Unmanned transport robot

Abstract

An unmanned transport robot of an embodiment transports a cart having items loaded thereon in a towing manner, and comprises: a pair of travelling wheels which are provided on a robot body to be located at both ends of a robot docking surface facing the cart, and are rotationally driven in a differential manner; a pair of fingers which grip a pair of cart pillars provided while erected on both ends of a cart docking surface of the cart facing the robot docking surface; a pair of grippers which drive to move the pair of fingers so as to grip the pair of cart pillars or release the gripped state; and at least one rotation caster which is provided on the robot body at the position spaced apart from the pair of travelling wheels, and is rotationally driven by the rotational driving of the pair of travelling wheels.

Description

unmanned transport robot

[0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned transport robot, and more particularly, to an unmanned transport robot capable of transporting a cart in a towing manner and stably transporting it to a set final docking position.

[0002] With the rapid development of the logistics industry, various logistics systems are being developed. For example, unmanned transport robots are being used to increase logistics management efficiency and thus productivity.

[0003] Examples of such unmanned transport robots include automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

[0004] The aforementioned automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are robots that move along fixed paths or tracks to transport materials. Their ability to efficiently perform repetitive movement of items makes them used in various industrial settings. The aforementioned autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) receive real-time guidance on their movement paths using various sensors and can adjust their paths in real time, even without fixed paths or tracks.

[0005] Conventional unmanned transport robots are classified according to the method of loading and unloading the load, including the lift method, fork lift method, conveyor method, and tow method with a rotating part.

[0006] The above lift method has the disadvantage of requiring a loading station or cart and not being able to place the load on the floor.

[0007] The above fork lift method is used to transport pallets and can place the pallets on the floor, but if the space for the fork to enter the bottom of the cart is narrow, there is a problem that the load may shake and fall during movement.

[0008] The above conveyor method is used to transport cargo between conveyors, but has the disadvantage of not being able to place cargo on the floor.

[0009] The above-mentioned towing method with a rotating part is a method in which a robot arm holds and tows a bogie, and since the robot arm is configured to rotate at the center of the bogie, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to secure docking precision of the bogie in the reverse direction.

[0010] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 1, a conventional unmanned transport robot (10) is configured with a structure in which a pair of casters (12, 13, 14, 15) are provided on each of the front and rear sides of the bottom surface of the robot body (11), and a pair of driving wheels (16, 17) are provided on both sides of the front-rear middle portion of the bottom surface of the robot body (11). When such an unmanned transport robot (10) attempts to pull a cart by contacting or gripping it, the distance between the driving wheels (16, 17) and the cart becomes large in a structure in which a pair of driving wheels (16, 17) are provided on both sides of the front-rear middle portion of the bottom surface of the robot body (11), so that the turning radius of the cart increases when the unmanned transport robot (10) drives, which takes up a large portion of the path width when driving, and there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to precisely transfer the cart to the set final docking position.

[0011] The prior art related to unmanned transport robots is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2151764.

[0012] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-described problems, and has a structure for gripping various types of bogies of different sizes in a close contact state, and thus can be applied without changing the structure of the bogie, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an unmanned transport robot that can transport the bogie in a towing manner and stably transport it to a set final docking position.

[0013] In order to achieve the above-described purpose, the present invention provides an unmanned transport robot that transports a cart loaded with goods in a traction manner, the robot comprising: a pair of driving wheels provided on the robot body so as to be positioned at both ends of a robot docking surface facing the cart and driven in a differential manner for rotation; a pair of fingers that grip a pair of cart columns that are provided in an upright state at both ends of a cart docking surface of the cart facing the robot docking surface; a pair of grippers that move the pair of fingers to grip or release the gripping state of the pair of cart columns; and at least one rotary caster that is provided on the robot body at a position spaced apart from the pair of driving wheels and that is drivenly rotated by the rotational drive of the pair of driving wheels.

[0014] The above pair of grippers may be configured as a pair of sliding grippers that slide the pair of fingers in a mutually approaching direction to grip the pair of bogie columns, or that slide the pair of fingers in a mutually spaced direction to release the gripped state of the pair of bogie columns.

[0015] The above pair of sliding grippers may include a pair of driving units, a pair of shafts that reciprocate by driving the pair of driving units, a pair of sliding members that are coupled to the pair of shafts and reciprocate as a unit, a pair of connecting members that are coupled to the pair of sliding members, and a pair of finger mounting members that are coupled to the pair of connecting members and on which the pair of fingers are mounted.

[0016] The above pair of grippers may be configured as a pair of rotating grippers that rotate the pair of fingers in a mutually approaching direction to grip the pair of bogie columns, or that rotate the pair of fingers in a mutually spaced direction to release the gripped state of the pair of bogie columns.

[0017] The above pair of rotating grippers may include a pair of driving units, a pair of rotating members that rotate by driving of the pair of driving units, and a pair of finger mounting members that are coupled to the pair of rotating members and on which the pair of fingers are mounted.

[0018] The above pair of fingers can be detachably connected to the above pair of finger mounting members so that the mounting positions in the forward and backward directions and the mounting positions in the up and down directions can be adjusted, and the position and height can be adjusted according to the size and height of the bogie pillar.

[0019] The above pair of driving wheels may be provided on both sides of the rear bottom surface of the robot body, and the at least one rotary caster may be provided on the left and right middle portions of the front bottom surface of the robot body.

[0020] The above pair of fingers may include a pair of grip detection sensors for detecting a state in which the pair of bogie columns are gripped or released.

[0021] The pair of grip detection sensors is composed of a plurality of grip detection sensors positioned spaced apart from each other on both sides, and when the plurality of grip detection sensors output a signal that detects all of the pair of bogie columns, it is determined that the pair of fingers are gripping the pair of bogie columns, and when the plurality of grip detection sensors output a signal that does not detect all of the pair of bogie columns, it is determined that the state in which the pair of fingers are gripping the pair of bogie columns is released, so that the operation of the pair of grippers can be controlled.

[0022] The above pair of fingers or grippers may include a pair of collision detection sensors for detecting whether there is an object that may collide with the bogie on either side of the towed bogie.

[0023] When at least one of the pair of collision detection sensors outputs a signal detecting the presence of the opponent, the operation of the pair of driving wheels can be controlled to stop.

[0024] It may further include a steering mechanism that adjusts the driving direction angle of the pair of driving wheels to enable diagonal driving.

[0025] The above pair of driving wheels is composed of a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel which are provided at positions spaced apart from each other and are rotatably driven in a differential manner, the first driving wheel is driven by a first driving wheel driving motor, the second driving wheel is driven by a second driving wheel driving motor, the steering mechanism comprises an actuator, a rod which reciprocates left and right by driving of the actuator, a first link which has one end rotatably connected to an end of the rod by a first hinge portion and the other end is coupled to a first rotational axis which serves as a rotation center for adjusting the driving direction angle of the first driving wheel and the first driving wheel driving motor and has a length in the front-back direction, a second link which has one end rotatably connected to a middle portion of the first link by a second hinge portion and has a length in the left-right direction, and one end rotatably connected to the other end of the second link by a third hinge portion and the other end is connected to the second driving wheel and It may include a third link having a length in the front-rear direction and coupled to a second rotational axis that serves as a rotational center for adjusting the driving direction angle of the second driving wheel drive motor.

[0026] According to the unmanned transport robot according to the present invention, the fingers driven by the gripper are configured to grab and pull the cart column, so that application is possible without changing the structure of the cart, and there is an effect of being able to transport the cart in a towing manner and stably transport it to the set final docking position.

[0027] In addition, by configuring a pair of driving wheels that are differentially driven for rotation to be positioned on both ends of the robot docking surface facing the cart, the turning radius of the cart can be reduced when the cart rotates, thereby minimizing the width of the path occupied during driving and improving the docking precision of the cart.

[0028] In addition, the initial setup work of the unmanned transport robot can be easily performed by simplifying the driving structure of the finger by configuring the finger for gripping the bogie pillar to be driven in a sliding or rotating manner.

[0029] In addition, the finger is configured to be detachably connected to the gripper so that the mounting position in the forward / rear direction and the mounting position in the up / down direction can be adjusted, thereby enabling position and height adjustment according to the size and height of the bogie pillar.

[0030] In addition, the operation of the gripper can be precisely controlled by having a pair of grip detection sensors to detect whether the fingers are gripping or releasing the bogie column.

[0031] In addition, a collision detection sensor is installed on the finger or gripper and is configured to detect whether there is an object that may collide with the cart on either side of the cart being towed, and by controlling the driving of the unmanned transport robot, the cart and the load loaded on it can be prevented from colliding with the object and being damaged in advance.

[0032] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the general arrangement structure of driving wheels of a conventional unmanned transport robot.

[0033] Figure 2 is a plan view showing an unmanned transport robot according to one embodiment of the present invention holding a cart;

[0034] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first and second fingers of an unmanned transport robot according to one embodiment of the present invention gripping a cart pillar.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the connection structure of the first finger and the first sliding gripper, and the second finger and the second sliding gripper, with the upper part of the robot body of the unmanned transport robot according to one embodiment of the present invention omitted.

[0036] Figure 5 is a plan view of the unmanned transport robot illustrated in Figure 3;

[0037] Figure 6 is a plan view of Figure 3;

[0038] Figure 7 is a front view of Figure 5;

[0039] Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the state in which the first finger and the second finger slide to both sides by the driving of the first sliding gripper and the second sliding gripper in the state of Fig. 6, and the gripping state of the bogie pillar is released.

[0040] Figure 9 is a bottom view of Figure 6;

[0041] FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are a plan view and a perspective view for explaining the operation of a grip detection sensor and a collision avoidance sensor provided in an unmanned transport robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the connection structure of the first finger and the first rotating gripper, and the second finger and the second rotating gripper, with the upper part of the robot body of the unmanned transport robot according to another embodiment of the present invention omitted.

[0043] Figure 13 is a plan view of Figure 12;

[0044] Fig. 14 is a plan view showing the state in which the first finger and the second finger are rotated to both sides by the driving of the first rotating gripper and the second rotating gripper in the state of Fig. 12, and the gripping state of the bogie column is released.

[0045] FIG. 15 is a plan view for explaining the operation of a grip detection sensor and a collision avoidance sensor provided in an unmanned transport robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Fig. 16 is a bottom view showing a steering mechanism for adjusting the angle of a steering wheel provided on the bottom surface of an unmanned transport robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] ** Explanation of symbols **

[0048] 10: Unmanned transport robot 11: Robot body

[0049] 12,13,14,15: Caster 16, 17: Driving wheel

[0050] 20: Cart 20A: Docking surface of cart

[0051] 21: Bogie body 22,23,24,25: Bogie pillars

[0052] 26,27,28,29: Rotating caster 100,100': Unmanned transport robot

[0053] 100A: Docking surface of the robot 110: Robot body

[0054] 111: Lidar sensor 112,113: Damper

[0055] 121,122: Swivel caster 130: First driving wheel

[0056] 131: First driving wheel drive motor 131a: First rotation shaft

[0057] 140: Second driving wheel 141: Second driving wheel drive motor

[0058] 141a: Second rotation axis 150: First finger

[0059] 151,161: Straight section 152,162: Bend section

[0060] 151a, 152a, 161a, 162a: Column fracture surface 153: Fastening member insertion hole

[0061] 160: Second finger 170: First sliding gripper

[0062] 171: 1st drive unit 172: 1st shaft

[0063] 173: First shaft guide 174: First sliding member

[0064] 175: First sliding member guide 176: First connecting member

[0065] 177: First finger mounting member 178,178a,178b: First grip detection sensor

[0066] 179: First collision detection sensor 180: Second sliding gripper

[0067] 181: Second drive unit 182: Second shaft

[0068] 183: Second shaft guide 184: Second sliding member

[0069] 185: Second sliding member guide 186: Second connecting member

[0070] 187: Second finger mounting member 188,188a,188b: Second grip detection sensor

[0071] 189: Second collision detection sensor 190: Steering mechanism

[0072] 191: Actuator 192: Rod

[0073] 193: First hinge 194: First link

[0074] 195: Second hinge 196: Second link

[0075] 197: Third hinge 198: Third link

[0076] 200,200': Unmanned transport robot 200A: Docking surface of the robot

[0077] 210: Robot body 212,213: Damper

[0078] 250: 1st finger 251: Straight part

[0079] 252: Bend section 253: Fastening member insertion hole

[0080] 260: Second finger 270: First rotating gripper

[0081] 271: First drive unit 272: First reduction gear

[0082] 272a: First rotation axis 273: First rotation member

[0083] 274: First finger mounting member 275: First grip detection sensor

[0084] 276: First collision detection sensor 280: Second rotating gripper

[0085] 281: Second drive unit 282: Second reduction gear

[0086] 282a: Second rotation axis 283: Second rotation member

[0087] 284: Second finger mounting member 285: Second grip detection sensor

[0088] 286: Second collision detection sensor

[0089] The configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0090] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an unmanned transport robot (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to transport a cart (20) in a tow manner. The unmanned transport robot (100) moves the cart (20) by pulling it forward (downward with respect to FIG. 2) and moves it backward (upward with respect to FIG. 2) from a final position to dock the cart (20) to a target point equipment.

[0091] The above-mentioned cart (20) is equipped with cart pillars (22, 23, 24, 25) which are installed in an upright state at each corner of the cart body (21) on which the load is loaded, and the unmanned transport robot (100) is configured to transport the cart (20) by pulling it while gripping a pair of cart pillars (22, 23) installed on both sides of the front of the cart (20) with a pair of fingers (150, 160).

[0092] The lower corners of the above-mentioned cart (20) are each equipped with a rotating caster (26, 27, 28, 29) that rotates while in contact with the ground.

[0093] In a state where the above unmanned transport robot (100) and the cart (20) are combined, the rear end surface of the robot body (110) facing the cart (20) is referred to as the robot docking surface (100A), and the front end surface of the cart (20) facing the unmanned transport robot (100) is referred to as the cart docking surface (20A).

[0094] The robot body (110) is provided with a pair of driving wheels (130, 140) positioned on both ends of the robot docking surface (100A) and driven for rotation in a differential drive manner. Here, the differential drive means a driving method in which the pair of driving wheels (130, 140) are individually driven for rotation by each driving wheel drive motor (131, 141; FIG. 9), and the rotation speeds of the pair of driving wheels (130, 140) positioned on both sides are differentially controlled in response to the rotation angle during rotational driving, thereby enabling smooth rotational driving.

[0095] In this way, by configuring the pair of driving wheels (130, 140) to be positioned at both ends of the robot docking surface (100A), the turning radius of the cart (20) can be reduced when the cart (20) rotates, thereby improving the docking precision of the cart (20). That is, by positioning the pair of driving wheels (130, 140) as close as possible to the cart (20), the turning radius of the rear end of the cart (20) is reduced when the unmanned transport robot (100) rotates according to the differential drive of the pair of driving wheels (130, 140), thereby enabling the cart (20) to be docked with high precision in a state close to the final docking position.

[0096] At least one rotary caster (121, 122) that is driven and rotates by the rotation of the pair of driving wheels (130, 140) is provided on the bottom surface of the robot body (110) at a position spaced apart from the pair of driving wheels (130, 140). In one embodiment, the rotary casters (121, 122) may be provided as a pair at the center of the front portion of the bottom surface of the robot body (110).

[0097] The above pair of fingers (150, 160) is configured to grip a pair of cart pillars (22, 23) provided in an upright state on both ends of the cart docking surface (20A) of the cart (20) facing the robot docking surface (100A), or to release the gripped state.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 3, a lidar sensor (111) may be provided on one upper side of the unmanned transport robot (100) to measure the position coordinates of a reflector by shooting a laser pulse in the direction of travel and measuring the time it takes for the laser pulse to be reflected and returned while transporting the cart (20).

[0099] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, in one embodiment, the bogie pillars (22, 23) of the bogie (20) may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a length in the vertical direction, and the pair of fingers (150, 160) may be formed by a straight portion (151, 161; FIG. 5) located on the outside of the pair of bogie pillars (22, 23) and having a length in the front-back direction, and a bent portion (152, 162) formed by bending and extending in a direction toward the bogie pillars (22, 23) from the rear end of the straight portion (151, 161), respectively. On one side of the straight portion (151, 161) and the bent portion (152, 162) that come into contact with the bogie pillar (22, 23), a cushion member (151a, 152a, 161a, 162a) having elasticity can be provided so as to stably grip the bogie pillar (22, 23).

[0100] In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the robot docking surface (100A) of the robot body (110) may be provided with a damper (112, 113) having elasticity that protrudes in the direction toward the cart (20) and stably supports the cart docking surface (20A).

[0101] The above pair of fingers (150, 160) is composed of a first finger (150) provided on one side of the rear portion of the robot body (110) and gripping a cart pillar (22) provided on one side of the docking portion of the cart (20), and a second finger (160) provided on the other side of the rear portion of the robot body (110) and gripping a cart pillar (23) provided on the other side of the docking portion of the cart (20).

[0102] The first finger (150) and second finger (160) are driven to move back and forth in the left and right directions by a pair of grippers (170, 180).

[0103] In this embodiment, the pair of grippers (170, 180) may be configured as a pair of sliding grippers (170, 180) that slide the pair of fingers (150, 160) in a mutually approaching direction to grip the pair of bogie columns (22, 23) as shown in FIG. 6, or that slide the pair of fingers (150, 160) in a mutually spaced direction to release the gripped state of the pair of bogie columns (22, 23) as shown in FIG. 8.

[0104] The above pair of sliding grippers (170, 180) is composed of a first sliding gripper (170) that moves the first finger (150) in the left-right direction, and a second sliding gripper (180) that moves the second finger (160) in the left-right direction.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 7, the first sliding gripper (170) may include a first driving unit (171), a first shaft (172) that reciprocates by driving the first driving unit (171), a first shaft guide (173) that guides the reciprocating movement of the first shaft (172), a first sliding member (174) that is coupled to the first shaft (172) and reciprocates integrally, a first sliding member guide (175) that guides the reciprocating movement of the first sliding member (174), a first connecting member (176) that is coupled to the first sliding member (174), and a first finger mounting member (177) that is coupled to the first connecting member (176) and has a first finger (150) mounted thereon.

[0106] The second sliding gripper (180) is located below the first sliding gripper (170) and may be provided with a structure symmetrical left and right with respect to the first sliding gripper (170).

[0107] The second sliding gripper (180) may include a second driving unit (181), a second shaft (182) that reciprocates by driving the second driving unit (181), a second shaft guide (183) that guides the reciprocating movement of the second shaft (182), a second sliding member (184) that is coupled to the second shaft (122) and reciprocates integrally, a second sliding member guide (185) that guides the reciprocating movement of the second sliding member (184), a second connecting member (186) that is coupled to the second sliding member (184), and a second finger mounting member (187) that is coupled to the second connecting member (186) and has a second finger (150) mounted thereon.

[0108] Meanwhile, the pair of fingers (150, 160) are detachably coupled to the pair of finger mounting members (174, 184) so ​​that the mounting positions in the front-back direction and the up-down direction can be adjusted. In one embodiment, as illustrated in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, a fastening member insertion hole (153) having a longitudinal length in the front-back direction into which a fastening member (not shown) such as a bolt is inserted is formed in the straight portion (151) of the first finger (150), and a plurality of fastening holes (not shown) may be formed in the first finger mounting member (177) at positions spaced apart in the front-back direction and the up-down direction so that a fastening member passing through the fastening member insertion hole (153) can be fastened.

[0109] This configuration can be applied to the second finger (160) with the same structure.

[0110] Accordingly, even if the size and height of the bogie pillars (22, 23) are different depending on the specifications of the bogie (20), the position and height at which a pair of fingers (150, 160) are mounted on a pair of finger mounting members (174, 184) can be adjusted, so that it can be compatiblely applied to bogie pillars (22, 23) of various sizes and heights.

[0111] Referring to Fig. 9, the casters provided on the bottom of the cart (20) and the unmanned transport robot (100) are not fixed casters but rather rotating casters (26, 27, 28, 29, 121, 122).

[0112] Taking the rotary caster (26) provided on the above-mentioned cart (20) as an example, the center line (L1) along which the wheel rotates in the driving direction and the center line (L2) of the bearing (26a) that rotates left and right are eccentric in the front-back direction, and the rotary caster (121, 122) provided on the above-mentioned unmanned transport robot (100) also has the center line (L3) along which the wheel rotates in the driving direction and the center line (L4) of the bearing (121a, 122a) that rotates left and right are eccentric in the front-back direction.

[0113] By applying the rotary casters (26, 27, 28, 29, 121, 122) to the cart (20) and the unmanned transport robot (100) in this way, smooth rotational driving is possible when changing direction when the unmanned transport robot (100) transports the cart (20) by towing.

[0114] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the robot body (110) includes a pair of fingers (150, 160) and a pair of grip detection sensors (178, 188) for detecting whether a pair of cart columns (22, 23) are gripped or released.

[0115] The above pair of grip detection sensors (178, 188) may be composed of a plurality of grip detection sensors (178a, 178b, 188a, 188b) positioned spaced apart from each other on both sides. When the plurality of grip detection sensors (178a, 178b, 188a, 188b) output a signal indicating that they have detected both pairs of bogie columns (22, 23), it is determined that the pair of fingers (150, 160) are gripping the pair of bogie columns (22, 23), and when the plurality of grip detection sensors (178a, 178b, 188a, 188b) output a signal indicating that they have not detected both pairs of bogie columns (22, 23), it is determined that the pair of fingers (150, 160) are released from gripping the pair of bogie columns (22, 23), and thus the operation of the pair of grippers (170, 180, 270, 280) can be controlled.

[0116] It includes a pair of collision detection sensors (179, 189) mounted on the pair of fingers (150, 160) or grippers (170, 180, 270, 280) and configured to detect whether there is an object that may collide with the cart (20) on both sides of the cart (20) being towed.

[0117] When at least one of the pair of collision detection sensors (179, 189) outputs a signal detecting the presence of the counterpart, the operation of the pair of driving wheels (130, 140) is controlled to stop, thereby preventing the bogie (20) and the load loaded thereon from colliding with the counterpart and being damaged in advance.

[0118] Hereinafter, the configuration of an unmanned transport robot (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. In this embodiment, a cart (20) having the same configuration as the aforementioned embodiment can be applied.

[0119] In the present embodiment, a pair of fingers (250, 260) for gripping the bogie pillars (22, 23) of the bogie (20) are also included, and a pair of grippers (270, 280) for moving the pair of fingers (250, 260) are also included. In addition, a damper (212, 213) having elasticity that protrudes in a direction toward the bogie (20) and stably supports the bogie docking surface (20A) of the robot body (210) may be provided.

[0120] The above pair of fingers (250, 260) is composed of a first finger (250) provided on one side of the rear portion of the robot body (110) and gripping a cart pillar (22) provided on one side of the docking portion of the cart (20), and a second finger (260) provided on the other side of the rear portion of the robot body (110) and gripping a cart pillar (23) provided on the other side of the docking portion of the cart (20).

[0121] The above pair of grippers (270, 280) is composed of a pair of rotating grippers (270, 280) that rotate a pair of fingers (250, 260) in a mutually approaching direction to grip a pair of bogie columns (22, 23) as shown in FIG. 13, or that rotate a pair of fingers (250, 260) in a mutually spaced direction to release the gripped state of a pair of bogie columns (22, 23) as shown in FIG. 14.

[0122] The above pair of rotating grippers (270, 280) is composed of a first rotating gripper (270) that rotates the first finger (250) and a second rotating gripper (280) that rotates the second finger (260).

[0123] The first rotating gripper (270) may include a first driving unit (271), a first reducer (272) connected to the first driving unit (271), a first rotating member (273) that rotates around a rotational axis (272a) of the first reducer (272) by driving the first driving unit (271), and a first finger mounting member (274) that is coupled to the first rotating member (273) and on which the first finger (250) is mounted.

[0124] The second rotating gripper (280) is provided with a structure symmetrical to the first rotating gripper (270), and may include a second driving unit (281), a second reducer (282) connected to the second driving unit (281), a second rotating member (283) that rotates around a rotational axis (282a) of the second reducer (282) by the driving of the second driving unit (281), and a second finger mounting member (284) that is coupled to the second rotating member (283) and on which the second finger (260) is mounted.

[0125] As in the above-described embodiment, in this embodiment, a pair of fingers (250, 260) can be detachably coupled to a pair of finger mounting members (274, 284) so ​​as to enable adjustment of the mounting positions in the forward and backward directions and the up and down directions.

[0126] As shown in an enlarged view in Fig. 12, a fastening member insertion hole (253) having a longitudinal length in the front-back direction into which a fastening member (not shown) such as a bolt is inserted is formed in the straight portion (251) of the first finger (250), and a plurality of fastening holes (not shown) may be formed in the first finger mounting member (274) at positions spaced apart in the front-back direction and up-down direction so that a fastening member passing through the fastening member insertion hole (253) may be fastened.

[0127] This configuration can be applied to the second finger (260) with the same structure.

[0128] Accordingly, even if the size and height of the bogie pillars (22, 23) are different depending on the specifications of the bogie (20), the position and height at which a pair of fingers (250, 260) are mounted on a pair of finger mounting members (274, 284) can be adjusted, so that it can be compatible with bogie pillars (22, 23) of various sizes and heights.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 15, in this embodiment, as in the embodiment described above, the robot body (210) includes a pair of fingers (250, 260) and a pair of grip detection sensors (275, 285) for detecting a state in which a pair of cart pillars (22, 23) are gripped or released.

[0130] In addition, it includes a pair of collision detection sensors (276, 286) mounted on a pair of fingers (250, 260) or grippers (270, 280) and configured to detect whether there is an object that may collide with the cart (20) in the area on both sides of the cart (20) being towed.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 16, an unmanned transport robot (100', 200') according to another embodiment of the present invention includes all of the configurations of the unmanned transport robots (100, 200) of the above-described embodiments, and further includes a steering mechanism (190) that adjusts the driving direction angle of a pair of steering wheels (130, 140) to enable diagonal driving.

[0132] The above pair of driving wheels (130, 140) are provided at positions spaced apart from each other and are composed of a first driving wheel (130) and a second driving wheel (140) that are differentially driven and rotate. The first driving wheel (130) is driven by a first driving wheel driving motor (131), and the second driving wheel (140) is driven by a second driving wheel driving motor (141).

[0133] The above steering mechanism (190) comprises an actuator (191), a rod (192) that reciprocates left and right by driving the actuator (191), a first link (194) having a length in the front-back direction and having one end rotatably connected to an end of the rod (192) by a first hinge (193) and the other end coupled to a first rotation shaft (131a) that serves as a center of rotation for adjusting the driving direction angle of the first driving wheel (130) and the first driving wheel driving motor (131), a second link (196) having a length in the left-right direction and having one end rotatably connected to a middle portion of the first link (194) by a second hinge (195) and the other end rotatably connected to the other end of the second link (196) by a third hinge (197), and the other end is connected to the second driving wheel (140). It may include a third link (198) having a length in the front-back direction and coupled to a second rotation axis (141a) that serves as a rotation center for adjusting the driving direction angle of the second driving wheel driving motor (141).

[0134] According to the configuration of the steering mechanism (190) as described above, the docking precision of the bogie can be improved, so that the bogie can be accurately and quickly transported to the set final docking position.

[0135] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, the detailed description of the invention, and the attached drawings, and these also belong to the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned transport robot that transports a cart loaded with goods by towing. A pair of driving wheels provided on the robot body so as to be positioned on both sides of the robot docking surface facing the above-mentioned cart and rotated in a differential manner; A pair of fingers for gripping a pair of cart columns provided in an upright state on both ends of the cart docking surface of the cart facing the robot docking surface; A pair of grippers that drive the pair of fingers to grip or release the gripping state of the pair of bogie columns; and At least one rotary caster provided on the robot body at a position spaced apart from the pair of driving wheels and rotated by rotation of the pair of driving wheels; An unmanned transport robot including:

2. In paragraph 1, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that the pair of grippers comprises a pair of sliding grippers that slide the pair of fingers in a mutually approaching direction to grip the pair of bogie columns, or slide the pair of fingers in a mutually spaced direction to release the gripped state of the pair of bogie columns.

3. In paragraph 1, The above pair of sliding grippers is an unmanned transport robot including a pair of driving units, a pair of shafts that reciprocate by driving the pair of driving units, a pair of sliding members that are coupled to the pair of shafts and reciprocate as a unit, a pair of connecting members that are coupled to the pair of sliding members, and a pair of finger mounting members that are coupled to the pair of connecting members and on which the pair of fingers are mounted.

4. In paragraph 1, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that the pair of grippers comprises a pair of rotating grippers that rotate the pair of fingers in a mutually approaching direction to grip the pair of bogie columns, or rotate the pair of fingers in a mutually spaced direction to release the gripped state of the pair of bogie columns.

5. In paragraph 4, The above pair of rotating grippers is an unmanned transport robot including a pair of driving units, a pair of rotating members that rotate by driving of the pair of driving units, and a pair of finger mounting members that are coupled to the pair of rotating members and on which the pair of fingers are mounted.

6. In paragraph 3 or paragraph 5, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that the pair of fingers are detachably connected to the pair of finger mounting members so that the mounting positions in the forward and backward directions and the mounting positions in the up and down directions can be adjusted, and the position and height can be adjusted according to the size and height of the cart pillar.

7. In paragraph 1, The above pair of driving wheels are provided on both sides of the rear bottom of the robot body, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that at least one of the above-mentioned rotary casters is provided in the left-right middle portion of the front bottom surface of the robot body.

8. In paragraph 1, An unmanned transport robot comprising a pair of grip detection sensors for detecting whether the pair of fingers are gripping or releasing the pair of bogie columns.

9. In paragraph 8, The above pair of grip detection sensors is composed of a plurality of grip detection sensors positioned spaced apart from each other on both sides, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that when the plurality of grip detection sensors output a signal that detects all of the pair of bogie columns, it is determined that the pair of fingers are gripping the pair of bogie columns, and when the plurality of grip detection sensors output a signal that does not detect all of the pair of bogie columns, it is determined that the state in which the pair of fingers are gripping the pair of bogie columns is released, and the operation of the pair of grippers is controlled.

10. In paragraph 1, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that it includes a pair of collision detection sensors mounted on the pair of fingers or grippers and configured to detect whether an object capable of colliding with the cart exists in the area on both sides of the cart being towed.

11. In paragraph 10, An unmanned transport robot characterized in that the operation of the pair of driving wheels is controlled to stop when at least one of the pair of collision detection sensors outputs a signal detecting the presence of the counterpart.

12. In paragraph 1, An unmanned transport robot further comprising a steering mechanism that enables diagonal driving by adjusting the driving direction angle of the pair of driving wheels.

13. In paragraph 12, The above pair of driving wheels are provided at positions spaced apart on both sides and are composed of a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel that rotate in a differential manner. The first driving wheel is driven by the first driving wheel driving motor, and the second driving wheel is driven by the second driving wheel driving motor. The steering mechanism is an unmanned transport robot including an actuator, a rod that reciprocates left and right by driving the actuator, a first link having one end rotatably connected to an end of the rod by a first hinge portion and the other end coupled to a first rotational shaft that serves as a center of rotation for adjusting a driving direction angle of the first driving wheel and the first driving wheel drive motor and having a length in the front-back direction, a second link having one end rotatably connected to a middle portion of the first link by a second hinge portion and having a length in the left-right direction, and a third link having one end rotatably connected to the other end of the second link by a third hinge portion and the other end coupled to a second rotational shaft that serves as a center of rotation for adjusting a driving direction angle of the second driving wheel and the second driving wheel drive motor and having a length in the front-back direction.

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