Transportation apparatus

Abstract

To upgrade turning performance and attain stable travel.SOLUTION: A transportation apparatus includes: driving rings 110 each having a driving ring pivot which turnably supports a driving wheel 15; driven rings 210 each having a driven ring pivot which turnably supports a driven wheel 215; a front base 101 having the driving ring 110 and driven ring 210 disposed; a rear base 102 having the driving ring 110 and driven ring 210 disposed; a coupling member 103 which causes the driving rings 110 of the front base 101 and rear base 102 to be disposed diagonally and the driven rings 210 of the front base 101 and rear base 102 to be disposed diagonally with a center of a line linking the front base 101 and rear base 102 as a reference; and a suspension mechanism 105 that supports at least one of the front base 101 and rear base 102 via a support shaft 105A, which extends in a coupling direction (advancing direction) A of the coupling member 103 between the driving ring 110 and driven ring 210 disposed on one of the bases 101 and 102, so that the one of the front base and rear base can freely fluctuate with respect to the coupling member 103.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transportation device having a drive wheel unit and a driven wheel unit provided at least in front of or behind the drive wheel unit.

[0003] BACKGROUND ART For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a conventional conveyance device having a vehicle body, a plurality of drive wheels supported by the vehicle body, and a plurality of driven wheels supported by the vehicle body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-126936 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-106685 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a driven wheel unit is provided in the front-to-rear direction of the drive wheel unit. The driven wheel unit is rotatable, and a ground-contact driven wheel and an auxiliary wheel are provided on a rotatable arm. The arm is biased by a spring, and rotates so that the ground-contact driven wheel touches the ground and the auxiliary wheel is lifted off the floor. This allows the mobile device of Patent Document 1 to travel over steps. For example, in a configuration such as Patent Document 1, where a drive wheel without a pivot that is driven forward and backward and a rotatable driven wheel are arranged, the rotation difference of the drive wheels generates the turning motion of the driven wheel, but this increases the turning radius, making it difficult to turn in a small space.

[0006] Patent Document 2 assumes that Mecanum wheels or omni-wheels are used as drive wheels. Such wheels are usually used in sets of four, and when crossing relatively uneven surfaces such as tactile paving blocks or door thresholds, if three or more wheels are not in contact with the ground, the vehicle may slip on the floor, preventing it from traveling in the desired direction. Furthermore, such wheels can also cause vibrations. Therefore, using such wheels may make stable traveling difficult.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a transport device that can improve turning performance and achieve stable running. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the conveying device of the present disclosure includes a drive wheel having a drive wheel pivot axis that rotatably supports the drive wheel, a driven wheel having a driven wheel pivot axis that rotatably supports the driven wheel, a front base on which the drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged, a rear base on which the drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged, a connecting member that connects the front base and the rear base, wherein the drive wheels of the front base and the rear base are diagonally arranged with respect to the center of the connecting member, and the connecting member connects the driven wheels of the front base and the rear base in a diagonally arranged manner, and a suspension mechanism that supports at least one of the front base and the rear base so that it can swing freely relative to the connecting member via a support shaft that extends in the connection direction by the connecting member between the drive wheel and the driven wheel arranged on one of the bases.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the above-described transport device, the rear base is supported by the connecting member via the support shaft, and the front base is fixed to the connecting member.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the above-described conveying device, the suspension mechanism includes an abutment member that generates an elastic force that presses the drive wheel and the driven wheel against the floor surface while regulating the range of swinging of at least one of the front base and the rear base relative to the connecting member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve cornering performance and achieve stable driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the conveying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a driving wheel according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a driven wheel according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the conveying device according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present invention also includes configurations that combine the embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range.

[0014] The conveying device 1 of the embodiment is applied as a conveying platform that carries an object to be conveyed and travels on a floor surface. Although not shown in the drawings, the conveying device 1 is used as a conveying auxiliary device such as an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), or a conveying auxiliary drive device. The object to be conveyed may be, for example, a hand lifter, a forklift, a picking robot, or medical equipment.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the conveyance device 1 includes a base 100, a driving wheel 110, and a driven wheel 210.

[0016] The base 100 is the base of the transport device 1 on which the drive wheels 110 and the driven wheels 210 are arranged.

[0017] The base 100 includes a front base 101 , a rear base 102 , a connecting member 103 , an intermediate member 104 , and a suspension mechanism 105 .

[0018] The front base 101 and the rear base 102 are provided independently and each is formed in a plate shape. At least a pair of drive wheels 110 and driven wheels 210 is arranged on each of the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The drive wheels 110 and driven wheels 210 arranged on the front base 101 and the rear base 102 are arranged side by side in a width direction (indicated by arrow B in the drawing) that is perpendicular to or intersects with the standard traveling direction of the conveyance device 1 (indicated by arrow A in the drawing).

[0019] The connecting member 103 connects the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The connecting member 103 is formed in a rod shape, extends along the traveling direction of the conveyance device 1, and is attached to the upper surfaces of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 so as to connect the front base 101 and the rear base 102 that are lined up along the traveling direction. The connecting member 103 is attached to the front base 101 via a fixed block 103a. The connecting member 103 is attached to the rear base 102 via a suspension mechanism 105. The connecting member 103 is attached to the front base 101 and the rear base 102 at the center in the width direction B along the traveling direction A. A storage device such as a loading platform or shelf is attached to the upper part of the connecting member 103 as the transported object 500.

[0020] The connecting member 103 also connects the front base 101 and the rear base 102 so that the connecting member 103 is disposed between the drive wheels 110 and driven wheels 210 of the front base 101 and between the drive wheels 110 and driven wheels 210 of the rear base 102, with the connecting member 103 as the boundary. The connecting member 103 also connects the front base 101 and the rear base 102 so that the drive wheels 110 of the front base 101 and the drive wheels 110 of the rear base 102 are disposed on opposite sides of the width direction B, with the connecting member 103 as the boundary, and the driven wheels 210 of the front base 101 and the driven wheels 210 of the rear base 102 are disposed on opposite sides of the width direction B, with the connecting member 103 as the boundary. Therefore, the connecting member 103 connects the front base 101 and the rear base 102, and as shown in Figure 4, the driving wheels 110 of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 are arranged diagonally relative to the connected center part O, and the driven wheels 210 of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 are arranged diagonally relative to each other.

[0021] The intermediate member 104 is attached to the connecting member 103 between the front base 101 and the rear base 102 via a fixed block 103b. The intermediate member 104 has a dimension larger in the width direction B than the front base 101 and the rear base 102. As a result, the intermediate member 104 is used as a bumper in the width direction B of the conveyance device 1. The intermediate member 104 is not necessarily provided.

[0022] 1 to 5, the suspension mechanism 105 is provided on at least one of the front base 101 and the rear base 102. In the transport device 1 of this embodiment, the suspension mechanism 105 is provided on the rear base 102. The suspension mechanism 105 has a support shaft 105A, a support bearing member 105B, a support shaft fixing member 105C, a swing restriction mechanism 105D, and a thrust washer 105E.

[0023] The support shaft 105A is formed in a cylindrical shape and is arranged along the direction in which the connecting member 103 extends (advancing direction A: connecting direction: also referred to as the longitudinal direction).

[0024] The bearing member 105B is provided at the center of the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 105A to rotatably support the support shaft 105A, and is attached to the lower part of the connecting member 103. Therefore, the support shaft 105A extends along the traveling direction (connecting direction) A, and is rotatably provided at the lower part of the connecting member 103 via the bearing member 105B.

[0025] The shaft fixing members 105C are fixed to each end of the shaft 105A. The shaft fixing members 105C are also fixed to the upper surface of the rear base 102. As described above, the connecting member 103 is provided between the driving wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 of the rear base 102, with the connecting member 103 as the boundary. In other words, the shaft 105A attached to the connecting member 103 is also provided between the driving wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 of the rear base 102, with the connecting member 103 as the boundary. Therefore, the rear base 102 is suspended from a rotatable support shaft 105A via a support bearing member 105B relative to the connecting member 103, and a drive wheel 110 is provided on one side of the width direction B separated by the support shaft 105A, and a driven wheel 210 is provided on the other side of the width direction B separated by the support shaft 105A, so that the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 are swingable in both the width direction B around the support shaft 105A.

[0026] The swing restriction mechanism 105D includes a bracket member 105Da and abutment members 105Db. The bracket member 105Da is fixed to the lower part of the connecting member 103 and extends on both sides of the shaft fixing member 105C so as to sandwich the shaft fixing member 105C in the width direction B. The abutment members 105Db are fixed to the bracket member 105Da and are provided on both sides of the shaft fixing member 105C, spaced apart from the shaft fixing member 105C. The abutment members 105Db are made of an elastic material such as rubber. Therefore, the swing restriction mechanism 105D restricts the swing range of the rear base 102 by the abutment members 105Db coming into contact with the shaft fixing member 105C as the rear base 102 swings about the spindle 105A. If the contact member 105Db of the swing restriction mechanism 105D is an elastic member, it can cushion the shock of contact with the support shaft fixing member 105C and apply an elastic force so that the shaft returns in the opposite direction to the contact. Moreover, the contact member 105Db made of an elastic member applies its elastic force to the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 via the rear base 102, thereby pressing the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 against the floor surface and preventing unevenness of the floor surface from being transmitted to the rear base 102.

[0027] 2 and 5, the thrust washer 105E is inserted into the support shaft 105A and is disposed between the support shaft fixing member 105C and the support bearing member 105B. The thrust washer 105E prevents wear of the support shaft fixing member 105C and the support bearing member 105B when the support shaft fixing member 105C slides around the support shaft 105A relative to the support bearing member 105B.

[0028] Therefore, the suspension mechanism 105 supports the rear base 102 so as to be swingable relative to the connecting member 103 via a support shaft 105A extending in the connecting direction (travel direction A) by the connecting member 103 between the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 arranged on the rear base 102. This suspension mechanism 105 may be provided on the front base 101, and support the front base 101 so as to be swingable relative to the connecting member 103 via a support shaft 105A extending in the connecting direction (travel direction A) by the connecting member 103 between the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 arranged on the front base 101.

[0029] As described above, the drive wheel 110 is disposed on the front base 101 and the rear base 102. As shown in FIG. 6 , the drive wheel 110 includes a drive mechanism 11, a swivel unit 12, a transmission mechanism 13, a power conversion mechanism 14, and a drive wheel 15.

[0030] The drive mechanism 11 inputs a rotational force and is provided mainly on the upper surface of the front base 101 or the rear base 102. The swivel unit 12 is disposed mainly on the lower side of the front base 101 or the rear base 102. The transmission mechanism 13 transmits the rotational force input by the drive mechanism 11. The power conversion mechanism 14 transmits the rotational force of the transmission mechanism 13 to the drive wheels 15. The drive wheels 15 are rotatable by the rotational force input via the drive mechanism 11, the transmission mechanism 13, and the power conversion mechanism 14, and can be steered by the swivel unit 12. Note that in FIG. 5, the drive mechanism 11, the transmission mechanism 13, and the power conversion mechanism 14 are shown with covers attached to their exteriors.

[0031] The drive mechanism 11 has a first drive mechanism 22A and a second drive mechanism 22B. The first drive mechanism 22A includes a first drive unit 23A, a first drive pulley 24A, a first input shaft 25A, a first driven pulley 26A, and a first drive belt 27A. The first drive unit 23A is configured with a motor. The first drive unit 23A is fixed to the front base 101 or the rear base 102. The first drive unit 23A has a drive shaft 23Aa extending in the vertical direction. The first drive pulley 24A is fixed to the drive shaft 23Aa. The first input shaft 25A is provided extending in the vertical direction parallel to the drive shaft 23Aa and is supported rotatably about an axis O1. The first driven pulley 26A is fixed to the first input shaft 25A. The first drive belt 27A is formed in a ring shape and is wound around the first driven pulley 26A and the first drive pulley 24A. Therefore, in the first drive mechanism 22A, the first drive pulley 24A is rotated by the driving of the first drive unit 23A, and this rotation is transmitted from the first drive pulley 24A to the first driven pulley 26A via the first drive belt 27A, thereby rotating the first input shaft 25A.

[0032] The second drive mechanism 22B includes a second drive unit 23B, a second drive pulley 24B, a second input shaft 25B, a second driven pulley 26B, and a second drive belt 27B. The second drive unit 23B is configured with a motor. The second drive unit 23B is fixed to the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The second drive unit 23B has a drive shaft 23Ba extending in the vertical direction. The second drive pulley 24B is fixed to the drive shaft 23Ba. The second drive pulley 24B is formed to have the same diameter as the first drive pulley 24A. The second input shaft 25B is provided extending in the vertical direction parallel to the drive shaft 23Ba and is supported rotatably about an axis O1. The second input shaft 25B is cylindrical and passes through the first input shaft 25A. The second input shaft 25B is disposed on the first input shaft 25A via a bearing so as to rotate independently of the first input shaft 25A. The second driven pulley 26B is fixed to the second input shaft 25B. The second driven pulley 26B is formed to have the same diameter as the first driven pulley 26A. The second drive belt 27B is formed in an annular shape and is wound around the second driven pulley 26B and the second drive pulley 24B. Therefore, when the second drive mechanism 22B drives the second drive unit 23B, the second drive pulley 24B rotates, and this rotation is transmitted from the second drive pulley 24B to the second driven pulley 26B via the second drive belt 27B, thereby rotating the second input shaft 25B.

[0033] The swivel unit 12 has a drive wheel pivot shaft 35 and a support member 36. The drive wheel pivot shaft 35 has an axis O1 and is rotatably supported via bearings on the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The drive wheel pivot shaft 35 is supported so as to be rotatable relative to the front base 101 and the rear base 102 about the axis O1, regardless of the rotation of the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B. The support members 36 form a pair and are provided below the drive wheel pivot shaft 35, extending below the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The support members 36 support the drive wheels 15.

[0034] The drive wheel 15 is integrally provided with an axle 37 that extends along an axis O2 that is perpendicular to the direction in which the axis O1 extends (the up-down direction). Each end of the axle 37 along the axis O2 is rotatably supported by a corresponding support member 36 via a bearing. In addition, the rotation axis O5 of the drive wheel 15, which extends along the vertical direction intersecting the axis O2 of the axle 37, is offset from the axis O1 of the drive wheel turning shaft 35 in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis O2 of the axle 37.

[0035] The transmission mechanism 13 has a first transmission mechanism 13A and a second transmission mechanism 13B. The first transmission mechanism 13A is configured to include a first transmission drive gear 38A, a first transmission driven gear 39A, and a first output shaft 40A. The second transmission mechanism 13B is configured to include a second transmission drive gear 38B, a second transmission driven gear 39B, and a second output shaft 40B. In this embodiment, the first transmission drive gear 38A, the first transmission driven gear 39A, the second transmission drive gear 38B, and the second transmission driven gear 39B are configured as spur gears.

[0036] In the first transmission mechanism 13A, the first transmission drive gear 38A, the first transmission driven gear 39A, and the first output shaft 40A are disposed on the support member 36 of the swivel unit 12. The first transmission drive gear 38A is fixed to the lower end of the first input shaft 25A, which passes through the second input shaft 25B. The first transmission driven gear 39A meshes with the first transmission drive gear 38A. The first transmission driven gear 39A is fixed to the first output shaft 40A. The first output shaft 40A is supported on the support member 36 so as to be rotatable about an axis O3.

[0037] In the second transmission mechanism 13B, the second transmission drive gear 38B, the second transmission driven gear 39B, and the second output shaft 40B are disposed on another support member 36 of the swivel unit 12. The second transmission drive gear 38B is fixed to the lower end of the second input shaft 25B. The second transmission driven gear 39B meshes with the second transmission drive gear 38B. The second transmission driven gear 39B is fixed to the second output shaft 40B. The second input shaft 25B is supported by the support member 36 so as to be rotatable about an axis O4.

[0038] The power conversion mechanism 14 has a first power conversion mechanism 14A and a second power conversion mechanism 14B. The first power conversion mechanism 14A is composed of a first conversion drive gear 41A and a first conversion driven gear 42A. The second power conversion mechanism 14B is composed of a second conversion drive gear 41B and a second conversion driven gear 42B. In this embodiment, the first conversion drive gear 41A, the first conversion driven gear 42A, the second conversion drive gear 41B, and the second conversion driven gear 42B are composed of bevel gears.

[0039] In the first power converting mechanism 14A, the first converted driving gear 41A is fixed to the lower end of the first output shaft 40A. The first converted driven gear 42A is fixed to one end of the axle 37. The first converted driving gear 41A meshes with the first converted driven gear 42A. Therefore, the first power converting mechanism 14A converts rotation around the axis O3 of the first output shaft 40A into rotation around the axis O2 of the axle 37.

[0040] In the second power converting mechanism 14B, the second conversion driving gear 41B is fixed to the lower end of the second output shaft 40B. The second conversion driven gear 42B is fixed to the other end of the axle 37. The second conversion driving gear 41B meshes with the second conversion driven gear 42B. Therefore, the second power converting mechanism 14B converts rotation about the axis O4 of the second output shaft 40B into rotation about the axis O2 of the axle 37.

[0041] The drive mechanism 11 rotates the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B, thereby rotating and steering the drive wheels 15. For example, the drive wheels 110 can rotate the drive wheels 15 without steering them by rotating the first input shaft 25A and rotating the second input shaft 25B in the opposite direction to the first input shaft 25A, and by making the rotational speeds (rotational speeds) of the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B the same. At this time, by making the rotational speeds (rotational speeds) of the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B different, the drive wheels 15 can be steered while rotating or stopped.

[0042] Specifically, when the first input shaft 25A of the drive wheel 110 rotates in the A1 direction, the first transmission drive gear 38A rotates in the same direction, the first transmission driven gear 39A rotates in the A2 direction together with the first output shaft 40A, and the first conversion drive gear 41A rotates in the same direction. Then, the first conversion driven gear 42A rotates in the A3 direction, causing the axle 37 to rotate in the same direction. Meanwhile, when the second input shaft 25B of the drive wheel 110 rotates in the B1 direction, opposite to the A1 direction, the second transmission drive gear 38B rotates in the same direction, the second transmission driven gear 39B rotates in the B2 direction together with the second output shaft 40B, causing the second conversion drive gear 41B to rotate in the same direction. Then, the second conversion driven gear 42B rotates in the B3 direction, causing the axle 37 to rotate in the same direction. Here, since the A3 direction and the B3 direction are the same rotation direction, if the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B have the same rotation speed, the drive wheels 15 rotate without turning.

[0043] At this time, when the rotation speed of the second input shaft 25B is reduced relative to the rotation speed of the first input shaft 25A, the rotation speed input from the second conversion drive gear 41B to the axle 37 via the second conversion driven gear 42B becomes lower than the rotation speed input from the first conversion drive gear 41A to the axle 37 via the first conversion driven gear 42A. This causes the drive wheel turning shaft 35 to rotate by the rotation speed difference, turning and steering the drive wheels 15. Furthermore, when the rotation of the second input shaft 25B is stopped, the rotation speed input from the second conversion drive gear 41B to the axle 37 via the second conversion driven gear 42B becomes zero, and the drive wheels 15 turn and steer without rotating.

[0044] The drive wheels 110 have a differential omnidirectional movement mechanism. That is, the rotational force of the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B is transmitted to the first output shaft 40A and the second output shaft 40B via the first transmission mechanism 13A and the second transmission mechanism 13B, and is then transmitted from the first output shaft 40A and the second output shaft 40B to each end of the axle 37 via the first power conversion mechanism 14A and the second power conversion mechanism 14B. The drive wheels 110 can switch between the rotation and steering of the drive wheels 15 by adjusting the rotation speed of the first input shaft 25A and the second input shaft 25B. Therefore, the conveyance device 1 equipped with the drive wheels 110 is capable of omnidirectional movement.

[0045] Furthermore, the drive wheel 110 is arranged such that the rotation axis O5 of the drive wheel 15, which is along the vertical direction intersecting the axis O2 of the axle 37, is offset in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis O2 of the axle 37 with respect to the axis O1 of the drive wheel turning shaft 35. Therefore, when the drive wheel 110 is not driving the drive wheel 15, the drive wheel 15 can passively turn due to an external force acting from the horizontal direction. In other words, the drive wheel 110 can automatically travel and steer, and can also be manually traveled and steered by an operator.

[0046] As described above, the driven wheels 210 are disposed on the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The driven wheels 210 include a swivel portion 212 and a driven wheel 215, as shown in FIG.

[0047] The swivel unit 212 has a driven wheel swivel shaft 235 and a support member 236. The driven wheel swivel shaft 235 has an axis O21 and is rotatably supported via bearings on the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The support members 236 form a pair and are provided below the driven wheel swivel shaft 235, extending below the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The support members 236 support the driven wheels 215.

[0048] The driven wheel 215 is integrally provided with an axle 237 extending along an axis O22 perpendicular to the direction in which the axis O21 extends (up and down direction). Each end of the axle 237 along the axis O22 is rotatably supported by a corresponding support member 236 via a bearing. Furthermore, the rotation axis O25 of the driven wheel 215 along the vertical direction intersecting the axis O22 of the axle 237 is offset in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis O22 of the axle 237 with respect to the axis O21 of the driven wheel turning shaft 235. Therefore, the driven wheel 210 can passively turn by an external force acting on the driven wheel 215 from the horizontal direction. In other words, the driven wheel 210 is steered passively.

[0049] In the transport device 1 of the embodiment described above, there are a drive wheel 110 having a drive wheel pivot shaft 35 that rotatably supports the drive wheel 15, a driven wheel 210 having a driven wheel pivot shaft 235 that rotatably supports the driven wheel 215, a front base 101 on which the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 are arranged, a rear base 102 on which the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 are arranged, and a center O connecting the front base 101 and the rear base 102. The vehicle includes a connecting member 103 that diagonally arranges each of the drive wheels 110 and connects the front base 101 and the rear base 102 to diagonally arrange each of the driven wheels 210, and a suspension mechanism 105 that supports at least one of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 so that it can swing freely relative to the connecting member 103 via a support shaft 105A that extends along the connecting direction (travel direction) A of the connecting member 103 between the drive wheels 110 and the driven wheels 210 arranged on one base 101, 102.

[0050] According to this transport device 1, the drive wheels 110 rotatably support the drive wheels 15 via the drive wheel pivot shafts 35, and the driven wheels 210 rotatably support the driven wheels 215 via the driven wheel pivot shafts 235, so that the turning radius can be made smaller than in a configuration in which the drive wheels do not turn, and control calculation costs can be reduced without the need for turning torque control on flat ground. Moreover, according to this transport device 1, the drive wheels 110 and the driven wheels 210 can flexibly overcome steps using a lightweight, low-cost suspension mechanism 105 with a simple structure that swings between the drive wheels 110 and the driven wheels 210 via support shafts 105A on at least one of the front base 101 and the rear base 102, ensuring stable running performance. Moreover, according to this conveyance device 1, the drive wheels 110 of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 are arranged diagonally, and the driven wheels 210 of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 are also arranged diagonally, so that the drive wheels 110 and the driven wheels 210 are arranged diagonally on the front wheel side and the rear wheel side even when traveling in any direction, which improves the ground contact of the drive wheels 110 and the driven wheels 210 on at least one of the bases 101, 102 and ensures stable running performance, and since the conveyance device 1 turns based on the center part O connecting the front base 101 and the rear base 102, it can improve turning performance in narrow spaces. As a result, the conveyance device 1 of the embodiment can improve turning performance and achieve stable running.

[0051] In the transport device 1 of the embodiment, the rear base 102 is supported by the connecting member 103 via the support shaft 105A, and the front base 101 is fixed to the connecting member 103.

[0052] According to this conveying device 1, the front wheel side (front base 101) is designed to mainly focus on forward movement, while the rear wheel side (rear base 102) is designed to mainly focus on handling steps, thereby ensuring stable running performance even with a simple configuration.

[0053] In addition, in the embodiment of the conveying device 1, the suspension mechanism 105 includes an abutment member 105Da that generates an elastic force that presses the drive wheel 110 and the driven wheel 210 against the floor surface while regulating the swing range when at least one of the front base 101 and the rear base 102 swings relative to the connecting member 103.

[0054] According to this conveying device 1, an elastic force is generated that presses the drive wheels 110 and driven wheels 210 against the floor surface, so that when crossing relatively uneven surfaces such as tactile paving blocks or door thresholds, three or more wheels are kept in sufficient contact with the floor surface and the unevenness of the floor surface is not transmitted to the oscillating base, thereby ensuring stable running performance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Conveyor device 15 Drive wheels 35 Drive wheel pivot 101 Front base 102 Rear base 103 Connecting member 105 Suspension mechanism 105A spindle 105Db Contact member 110 Drive Wheel 210 Driven Wheel 215 Driven wheels 235 Driven wheel pivot shaft

Claims

1. a drive wheel having a drive wheel pivot shaft that rotatably supports the drive wheel; a driven wheel having a driven wheel pivot shaft that rotatably supports the driven wheel; a front base on which the driving wheels and the driven wheels are disposed; a rear base on which the driving wheels and the driven wheels are disposed; a connecting member that connects the front base and the rear base, the connecting member connecting the drive wheels of the front base and the rear base diagonally arranged with respect to a center of the connecting member as a reference, and the driven wheels of the front base and the rear base diagonally arranged; a suspension mechanism that supports at least one of the front base and the rear base so as to be swingable relative to the connecting member via a support shaft that extends in a connecting direction by the connecting member between the drive wheel and the driven wheel that are arranged on one of the bases; A conveying device comprising:

2. The rear base is supported by the connecting member via the support shaft, and the front base is fixed to the connecting member. The conveying device according to claim 1 .

3. the suspension mechanism includes a contact member that generates an elastic force that presses the drive wheel and the driven wheel against a floor surface while restricting a swing range when at least one of the front base and the rear base swings relative to the connecting member. The conveying device according to claim 1 .

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