (3) In the cart towing system according to another embodiment, preferably, The part of the wheels close to the entrance side among the plurality of wheels are rotatable wheels, And the other wheels other than the part of the wheels may be non-rotatable wheels. (4) In the cart towing system according to another embodiment, preferably, The arm portion may have a shape that is long in the direction in which the vehicle enters the inside of the carriage, and may be a member in which the tip portion located inside the carriage of the arm portion rotates the most when receiving drive from the drive portion. (5) In the carriage towing system according to another embodiment, preferably, the carriage-side convex portion or the joint device-side convex portion is made of rubber or resin and may have a shape of a thin cone or a frustum of a cone at the tip. [Advantages of the Invention]
[0009] According to the present invention, a transport vehicle and a carriage can be joined compactly, and it is possible to easily achieve a small turning radius of the carriage. [Brief Description of the Drawings]
[0010]
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the elements and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present invention.
[0012] 1. Schematic Configuration of Trolley Traction System FIG. 1 shows a diagram for explaining the schematic configuration of a trolley traction system according to an embodiment. (1A) shows a state where the trolley constituting the trolley traction system and the vehicle equipped with the joining device constituting the same system are separated. (1B) shows a state where the vehicle has entered the inside of the trolley.
[0013] The trolley traction system 1 according to this embodiment includes at least a trolley 10 for carrying an article P and a joining device 40 that can be joined to the trolley 10. The joining device 40 is a device fixed to a powered vehicle 30 for towing the trolley 10. The trolley 10 is not equipped with power by itself and can be moved by being towed by the vehicle 30, and can also be moved manually by an operator when the vehicle 30 is not used.
[0014] The trolley 10 includes a mounting table 11 for placing the article P, a group of columns 12 assembled to lift the mounting table 11 from the ground contact surface of the trolley 10, and a plurality of wheels 13 fixed to the group of columns 12 and in contact with the ground contact surface in a state where the trolley 10 is in contact with the ground.
[0015] The number of wheels 13 does not require an upper limit as long as it is two or more, but is preferably three or four. In this embodiment, the number of wheels 13 is a total of four, with two sets in the left-right direction of FIG. 1 and one in each of the front-back directions in each set. To describe the positions of the four wheels in more detail, the four wheels 13 are provided one by one at positions corresponding to the corners of a rectangle or a square in a plan view when the carriage 10 is in contact with the ground and viewed from above. The support columns 12 of the carriage 10 are assembled so as to secure a space S (see 1A) into which a part of the vehicle 30 (in this embodiment, the part fixing the joining device 40) enters the inside of the carriage 10 from one direction of the carriage 10. To secure such a space S, some of the wheels 13a among the plurality of wheels 13 that are close to the entrance side where the vehicle 30 enters the inside of the carriage 10 are provided between the position A at the end of the entrance side and the position M at the center of the length in one direction of the carriage 10. Here, the central position M is the intermediate position between the position A at the end of the entrance side and the position B at the end on the opposite side that has advanced into the inside of the carriage 10 from the entrance side (distance between A and M = distance between B and M = L1).
[0016] Some of the wheels 13a are provided so as to be retracted inward of the carriage 10 in order to secure the space S. However, if some of the wheels 13a are moved closer to the position B beyond the position M, the balance of the carriage 10 will be disrupted and it will tilt, causing the position A side to come into contact with the ground. To reduce this risk, some of the wheels 13a are fixed within the range between the position A and the position M in the support column group 12.
[0017] The carriage 10 also includes a carriage-side joint portion 14 formed on some of the support columns 12a within the support column group 12. In this embodiment, the carriage-side joint portion 14 is a carriage-side recess with an opening facing the ground contact surface side of the carriage 10. However, when the joint device-side joint portion described later is concave, the carriage-side joint portion 14 may be a carriage-side convex portion with a tip facing the ground contact surface side of the carriage 10.
[0018] The joining device 40 is a member that constitutes the carriage towing system 1 together with the carriage 10. In this embodiment, the vehicle 30 is not a component of the carriage towing system 1. However, the vehicle 30 may be included as a component of the carriage towing system 1.
[0019] The joint device 40 includes a joint portion 41 on the joint device side that can be jointed to the carriage 10, and a drive portion 42 that drives the joint portion 41 on the joint device side. In this embodiment, the joint portion 41 on the joint device side is a convex portion on the joint device side that can be inserted into a concave portion on the carriage side, which is a form of the joint portion 14 on the carriage side. However, when the joint portion 14 on the carriage side is convex (i.e., a convex portion on the carriage side), the joint portion 41 on the joint device side may be a concave portion on the joint device side into which the convex portion on the carriage side can be inserted.
[0020] The drive portion 42 is a component for driving the joint portion 41 on the joint device side to a position where a part of the wheels 13a near the entrance side where the vehicle 30 enters the inside of the carriage 10 is lifted from the ground contact surface. The drive portion 42 may be directly connected to the joint portion 41 on the joint device side, but in this embodiment, it is connected to the joint portion 41 on the joint device side with an intervening member such as a rod 43 interposed therebetween. In FIG. 1, the drive portion 42 raises a convex portion on the joint device side, which is a form of the joint portion 41 on the joint device side. However, as long as the drive portion 42 drives the convex portion on the joint device side from a position where the convex portion on the joint device side is not inserted into the concave portion on the carriage side through a position where it is inserted into the concave portion on the carriage side to a position where a part of the wheels 13a is lifted from the ground contact surface, the driving direction of the drive portion 42 for the convex portion on the joint device side is not limited to upward driving. This is the same even when the convex portion on the joint device side is replaced with a concave portion on the joint device side.
[0021] The carriage traction system 1 joints the joint portion 41 on the joint device side to the joint portion 14 on the carriage 10 side by driving the drive portion 42, and further lifts a part of the wheels 13a of the carriage 10 from the ground contact surface (height H in (1B)) and makes only the other wheels 13b in contact with the ground. When the vehicle 30 is operated or automatically driven in this state, the carriage 10 is pulled by the vehicle 30 while keeping the wheels (the other wheels 13b) on the side far from the vehicle 30 in contact with the ground.
[0022] 2. Detailed Configuration of the Carriage Traction System FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the detailed configuration of the carriage towing system according to the embodiment, and shows a side view of a state where the vehicle has entered inside the carriage and the carriage and the joining device are not joined. FIG. 3 shows a side view of a state where the joining device has moved from the state of FIG. 2 and the carriage and the joining device are joined. FIG. 4 shows the vicinity of the carriage-side joint portion of the carriage and the joining-device-side joint portion of the joining device in FIG. 2.
[0023] The carriage towing system 1 according to this embodiment includes at least a carriage 10 for carrying a log (referred to as a log for ham, which is an example of the article P) before slicing the ham, and a joining device 40 that can be joined to the carriage 10. The article P is not limited to a log for ham, and may be a lump of unprocessed meat, rice, fruit, or the like. The joining device 40 is a device fixed to a powered vehicle 30 for towing the carriage 10. The carriage 10 is not provided with power by itself and can be moved by being towed by the vehicle 30, and can also be moved manually by an operator when the vehicle 30 is not used.
[0024] The carriage 10 includes a mounting table 11 for placing the log for ham, a group of columns 12 assembled to lift the mounting table 11 from the ground surface on which the carriage 10 is grounded, and a plurality of wheels 13 fixed to the group of columns 12 and in contact with the ground surface when the carriage 10 is grounded. In this embodiment, the mounting table 11 is a table that slopes downward from the front side to the back side of the paper surface of FIG. 2. The log for ham is held on the mounting table 11 by a stopper protruding below the slope of the mounting table 11 so as not to fall from the mounting table 11. When the stopper is sunk downward and retracted from the mounting table 11, the log for ham rolls down the slope of the mounting table 11. However, the mounting table 11 is not limited to having an inclined surface and may be horizontal.
[0025] In this embodiment, the number of wheels 13 is four in total, with two sets in the left - right direction in FIG. 2 and one in each of the front - back directions for each set. The four wheels 13 are provided, one by one, at positions corresponding to the corners of a rectangle or a square in a plan view when the carriage 10 is in contact with the ground and viewed from above. The strut group 12 of the carriage 10 is assembled so as to secure a space into which a part of the vehicle 30 (in this embodiment, the part where the joining device 40 is fixed) enters the inside of the carriage 10 from one direction of the carriage 10. To secure such a space, among the plurality of wheels 13, some wheels 13a close to the entrance side where the vehicle 30 enters the inside of the carriage 10 are provided between the position of the end on the entrance side and the position at the center of the length of the carriage 10 in one direction. Here, the central position is the intermediate position between the position of the end on the entrance side and the position of the end on the opposite side that has advanced into the inside of the carriage 10 from the entrance side.
[0026] Some wheels 13a are provided so as to retract in the inner direction of the carriage 10 in order to secure the above - mentioned space. If some wheels 13a are moved beyond the central position and closer to the positions of the end on the entrance side and the end on the opposite side, the balance of the carriage 10 will be disrupted and it will tilt, and the side of the position of the end on the entrance side will come into contact with the ground. To reduce this risk, some wheels 13a are fixed within the range between the central position and the position of the end on the entrance side (however, the positions of the end on the entrance side and the central position are not included). In this embodiment, the number of some wheels 13a is two, and the number of the other wheels 13b is also two. However, the number of some wheels 13a may be only one, and the number of the other wheels 13b may be two.
[0027] Some of the wheels 13 close to the entrance side among the plurality of wheels 13 are preferably rotatable wheels. The other wheels 13b other than some of the wheels 13a are preferably non-rotatable wheels. The reason for configuring the plurality of wheels 13 as described above is as follows. If all of the plurality of wheels 13 are rotatable wheels, there is a risk that the other wheels 13b will rotate freely during towing by the vehicle 30, and the carriage 10 will deviate from the track of the vehicle 30. On the other hand, if all of the plurality of wheels 13 are non-rotatable wheels, it becomes difficult to move the carriage 10 as intended by the operator when moving the carriage 10 by the operator's manual effort. When some of the wheels 13a are rotatable and the other wheels 13b are non-rotatable, there is an advantage that it is easy to move the carriage 10 in both cases when moving the carriage 10 with some of the wheels 13a floating during towing by the vehicle 30 and when the operator moves the carriage 10 with the plurality of wheels 13 in contact with the ground.
[0028] The carriage 10 includes a carriage-side joint portion 14 formed in some of the support columns 12a among the support column group 12. In this embodiment, the carriage-side joint portion 14 is a carriage-side concave portion having an opening facing the ground contact surface side of the carriage 10.
[0029] The joining device 40 includes a joining device-side joint portion 41 that can be joined to the carriage 10, a driving portion 42 that drives the joining device-side joint portion 41, and an arm portion 44 that is rotatable in both directions of a direction approaching and a direction moving away from the support column 12a having the carriage-side joint portion 14 around the fulcrum 45.
[0030] In this embodiment, the joint portion 41 on the joining device side is a convex portion on the joining device side that can be inserted into a concave portion on the carriage side, which is a form of the joint portion 14 on the carriage side. The fulcrum 45 is located closer to the ground contact surface than the joint portion 14 on the carriage side. More specifically, the height of the fulcrum 45 from the ground contact surface is lower than the height of the lower end of the joint portion 14 on the carriage side from the ground contact surface. Here, in this embodiment, the fulcrum 45 is a portion that connects the joining device 40 and the vehicle 30, and is an axis extending in the front-back direction of the paper surface of FIG. 2. A part of the arm portion 44, specifically, at a predetermined position in the length direction of the arm portion 44, includes a rod 43 that extends upward at a substantially right angle to the length direction of the arm portion 44. The joint portion 41 on the joining device side is provided at the tip of the rod 43. However, the rod 43 is not an essential component for the joining device 40. Therefore, the joint portion 41 on the joining device side may be provided at a predetermined position in the length direction of the arm portion 44.
[0031] The arm portion 44 connects the drive portion 42 to the end portion 46 on the side opposite to the fulcrum 45 located at one end in the length direction thereof. More specifically, the opposite end portion 46 is fixed in a state of being penetrated by an axis extending in the front-back direction of the paper surface of FIG. 2 between one end of the drive portion 42. Therefore, if the arm portion 44 is likened to the thigh of a human body, the fulcrum 45 corresponds to the hip joint, and the end portion 46 corresponds to the knee joint.
[0032] The arm portion 44 preferably has a shape that is long in the direction in which the vehicle 30 enters the inside of the carriage 10. When the arm portion 44 receives driving from the drive portion 42, the tip portion (the above-mentioned end portion 46) located inside the carriage 10 of the arm portion 44 is the member that rotates the most. In this embodiment, by driving the drive portion 42, the arm portion 44 rotates around the fulcrum 45 so that the joint portion 41 on the joining device side can be jointed to the joint portion 14 on the carriage side.
[0033] In this embodiment, the joint portion 41 on the joining device side is a convex portion on the joining device side that can be inserted into a concave portion on the carriage side, which is a form of the joint portion 14 on the carriage side. However, when the joint portion 14 on the carriage side is convex (i.e., a convex portion on the carriage side), the joint portion 41 on the joining device side may be a concave portion on the joining device side into which the convex portion on the carriage side can be inserted.
[0034] The drive unit 42 is a component for driving the joint portion 41 on the joining device side to a position where a part of the wheels 13a near the entrance side where the vehicle 30 enters the inside of the carriage 10 is lifted from the ground contact surface. In this embodiment, the drive unit 42 is an electric cylinder. The electric cylinder incorporates a motor and is capable of changing the rotation of the motor into the vertical movement of the cylinder and moving the end portion 46 of the arm portion 44 up and down by moving the cylinder up and down. Note that the drive unit 42 is not limited to an electric cylinder and may be any component that can move the end portion 46 up and down. Examples of components other than the electric cylinder of the drive unit 42 include members that utilize the elasticity of a spring and members that utilize the high and low air pressure or hydraulic pressure.
[0035] When the end portion 46 is lifted by the drive of the drive unit 42, the arm portion 44 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the clock hand about the fulcrum 45. As a result, the joint portion 41 on the joining device side starts to move to the upper left in FIG. 2. Thereafter, the joint portion 41 on the joining device side joints with the joint portion 14 on the carriage side. More specifically, the convex portion on the joining device side is inserted into the concave portion on the carriage side (see FIG. 3).
[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, before the convex portion on the joining device side is inserted into the concave portion on the carriage side, the convex portion on the joining device side is not directly below the opening surface of the concave portion on the carriage side, but is located diagonally below the opening surface. By rotating the arm portion 44, the convex portion on the joining device side moves diagonally upward toward the opening surface and enters the concave portion on the carriage side. In this embodiment, the convex portion on the joining device side is made of rubber or resin. In addition, the convex portion on the joining device side has a shape of a thin cone or frustum of a cone at the tip. Therefore, even if the tip of the convex portion on the joining device side collides with the inner wall of the concave portion on the carriage side, it is easily deformed. Thus, after the convex portion on the joining device side collides with the inner wall surface of the concave portion on the carriage side, it can be inserted into the concave portion on the carriage side while being deformed. After the convex portion on the joining device side is inserted, it is preferable that there is a sufficiently wide gap between the concave portion on the carriage side and the convex portion on the joining device side so that the convex portion on the joining device side can rotate easily within the concave portion on the carriage side. Note that even if a configuration is adopted in which the convex portion on the joining device side is replaced with the concave portion on the joining device side and the concave portion on the carriage side is replaced with the convex portion on the carriage side, the convex portion on the carriage side can be inserted into the concave portion on the joining device side while colliding with the open inner wall of the concave portion on the joining device side through a similar insertion mechanism.
[0037] The carriage traction system 1 joints the joint portion 41 on the joining device side to the joint portion 14 on the carriage side by driving the driving portion 42, and further floats a part of the wheels 13a of the carriage 10 from the ground surface (height H in (1B)), and only the other wheels 13b are grounded. When the vehicle 30 is operated or automatically driven in this state, the carriage 10 is pulled by the vehicle 30 while keeping the wheels (the other wheels 13b) on the side far from the vehicle 30 grounded.
[0038] In this embodiment, the arm portion 44 has a single elongated shape. The rod 43 is a single rod-shaped member fixed to the elongated upper surface of the arm portion 44. The joint portion 41 on the joining device side is fixed to the upper portion of the rod 43 which is a rod-shaped member. In addition, the joint portion 14 on the carriage side is a concave portion or a convex portion on the carriage side formed on a single support column 12a. When the carriage towing system 1 has the above-described configuration, when the vehicle 30 curves, the thin single arm portion 44 moves in the space S (see 1B). The joint portion 41 on the joining device side and the joint portion 14 on the carriage side are in a so-called point contact state. For this reason, the carriage 10 rotates about the joint portion 41 on the joining device side. Therefore, the arm portion 44 can freely rotate within the space S, and thus the carriage 10 is easily towed and moved in accordance with the track of the vehicle 30.
[0039] In this embodiment, the vehicle 30 is an automatically drivable moving body having the form of a wheelchair with wheels. The vehicle 30 fixes the joining device 40 via a shaft as a fulcrum 45. The vehicle 30 stores in advance the course along which the vehicle 30 moves. The carriage 10 is adapted to stop at a plurality of predetermined locations. The vehicle 30 moves when the log of ham is placed on the mounting table 11 and when the log of ham is removed from the mounting table 11. Thereafter, the vehicle 30 approaches the carriage 10 and stops at a position where it has entered the interior of the carriage 10. The vehicle 30 is equipped with a light-emitting element and can stop at an accurate position where the joint portion 41 on the joining device side can be jointed to the joint portion 14 on the carriage side when light reception is confirmed by the light-receiving element mounted on the carriage 10. Note that a light-emitting element may be mounted on the carriage 10 and a light-receiving element may be mounted on the vehicle 30. Further, without using the above-described elements, the positions of the vehicle 30 and the carriage 10 may be aligned by visual inspection by a human. The drive unit 42 starts driving by a switch input by an operator or by automatic input after a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle 30 stopped. Such an operation of the vehicle 30 is programmed in advance together with its own movement course. The operation of the drive unit 42 of the joining device 40 is whether it is an input by an operator or by a program preset in the memory in the vehicle 30.
[0040] 3. Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be variously modified.
[0041] FIG. 5 shows modified examples (5A, 5B) of the joint portion and the drive portion on the joining device side in FIG. 2.
[0042] First, a first modified example (5A) will be described. The joining device 40a in the first modified example includes the same constituent members as the arm portion 44, the rod 43, and the convex portion on the joining device side (a form of the joint portion 41 on the joining device side) in FIG. 2. The drive portion 50 is a rotary motor having a structure different from that of the drive portion 42 in FIG. 2. The drive portion 50 includes a rotation axis as the fulcrum 45 in FIG. 2, and one end of the arm portion 44 is connected to the rotation axis. For this reason, due to the rotation of the rotation axis of the rotary motor, the arm portion 44 can rotate in both the same direction (R1) as the rotation direction of the clock hand and the opposite direction (R2) to the rotation direction of the clock hand. By such rotation control of the drive portion 50, the convex portion on the joining device side can be inserted into the concave portion on the carriage side (a form of the joint portion 14 on the carriage side) or retracted from the inserted state. Such an operation can be similarly realized even when the convex portion on the joining device side is replaced with the concave portion on the joining device side and the concave portion on the carriage side is replaced with the convex portion on the carriage side. Note that the rod 43 is not an essential member and can be omitted.
[0043] Next, a second modification of (5B) will be described. The joining device 40b in the second modification includes the same constituent members as the drive unit 42, the rod 43, and the joining device side convex portion (a form of the joining device side joint portion 41) in FIG. 2. The major difference between the joining device 40 in FIG. 2 and the joining device 40b in FIG. 5(5B) is that the portion fixing the rod 43 is replaced from the arm portion 44 with a bar (also referred to as a long member) 48 that can move up and down as the drive unit 42 moves up and down. A preferred example of the drive unit 42 is an electric cylinder, similar to the drive unit 42 in FIG. 2. The drive unit 42 may be a constituent member other than an electric cylinder, such as a member utilizing the elasticity of a spring or a member utilizing the high and low of pneumatic or hydraulic pressure. Due to the up and down movement of the cylinder portion of the electric cylinder, the bar 48 can move in both the upward (U) and downward (D) directions. By controlling the up and down movement of such a drive unit 42, the joining device side convex portion can be inserted into the carriage side concave portion (a form of the carriage side joint portion 14), or can be retracted from the inserted state. Such an operation can be similarly realized even when the joining device side convex portion is replaced with the joining device side concave portion and the carriage side concave portion is replaced with the carriage side convex portion. Note that the rod 43 is not an essential member and can be omitted.
[0044] As yet another further modification, some of the wheels 13a in FIG. 2 do not necessarily need to be rotatable. Some of the wheels 13a may be made non-rotatable, similar to the other wheels 13b. Also, the other wheels 13b in FIG. 2 do not necessarily need to be non-rotatable. The other wheels 13b may be made rotatable, similar to some of the wheels 13a. Further, depending on the position of the center of gravity of the carriage 10, some of the wheels 13a may be provided closer to the other wheels 13b side than the intermediate position from the entrance side where the vehicle 30 enters the carriage 10 to the end portion on its extension line (the side farthest from the entrance side).
[0045] Also, the arm portion 44 does not necessarily need to have a shape that is long in the direction in which the vehicle 30 enters the inside of the carriage 10. The arm portion 44 may be a member that is long in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the vehicle 30 enters the space S on a plane parallel to the ground surface, i.e., in the front-back direction of the paper surface of FIG. 2.
[0046] Also, the carriage-side convex portion or the joint device-side convex portion may be made of a material other than rubber or resin, such as metal, ceramics, wood, etc. Also, the shape of the carriage-side convex portion or the joint device-side convex portion is not limited to the shape of a cone or a frustum of a cone, and may be, for example, the shape of a pyramid or a frustum of a pyramid.
Industrial Applicability
[0047] The present invention can be used, for example, to convey articles inside or outside a factory.
Explanation of Signs
[0048] 1... carriage traction system, 10... carriage, 11... mounting table, 12... column group, 12a... part of the columns (a part of the column group), 13... wheels, 13a... part of the wheels (included in a plurality of wheels), 13b... other wheels (included in a plurality of wheels), 14... carriage-side joint portion (carriage-side concave portion or carriage-side convex portion), 30... vehicle, 40, 40a, 40b... joint devices, 41... joint device-side joint portion (joint device-side concave portion or joint device-side convex portion), 42, 50... drive portions, 45... fulcrum, A... position of the end portion on the entrance side, M... position at the center of the length in one direction, P... article (an example: log of ham), S... space.
Claims
1. A carriage, A trolley towing system comprising at least a joining device fixed to a powered vehicle for towing the trolley and capable of joining with the trolley, The trolley includes, A mounting table for placing articles, A group of columns assembled to float the mounting table from the ground surface on which the trolley is grounded, A plurality of wheels fixed to the column group and in contact with the ground surface when the trolley is grounded, One of a trolley-side concave portion having an opening facing the ground surface side or a trolley-side convex portion having a tip facing the ground surface side, formed in a part of the columns in the column group, and is provided with, The joining device includes, One of a joining device-side convex portion insertable into the trolley-side concave portion or a joining device-side concave portion insertable into the trolley-side convex portion, A driving portion for driving the joining device-side joint portion to a position where a part of the wheels near the entrance side where the vehicle enters the inside of the trolley are lifted from the ground surface, and is provided with, The column group of the trolley is assembled to secure a space into which a part of the vehicle enters the inside of the trolley from one direction of the trolley, Among the plurality of wheels, a part of the wheels near the entrance side where the vehicle enters the inside of the trolley are provided between the position of the end portion on the entrance side and the position at the center of the length of the trolley in the one direction so as to secure the space, A trolley towing system characterized in that a part of the wheels near the entrance side are lifted from the ground surface, and while the other wheels other than the part of the wheels are grounded on the ground surface, the trolley can be towed by the vehicle.
2. The joining device further includes an arm portion that is rotatable in both a direction approaching and a direction away from the column provided with the trolley-side joint portion about a fulcrum located closer to the ground surface than the trolley-side joint portion. The arm part includes the joint part on the joining device side at a part thereof. The cart towing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, by driving of the driving part, the arm part rotates around the fulcrum so that the joint part on the joining device side can be jointed to the joint part on the cart side.
3. A part of the plurality of wheels, which is close to the entrance side, is a rotatable wheel. The cart towing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that wheels other than the part of the wheels are non-rotatable wheels.
4. The arm part has a shape that is long in the direction in which the vehicle enters the inside of the cart, and is a member in which the tip portion located inside the cart of the arm part rotates the most when receiving driving from the driving part. The cart towing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.
5. The cart towing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the convex part on the cart side or the convex part on the joining device side is made of rubber or resin and has a shape of a thin cone or a truncated cone at the tip.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Cargo-handling and conveying vehicle and cargo-handling system provided with the same
JP2023130844A