Mobile Device

Abstract

To provide a moving apparatus capable of achieving grounding of the back of a moving apparatus and stable traveling.SOLUTION: A moving apparatus 10 includes a movable body main body part 11 having a main body traveling part 23 on the bottom part. The main body traveling part 23 includes: a plurality of driving wheels 28 arranged left and right and each being rotatable left and right independently; and front universal wheels 29 arranged ahead of the plurality of driving wheels 28 and capable of rotation and swivel. The moving apparatus is capable of forward and rearward motions and longitudinal rotation by controlling rotations of the plurality of driving wheels 28 in the forward and rearward directions. Behind the movable body main body part 11, a movable body rear part 12 is provided which is provided oscillatably in the forward and rearward direction against the movable body main body part 11 and having a rearward traveling part 32 on the bottom. The rearward traveling part 32 includes a rearward universal wheel 46 arranged behind the plurality of driving wheels 28 and capable of rotation and swivel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transportation device having a swivel wheel and a drive wheel. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, many transportation devices have been developed that are small moving bodies such as carts equipped with drive wheels to enable them to travel. Some of these small transportation devices allow a user to ride on them and travel. For example, Patent Document 1 shows an example of an electric cart that has a boarding step at the rear of the platform so that the user can operate the handle from the boarding step. Patent Document 2 also proposes a power-assisted cart that has a boarding step at the rear of the vehicle body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-240477 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-264825 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned small-sized transport devices, the steps and the like are provided so as to protrude rearward and not to touch the ground, which can reduce stability during travel when a user sits behind the transport device and a load greater than the weight of the transport device is applied.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a transport device that can have its rear end touch the ground and can travel stably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The moving device of the present invention that achieves the above object comprises a moving body main body part having a main body running part at the bottom, the main body running part having a plurality of drive wheels arranged on the left and right and each of which can be independently rotated forward and backward, and a front swivel wheel arranged forward of the plurality of drive wheels and which can rotate and turn freely, and the moving device is capable of moving forward, backward, and turning left and right by controlling the forward and backward rotation of the plurality of drive wheels, and the moving body rear part is arranged behind the moving body main body part so as not to be able to swing left and right relative to the moving body main body part, and has a rear running part at the bottom, and the rear running part is arranged behind the plurality of drive wheels and has a rear swivel wheel arranged forward of the plurality of drive wheels and which can rotate and turn freely. The main body and rear part of the moving body are connected by a link part, the rotation axes of the plurality of drive wheels are arranged on the same axis, and the link part is connected to the main body of the moving body forward of the rotation axes of the plurality of drive wheels. It is characterized by the fact that

[0007] In the mobile device of the present invention, preferably Is The link portion connects the rear portion of the moving body to the main body portion of the moving body so that the rear portion of the moving body can swing up and down.

[0009] In addition, in this moving device, the main body running section preferably has a drive wheel support section that is fixed to the frame of the moving body section and supports the drive wheels, and the link section is preferably connected to the drive wheel support section.

[0010] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of this moving device, the main body of the moving body comprises a loading section for placing people or luggage, etc., and an operating section that protrudes upward from the rear of the loading section so that the user can operate the drive wheels to move, and is made up of a transport cart body for transporting people, luggage, etc., with the rear part of the moving body being the boarding section on which the user can board, and the link section connecting the rear part of the moving body to the main body of the moving body so that it cannot swing left or right.

[0011] In the moving device of the present invention, when the longitudinal distance from the drive wheel to the front swivel wheel is D1, the longitudinal distance from the drive wheel to the rear swivel wheel is D2, the distance between the left and right front swivel wheels is G1, and the distance between the left and right rear swivel wheels is G2, D1:D2 and G2:G1 may be approximately the same dimensions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the moving device of the present invention, the main body running part is composed of a plurality of drive wheels arranged on the left and right sides and each of which can be independently driven to rotate in the forward and backward directions, and a front swivel wheel arranged in front of the drive wheels and which can rotate and turn freely.Therefore, the front swivel wheel can rotate and turn freely in response to the control of the rotation of the plurality of drive wheels, allowing the main body part of the moving body to move forward, backward, and turn left and right.

[0013] The rear of the main body of the vehicle is equipped with a rear section of the vehicle that cannot swing left and right and has a rear running section at its bottom, and the rear running section of the rear section of the vehicle is disposed rearward of the drive wheels and has rear swivel wheels that can rotate and turn freely, so that when an operator gets on, the rear swivel wheels can support the load applied to the rear section of the vehicle. Moreover, when traveling, the rear swivel wheels can rotate and turn freely in response to the control of the rotation of the multiple drive wheels, so the rear section of the vehicle can move forward, backward, and turn left and right together with the main body of the vehicle, allowing for stable traveling.

[0014] Therefore, according to the moving device of the present invention, the rear of the moving device can be stably grounded, and a moving device capable of stable running can be provided.

[0015] In particular, the mobile body main body and the mobile body rear section are connected by a link section, and this link section connects the mobile body rear section to the mobile body main body so that it can swing up and down, allowing the contact position of the rear swivel wheels to be displaced up and down relative to the contact surface on which the front swivel wheels and drive wheels of the main body traveling section are in contact. Therefore, even when the mobile device travels on a road surface with a changing gradient or a step, the front swivel wheels, drive wheels, and rear swivel wheels can be kept in contact with the ground, and vertical bending forces can be prevented from acting on the entire mobile body. Therefore, the mobile device can travel stably regardless of changes in the road surface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above on the front side; [Figure 2]1 is a perspective view of a moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above and behind; [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of a moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of a moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the moving device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing a link portion of the movement device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a partial perspective view showing a connection structure of a link portion of a moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a partial front view showing a connection structure of a link portion of a moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 is a partial bottom view showing a connection structure of a link portion of a movement device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. In particular, the shape, dimensions, positional relationship, etc. of each component shown in the drawings are merely conceptual matters and can be modified as desired depending on the application scene. In each drawing, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, the moving device will be described using a transport vehicle for transporting luggage, which has a user seat at the rear of the transport vehicle body that self-propels and transports luggage on which it is placed.

[0018] 1 to 5, the moving device of this embodiment is a transporting platform 10 configured such that a transporting platform main body 11 as a main body of the transporting body and a boarding section 12 as a rear part of the transporting body provided behind the transporting platform main body 11 are connected by a link section 13. The transporting platform main body 11 is configured so that cargo including various items such as delivery items and parts to be transported within a factory can be placed on it, and the boarding section 12 is configured so that a user, i.e., an operator, can board it in a standing position.

[0019] The transport cart main body 11 comprises a vehicle body 21, a luggage loading section 22 provided on the top of the vehicle body 21, a main body running section 23 provided on the bottom of the vehicle body 21, a handle 24 extending upward from the rear end of the loading section 22, and an operating section 25 attached to the top of the handle 24 and operated by the user to run the cart.

[0020] The vehicle body 21 is formed in the shape of a flat rectangular parallelepiped and has a frame 26 and a vehicle body molded body 27 fixedly attached to the frame 26. The entire upper surface of the vehicle body molded body 27, excluding the rear end, serves as a luggage placement section 22. The main body running section 23 has a plurality of drive wheels 28 arranged on the left and right and each of which can be independently driven to rotate forward and backward, and a front swivel wheel 29 arranged forward of the plurality of drive wheels 28 and which can rotate and turn freely.

[0021] Each drive wheel 28 is supported by a drive wheel support part 31 fixed to the frame 26 of the vehicle body 21, and the rotation axes of the left and right drive wheels 28 are arranged on the same axis perpendicular to the direction of the axle L1. A motor 32 equipped with a speed reduction mechanism is attached to the drive wheel support part 31 for each drive wheel 28, and each drive wheel 28 can be rotated in the front-rear direction by power from a battery 33.

[0022] The front swivel wheels 29 are arranged on the left and right sides of the front of the body 21, perpendicular to the direction of the axle L1. The distance between the left and right front swivel wheels 29 may be equal to or less than the distance between the drive wheels 28. Each front swivel wheel 29 is made of a caster fixed to the frame 26, and each wheel is rotatable and the rotation axis of the wheel is rotatable. In this embodiment, the wheels that make up the front swivel wheels 29 are made of pneumatic tires.

[0023] The handle 24 is used when the user operates the transport vehicle 10, and in this embodiment, is formed in a roughly U-shape with both ends fixed to the vehicle body 21. The operation unit 25 attached to the top of the handle 24 has a shift lever, a joystick, an emergency stop switch, etc., and when operated by the user, the rotation direction and rotation speed of each drive wheel 28 can be controlled via a control unit (not shown) to move the transport vehicle body 11 forward, backward, turn left or right, etc.

[0024] On the other hand, the riding section 12 is disposed behind the transporting vehicle main body 11 and has a rear vehicle body 31 that is unable to swing left and right relative to the transporting vehicle main body 11, and a rear running section 32 that is provided on the bottom of the rear vehicle body 31. The rear vehicle body 31 is formed in a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that is smaller than the vehicle body 21 of the transporting vehicle main body 11, and has a rear frame 43 and a rear molded body 44 that is fixedly attached to the rear frame 43. Although not limited thereto, the rear frame 43 of this embodiment has a downward protruding portion 45 that protrudes downward from the portion where the rear molded body 44 is attached, on the transporting vehicle main body 11 side, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The rear running section 32 has rear swivel wheels 46 that are arranged rearward of the left and right drive wheels 28 and are capable of rotating and swiveling. The rear swivel wheels 46 are arranged on the left and right sides perpendicular to the direction of the axle L1. The distance between the left and right rear swivel wheels 46 may be equal to or smaller than the distance between the drive wheels 28. Each rear swivel wheel 46 is made up of a caster fixed to the frame 26, and each wheel is rotatable and the rotation axis of the wheel is swivelable. In this embodiment, the wheels that make up the rear swivel wheels 46 may be different from the wheels of the front swivel wheels 29.

[0026] The link section 13 is provided to connect the transporting platform body 11 and the riding section 12, and as shown in an enlarged view in Fig. 6, it is provided integrally and fixedly with the rear frame 33 of the riding section 12, and link arms 51 extending forward from the downward protrusion 45 are provided on the left and right sides at a distance from each other. In this embodiment, the left and right link arms 51 are connected at their front ends by a connecting rod 52.

[0027] 7 to 9, in the connection structure of each link arm 51, each link arm 51 extends along the axle L1 and is connected to the transporting cart body 11 on an axis perpendicular to the direction of the axle L1 so as to be swingable up and down relative to the transporting cart body 11. As a result, the boarding section 12 is connected to the transporting cart body 11 so as to be swingable only in the up and down direction and not swingable in the left and right direction.

[0028] Specifically, fixed brackets 53 are fixed to the left and right drive wheel support parts 31 provided on the main body running part 23 of the transport vehicle main body 11, respectively, and a shaft 54 ​​is fixedly bridged between the fixed brackets 53 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the wheel axis L1. This shaft 54 ​​is disposed between the drive wheel 28 and the front swivel wheel 29, more specifically, at a position forward of the rotation axis of the drive wheel 28. Pivot brackets 55 fixed to the front ends of the left and right link arms 51 are rotatably connected to this shaft 54. As a result, the left and right link arms 51 are connected to the drive wheel support parts 31 in a state where they cannot swing left and right and can swing only up and down around the shaft 54 ​​at a position forward of the rotation axis of the drive wheel 28.

[0029] In the transporting cart 10 of this embodiment, the transporting cart main body 11 and the boarding section 12 are connected by the link section 13, resulting in a total of six wheels.In this state, the positions of the front swivel wheel 29, the drive wheel 28, and the rear swivel wheel 46 can be set as follows. As shown in FIG. 5, when the distance in the axle direction from the drive wheels 28 to the front swivel wheels 29 is D1, the distance in the axle direction from the drive wheels 28 to the rear swivel wheels 46 is D2, the interval between the left and right front swivel wheels 29 is G1, and the interval between the left and right rear swivel wheels 46 is G2, it is preferable to set the ratio of the front-to-rear distances D1:D2 and the ratio of the left-to-right intervals G1:G2 so that the inverse ratio is as close as possible. D1:D2=G2:G1 (formula 1) It is particularly preferable that the following relationship be established. This relationship may be appropriately corrected depending on the rolling resistance of the front swivel wheels 29 and the rear swivel wheels 46. By establishing such a relationship, when traveling in a turning direction or making a turn, the resistance from the road surface becomes equal between the front swivel wheels 29 and the rear swivel wheels 46, allowing for smooth traveling.

[0030] For example, when adding a boarding section 12 to an existing transport platform body 11, the axial distance (D1) from the drive wheels 28 to the front swivel wheels 29 and the distance (G1) between the left and right front swivel wheels 29 can be measured, and then the distance G2 between the rear swivel wheels 46 and the distance D2 from the drive wheels 28 to the rear swivel wheels 46 can be determined so that they approximate or match D1:D2 = G2:G1.

[0031] To use such a transport vehicle 10, a user can ride on the boarding section 12 and operate the operating section 25 of the handle 24 to adjust the forward / backward rotation direction and rotation speed of the multiple drive wheels 28 and travel. When traveling on a road where the gradient of the road surface changes or where there are steps, the boarding section 12 swings up and down relative to the transport vehicle body 11, allowing for stable travel. When traveling in a left-right turning direction, the boarding section 12 is subjected to inertial force and centrifugal force outward in the turning direction, but since the boarding section 12 does not swing left and right relative to the transport vehicle body 11, the boarding section 12 does not shift outward relative to the transport vehicle body 11, allowing for stable travel.

[0032] According to the transport cart 10 of this embodiment as described above, the main body running section 23 is equipped with a plurality of drive wheels 28 arranged on the left and right sides and each of which can be independently driven to rotate in the forward and backward directions, and a front swivel wheel 29 arranged forward of the drive wheels 28 and which can rotate and turn freely.Therefore, the front swivel wheel 29 can rotate and turn freely in response to the control of the rotation of the plurality of drive wheels 28, thereby allowing the transport cart main body 11 to move forward, backward, and turn left and right.

[0033] At the rear of the transport cart body 11 is provided a boarding section 12 which cannot swing left or right and has a rear running section 32 at its bottom.The rear running section 32 is positioned rearward of the drive wheels 28 and has rear swivel wheels 46 which are free to rotate and swivel, so that the load applied to the boarding section 12 can be supported by the rear swivel wheels 46.

[0034] Moreover, when traveling, the rear swivel wheels 46 rotate and turn freely in response to the rotation control of the multiple drive wheels 28, allowing the boarding section 12 to move forward, backward, and turn left and right together with the transporting platform body 11, thereby enabling stable traveling. At this time, since the boarding section 12 cannot swing left and right relative to the transporting platform body 11, even if the transporting platform body 11 turns left and right by the main body running section 23, the boarding section 12 will not swing left and right due to inertial force, centrifugal force, etc. Therefore, with this transporting platform 10, the rear of the transporting platform 10 can stably touch the ground, allowing stable traveling.

[0035] In particular, according to the transporting vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the transporting vehicle body 11 and the riding section 12 are connected by the link section 13, and this link section 13 connects the riding section 12 to the transporting vehicle body 11 so that it can swing up and down, so that the contact position of the rear swivel wheels 46 can be displaced up and down with respect to the contact surface on which the front swivel wheels 29 and drive wheels 28 of the main body running section 23 touch the ground. Therefore, even when the transporting vehicle 10 travels on a road surface with a changing gradient or a step, the front swivel wheels 29, drive wheels 28, and rear swivel wheels 46 can be kept in contact with the ground, and vertical bending forces can be prevented from acting on the entire transporting body. As a result, the transporting vehicle 10 can travel stably regardless of changes in the road surface.

[0036] In this transporting vehicle 10, the rotation axes of the multiple drive wheels 28 are arranged on the same axis, and the link unit 13 is connected to the transporting vehicle body 11 in front of the rotation axes of the multiple drive wheels 28. Therefore, when a load is applied to the transporting vehicle body 11 via the link unit 13 when a user gets on the boarding unit 12, the load can be prevented from acting in a direction that causes the front side of the transporting vehicle body 11 to lift up, with the ground contact position of the drive wheels 28 as the fulcrum. This allows stable travel regardless of changes in the road surface.

[0037] Furthermore, in this transporting vehicle 10, the main body running section 23 is fixed to the frame 26 of the transporting vehicle main body 11 and has a drive wheel support section 31 that supports the drive wheels 28, and the link section 13 is connected to the drive wheel support section 31, so that the drive force from the drive wheels 28 can be transmitted directly to the boarding section 12 without passing through the car body 21 or the frame 26, and the inertial force transmitted from the boarding section 12 during acceleration and deceleration can be applied to the vicinity of the drive wheels 28. Therefore, excessive force is not applied to the car body 21 or the frame 26 above the drive wheel support section 31 in the transporting vehicle main body 11, and it is possible to prevent distortion of the car body 21 or the frame 26 of the transporting vehicle main body 11 or lifting of the front swivel wheel 29, thereby enabling stable travel.

[0038] Furthermore, in this transporting vehicle 10, the transporting vehicle body 11 is equipped with a loading section 22 on which cargo or the like is placed, and an operation section 25 provided at the rear of the loading section 22 and projecting upward so that a user can operate the traveling section. The boarding section 12 is a boarding section 12 on which a user can board, and the link section 13 connects the boarding section 12 to the transporting vehicle body 11 so that it cannot swing left or right. Therefore, the boarding section 12 can always be positioned in a predetermined opposing position with respect to the transporting vehicle 10, and a user riding on the boarding section 12 can always be kept facing a predetermined direction with respect to the operation section 25 provided at the rear of the loading section 22 of the transporting vehicle 10. Furthermore, excessive centrifugal force can be prevented from acting on the boarding section 12 when turning left or right, and a user can be reliably prevented from falling off the boarding section 12. As a result, the operation section 25 is easy to operate, and the transporting vehicle 10 can be driven more stably.

[0039] (Example) A prototype transport vehicle was created by adding a boarding section 12 to an existing transport vehicle main body 11. The dimensions of the transport vehicle main body 11 were approximately 605 mm x 906 mm. The dimensions of the boarding section 12 were approximately 520 mm x 330 mm. The axial distance (D1) from the drive wheels 28 to the front swivel wheels 29 was 514 mm, and the distance (G1) between the left and right front swivel wheels 29 was 339.5 mm. The distance (G2) between the rear swivel wheels 46 was 360 mm, and the distance (D2) from the drive wheels 28 to the rear swivel wheels 46 was 480.7 mm. In this case, in the above formula 1, D1:D2 = 514:480.7 = 1.069, and G2:G1 = 360:339.5 = 1.060, which is almost consistent with formula 1. When a user operated the transport vehicle 10 using the operating unit 25, loaded a 100 kg load onto the load placement unit 22, and traveled at a speed of 6 km / h, the vehicle was able to travel stably on roads with varying gradients and uneven surfaces. The vehicle was able to travel stably over uneven surfaces of about 50 mm. Furthermore, the vehicle was able to travel stably over gradients of about 8 degrees.

[0040] The above embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the example of a transport cart 10 was used, but the present invention can be applied to any self-propelled moving device that has drive wheels and swivel wheels, such as a self-propelled wheelchair. In the above embodiment, a transporting cart 10 was described in which the transporting cart main body 11 as the main body of the transporting body is connected to the boarding section 12 as the rear part of the transporting body via a link section 13, but the present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the main body of the transporting body and the rear part of the transporting body are configured integrally without any partition, and swivel wheels are provided on both the front and rear sides of the drive wheels 28. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Transport vehicle (moving device) 11 Transport vehicle body (moving body body part) 12 Boarding section (rear of the vehicle) 13 Link section 21 Body 22 Placement area for people or luggage 23 Main body running section 24 Handle 25 Control section 26 frames 27 Body molding 28 Drive wheels 29 Front free wheel 31 Drive wheel support 32 motor 33 Battery 41 Rear body 42 Rear running section 43 Rear frame 44 Rear molded body 45 Downward protrusion 46 Rear free wheel 51 Link arm 52 Connecting rod 53 Fixing bracket 54 Shaft 55 Pivot bracket L1 axle

Claims

1. a moving body having a body running part at the bottom, The main body traveling unit has a plurality of drive wheels arranged on the left and right sides and capable of independently rotating forward and backward, and a front free wheel arranged forward of the plurality of drive wheels and capable of rotating and turning freely, and the forward and backward rotation of the plurality of drive wheels is controlled, thereby making it possible to move forward, backward, and turn left and right, a moving body rear section provided at the rear of the moving body main body section so as not to be swingable in the left-right direction relative to the moving body main body section, the moving body rear section having a rear running section at its bottom; the rear traveling section has a rear free wheel that is disposed rearward of the plurality of drive wheels and is rotatable and swivelable, The moving body main body and the moving body rear part are connected by a link part, A moving device, wherein the rotation axes of the plurality of drive wheels are arranged on the same axis, and the link portion is connected to the moving body main body portion forward of the rotation axes of the plurality of drive wheels.

2. A moving device as described in Claim 1, wherein the link portion connects the rear portion of the moving body to the main body portion of the moving body so that the rear portion can swing up and down.

3. 2. The moving device according to claim 1, wherein the main body running section has a drive wheel support section fixed to a frame of the moving body section and supporting the drive wheels, and the link section is connected to the drive wheel support section.

4. the movable body main body is a transporting platform body including a loading section on which a person or a load is loaded, and an operating section provided at the rear of the loading section and protruding upward so that a user can operate the driving wheels to move the vehicle, the rear portion of the moving body is a boarding portion on which the user can board, 2. The moving device according to claim 1, wherein the link portion connects the moving body rear portion to the moving body main body portion so as not to be swingable in the left-right direction.

5. A moving device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the longitudinal distance from the drive wheel to the front swivel wheel is D1, the longitudinal distance from the drive wheel to the rear swivel wheel is D2, the distance between the left and right front swivel wheels is G1, and the distance between the left and right rear swivel wheels is G2, D1:D2 and G2:G1 are made approximately equal.

Images