Automated transport vehicles

Abstract

To obtain an automated guided vehicle that can perform maintenance involving the attachment and detachment of parts efficiently. [Solution] The automated guided vehicle comprises a frame body 20 with a frame structure and component units 21, 22, and 23. Here, the frame body 20 is provided with a grid that forms rectangular unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33, and the component units 21, 22, and 23 are placed on the unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33 and fixed in a detachable manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned transport vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] A certain moving body includes a frame body, and components such as a driving device, a controller, and casters are installed on the frame body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When components are installed on the frame body like the above-mentioned moving body, a plurality of beams are three-dimensionally joined to increase the rigidity of the frame body, and these beams may get in the way and prevent good maintenance involving the attachment and detachment of components.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain an unmanned transport vehicle that can perform good maintenance involving the attachment and detachment of components.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The unmanned transport vehicle according to the present invention includes a frame body having a frame structure and a component unit. Here, the frame body includes a lattice forming a rectangular unit mounting portion and screw holes provided in the unit mounting portion, and the component unit includes mounting holes, is placed on the unit mounting portion from above, and is detachably fixed by screwing screws into the screw holes through the mounting holes from above. Furthermore, the frame body comprises multiple layers of grids in the height direction, the grid of any one of the multiple layers forms the unit mounting portion, and the grids of all layers higher than the layer on which the unit mounting portion is formed have openings above the unit mounting portion through which at least the component unit can pass, and there are no grids of any layer higher than the layer on which the unit mounting portion is formed above the unit mounting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, an automated guided vehicle can be obtained that can perform maintenance involving the attachment and detachment of parts efficiently.

[0008] The above or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become even more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a top view showing the mechanical configuration of the automated guided vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the frame body 20 in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a top view showing the frame body 20 in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side view showing the frame body 20 in Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side view illustrating the attachment and detachment of the drive wheel unit 21 in Figure 2. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating the attachment and detachment of the drive wheel unit 21 in Figure 2. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the automated guided vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automated guided vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1 is a self-propelled mobile vehicle and may be an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) or an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR). As shown in Figure 1, this automated guided vehicle 1 is equipped with four caster units 11 installed at the four corners of its bottom surface.

[0012] Figure 2 is a top view showing the mechanical configuration of the automated guided vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the automated guided vehicle 1 includes a caster unit 11, a frame body 20 with a frame structure, and component units including a drive wheel unit 21, a scanner unit 22, and a controller unit 23.

[0013] The frame body 20 is formed by arranging highly rigid rod-shaped or cylindrical members (made of metal or resin) in a three-dimensional grid pattern.

[0014] The caster unit 11 is a unit that is detachable from the frame body 20 and independent of the frame body 20, and is equipped with driven wheels that contact the floor surface and is fixed to the frame body 20.

[0015] For example, as shown in Figure 2, two drive wheel units 21 are arranged symmetrically in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel. Each drive wheel unit 21 is a unit that is detachable from the frame body 20 and independent of the frame body 20, and is a unit equipped with a drive wheel 21a and a drive unit 21b. The drive unit 21b generates driving force for travel and transmits it to the drive wheel 21a. The drive unit 21b generates driving force with a motor and transmits that driving force to the drive wheel 21a with gears or the like. The drive wheel 21a is equipped with, for example, a drive shaft connected to the drive unit 21b, a rigid wheel fixed to the drive shaft, and an elastic tire fitted to the outside of the wheel.

[0016] The scanner unit 22 is a unit that is detachable from the frame body 20 and independent of the frame body 20, and is a unit equipped with a scanner 22a. The scanner 22a optically scans the floor surface at a predetermined high resolution (for example, 600 dpi) to generate a floor surface image. The scanner 22a includes, for example, a light emitting unit (not shown) that irradiates light onto the floor surface, an image sensor, and a reduction optical system (such as a lens) that condenses the reflected light obtained by the reflection of the light from the light emitting unit on the floor surface onto the image sensor.

[0017] The controller unit 23 is a unit that is detachable from the frame body 20 and independent of the frame body 20, and is a unit equipped with a controller, a communication device, and the like.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the frame body 20 in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a top view showing the frame body 20 in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the frame body 20 in FIG. 2.

[0019] The frame body 20 includes a grid that forms rectangular unit mounting portions 31, 32, 33. The drive wheel unit 21 is placed on the unit mounting portion 31 and is detachably fixed to the frame body 20. The scanner unit 22 is placed on the unit mounting portion 32 and is detachably fixed to the frame body 20. The controller unit 23 is placed on the unit mounting portion 33 and is detachably fixed to the frame body 20.

[0020] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the frame body 20 includes a plurality of layers of grids in the height direction. The grids of any one of the plurality of layers form the above-described unit mounting portions 31, 32, 33, and among the plurality of layers, all the layers of grids at positions higher than the layer in which the unit mounting portions 31, 32, 33 are formed have openings through which at least the component units (the drive wheel unit 21, the scanner unit 22, and the controller unit 23) can pass above the unit mounting portions 31, 32, 33.

[0021] Here, the frame body 20 has two layers of grids, with unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33 formed in the lower layer of grids, and the upper layer of grids has openings formed above the unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33 through which component units (drive wheel unit 21, scanner unit 22, and controller unit 23) can pass.

[0022] Figure 6 is a side view illustrating the attachment and detachment of the drive wheel unit 21 in Figure 2. Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating the attachment and detachment of the drive wheel unit 21 in Figure 2.

[0023] As a result, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, for example, the component units (drive wheel unit 21, scanner unit 22, and controller unit 23) can be attached to and detached from the frame body 20 by manual means from above.

[0024] For example, each unit mounting section 31, 32, and 33 is provided with screw holes, and each component unit 21, 22, and 23 that comes into contact with each other is provided with mounting holes. Each component unit 21, 22, and 23 is fixed to each unit mounting section 31, 32, and 33 by screwing a screw into the screw hole from above through the mounting hole.

[0025] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the automated guided vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 8, the controller unit 23 comprises a controller 23a and a communication device 23b. Connectors are provided on the cables that transmit and receive signals and power between units 21, 22, and 23, allowing for easy attachment and detachment.

[0026] The controller 23a is equipped with a computer and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and performs data processing, control of the drive unit 21b, and control of the communication device 23b using the computer (software processing) and ASIC (hardware processing). The communication device 23b communicates data with an external device (such as a server) wirelessly according to a predetermined communication protocol. The controller 23a then controls the drive unit 21b so that the automated guided vehicle 1 travels along the path based on the floor surface image obtained by the scanner 22a.

[0027] The power supply unit, which is not shown in the diagram, may, for example, have a built-in rechargeable battery and supply power to the drive unit 21b, controller 23a, communication device 23b, scanner 22a, etc. The power supply unit may also be connected to a commercial power source and include a charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery may also be removable.

[0028] Next, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 1 described above will be explained.

[0029] (a) Operation of automated guided vehicle 1

[0030] The controller 23a controls the drive unit 21b so that the automated guided vehicle 1 travels along the path in a manner that reduces the discrepancy between the current position of the automated guided vehicle 1, which is detected based on the floor image obtained from the scanner 22a, and the path. The controller 23a also stops the automated guided vehicle 1 at a predetermined position (end or intermediate point of the path) based on the current position of the automated guided vehicle 1, which is detected based on the floor image. The current position of the automated guided vehicle 1 is determined from the floor image based on markers installed on the floor or patterns unique to each position on the floor. Furthermore, if the rotation speeds of the drive wheels 31 of the left and right drive wheel units 21 are the same, the automated guided vehicle 1 will move in a straight line, and if the rotation speeds of the drive wheels 31 of the left and right drive wheel units 21 are different, the automated guided vehicle 1 will turn. Therefore, the drive unit 21b of each drive wheel unit 21 is controlled in a manner that reduces the aforementioned discrepancy.

[0031] (b) Maintenance of Automated Guided Vehicle 1

[0032] During maintenance, the user first removes the housing cover to allow access to each component unit 21, 22, and 23 from above, as shown in Figure 2, for example. Then, they remove the aforementioned screws and disconnect the connectors (not shown), and pull the component units 21, 22, and 23 upwards from the unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33. After that, they place the maintained component units 21, 22, and 23 or new component units 21, 22, and 23 onto the unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33 from above and secure them with screws.

[0033] As described above, the automated guided vehicle 1 according to the above embodiment comprises a frame body 20 with a frame structure and component units 21, 22, and 23. Here, the frame body 20 is provided with a grid that forms rectangular unit mounting portions 31, 32, and 33, and the component units 21, 22, and 23 are placed on the unit mounting portions 31, 32, and 33 and fixed in a detachable manner.

[0034] As a result, instead of individual parts, component units 21, 22, and 23, which are sized to match the size of the unit mounting sections 31, 32, and 33, are fixed to the frame body 20, allowing for easy maintenance involving the attachment and detachment of parts.

[0035] Furthermore, various changes and modifications to the embodiments described above will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the subject matter and without diminishing the intended advantages. In other words, such changes and modifications are intended to be included in the claims.

[0036] For example, in the above embodiment, the caster unit 11 and the power supply unit may also be detachable from the frame body 20, similar to the component units 21, 22, and 23. [Industrial applicability]

[0037] The present invention can be applied, for example, to automated guided vehicles. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1. Automated Transport Vehicle 20 Frame Body 21. Drive wheel unit (an example of a component unit) 21a Drive wheels 21b Drive unit 22 Scanner Unit (Example of a component unit) 22a Scanner 23. Controller Unit (An example of a component unit) 23a Controller 31, 32, 33 Unit mounting section

Claims

1. Frame body with frame structure, It comprises a component unit, The frame body comprises a grid forming a rectangular unit mounting portion and screw holes provided in the unit mounting portion. The aforementioned component unit is equipped with mounting holes, placed on the unit mounting portion from above, and detachably fixed by screwing screws into the screw holes through the mounting holes from above. The frame body comprises multiple layers of grids in the height direction, The grid of any of the above-mentioned layers forms the unit mounting portion. Of the multiple layers, the grids of all layers located higher than the layer on which the unit mounting portion is formed have openings above the unit mounting portion through which at least the component unit can pass, and there are no grids above the unit mounting portion in any layer located higher than the layer on which the unit mounting portion is formed. An unmanned transport vehicle characterized by [feature].

2. The aforementioned component unit is characterized in that it includes at least one of the following: a drive wheel unit equipped with a drive device that generates driving force for travel and a drive wheel that is rotated by the drive device; a scanner unit equipped with a scanner that optically scans the floor surface and generates a floor surface image; and a controller unit equipped with a controller that controls the drive device so that the automated guided vehicle travels along a predetermined path based on the floor surface image.

Images