Traveling vehicle, transport system

Abstract

To realize a traveling carriage capable of traveling smoothly while keeping its traveling posture correctly even in a branch section of a track.SOLUTION: A ceiling travel carriage (1) traveling along a track (4) equipped with an upper guide rail (42) in a branch section (43) on a pair of traveling rails (41) includes a main body part (21), traveling wheels (22) respectively rolling on the traveling rails, an upper guide roller (23) contacted to the upper guide rail to roll, and a cam (24) adjusting the position in the right-to-left direction in the main body part of the upper guide roller in accordance with the branch section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a traveling bogie. [Background technology]

[0002] Traveling carts are used in clean rooms, factories, hospitals, libraries, and other places. These traveling carts, such as overhead traveling carts, transport items along tracks. Within a building, the traveling carts can transport items to various locations along a network of tracks that branch and merge.

[0003] At points where the tracks branch off, either the left or right of the pair of running rails is interrupted depending on the direction of travel, and only one of the wheels on the left or right runs on the running rail. Because it is difficult for a running bogie to maintain its position with just one wheel, in such places the running bogie runs supported by an upper guide rail that is separate from the running rail. In other words, the running bogie may run with one wheel in contact with the running rail and the upper guide roller in contact with the upper guide rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-186843 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Because there are limits to the construction precision of the running rails and upper guide rails, there was a risk that the overhead traveling vehicle would not be able to run smoothly at the track branch point.

[0006] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a traveling bogie that can accurately maintain its traveling posture and travel smoothly even at a branching portion of a track. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a traveling carriage that has a pair of running rails and runs along a track with guide rails at branch points, and that includes a main body, wheels that roll on each of the pair of running rails, guide rollers that roll in contact with the guide rails, and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the left-right position of the guide rollers on the main body in accordance with the multiple branches on the track. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, the traveling carriage can travel while maintaining its posture at a branching section of the track. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the ceiling traveling carriage. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a running unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of the track on which the overhead traveling vehicle travels. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front view of the running section at the branching section when the vehicle is running. [Figure 5] 10A-10C are front views of the runner showing the operation of the cam in certain situations. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of the run showing the operation of the cam in another situation. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of a control unit 50 of the overhead traveling carriage. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of a flowchart of an overhead traveling cart. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0011] (Structure of overhead traveling cart 1) 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an overhead traveling vehicle 1. The overhead traveling vehicle 1 includes a traveling unit 2 that travels on a track such as a traveling rail, and a vehicle unit 3 that transports an article.

[0012] 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the traveling unit 2. The traveling unit 2 is divided into a front and a rear part, each of which includes a main body 21, traveling wheels 22, an upper guide roller (guide roller) 23, a cam (adjustment mechanism) 24, a rotary solenoid 25, and a branch guide sensor 26.

[0013] The main body 21 is a main body that secures each part of the running part 2. The main body 21 is divided into a front and a rear part within the running part 2, and the space between them is fixed by a pin. This allows the running part 2 to easily travel along a curved trajectory.

[0014] The traveling wheels 22 are wheels that run on traveling rails and are used for traveling the overhead traveling cart 1. There are a pair of traveling wheels 22 at the front and rear of the traveling part 2. The traveling wheels 22 rotate with the rotation of the traveling motor 22a slowed down by the reducer 22b.

[0015] The upper guide roller 23 rotates while in contact with the upper guide rail, thereby maintaining the posture of the overhead traveling cart 1. There may be one upper guide roller 23, or there may be multiple (for example, two) upper guide rollers 23 in the extension direction of the upper guide rail.

[0016] The cam 24 is a cam whose angle can be changed by an operating motor, and its radial length changes according to the angle.

[0017] The rotary solenoid 25 is a mechanism that moves the upper guide roller 23 left and right relative to the main body 21, and brings the upper guide roller 23 into contact with the upper guide rail.

[0018] The rotary solenoid 25 moves the upper guide roller 23, and the position of the upper guide roller 23 is determined by the part that holds the upper guide roller 23 (the upper guide roller regulating part 23a described later) being stopped by the cam 24.

[0019] The branch guide sensor 26 is a sensor for determining whether the upper guide roller 23 is in the left or right position. A photoelectric sensor or the like is used as the branch guide sensor 26, and since the sensor itself has a wide detection range, it can detect even if the position of the upper guide roller 23 changes slightly due to the cam 24.

[0020] (Trajectory 4) Fig. 3 is a top view of the track 4 on which the overhead traveling vehicle 1 travels. The track 4 includes a traveling rail 41 and an upper guide rail (guide rail) 42. In the example of Fig. 3, the track 4 branches into two directions at a branching point 43, one of which travels straight and the other of which turns back 180°.

[0021] The traveling rail 41 is a rail along which the overhead traveling cart 1 travels while supporting the weight of the overhead traveling cart 1. The traveling rail 41 is divided into a traveling rail 41a on the right side in the traveling direction and a traveling rail 41b on the left side in the traveling direction. In addition, the traveling rail 41 has new traveling rails 41c and 41d that are added after passing through a branching section 43.

[0022] The upper guide rails 42 are different from the traveling rails 41 and are arranged higher than the traveling rails 41. The upper guide rails 42 include an upper guide rail 42a used when traveling straight, an upper guide rail 42b used when turning 180°, and an upper guide rail 42c where the upper guide rails 42a and 42b join together.

[0023] The upper guide rail 42 is located above the traveling rail 41 and at a height where it comes into contact with the upper guide roller 23 .

[0024] The branching portion 43 has a branching shape that goes straight and turns back 180 degrees, but this is for illustrative purposes only and is not limited to this, and any branching method may be used.

[0025] (How to travel at Junction 43) FIG. 4 is a front view of the running section 2 at the branching section 43 when the running section 2 is running.

[0026] First, we will explain the case where the overhead traveling vehicle 1 moves straight at the branching section 43. The traveling wheel 22 on the right side of the traveling direction always rolls on the traveling rail 41a due to friction. In contrast, the traveling wheel 22 on the left side of the traveling direction floats in the air and does not come into contact with the ground when passing through the branching section 43.

[0027] The upper guide rollers 23 contact the upper guide rails 42a and 42c and roll due to friction. As a result, the overhead traveling cart 1 can maintain its posture because the traveling rails 41 and the upper guide rails 42 are located on either side of the center of gravity of the overhead traveling cart 1.

[0028] After passing through the branching section 43, the traveling wheel 22 on the left side in the traveling direction, which had been floating in the air, comes into contact with the traveling rail 41c and begins to roll on the traveling rail 41c due to friction. After that, the upper guide rail 42 disappears, and the upper guide roller 23 stops rolling.

[0029] Next, we will explain the case where the overhead traveling vehicle 1 turns around 180° at the branching section 43. The traveling wheel 22 on the left side of the traveling direction always rolls on the traveling rail 41b by friction. In contrast, the traveling wheel 22 on the right side of the traveling direction floats in the air and does not come into contact with the ground when passing through the branching section 43.

[0030] Upper guide roller 23 rolls by contact with upper guide rails 42b and 42c due to friction. As a result, since traveling rail 41 and upper guide rail 42 are located on either side of the center of gravity of overhead traveling cart 1, overhead traveling cart 1 can maintain its posture.

[0031] After passing through the branching section 43, the running wheel 22 on the right side in the traveling direction, which had been suspended in the air, comes into contact with the running rail 41d and begins to roll on the running rail 41d due to friction. After that, the upper guide rail 42 disappears, and the upper guide roller 23 stops rolling.

[0032] (Reference example: Behavior around branch point 43) Here, as a reference example, a case will be described in which the cam 24 does not exist and the position of the upper guide roller 23 is set to two positions by pressing it against fixed positions on both sides of the main body 21 by the rotary solenoid 25.

[0033] The rotary solenoid 25 positions the upper guide roller 23 in either a first position for advancing (going straight) onto the running rail 41c after the branching section 43, or a second position for advancing (turning back 180°) onto the running rail 41d after the branching section 43.

[0034] At the branching portion 43, the upper guide roller 23 needs to roll along the upper guide rail 42. Since the position of the upper guide roller 23 is fixed, the outer peripheral surface of the upper guide roller 23 and the side surface of the upper guide rail 42 may be misaligned.

[0035] If the positions of the upper guide roller 23 and the upper guide rail 42 were to overlap, the upper guide roller 23 would come into contact with the upper guide rail 42, almost colliding with it, as it begins to be guided by the upper guide rail 42, causing an impact on the main body 21. Furthermore, the upper guide roller 23 would tilt to an angle at which it would come into contact with the upper guide rail 42. Therefore, when the traveling wheels 22, which had been floating in the air, pass through the branching section 43 and come into contact with the traveling rail 41 again, the main body 21 would fall, causing another impact to be applied to the main body 21.

[0036] Furthermore, if there is an excessively large clearance between the upper guide roller 23 and the upper guide rail 42, when the running rail 41 on one side ends and the upper guide roller 23 comes into contact with the upper guide rail 42, the upper guide roller 23 will tilt in position to an angle at which the main body 21 comes into contact with the upper guide rail 42, resulting in an impact. Furthermore, the position of the main body 21 of the upper guide roller 23 will tilt and come into contact with the upper guide rail 42. Therefore, when the running wheel 22, which was floating in the air, passes through the branching portion 43 and comes into contact with the running rail 41 again, the main body 21 will climb up onto the running rail 41, and an impact will be applied to the main body 21 again.

[0037] Therefore, the relative positions of the traveling rail 41, the upper guide rail 42, and the upper guide roller 23 must be accurate. However, it is not easy to accurately adjust these relationships. Therefore, these problems are solved by adjusting the position of the upper guide roller 23 using an adjustment mechanism (cam 24).

[0038] (Cam 24 operation) Next, the behavior of the overhead traveling carriage 1 according to this embodiment before and after the branching section 43 will be described. FIG. 5 is a front view of the running section 2 showing the operation of the cam 24 in one situation. FIG. 6 is a front view of the running section 2 showing the operation of the cam 24 in another situation. FIG. 7 is a side view of the running section 2. FIG. 8 is a top view of the running section 2.

[0039] The upper guide roller 23 is rotatably fixed to the upper guide roller regulating portion 23a. The upper guide roller regulating portion 23a is fixed to the main body 21 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The height of the upper guide roller regulating portion 23a relative to the main body 21 is the same as the height of the cam 24 relative to the main body 21, and the rotary solenoid 25 causes the upper guide roller regulating portion 23a to abut against the cam 24.

[0040] Furthermore, the angle of the cam 24 can be changed by an operating motor 24a. Therefore, by changing the angle of the cam 24, the position at which the upper guide roller restricting portion 23a abuts against the cam 24 can be changed, and as a result, the left-right position of the upper guide roller 23 relative to the main body portion 21 can be adjusted.

[0041] Comparing Figures 5 and 6, the angle of the cam 24 on the right side is different. In Figure 5, the upper guide roller 23 is located closer to the center, while in Figure 6, the upper guide roller 23 is located further outward. This difference is caused by the difference in the angle of the cam 24. This is because the rotation of the cam 24 changes the position of the upper guide roller restricting portion 23a that fixes the upper guide roller 23.

[0042] In other words, by adjusting the contact radius of the cam 24 with the upper guide roller regulating portion 23a, it is possible to finely adjust the left-right position of the upper guide roller 23. As a result, the upper guide roller 23 can enter the branching portion 43 with the outer circumferential surface of the upper guide roller 23 and the side surface of the upper guide rail 42 aligned in the same position. Therefore, the overhead traveling cart 1 can enter the branching portion 43 without receiving any shock.

[0043] Additionally, while traveling through the branching section 43, the position of the upper guide roller 23 can be adjusted by the cam 24 to the required position of the upper guide rail 42 at the end of the branching section 43. Therefore, even when exiting the branching section 43, the overhead traveling cart 1 can be prevented from receiving any shock.

[0044] Therefore, by providing the cam 24, the overhead traveling vehicle 1 can accurately maintain its traveling posture and travel smoothly even at the branching portion 43 of the track 4.

[0045] (Block diagram) The overhead traveling vehicle 1 further includes a control unit 50. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the control unit 50 of the overhead traveling vehicle 1. The control unit 50 comprehensively manages and controls each part of the overhead traveling vehicle 1. The control unit 50 includes an acquisition unit 51, an operation unit 52, a detection unit 53, and a travel control unit 54.

[0046] The acquisition unit 51 acquires the appropriate angle of the cam 24 based on the current position of the overhead traveling cart 1. The acquisition unit 51 may confirm the current position from a QR code (registered trademark) attached to the traveling rail, and inquire of the server about the angle of the cam 24 corresponding to the current position. The acquisition unit 51 outputs the acquired appropriate angle (appropriate value) to the operation unit 52.

[0047] The operation unit 52 drives the cam 24 and the rotary solenoid 25. The operation unit 52 controls the cam 24 to the angle acquired by the acquisition unit 51. Then, the operation unit 52 controls the rotary solenoid 25.

[0048] The detection unit 53 detects whether the upper guide roller 23 is positioned at a predetermined position by the branch guide sensor 26. The detection unit 53 outputs the detection result to the travel control unit .

[0049] When the detection unit 53 detects the upper guide roller 23 as a result of detection, the travel control unit 54 causes the travel wheels 22 to roll and travels through the diverging section 43.

[0050] (Example of operation) FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart of the overhead traveling carriage 1.

[0051] The acquisition unit 51 acquires the operation angle of the cam 24 based on the position of the overhead traveling cart 1 (S1). The acquisition unit 51 outputs the acquired operation angle to the operation unit 52, and the operation unit 52 controls the cam 24 to the operation angle (S2).

[0052] Thereafter, the operation unit 52 drives the rotary solenoid 25 to bring the upper guide roller restricting portion 23a into contact with the cam 24 (S3). At this time, the detection unit 53 determines whether the movement of the upper guide roller restricting portion 23a is complete using the branch guide sensor 26 (S4). If the movement is not complete, the detection unit 53 waits in front of the branching portion 43 until the movement of the upper guide roller restricting portion 23a is complete (S5).

[0053] After the upper guide roller restricting portion 23a has completed moving, the traveling control portion 54 causes the traveling wheels 22 to roll and enter the branching portion 43.

[0054] [Modification] In the first embodiment, the overhead traveling vehicle 1 travels on a track while maintaining its posture by means of a traveling rail 41 and an upper guide rail 42 located above the traveling rail 41. The posture of the overhead traveling vehicle 1 may also be maintained by the traveling rail 41 and a guide rail located at the same height as the traveling rail 41 or below the traveling rail 41. In this case, the overhead traveling vehicle is provided with a guide roller that contacts and rolls on the guide rail, instead of the upper guide roller 23.

[0055] The function of the guide rail is the same as that of the upper guide rail 42, and the function of the guide roller is the same as that of the upper guide roller 23. In other words, in the first embodiment, the upper guide roller 23 and the upper guide rail 42 maintained the posture of the overhead traveling cart 1, but in this modified example, the guide roller and the guide rail maintain the posture of the overhead traveling cart.

[0056] The guide rollers may contact not only the side surfaces of the guide rails but also the top surfaces of the guide rails, which improves stability since the weight of the overhead traveling cart can also be supported by the guide rails.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a ceiling-mounted traveling cart that travels on a track provided on the ceiling, but may be any traveling cart that travels on a track of some kind. For example, the present invention may be a traveling cart that travels while holding an article on a running part.

[0058] The adjustment mechanism for determining the position of the upper guide roller 23 is not limited to the cam 24. For example, the upper guide roller regulating portion 23a may be driven by a motor (rotational or linear motion) to determine its position. The upper guide roller regulating portion 23a may also be floated by a spring or the like. In other words, the adjustment mechanism may be any mechanism that can adjust the left-right position of the upper guide roller 23 in the main body 21.

[0059] 〔summary〕 In order to solve the above problems, the traveling carriage according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a traveling carriage that has a pair of traveling rails and travels along a track with guide rails at branching points, and is equipped with a main body, wheels that roll on each of the pair of traveling rails, guide rollers that roll in contact with the guide rails, and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the left-right position of the guide rollers on the main body according to the plurality of branches on the track.

[0060] According to the above configuration, the adjustment mechanism can adjust the left-right position of the guide roller that rolls in contact with the guide rail, so that it can be aligned with the installation position of the guide rail. As a result, when the guide roller rolls in contact with the guide rail, it is possible to prevent impacts from being applied, and the vehicle can run while maintaining its posture.

[0061] A traveling carriage according to a second aspect of the present invention is the traveling carriage of the first aspect, wherein the guide rail is installed on the track above the traveling rail.

[0062] According to the above configuration, the guide rail can be installed higher than the running rail, which allows for space to be provided below the track, and the track can be installed using the open space near the ceiling.

[0063] A traveling carriage according to aspect 3 of the present invention is, in the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2, configured such that, at the branch of the track, the guide roller is selected and positioned at one of the positions of the main body that differ in the left-right direction, either a first position for moving the traveling carriage onto the track after the branch on the right, or a second position for moving the traveling carriage onto the track after the branch on the left, and the adjustment mechanism may be a mechanism that further adjusts the left-right position of the guide roller at the first position and the second position.

[0064] According to the above configuration, the tracks on which the traveling carriages travel can be branched. At the branching point, the traveling carriages can travel while maintaining their posture by setting the guide rollers to the first position or the second position.

[0065] A traveling carriage according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the carriage of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the adjustment mechanism may be a mechanism for positioning by a cam.

[0066] According to the above configuration, since a cam can be used as the adjustment mechanism, the position of the guide roller can be changed by changing the angle of the cam, thereby enabling highly accurate and rigid positioning, and the weight of the traveling carriage can be easily supported by the guide roller.

[0067] A traveling carriage according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be such that, in any of aspects 1 to 4 above, when the guide roller is located at the first position, the guide rail is located to the left of the guide roller, and when the guide roller is located at the second position, the guide rail is located to the right of the guide roller.

[0068] According to the above configuration, the guide rail can be positioned to the left of the guide roller when in the first position, and the guide rail can be positioned to the right of the guide roller when in the second position. Therefore, the traveling carriage can be supported from both sides by one side of the traveling rail and the guide rail, allowing it to travel with a stable posture even when branching off.

[0069] The traveling carriage according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in any of aspects 1 to 5 above, may further include a control unit, and the control unit may include an acquisition unit that acquires the appropriate position of the guide roller in the adjustment mechanism for each traveling position, and an operation unit that controls the guide roller to the appropriate position using the adjustment mechanism.

[0070] According to the above configuration, the guide rollers can be positioned appropriately, thereby preventing the traveling carriage from being subjected to an impact.

[0071] In order to solve the above problems, a conveyance system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes a traveling carriage and the track.

[0072] According to the above configuration, the traveling carriage can travel on the track while maintaining its posture.

[0073] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Ceiling-mounted trolley (traveling trolley) 2 Running part 3 Bogie section 4 orbits 21 Main body 22 Running wheels 22a Travel motor 23 Upper guide roller (guide roller) 23a Upper guide roller restrictor 24 Cam (adjustment mechanism) 24a Operation motor 25 rotary solenoid 26 Branch guide sensor 41, 41a~d Running rails 42, 42a~c Upper guide rail (guide rail) 43 Branch 50 control section 51 Acquisition Department 52 Operation section 53 Detection unit 54 Travel control unit

Claims

1. A traveling vehicle that has a pair of traveling rails and travels along a track that has a guide rail at a branch point, a main body; wheels that roll on the pair of running rails; a guide roller that rolls in contact with the guide rail; an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the left-right position of the guide roller on the main body in accordance with the plurality of branches in the track; A traveling carriage equipped with:

2. The traveling carriage according to claim 1 , wherein the guide rail is laid on the track above the traveling rail.

3. the guide roller is configured to be positioned at either a first position for causing the traveling carriage to proceed onto a track after branching on the right side, or a second position for causing the traveling carriage to proceed onto a track after branching on the left side, which are positions of the main body that differ in the left-right direction, at the branching of the track, The traveling carriage according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment mechanism further adjusts the left-right position of the guide roller at the first position and the second position.

4. The traveling carriage according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment mechanism is a mechanism for positioning by a cam.

5. When the guide roller is located at the first position, the guide rail is located to the left of the guide roller, The traveling carriage according to claim 3 , wherein when the guide roller is in the second position, the guide rail is located to the right of the guide roller.

6. Further comprising a control unit, The control unit an acquisition unit that acquires an appropriate position of the guide roller in the adjustment mechanism for each travel position; The traveling carriage according to claim 1 , further comprising: an operation unit that controls the guide roller to the appropriate position by the adjustment mechanism.

7. The traveling carriage according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and the track.

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