Conveyance device

Abstract

A conveyance device (100) comprises: a traveling carriage (2); and a lifting device (3) that is installed on the traveling carriage (2) and that holds and lifts / lowers a load (12). The lifting device (3) has: a support member (4) that supports the load (12); and a lifting mechanism (5) that lifts / lowers the support member (4). The lifting mechanism (5) has: a cord member (52) that is connected to the support member (4); a winch mechanism (54) that winds and unwinds the cord member (52); and moving pulleys (61, 62, 63) that are disposed between the winch mechanism (54) and the support member (4), around which the cord member (52) is looped, and that rise / fall together with the support member (4).

Description

Conveyor

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

[0002] There are known transport vehicles capable of moving a load. For example, there is a robot truck unloader that has a robot mounted on a traveling platform to handle the load. This unloader includes a mobile platform equipped with sensors and a computer that scan an environment containing multiple objects, and a robot arm mounted on the mobile platform. This unloader can be used to plan a collision-free trajectory for the mobile platform.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-185111

[0004] The inventors have come to the following new realization regarding conveying devices. In a conveying device for transporting loads, the practical payload is the original payload of the conveying device minus the mass of the conveying device itself. Therefore, if the conveying device itself is heavy, the payload is reduced by that mass, so there is a demand for lighter conveying devices. The above-mentioned robot truck unloader is equipped with an expensive and heavy articulated robot, which is disadvantageous in terms of weight reduction.

[0005] An exemplary object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a transport device that is advantageous in terms of weight reduction.

[0006] A conveying device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a traveling carriage and a lifting device installed on the traveling carriage for holding and lifting a load, the lifting device having a support member for supporting the load and a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the support member. The lifting mechanism has a string member connected to the support member, a winch mechanism for winding and unwinding the string member, and a movable pulley disposed between the winch mechanism and the support member, the string member stretched across the pulley and lifting and lowering together with the support member.

[0007] Any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, systems, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport device that is advantageous in terms of weight reduction.

[0009] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conveying device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a conveying device according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a side view showing a support frame of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of an operation of the conveying device of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a first side view showing a removal operation of the conveying device of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a second side view showing the removal operation of the conveying device of FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a third side view showing the removal operation of the conveying device of FIG. 1; and FIG. 8 is a fourth side view showing the removal operation of the conveying device of FIG. 1.

[0010] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modifications, identical or equivalent components and members are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the members in the drawings are enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0011] Furthermore, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the components.

[0012] [Embodiment] The configuration of a conveying device 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the conveying device 100. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view mainly showing the framework of the support member 4 and the support frame 7 of the conveying device 100. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the support frame 7. As indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2, the straight-ahead direction of the conveying device 100 is referred to as "front" or "forward," the opposite direction is referred to as "rear" or "rearward," the rightward direction of the straight-ahead direction is referred to as "right" or "rightward," and the opposite direction is referred to as "left" or "leftward." Furthermore, the top of the vertical direction is referred to as "up," and the bottom is referred to as "down."

[0013] The conveying device 100 includes a self-propelled traveling carriage 2 and an elevator device 3 that is installed on the traveling carriage 2 and that holds and raises and lowers cargo 12. The conveying device 100 is capable of transporting cargo 12 lifted by the elevator device 3 and unloading the cargo 12 at a destination. For example, the conveying device 100 can pick up cargo 12 placed on a first shelf and unload it on a second shelf installed in another location. In this specification, cargo includes a single item to be transported, a container containing an item, an empty container, etc. In the following description, an example is shown in which the cargo 12 is a container containing an item. The container, etc. includes not only containers but also receptacles such as trays.

[0014] The lifting device 3 has a support member 4, a lifting mechanism 5, and a support frame 7. The support frame 7 is a fixed frame that is fixed onto the traveling carriage 2. The support member 4 is a movable frame that is supported so as to be movable up and down relative to the support frame 7, and has an upper support member 41 and a lower support member 42 that support the load 12.

[0015] The support frame 7 mainly includes a base 75, a column member 72, a diagonal member 76, a fixed pulley support portion 77, a winch support portion 78, and a sensor support portion 79. These members of the support frame 7 can be formed, for example, from hollow aluminum pipe material.

[0016] The support member 4 mainly includes a movable pulley support member 40, an upper support member 41, a lower support member 42, vertical columns 43, left and right columns 44, front and rear columns 48, and a guide member 50. These members of the support member 4 can be formed, for example, from hollow aluminum pipe material.

[0017] The lifting mechanism 5 includes a string member 52 and a winch mechanism 54. The lifting mechanism 5 includes multiple movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63 arranged horizontally, and multiple fixed pulleys 64 and 65 arranged horizontally above the movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63. In this example, the first movable pulley 61, the first fixed pulley 64, the second movable pulley 62, the second fixed pulley 65, and the third movable pulley 63 are arranged in this order from left to right with a predetermined interval between them. The movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63 are rotatably attached to the movable pulley support member 40 of the support member 4. The first fixed pulley 64 and the second fixed pulley 65 are rotatably attached to the fixed pulley support portion 77 of the support frame 7. In this example, the movable pulley support member 40 and the fixed pulley support portion 77 are formed of hollow pipes extending laterally.

[0018] The string member 52 is connected to the support member 4 via movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63. The distal end 53 of the string member 52 is fixed to the fixed pulley support portion 77, and the proximal end is wound and unwound on the drum 56 of the winch mechanism 54. The string member 52 is wound around the first movable pulley 61, the first fixed pulley 64, the second movable pulley 62, the second fixed pulley 65, and the third movable pulley 63 in this order from the distal end. When the string member 52 is wound around the drum 56, the movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63 move closer to the fixed pulleys 64 and 65, and the support member 4 rises accordingly. When the string member 52 is unwound from the drum 56, the movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63 move away from the fixed pulleys 64 and 65, and the support member 4 falls accordingly. In other words, the movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63 rise and fall together with the support member 4. The number and shapes of the movable pulleys 61, 62, 63 and fixed pulleys 64, 65, as well as the configuration of the string member 52, can be determined by experiment or simulation so as to obtain the desired lifting characteristics.

[0019] The winch mechanism 54 is a rectangular parallelepiped unit and includes a motor 55, a drum 56 that is driven to rotate by the motor 55, and a drive unit 57 that drives the motor 55. The shape of the winch mechanism 54 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped and may be other shapes. The drive source of the winch mechanism 54 is not limited to a motor and may be, for example, a gear motor in which a motor is connected to a reducer. The drive unit 57 controls the rotation output of the drum 56 based on commands from the control device 30. The control device 30 controls the support member 4 to be raised and lowered between predetermined upper and lower positions. The state in which the support member 4 is in the predetermined upper position is referred to as the "upper position state," and the state in which the support member 4 is in the predetermined lower position is referred to as the "lower position state." The configuration of the winch mechanism 54 can be set through experiments or simulations to achieve desired lifting and lowering characteristics.

[0020] As described above, the lifting device 3 has the support frame 7, and the winch mechanism 54 is installed on the winch support portion 78 of the support frame 7 above the support member 4. In this example, the winch support portion 78 is composed of two hollow pipes that are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction and extend left and right.

[0021] The support frame 7 has pillar members 72 extending in the vertical direction. The support member 4 has rollers 66, 67 that roll on and contact the pillar members 72. In other words, the pillar members 72 function as guide rails that guide the lifting and lowering trajectory of the support member 4. The rollers 66, 67 include a first roller 66 arranged on the upper side and a second roller 67 arranged below the first roller 66. The first roller 66 and the second roller 67 are rotatably attached to the front and rear pillars 48 and the upper support member 41 on both the left and right sides of the support member 4, respectively. The first roller 66 and the second roller 67 each consist of a pair of roller members arranged with the pillar member 72 sandwiched between them at the front and rear. A movable pulley support member 40 is stretched across the front and rear pillars 48 on both the left and right sides.

[0022] There is no limit to the number of pillar members 72, but in this example, a pair of pillar members 72 are provided at intermediate positions in the front-rear or left-right direction of the traveling carriage 2. In this case, the number of pillar members 72 is small, which is advantageous for reducing weight.

[0023] The base 75 is a pipe material assembled in a rectangular shape in a plan view that is fixed to the traveling carriage 2 and supports the entire support frame 7 from below. The pillar members 72 are installed vertically near the center of the front and rear of the base 75. The diagonal members 76 are installed diagonally between the pillar members 72 and the base 75 and function as diagonal braces that support the lower part of the pillar members 72. The fixed pulley support parts 77 are installed across the upper ends of the left and right pillar members 72. The winch support parts 78 are supported on the upper ends of the left and right pillar members 72. The sensor support parts 79 extend forward from near the upper ends of the left and right pillar members 72.

[0024] The vertical columns 43 of the support member 4 are members extending in the vertical direction, with two provided on the front side spaced apart from the left and right, and two provided on the rear side spaced apart from the left and right. The four vertical columns 43 are arranged at each corner of a rectangle in a plan view. The left and right columns 44 are members extending left and right, and are bridged from the upper and lower parts of the two rear vertical columns 43 to the upper parts of the two front vertical columns 43. The front and rear columns 48 are members extending front and rear, and are bridged on the left and right sides to the upper parts of two vertical columns 43 spaced apart from the front and rear. The movable pulley support member 40 is a member extending left and right, and is bridged from the upper parts of the two front and rear columns 48 near the center between the front and rear.

[0025] The support member 4 has an upper support member 41 and a lower support member 42. The upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42 are raised and lowered together by a single winch mechanism 54. The upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42 are configured to be raised and lowered together so that two packages 12 placed on an upper shelf 81 and a lower shelf 82 of a shelf unit 8 (described later) can be simultaneously removed.

[0026] The upper support member 41 is a member extending in the front-to-rear direction and is hung on the left and right sides near the centers of two spaced-apart vertical columns 43. The lower support member 42 is a member extending in the front-to-rear direction and is hung on the lower parts of two spaced-apart vertical columns 43 on the left and right sides. In the example of Figure 1, the vertical cross sections of the upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42 are rectangular for ease of understanding, but as shown in Figure 2, the vertical cross sections may be polygonal, circular, etc.

[0027] The luggage 12 placed on the shelves 81, 82 may be tilted horizontally. In this case, it is conceivable that the luggage 12 may get caught on the upper support member 41 or the lower support member 42 during the process of pulling the luggage 12 into the support member 4, preventing it from being pulled in properly. Therefore, the support member 4 of the embodiment has a guide member 50 for use when pulling the luggage 12 placed on the shelves 81, 82 into the support member 4. By having the guide member 50, the tilted luggage 12 is guided by the guide member 50 and smoothly pulled into the upper support member 41 or the lower support member 42.

[0028] The guide members 50 in this embodiment are laterally flat plate-like members that extend upward from the upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42. The left and right guide members 50 are arranged parallel to each other at a distance equal to the left-right width of the luggage 12 plus a predetermined margin. The shape of the guide members 50 can be determined by experiment or simulation so as to obtain the desired guide function.

[0029] It is conceivable that the string members 52 may break for some reason. In this case, there is a concern that the support members 4 may fall, and the resulting impact may damage the load 12 supported by the support members 4. Therefore, the conveying device 100 of this embodiment has a buffer member 68 that catches the fallen support member 4 when the string members 52 break. In the example of FIG. 1 , the buffer member 68 is a cushion member with a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape that is placed below the vertical pillar 43 at a distance. The material and shape of the buffer member 68 can be determined by experiment or simulation in order to obtain the desired cushioning properties.

[0030] The conveyance device 100 includes an upper sensor 28 disposed on a sensor support portion 79 provided on the upper part of the support frame 7, a carriage-side sensor 26 disposed on the traveling carriage 2, and a control device 30. In this example, the control device 30 is provided on the traveling carriage 2. The upper sensor 28 may include, for example, an image sensor that detects an image, an object detection sensor that detects an object, an obstacle sensor that detects an obstacle, etc. The upper sensor 28 transmits the detection result to the control device 30. The control device 30 can be realized by, for example, a computer processor, a computer program, etc.

[0031] The traveling carriage 2 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As an example, the traveling carriage 2 may be an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), which is an autonomous mobile robot that moves autonomously to a destination. The traveling carriage 2 of this embodiment includes a car body 22, wheels 24, a carriage-side sensor 26, and a control device 30. The traveling carriage 2 can move the car body 22 by driving the car body 22 with a wheel drive unit (not shown) including a battery, an electric motor, etc.

[0032] The carriage-side sensor 26 may include, for example, an image sensor that detects an image, an object detection sensor that detects an object, an obstacle sensor that detects an obstacle, etc. The carriage-side sensor 26 transmits the detection result to the control device 30.

[0033] The upper sensor 28 and the carriage-side sensor 26 can detect guide marks attached to fixtures, equipment, etc. on the floor, ceiling, walls, shelves, etc. The control device 30 controls the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 2 and the lifting operation of the lifting mechanism 5, etc., based on the detection results of the upper sensor 28 and the carriage-side sensor 26.

[0034] The traveling vehicle 2 of the embodiment can generate a traveling route from a departure point to a destination and autonomously travel along the generated route. The autonomous travel of the traveling vehicle 2 can be achieved using autonomous travel technology based on known principles. As an example, the traveling vehicle 2 of the embodiment autonomously travels using a control technology called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

[0035] SLAM is a well-known technology, so a detailed description will be omitted. SLAM can simultaneously perform the self-localization function of the traveling vehicle 2 and the map creation function. The map creation function acquires surrounding information about what is in the surroundings through onboard sensors and creates map information, which is a map of the surrounding area, based on this surrounding information. The self-localization function compares the map information with stored data about previously stored locations, and if the stored data matches the map information, determines the self-position and direction on the map. Using SLAM, the traveling vehicle 2 can calculate the distance between itself and nearby obstacles, landmarks, etc., and control its travel to avoid obstacles based on the calculation results.

[0036] See also Figures 4 to 8. Figure 4 is a plan view showing an example of the operation of the conveying device 100. Figures 5 to 8 are side views showing the pick-up operation of the conveying device 100. For example, the conveying device 100 can pick up a package 12 placed on a first shelf and place it on a second shelf installed in a different location.

[0037] An example of the shelving unit 8 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The shelving unit 8 includes shelves 81 and 82, a shelf support portion 83 that supports the shelves 81 and 82, and a base portion 84 that supports the shelf support portion 83. The base portion 84 is a member that has an angular C-shape in plan view and surrounds a substantially rectangular access area 85. The shelf support portion 83 is a rod-shaped member that extends vertically from the base portion 84 at the center in the left-right direction. The shelves 81 and 82 are plate-shaped members that extend horizontally rearward from the shelf support portion 83, and their front ends are fixed to the shelf support portion 83. The shelves 81 and 82 include an upper shelf 81 and a lower shelf 82 that is spaced downward from the upper shelf 81. The height of the upper shelf 81 corresponds to the height of the upper support member 41, and the height of the lower shelf 82 corresponds to the height of the lower support member 42. Specifically, the upper surfaces of the shelves 81, 82 are located at a position lower than the upper surfaces of the upper support member 41 and lower support member 42 when in the upper position, and higher than the upper surfaces of the upper support member 41 and lower support member 42 when in the lower position.

[0038] 4 shows the operation of the transport device 100 relative to a shelf unit 8 having a shelf 81. Fig. 4(A) shows the transport device 100 in a state where it has entered the access area 85 of the shelf unit 8, and Fig. 4(B) shows the transport device 100 in a state where it has moved away from the shelf unit 8. The transport device 100 can move forward to enter the access area 85 of the shelf unit 8 and move backward to exit the shelf unit 8. Furthermore, when the transport device 100 has entered the access area 85 of the shelf unit 8, it can lift and hold an item 12 placed on the shelf 81 and lower the held item 12 onto the shelf 81.

[0039] If the front of the support member 4 is located behind the front of the traveling carriage 2, it is possible that the traveling carriage 2 will interfere with the shelf unit 8 when the support member 4 enters the shelves 81, 82. Therefore, in this embodiment, the front of the support member 4 protrudes further forward than the front of the traveling carriage 2, as shown in FIG. 5 . In other words, the front of the traveling carriage 2 is set back further rearward than the front of the support member 4.

[0040] The take-out operation of the conveying device 100 will now be described. As shown in FIG. 5 , the take-out operation involves lifting and holding the load 12 placed on the shelves 81, 82 with the upper support members 41 and the lower support members 42. In the take-out operation, as shown in FIG. 5 , the conveying device 100 advances toward the access area 85 as indicated by the arrow with the upper support members 41 and the lower support members 42 lowered to their lower positions. At this time, the load 12 is gradually drawn into the upper support members 41 and the lower support members 42 while remaining suspended above the upper surfaces of the upper support members 41 and the lower support members 42. Specifically, the load 12 is guided by the guide members 50 and smoothly drawn between the pair of left and right upper support members 41 and the pair of left and right lower support members 42.

[0041] Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the conveying device 100 stops traveling at a predetermined position within the entry area 85 and raises the upper support members 41 and the lower support members 42 as shown by the arrows. Next, as shown in Fig. 7, the conveying device 100 raises the upper support members 41 and the lower support members 42 to the upper position, lifts the luggage 12 as shown by the arrows, and holds the luggage 12 in that state. Next, as shown in Fig. 8, the conveying device 100 moves backward while holding the luggage 12, and exits the entry area 85 as shown by the arrows. This completes the description of the removal operation.

[0042] Next, the transport device 100, which has exited the access area 85, travels toward another shelf unit and performs an unloading operation to unload the cargo 12 onto a shelf of the other shelf unit. In the unloading operation, the transport device 100 enters the access area of ​​the other shelf unit in the upper position, lowers the upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42 to the lower position, and during this descent, lowers the cargo 12 onto the shelf, and then exits the access area while still in the lower position. The take-out operation and the unloading operation may be performed alternately.

[0043] The features of the conveying device 100 according to this embodiment will be described. The conveying device 100 is a conveying device including a traveling carriage 2 and an elevating device 3 that is installed on the traveling carriage 2 and that holds and elevates a load 12. The elevating device 3 has a support member 4 that supports the load 12 and an elevating mechanism 5 that elevates the support member 4. The elevating mechanism 5 has a string member 52 connected to the support member 4, a winch mechanism 54 that winds and unwinds the string member 52, and movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63 that are arranged between the winch mechanism 54 and the support member 4 and through which the string member 52 is stretched, and that elevate and lower together with the support member 4.

[0044] According to this configuration, the support member 4 is raised and lowered by the winch mechanism 54 and the movable pulleys 61, 62, and 63, which is advantageous in terms of weight reduction compared to the case where the articulated robot of Patent Document 1 is used. Also, a configuration using a winch mechanism and movable pulleys can reduce manufacturing costs compared to the articulated robot. Furthermore, because the support frame 7 and the support member 4 are mainly made of pipe material, it is possible to reduce weight while maintaining strength.

[0045] The above has described in detail examples of embodiments of the present invention. The above-described embodiments merely illustrate specific examples of implementing the present invention. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes, such as changes, additions, and deletions of components, are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. In the above-described embodiments, content that allows such design changes is described using notations such as "in the embodiment" or "in the embodiment," but design changes are also permissible in content that does not have such notations.

[0046] [Modifications] Modifications will be described below. In the drawings and descriptions of the modifications, the same or equivalent components and members as those in the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on configurations that differ from the embodiment.

[0047] In the above description, an example was shown in which two stages of upper support members 41 and lower support members 42 are provided as members for supporting the load 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of stages of members for supporting the load may be one or three or more.

[0048] In the above description, an example has been shown in which the upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42 are raised and lowered integrally by a single winch mechanism 54, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper support member and the lower support member may be raised and lowered separately by separate winch mechanisms.

[0049] In the above description, the upper support member 41 and the lower support member 42 are rod-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support members may be plate-shaped members.

[0050] Although the above description shows an example in which three movable pulleys are provided, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of movable pulleys may be one, two, four or more. Accordingly, the number of fixed pulleys may also be changed.

[0051] In the above description, an example is shown in which the bogie-side sensor 26 and the upper sensor 28 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one of the bogie-side sensor and the upper sensor may be provided, or a sensor other than these may be provided.

[0052] In the above description, an example has been shown in which the winch mechanism 54 is installed above the support member 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the winch mechanism may be installed below the support member.

[0053] Each of these modifications provides the same functions and effects as the embodiment.

[0054] Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the combined effects of the combined embodiments and modifications.

[0055] The present invention can be used in the field of conveying devices.

[0056] 2 Traveling cart, 3 Lifting device, 4 Support member, 5 Lifting mechanism, 7 Support frame, 12 Luggage, 41 Upper support member, 42 Lower support member, 50 Guide member, 52 String member, 54 Winch mechanism, 61 First movable pulley, 62 Second movable pulley, 63 Third movable pulley, 66 First roller, 67 Second roller, 68 Cushioning member, 72 Pillar member, 81 Upper shelf, 82 Lower shelf, 100 Conveying device.

Claims

1. A transport device comprising a traveling cart and a lifting device installed on the traveling cart for holding and lifting a load, wherein the lifting device has a support member for supporting the load and a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the support member, and the lifting mechanism has a string member connected to the support member, a winch mechanism for winding and unwinding the string member, and a movable pulley arranged between the winch mechanism and the support member, across which the string member is hung and which lifts and lowers together with the support member.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein said lifting device has a support frame, and said winch mechanism is mounted on said support frame above said support member.

3. The conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the support frame has a column member extending vertically, and the support member has a roller that rolls against the column member.

4. A conveying device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said support frame has pillar members extending in a vertical direction, and said pillar members are provided as a pair at intermediate positions in the front-rear or left-right direction of said traveling carriage.

5. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the support members include an upper support member and a lower support member, and the upper support member and the lower support member are raised and lowered integrally by a single winch mechanism.

6. The conveying device according to claim 5, wherein the upper support member and the lower support member are configured to simultaneously remove two loads placed on the upper shelf and the lower shelf.

7. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein said lifting mechanism has a plurality of said movable pulleys arranged in a horizontal direction.

8. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer member for receiving the support member that falls when the string member breaks.

9. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member for guiding an object placed on a shelf into said support member.

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