Covered guided vehicles and automated guided systems

Abstract

To reduce the weight and cost of a transport vehicle with a canopy that can be opened and closed. [Solution] The canopied transport vehicle 1 comprises a placement section 24 on which an article 40 is placed, a canopy 28, a slide rail 32 that slidably supports the canopy 28, and a slider 30 that is fixed to the canopy 28 and is movable together with the canopy 28. The canopy 28 is configured to slide from a closed position that covers a part of the periphery of the placement section 24 to an open position that opens the part of the periphery by pushing the slider 30 into a push rod 102 provided in the equipment 100.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport vehicle with a canopy and an automatic transport system equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, transport vehicles have been used for transporting goods in factories, etc. Also, a transport vehicle with a canopy that can be opened and closed is known so that goods are not exposed to rain or the like when traveling outdoors.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle body having a platform on which an article is placed, wheels provided on the bottom of the vehicle body, a steering motor and a travel motor for driving the wheels, a bellows-type hood that can expand and contract in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and an electric motor for expanding and contracting the hood. When an article is placed on the platform and the hood is expanded by the electric motor, the periphery of the platform can be closed. Therefore, the article can be transported without being exposed to rain or the like. When the hood is contracted by the electric motor, the periphery of the platform can be opened. This allows the article to be transferred from the platform. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-163475 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the covered transport vehicle described in Patent Document 1, an electric motor is used as a driving source that generates a driving force for opening and closing the cover. This electric motor is provided in the covered transport vehicle. The covered transport vehicle is also provided with a power transmission device such as a chain that transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the cover. Therefore, the mechanism for opening and closing the cover increases the weight and cost of the covered transport vehicle.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to reduce the weight and cost of a transport vehicle equipped with a canopy that can be opened and closed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The canopy-equipped transport vehicle disclosed herein is a canopy-equipped transport vehicle for delivering and receiving goods between facilities, and includes a vehicle body, a placement section provided on the vehicle body on which goods are placed, a canopy provided on the vehicle body, a slide rail provided on the vehicle body for slidably supporting the canopy, and a slider fixed to the canopy and movable together with the canopy. The canopy is configured to slide from a closed position covering a part of the periphery of the placement section to an open position opening the part of the periphery by the slider being pushed into a push rod provided on the facility.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned covered transport vehicle, the push rod of the equipment pushes the slider, moving the covered from the closed position to the open position and opening a part of the periphery of the loading section. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the covered transport vehicle with a drive source for driving the covered section. This makes it possible to reduce the weight and cost of the covered transport vehicle.

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

[0010] As a result, the hood slides up and down when opening and closing, so there is no need to secure space at the front or rear of the vehicle to store the hood. This allows a wide area of ​​the loading area to be opened in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. This makes it easy to carry out items from the loading area.

[0011] The vertical groove may include a curved groove that extends in a vertical direction of the vehicle and in a left-right direction of the vehicle, and the curved groove may be connected to the left-right groove. The hood may be formed of a sheet-like member having flexibility that allows it to be bent.

[0012] As a result, when the top is moved from the closed position to the open position, the top can be curved along the curved groove. Since the top is formed of a sheet-like member, the structure of the top can be simplified.

[0013] The hood may be formed from a synthetic resin sheet.

[0014] This allows the weight of the hood to be reduced, and the load on the actuator when the hood is moved from the closed position to the open position to be reduced.

[0015] The transport vehicle with a hood may include a weight fixed to the hood. The hood 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] This allows the hood to be moved from the open position to the closed position by the weight of the weight itself, eliminating the need for a drive source for moving the hood from the open position to the closed position.

[0017] The canopy-equipped transport vehicle may include another canopy provided on the vehicle body, another slide rail provided on the vehicle body and slidably supporting the other canopy, and another slider fixed to the other canopy and movable together with the other canopy. The other canopy may be configured such that, when the other slider is pushed into a push rod provided on the equipment, the other canopy slides from a closed position covering another part of the periphery of the storage section to an open position opening the other part of the periphery. One of the canopy and the other canopy may be disposed to the right of the storage section in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the other may be disposed to the left of the storage section in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0018] In this way, openable and closable hoods are provided on both the left and right sides of the loading section, making it possible to hand over and receive articles on either the left or right side of the loading section.

[0019] The transport vehicle with a hood may include a guide rail that is provided on the vehicle body and with which the slider slidably engages.

[0020] With this, the guide rail guides the movement of the slider, so that the slider can move stably when the slider is pushed into the push rod. Since the movement of the slider is stable, the hood can be opened and closed smoothly.

[0021] The transport vehicle with a canopy may include a towing vehicle having drive wheels and a driving source for driving the drive wheels, and a dolly connected to the towing vehicle. The dolly may include the vehicle body, driven wheels provided on the vehicle body, the placement section, the canopy, the slide rail, and the slider.

[0022] According to the above configuration, the openable and closable hood is provided on the dolly to be towed by the towing vehicle. The dolly does not need to be provided with a drive source for running, and does not need to be provided with a drive source for opening and closing the hood. This allows the dolly to be made lighter and less expensive.

[0023] The automated transport system disclosed herein includes the covered transport vehicle and a facility for transferring articles between the covered transport vehicle and the covered transport vehicle. The facility includes a push rod and an actuator for pushing the push rod toward the slider. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost of a transport vehicle with a canopy that can be opened and closed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the transport vehicle with a canopy according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion of an automatic conveying system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a part of a carriage and the equipment when a covered transport vehicle is stopped in front of the equipment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the bogie and the equipment when the hood is open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a left side view of a covered transport vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a transport vehicle) 1 according to one embodiment. The transport vehicle 1 includes a towing vehicle 10 and a dolly 20 towed by the towing vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 is used to transport items such as product parts in a factory. The transport vehicle 1 transports items from one processing facility to another processing facility in the factory.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the automatic transport system 2 according to this embodiment. The automatic transport system 2 includes a transport vehicle 1 and a processing facility (hereinafter, referred to as the facility) 100 that transfers an article between the transport vehicle 1 and the processing facility. Although not shown, the automatic transport system 2 includes a plurality of transport vehicles 1 and a plurality of facilities 100. The transport vehicle 1 receives an article from one facility 100 and automatically travels toward another facility 100. When the transport vehicle 1 reaches a position in front of the facility 100, it automatically stops. Then, the transport vehicle 1 transfers the article to the facility 100. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the transport vehicle 1 is stopped in a position in front of the facility 100. The transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100 so that the side of the transport vehicle 1 faces the front of the facility 100.

[0028] The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the figure respectively represent the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the left in the vehicle lateral direction, the right in the vehicle lateral direction, the upper in the vehicle vertical direction, and the lower in the vehicle vertical direction. The symbols X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 in the figure respectively represent the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the rear in the vehicle lateral direction, the left in the vehicle lateral direction, and the right in the vehicle lateral direction. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the rear in the vehicle lateral direction, the left in the vehicle lateral direction, the right in the vehicle lateral direction, the upper in the vehicle vertical direction, and the lower in the vehicle vertical direction will be simply referred to as the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower, respectively.

[0029] The towing vehicle 10 is configured to be capable of autonomous driving. That is, the towing vehicle 10 is configured to drive automatically and turn left and right automatically. As shown in FIG. 1, the towing vehicle 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 driving. The front wheels 12 and / or the rear wheels 13 are driving wheels driven by the electric motor 14. The towing vehicle 10 also includes a control device 15 that controls driving. The towing vehicle 10 may be configured so that a person cannot ride in it, but in this embodiment, it is configured so that a person can ride in it. In this embodiment, the towing vehicle 10 includes a seat 16 on which an occupant sits and a steering wheel 17. The towing vehicle 10 is configured so that it can be switched between automatic driving by the control device 15 and manual driving in which a occupant sitting in the seat 16 operates the steering wheel 17, etc.

[0030] Next, the configuration of the bogie 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bogie 20. The reference numeral 18 denotes the rear part of the towing vehicle 10. In FIG. 3, the rear part 18 of the towing vehicle 10 is extracted and illustrated. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the bogie 20, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the bogie 20 includes a vehicle body 21, left and right front wheels 22, and left and right rear wheels 23. The bogie 20 also includes three pillars 26 on each side. The three pillars 26 are aligned in the front-rear direction. Each pillar 26 extends in the up-down direction. The bogie 20 includes a ceiling plate 27 supported by the pillars 26. The bogie 20 includes two hoods 28 on each side. The two hoods 28 are aligned in the front-rear direction. The front hood 28 is disposed between the front pillar 26 and the central pillar 26. The rear hood 28 is disposed between the central pillar 26 and the rear pillar 26. The cart 20 also includes a front cover (not shown) that is suspended between the left and right front support columns 26, and a rear cover 25 that is suspended between the left and right rear support columns 26.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the dolly 20 has a placement section 24 provided on the vehicle body 21. The placement section 24 is a portion on which the article to be transported is placed. The placement section 24 is covered by a ceiling panel 27, a front cover, a rear cover 25, a left hood 28, and a right hood 28. When the transport vehicle 1 is traveling, the article placed on the placement section 24 is covered by the ceiling panel 27, the front cover, the rear cover 25, and the left and right hoods 28. Therefore, the article being transported is prevented from being exposed to rain or dust.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, a slide rail 32 that slidably supports the hood 28 is attached to the support pillar 26. More specifically, a slide rail 32 that slidably supports the front edge of the front hood 28 is attached to the rear of the front support pillar 26. A slide rail 32 that slidably supports the rear edge of the front hood 28 is attached to the front of the central support pillar 26. A slide rail 32 that slidably supports the front edge of the rear hood 28 is attached to the rear of the central support pillar 26. A slide rail 32 that slidably supports the front edge of the rear hood 28 is attached to the front of the rear support pillar 26. The front and rear edges of the hood 28 are examples of "side edges of the hood".

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the slide rail 32 is formed with a vertical groove 29A extending in the vertical direction and a left-right groove 29B extending in the left-right direction. The vertical groove 29A has a vertical groove 29a extending in the vertical direction and a curved groove 29b extending in the vertical direction and left-right direction and curved. The curved groove 29b is connected to the left end of the left-right groove 29B and the upper end of the vertical groove 29a. The vertical groove 29A and the left-right groove 29B of the slide rail 32 attached to the rear part of the support 26 are open toward the rear, and the front edge of the hood 28 is slidably inserted therein. The vertical groove 29A and the left-right groove 29B of the slide rail 32 attached to the front part of the support 26 are open toward the front, and the rear edge of the hood 28 is slidably inserted therein.

[0034] In this embodiment, the hood 28 is formed of a flexible sheet-like member that can be bent. Here, the hood 28 is formed of a synthetic resin sheet. However, the material of the hood 28 is not particularly limited. The hood 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 hoods 28. The sliders 30 are slidably engaged with guide rails 33 extending in the left-right direction. The sliders 30 are configured to move in the left-right direction along the guide rails 33. When the left slider 30 slides to the right, the part of the left hood 28 that is engaged with the vertical groove 29A moves upward, and the part that is engaged with the horizontal groove 29B moves rightward. When the right slider 30 slides to the left, the part of the right hood 28 that is engaged with the vertical groove 29A moves upward, and the part that is engaged with the horizontal groove 29B moves leftward. As a result, the hood 28 moves from a closed position that covers a part of the periphery of the placement part 24 along the vertical grooves 29A and the horizontal grooves 29B to an open position that opens the part of the periphery. The slider 30 has an abutment surface 34 against which a push rod 102 (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) described later is pressed. The contact surface 34 faces outward in the vehicle width direction. Note that outward in the vehicle width direction refers to a direction away from the vehicle center line. Inward in the vehicle width direction refers to a 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 hood 28. A downward force is applied to the hood 28 by the weight of the weight 35. The hood 28 is configured to slide from the open position to the closed position by receiving the downward force from the weight 35.

[0037] A side plate 36 connected to the ceiling plate 27 is disposed above the hood 28. 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 pressed inward in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter 37 is disposed in a position facing the abutment surface 34 of the slider 30. The shutter 37 and the abutment surface 34 are positioned on the same straight line extending in the left-right direction.

[0038] In this embodiment, the dolly 20 is not provided with a driving device. As will be described later, the hood 28 is driven from the closed position to the open position by the driving force of an actuator 104 (see Figures 5 and 6) provided in the equipment 100. The hood 28 moves from the open position to the closed position by the weight of the weight 35. The dolly 20 is not provided with a driving device for driving the hood 28. The dolly 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 bogie 20. The towing vehicle 10 and the bogie 20 are connected by the coupling device 50. The coupling device 50 has a first coupling member 51 connected to the rear of the towing vehicle 10 and a second coupling member 52 connected to the bogie 20. The first coupling member 51 and the second coupling member 52 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction. In addition, the first coupling member 51 and the second coupling member 52 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction. Since the towing vehicle 10 and the bogie 20 are connected by the coupling device 50, the bogie 20 travels as the towing vehicle 10 travels. In other words, the bogie 20 is towed by the towing vehicle 10.

[0040] The facility 100 is configured to transfer articles to and from the cart 20. The facility 100 includes a transfer device (not shown) that receives articles from the placement section 24 of the cart 20 and transfers articles to the placement section 24. A well-known transfer device can be used as the transfer device of the facility 100. Since the transfer device is well-known, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, the equipment 100 includes a push rod 102 and an actuator 104 that moves the push rod 102 in the front-rear direction of the equipment 100 as devices for opening the hood 28 of the dolly 20. The actuator 104 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device that generates a driving force for driving the push rod 102. For example, an electric motor, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc. can be used as the actuator 104. The power transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the actuator 104 to the push rod 102 is also not particularly limited. The actuator 104 may be connected to the push 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 of the push 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 push rod 102 may be fixed to the belt.

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

[0043] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the cart 20 and the facility 100 when the transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100. As shown in Fig. 5, when the transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100, the hood 28 is closed and the sides of the placement section 24 are covered by the hood 28. Reference numeral 39 denotes a pallet, and reference numeral 40 denotes an article placed on the pallet 39.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, after the transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the equipment 100, the actuator 104 of the equipment 100 moves the push rod 102 forward in the front-rear direction of the equipment 100. When the transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the equipment 100, the front of the equipment 100 in the front-rear direction coincides with the right of the transport vehicle 1 in the vehicle left-right direction. The push rod 102 pushes the shutter 37 of the dolly 20 to the right in the vehicle left-right direction. 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 comes into contact with the abutment surface 34 of the slider 30, and pushes the slider 30 to the right in the vehicle left-right direction (see arrow A1). As a result, the upper part of the hood 28 moves to the right in the vehicle left-right direction along the left-right groove 29B, and the lower part of the hood 28 moves upward in the vehicle up-down direction along the up-down groove 29A (see arrow A2). As a result, the sides of the placement portion 24 are opened.

[0045] When the side of the placement unit 24 is opened, the equipment 100 pulls the pallet 39 placed on the placement unit 24 into the equipment 100. As a result, the item 40 placed on the pallet 39 is carried from the cart 20 into the equipment 100 (see arrow A3). The item 40 carried into the equipment 100 is processed by the equipment 100.

[0046] The processed article 40 is loaded from the equipment 100 onto the cart 20 by the equipment 100. After the article 40 is loaded onto the cart 20, the actuator 104 moves the pushing rod 102 rearward in the fore-aft direction of the equipment 100. As described above, the weight 35 is fixed to the hood 28. Therefore, when the pushing rod 102 moves rearward in the fore-aft direction of the equipment 100, the hood 28 moves downward in the vehicle up-down direction along the up-down groove 29A due to the gravity of the weight 35, and moves leftward in the vehicle left-right direction along the left-right groove 29B. As a result, the side of the placement section 24 is closed by the hood 28.

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

[0048] As described above, the transport vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes the slide rail 32 that slidably supports the hood 28, and the slider 30 that can move together with the hood 28. The hood 28 is configured to slide from a closed position (see FIG. 5) that covers the side of the placement section 24 to an open position (see FIG. 6) that opens the side of the placement section 24 by pushing the slider 30 into the push rod 102 provided in the equipment 100. According to this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide the transport vehicle 1 with a drive source for moving the hood 28 from the closed position to the open position. Therefore, the transport vehicle 1 can be made lighter and less expensive than when a drive device for driving the hood 28 is provided in the transport vehicle 1.

[0049] The slide rail 32 has vertical grooves 29A and horizontal grooves 29B, into which the side edges of the hood 28 are slidably inserted. The slider 30 is fixed to the upper part of the hood 28 and is configured to slide in the horizontal direction. Since the hood 28 slides up and down when opening and closing, there is no need to secure a space at the front or rear of the body 21 of the dolly 20 to store the hood 28 when it is opened. A wide range of the loading section 24 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle can be opened. This makes it easy to carry out items from the loading section 24.

[0050] The shape of the hood 28 is not particularly limited, and the hood 28 may be formed, for example, in a bellows shape. However, according to this embodiment, the upper and lower grooves 29A have curved grooves 29b that connect with the left and right grooves 29B, and the hood 28 is formed of a flexible sheet-like material that can be bent. When the hood 28 is moved from the closed position to the open position, the hood 28 can be curved along the curved grooves 29b. Because the hood 28 is formed of a sheet-like material, the configuration of the hood 28 can be simplified.

[0051] Although the material of the hood 28 is not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the hood 28 is formed of a synthetic resin sheet. This makes it possible to reduce the weight of the hood 28. When the hood 28 is moved 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 hood 28. The hood 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, no drive source is required to move the hood 28 from the open position to the closed position.

[0053] The hood 28 may be provided on either the left or right side of the cart 20, but in this embodiment, it is provided on both the left and right sides. On either the left or right side of the placement section 24, the hood 28 can be opened to hand over the article 40.

[0054] Although the guide rail 33 that guides the slider 30 can be omitted, in this embodiment, the 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, the slider 30 can move stably when the slider 30 is pushed into the push rod 102. Since the movement of the slider 30 is stable, the hood 28 can be opened and closed smoothly.

[0055] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 includes a towing vehicle 10 and a dolly 20 connected to the towing vehicle 10. The vehicle body 21, the placement section 24, the hood 28, the slide rail 32, and the slider 30 are provided on the dolly 20. The towing vehicle 10 includes the front wheels 12 and / or the rear wheels 13 driven by the electric motor 14, but the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 23 of the dolly 20 are driven wheels. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the dolly 20 with a driving source for driving the front wheels 22 or the rear wheels 23. In addition, it is not necessary to provide the dolly 20 with a driving source for opening and closing the hood 28. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost of the dolly 20.

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

[0057] In the above embodiment, two canopies 28 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the dolly 20, arranged in a front-to-back manner. However, the number of canopies 28 provided on the left and right sides of the dolly 20 is not particularly limited. The number of canopies 28 provided on the left and right sides of the dolly 20 may be one, or may be three or more. The canopy 28 may be provided on only one of the left and right sides of the dolly 20.

[0058] In the embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 stops in front of the facility 100 so that the side of the transport vehicle 1 faces the front of the facility 100. However, the orientation of the transport vehicle 1 when stopping in front of the facility 100 is not particularly limited, and the position of the openable / closable hood 28 can be changed appropriately depending on the orientation of the transport vehicle 1.

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

[0060] The transport vehicle 1 does not have to include two vehicles, i.e., the towing vehicle 10 and the dolly 20. The transport vehicle 1 may include a single vehicle body, drive wheels provided on the vehicle body, and a platform, a hood, a slide rail, and a slider provided on the vehicle body.

[0061] The weight 35 does not have to be fixed to the hood 28. The facility 100 may be provided with a drive device for moving the hood 28 from the open position to the closed position.

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

[0063] 1. Covered transport vehicle 2. Automatic transport system 10 Towing vehicle 14 Electric motor (driving source) 20 Carts 21 Body 24 Placement section 28 Canopy 29a Curved groove 29A Vertical groove 29B Left and right grooves 30 Slider 32 Slide rail 33 Guide rail 35 weight 40 Goods 100 equipment 102 Push rod 104 Actuator

Claims

1. A transport vehicle with a canopy that delivers and receives items between facilities, The car body and A placement section provided on the vehicle body on which an article is placed; A hood provided on the vehicle body; A slide rail provided on the vehicle body and supporting the hood so that the hood can slide; A slider fixed to the hood and movable together with the hood; The canopy is configured to slide from a closed position that covers part of the periphery of the placement section to an open position that opens the part of the periphery when the slider is pushed by a push rod provided in the equipment.

2. The slide rail has an upper and lower groove extending in a vehicle up-down direction and a left-right groove extending in a vehicle left-right direction connected to an upper end of the upper and lower groove, The hood has side edges slidably inserted into the upper and lower grooves and the left and right grooves, The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 1 , wherein the slider is fixed to an upper portion of the hood and configured to slide in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

3. The vertical groove includes a curved groove that extends in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle left-right direction and is curved, The curved groove is connected to the left and right grooves, The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 2 , wherein the hood is formed of a bendable, flexible sheet-like member.

4. The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 1 , wherein the hood is formed of a sheet made of synthetic resin.

5. A weight is attached to the hood, The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 1 , wherein the hood is configured to slide from the open position to the closed position by receiving a downward force due to the weight of the weight.

6. Another hood provided on the vehicle body; Another slide rail is provided on the vehicle body and supports the other hood slidably; Another slider fixed to the other hood and movable together with the other hood; The other hood is configured to slide from a closed position covering another part of the periphery of the storage section to an open position opening the other part of the periphery by pushing the other slider into a push rod provided in the equipment, 2. The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 1, wherein one of the hood and the other hood is disposed on the right side of the storage area in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the other is disposed on the left side of the storage area in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

7. The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide rail provided on the vehicle body and with which the slider is slidably engaged.

8. A towing vehicle having drive wheels and a drive source for driving the drive wheels; A dolly coupled to the towing vehicle, 2. The transport vehicle with a hood according to claim 1, wherein the dolly comprises the vehicle body, a driven wheel provided on the vehicle body, the placement portion, the hood, the slide rail, and the slider.

9. A transport vehicle with a hood according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The vehicle is equipped with a facility for transferring articles between the vehicle and the transport vehicle. The automated transport system, wherein the facility includes a pusher rod and an actuator that pushes the pusher rod toward the slider.

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