JP2001175331A - Automated guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and inexpensive automated guided vehicle by realizing straight traveling and steering traveling by the same system. SOLUTION: The automated guided vehicle 1 is provided with a right motor 11 for driving a right front wheel 6, a left motor 12 for driving a left front wheel 7 and a controller for driving both the motors 11, 12. Then the right and left motors 6, 7 are driven only by the same number of driving pulses at the straight traveling of the vehicle 1 to control the right and left front wheels 11, 12 at the same rotational frequency by the controller and the driving pulse of the right motor 11 is made different from that of the left motor 11 at the time of steering of the vehicle 1 to make the revolving speed of the right front wheel 11 different from that of the left front wheel 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle, and more particularly, to a small automatic guided vehicle that can automatically move within a work area.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an automatic guided vehicle that performs various types of transport work in a factory has a traveling mechanism that drives and drives a driving wheel and a steering mechanism that changes the angle of the driving wheel to perform steering. The traveling mechanism and the steering mechanism enable straight traveling and steering.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional automatic guided vehicle, the traveling and the steering are performed by two independent mechanisms, ie, a traveling mechanism and a steering mechanism. In addition to requiring space for installing the two mechanisms, a large driving force is required to drive the two mechanisms, and a large-capacity battery is also required. However, there is a problem that the mechanism becomes complicated and the cost increases accordingly.

In addition, when the size of the unmanned transfer device is increased, the minimum turning radius is increased, and there is a problem that the transfer operation in a narrow work space becomes difficult.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized and low-cost automatic guided vehicle by enabling straight traveling and steering traveling to be realized by the same system.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In order to solve the above problems, in an automatic guided vehicle capable of traveling by transmitting power to a right driving wheel and a left driving wheel, a right motor and a left driving wheel for driving the right driving wheel are driven. A left motor, and driving means for driving the right motor and the left motor. The driving means drives the right motor and the left motor by the same driving pulse during straight running to drive the right driving wheel and the left driving wheel. And the driving pulses of the right motor and the left motor are made different at the time of steering to provide a difference between the rotation speeds of the right driving wheel and the left driving wheel.

In this case, the conventional steering mechanism is abolished, and a system for driving the drive wheels in a straight line and a system for turning are constituted by a single system (drive means, right motor, left motor). By eliminating the need for a battery having a large capacity, the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced in size and cost. In addition, since the size of the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced, the minimum turning radius of the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced, and work can be performed in a narrow work space.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detecting means for detecting a tape stuck on a floor of a work area, and the driving means comprises The right motor and the left motor are driven based on detection information from the detection means.

In this case, the automatic guided vehicle can travel along the tape attached to the floor of the work area, so that the automatic guided vehicle can travel automatically.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the detecting means comprises an optical sensor, and when the tape is irradiated with light, It is characterized by detecting the reflected light from the.

In this case, the tape can be recognized with a simple configuration including an optical sensor, and the automatic guided vehicle can be automatically driven with a simple and low-cost configuration.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the first aspect of the present invention,
An automatic switch for automatically controlling the right motor and the left motor by the driving means and a manual switch for manually controlling the right motor and the left motor by manual operation are provided.

In this case, when the automatic guided vehicle travels in an area where there is no tape, the manual switch can be operated to set the automatic guided vehicle in the manual mode, and in the area where the tape is attached, the automatic switch is activated. Since the automatic guided vehicle can be operated to set the automatic guided vehicle in the automatic mode, it is possible to prevent the operation area of the automated guided vehicle from being limited, and to obtain an automatic guided vehicle with high use performance.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the first aspect of the present invention,
A display means is provided for displaying when the detection means detects the tape.

In this case, the display is performed when the automatic guided vehicle is located in the operation area where the tape is located, so that the switching timing from the manual switch to the automatic switch can be easily visually recognized.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 6 are views showing an embodiment of an unmanned transfer device according to the present invention.

First, the configuration will be described. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an unmanned transport device.
A lower frame 2, a skirt portion 3 extending downward from a side surface of the lower frame 2, and an upper frame 4 provided on the lower frame 2 are provided.

The skirt portion 2 accommodates a driven rear wheel 5 (actually two, but only one is shown), a driving right front wheel (right driving wheel) 6 and a left front wheel (left driving wheel) 7. The front right wheel 6 and the front left wheel 7 are housed in a wheel cover 8 housed in the skirt portion 3, and the wheel cover 8 is rotatably connected to the lower frame 2 via a bearing member 9.

The right front wheel 6 and the left front wheel 7 are connected to an axle 10 so as to be independently rotatable, and both ends of the axle 10 are rotatably connected to a wheel cover 8. Further, a right motor 11 and a left motor 12 are respectively mounted on the right front wheel 6 and the left front wheel 7 by a chain drive 13,
The right front wheel 6 and the left front wheel 7 are independently driven by respective motors 11 and 12 via chain drives 13 and 14.

A battery 16 is provided in the upper frame 4, and the battery 16 is mounted on the lower frame 2. Further, a transparent opening / closing cover 15 is provided on the upper frame 4 so as to be openable and closable, and a battery 16 can be attached to and detached from the upper frame 4 when the opening / closing cover 15 is opened.

The battery 16 is connected via a wire harness 17 and a connector 18 to a control panel box 19 provided on the side surface of the upper frame 4, and the connector 18 is connected to a controller housed in the control panel box 19. (Drive means). Also. This controller is connected to a right motor 11 and a left motor 12 via a wire harness (not shown).

On the other hand, the wheel cover 8 is provided with a plurality of optical sensors (including a light emitting element and a light receiving element) 20a to 20c, and the optical sensors 20a to 20c are arranged on the floor of the work area as shown in FIG. The central tape 21a, the right tape 21b, and the left tape 21c made of an aluminum reflective tape attached to the surface are irradiated with light, and the reflected light from the tapes 21a to 21c is detected, and the controller is connected via a wire harness (not shown). To output a signal.

The controller drives the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 based on the output signals of the optical sensors 20a to 20c. More specifically, the controller drives the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 by the same drive pulse during the straight traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1 to control the rotation speeds of the right front wheel 6 and the left front wheel 7 to be the same. When the vehicle 1 is steered, the drive pulses of the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 are made different to provide a difference in the rotation speeds of the right front wheel 6 and the left front wheel 7.

An optical sensor (including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element) 22 for preventing collision is provided at the front end of the lower frame 2 (in front of the transport vehicle 1). Upon detection, the detection information is output to the controller. Based on this output information, the controller controls the motors 11 and 11 immediately before the automatic guided vehicle 1 collides with an obstacle.
The unmanned transfer device 1 is stopped by stopping the drive of the unit 12.

A patrol light is provided above the upper frame 4.
A light 23 and a speaker 24 are provided, and the patrol light 23 and the speaker 24 are driven and controlled by a controller.

An operation panel 25 is provided on the top of the upper frame 4. The operation panel 25 is used to automatically / manually switch the operation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 with a power switch 26 for driving the automatic guided vehicle 1. Manual automatic changeover switch (automatic switch,
A manual switch) 27, a pilot lamp (display means) 28a for performing a display based on a command from the controller when the optical sensor 20a detects the center tape 21a, and a pilot lamp 28b which is turned on when the power is turned on. ,
There are provided a clockwise switch 29 which is depressed when the unmanned conveyance device 1 is steered to the right during manual operation, and a counterclockwise switch 30 which is depressed when the steering is performed to the left.

Each of the switches 26 to 30 is connected to a switch controller in an operation panel box 31 provided on the upper frame 4, and this switch controller is connected to a controller in the control panel box 19 by each of the switches 26 to 30.
Is output.

The patrol light 23 is turned on at the time of emergency stop or stop at a set position based on a command signal from the controller. In addition, the controller outputs a warning sound from the speaker 24 when an obstacle is detected by the optical sensor 22 and plays music notifying the surroundings that the unmanned transport device 1 is traveling when traveling. . The music is output from the speaker 24 by playing music data stored in a RAM or a ROM provided in the controller.

A towing hook 32 is provided at the rear end of the lower frame 2 (behind the transporting vehicle 1), and a carriage or the like can be hooked on the towing hook 32 so that a large amount of cargo can be transported. it can. In the present embodiment, the width of the lower frame 2 is set to approximately 250 mm to 400 mm, the length of the lower frame 2 where the skirt portion 3 is provided is set to approximately 650 mm, and the lower frame 2 except for the skirt portion 3 is set. The length of the frame 2 is set to about 150 mm. In FIG. 1A,
Reference numeral 33 denotes an operation handle for gripping the automatic guided vehicle 1 when operating the automatic guided vehicle 1.

Next, the transfer control of the automatic guided vehicle 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG.
6 are control programs stored in the ROM of the controller and executed by the controller.

First, a truck or the like loaded with luggage is pulled by a towing hook 32.
After selecting the transfer route of the automatic guided vehicle 1 (step S1), when the power switch 26 is turned on, the pilot lamp 28b is turned on (step S2). Next, when the manual automatic changeover switch 27 is turned on, the mode is switched to the automatic mode (step S3), and the optical sensor 20a
It is determined whether 21a has been detected (step S4).

At this time, if the automatic guided vehicle 1 is not on the tape 21a, the flow shifts to the flowchart of FIG. 5, in which the pilot lamp 28a is not turned on and the manual automatic changeover switch 27 is automatically turned off to set the manual mode. Switch to
A manual operation is performed (step S31).

At this time, when the clockwise switch 29 is pressed, the right motor 11 is driven, the right front wheel 6 is rotated, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is turned left (steps S32 and S33). Next, it is further determined whether or not the clockwise switch 29 has been pressed (step S34), and if it has been pressed, steps S32 and S33.
The process is repeated to turn the automatic guided vehicle 1 to the left, and if not, the right motor 21 is stopped to stop the right front wheel 6 (step S35).

When the counterclockwise switch 30 is depressed, the left motor 12 is driven to rotate the left front wheel 7 and the automatic guided vehicle 1
Is turned right (steps S36 and S37). Next, it is determined whether or not the counterclockwise switch 30 has been pressed (step S38). If the switch has been pressed, the processes of steps S36 and S37 are repeated to turn the automatic guided vehicle 1 right. Stops the left motor 12 and stops the left front wheel 7 (step S38). When the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels straight, the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 are simultaneously driven with the same drive pulse to rotate the right front wheel 6 and the left rear wheel 7 at the same rotation speed.

On the other hand, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is on the tape 21a in step S4, automatic traveling starts along the tape 21a and the patrol light 23 is turned on (step S4).
5, S6). Next, it is determined whether or not to branch (step S7). If the branch is made, the right motor 11 or the left motor 12 is forcibly driven (step S8).

Next, it is determined whether or not the automatic guided vehicle 1 is on the tape 21a (step S9). If it is on the tape 21a, it is determined whether or not the automatic guided vehicle 1 is running (step S10). If the vehicle is not running, after outputting a warning sound from the speaker 24 (step S11), the process proceeds to step S7 to forcibly drive the right motor 11 or the left motor 12 to position the automatic guided vehicle 1 on the tape 21a. To move.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that the automatic guided vehicle 1 is running smoothly on the tape 21a, if it is running, the speaker 2 is turned on as shown in FIG.
The carrier music is output from 4 (step S12).

Next, based on the ON / OFF signal from the optical sensor 22, it is determined whether or not the automatic guided vehicle 1 may collide with an obstacle (step S13).
If N, it is determined that there is a risk of colliding with an obstacle, so that the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 are stopped to stop the automatic guided vehicle 1, and the speaker 24 is alerted by O.
N is output (step S14).

On the other hand, when the output of the optical sensor 22 is OFF, it is determined that the automatic guided vehicle 1 does not collide with an obstacle, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is determined based on the detection information from the optical sensor 20a.
Is on the tape 21a and the pilot lamp 28a is lit (step S15).

When the automatic guided vehicle 1 is on the tape 21a, the optical sensor 20c detects the left tape 21c and
b does not detect the right tape 21b (step S1).
6) The right motor 11 is driven to turn the automatic guided vehicle 1 left (step S17).

Next, it is determined whether or not the optical sensor 20a has detected a set stop position (for example, a portion A in FIG. 3) from the tape information of the central tape 21a (step S18). To step S7
When the set stop position is detected, the patrol light 23 is turned on and a warning sound is output from the speaker 24 (step S19), and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is stopped.

On the other hand, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is on the tape 21a in step S15, unless the optical sensor 20b detects the right tape 21b and the optical sensor 20c does not detect the left tape 21c (step S20), The left motor 12 is driven to turn the automatic guided vehicle 1 right (step S21).

Next, it is determined whether or not the optical sensor 20a has detected the set stop position from the tape information of the central tape 21a (step S18). If the set stop position has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S7 to stop the setting. When the position is detected, the patrol light 23 is turned on, a warning sound is output from the speaker 24 (step S19), and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is stopped.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that the automatic guided vehicle 1 is not on the tape 21a,
b detects the right tape 21b and the optical sensor 20c detects the left tape 21b.
When c is not detected and the optical sensor 20a does not detect the center tape 21a (step S22), the left motor 12 is driven to turn the automatic guided vehicle 1 right (step S23).

Next, it is determined whether or not a set time (this time measurement is measured by a timer provided in the controller) has passed (step S24). When the correction is performed and the set time has elapsed, it is determined that the automatic guided vehicle 1 has derailed from the work line (central tape 21a), and the
23 is turned on and a warning sound is output from the speaker 24 (step S25), and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is stopped.

If it is determined in step S15 that the automatic guided vehicle 1 is not on the tape 21a, the optical sensor 20
c detects the left tape 21c and the optical sensor 20b detects the right tape 21c.
When b is not detected and the optical sensor 20a does not detect the center tape 21a (step S26), the right motor 11 is driven to turn the automatic guided vehicle 1 left (step S23).

Next, it is determined whether or not the set time has elapsed (step S24). If the set time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S7 to correct the trajectory. 1 is the work line (central tape 21
When it is determined that the vehicle has derailed from a), the patrol light 23 is turned on, a warning sound is output from the speaker 24 (step S25), and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is stopped.

As described above, the present embodiment includes the right motor 11 for driving the right front wheel 6 and the left motor 12 for driving the left front wheel 7, and the controller for driving the right motor 11 and the left motor 12. Thereby, the right motor 6 and the left motor 7 are driven by the same drive pulse when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is traveling straight, and the rotation speeds of the right front wheel 11 and the left front wheel 12 are controlled to be the same. By providing a difference in the rotation speed of the right front wheel 11 and the left front wheel 12 by making the drive pulses of the motor 11 and the left motor 12 different, a system in which the conventional steering mechanism is eliminated and the drive wheels travel straight A single system (controller, right motor 11
And the left motor 12), a large-capacity battery is not required, and the size and cost of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be reduced. Further, since the size of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be reduced, the minimum turning radius of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be reduced, and work can be performed in a narrow work space.

Also, a tape attached to the floor of the work area
It has optical sensors 20a to 20c that detect 21a to 21c, and the controller drives the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 based on the detection information from the optical sensors 20a to 20c. The automatic guided vehicle 1 can travel along the tapes 21a to 21c thus set, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 can automatically travel.

Further, since the detecting means is constituted by the optical sensors 21a to 21c, the tapes 21a to 21c can be recognized with a simple structure, and the automatic traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be performed with a simple and low-cost structure. Can be.

Further, since the automatic motor changeover switch 27 for automatically controlling the right motor 11 and the left motor 12 by a controller or manually controlling the motor by a manual operation is provided, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels in an area without the tapes 21a to 21c. Can operate the automatic automatic switch 27 to put the automatic guided vehicle 1 into the manual mode,
In the area where 21c is attached, the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be set to the automatic mode by operating the manual automatic switch 27. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the operation area of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from being limited, and to obtain an automatic guided vehicle with high use performance.

Further, since the pilot lamp 28a for displaying when the optical sensor 20a detects the center tape 21a is provided, the display can be performed when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is located in the operation area where the tapes 21a to 21c are located. The switching timing from the manual switch to the automatic switch can be easily visually recognized.

In this embodiment, the tapes 21a to 21c
Is composed of a reflective tape, but is not limited thereto, and may be composed of a white gum tape or the like. In short, any tape having a different illuminance or color from the floor surface such as a reflective tape or a colored tape may be used.

Further, the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is not limited to use in a factory, but may be applied to a vehicle that carries a child in an amusement park or the like.

[0056]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the conventional steering mechanism is abolished, and the system for driving the drive wheels in a straight line and the system for turning are integrated into a single system (drive means, right motor, left motor). By using the motor, a large-capacity battery is not required, and the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced in size and cost. In addition, since the size of the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced, the minimum turning radius of the automatic guided vehicle can be reduced, and work can be performed in a narrow work space.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the automatic guided vehicle can travel along the tape attached to the floor of the work area, so that the automatic guided vehicle can travel automatically.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the tape can be recognized with a simple configuration including the optical sensor, and the automatic traveling of the automatic guided vehicle can be performed with a simple and low-cost configuration.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the automatic guided vehicle travels in an area where there is no tape, the manual switch can be operated to set the automatic guided vehicle to the manual mode, and the tape is attached. By operating the automatic switch in the area where the automatic guided vehicle is set to the automatic mode, it is possible to prevent the operation area of the automatic guided vehicle from being restricted, and to realize an automatic guided vehicle with high use performance. Obtainable.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the display is performed when the automatic guided vehicle is located in the operation area where the tape is located, the switching timing from the manual switch to the automatic switch can be easily visually recognized. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a side view of the automatic guided vehicle and (b) is a front view thereof.

FIG. 2A is a configuration diagram of a main part around a driving wheel portion of one embodiment, FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a driving wheel and a motor,
(C) is a block diagram of the operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a line provided in a work area.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a transfer operation of the automatic guided vehicle according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a transfer operation of the automatic guided vehicle in a manual mode.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart following FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Automatic guided vehicle 6 Right front wheel (right driving wheel) 7 Left front wheel (left driving wheel) 11 Right motor 12 Left motor 20a-20c Optical sensor (detection means) 21a Central tape 21b Right tape 21c Left tape 27 Manual automatic changeover switch ( Manual switch, automatic switch) 28a Pilot lamp (display means)

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat II (Reference) B62D 11/04 B62D 11/04 A F-term (Reference) 3D030 EA24 EA36 3D032 CC13 CC48 DA63 DD09 EC21 GG07 3D052 AA03 BB08 DD01 EE04 FF03 GG05 GG07 HH03 JJ37 5H301 AA01 BB05 CC06 DD07 EE08 EE12 FF06 FF16 FF18 FF23 GG08 LL08 LL11

Claims (5)

[Claims] An automatic guided vehicle capable of traveling by transmitting power to a right driving wheel and a left driving wheel, comprising: a right motor driving the right driving wheel and a left motor driving the left driving wheel. A driving unit for driving the right motor and the left motor, and the driving unit drives the right motor and the left motor by the same driving pulse during straight running to rotate the right driving wheel and the left driving wheel. And the drive pulses of the right motor and the left motor are made different at the time of steering to provide a difference between the rotation speeds of the right drive wheel and the left drive wheel. A detecting means for detecting a tape attached to a floor of a work area, wherein the driving means drives the right motor and the left motor based on detection information from the detecting means. An unmanned guided vehicle. 3. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said detection means comprises an optical sensor, and detects light reflected from said tape when said tape is irradiated with light. 4. An automatic switch for automatically controlling the right motor and the left motor by the driving means, and a manual switch for manually controlling the right motor and the left motor by manual operation. Automatic guided vehicle described in. 5. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying when said detecting means detects said tape.