JP2005343195A - Truck transporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a truck transporting device able to cross another passage without hindrance without resorting to a large-scale facility nor having a restriction about the layout of a transporting line. <P>SOLUTION: The truck transporting device works with an arrangement that two guide pins 13 installed on a truck 10 are engaged with a main guide rail 12 laid on a truck running path 22 and runs the truck 10 on the transport line L while the truck 10 is kept in a constant attitude, in which the main guide rail 12 is divided by the passage T section intersecting the truck running path 22, wherein two auxiliary guide rails 23 and 24 are laid in positions nearer the operator and remote therefrom about the truck running direction F with the passage T interposed in such a manner as parallel with the main guide rail 12 and positioned on its two sides, and auxiliary guide pins 25 and 26 installed on each truck 10 are engaged alternately with the auxiliary guide rails 23 and 24, and the truck 10 is allowed to cross the passage T with the attitude maintained constantly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cart transport apparatus that uses a cart for transporting articles.

  In recent years, vehicle assembly factories do not require large-scale capital investment, and can cope with production changes and process changes relatively easily. Yes. FIG. 6 shows an example of an assembly line of such a cart assembly system. Two straight lines A and B are connected in a closed loop by one transport line L, and a number of lines arranged on the transport line L are connected. A product in which the carriage (assembly carriage) 10 is sequentially moved to a plurality of assembly steps set on each of the straight lines A and B, the necessary assembly is performed on the carriage 10, and the assembly on the subsequent straight line B is finished. After the vehicle is carried out from the cart 10, the empty cart 10 is returned to the head of the straight line A at the preceding stage.

  In such an assembly line of the bogie assembly system, the bogie transport device for running the bogie 10 is generally a simple vehicle having wheels (four wheels) 11 as the bogie 10 as shown in FIGS. The guide rail 12 laid on the floor along the conveying line L is engaged with two guide pins (guide members) 13 provided on the lower surface of the carriage 10 so as to be separated from each other in the traveling direction. 10 is made to travel along the guide rail 12 while being maintained in a fixed posture by the two guide pins 13. Here, the two guide pins 13 are provided on the carriage 10 in addition to maintaining the attitude of the carriage 10 to be constant, and the curved portions L set on both sides of the inter-line conveyance portion L ′ of the conveyance line L. ″ Is for smoothly running the curve. FIG. 8 shows the cart 10 that is traveling along the curved portion L ″. The cart 10 is guided by the two-point guide by the two guide pins 13. The vehicle 10 can be smoothly driven in a curve. As a driving method of the carriage 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a driving chain is formed in a pit 14 formed on the floor along the conveying line L. A traction system is often employed in which a conveyor 15 is disposed and a pusher 16 attached to the chain conveyor 15 is engaged with the two guide pins 13 to pull the carriage 10.

  By the way, in order to assemble with the above-described straight lines A and B, it is necessary to supply many assembly parts to each process. For this reason, for example, as shown in FIG. The part supply passage T may be set between the two. In this case, the inter-line conveyance portion L ′ of the conveyance line L crosses the passage T, and when using the cart conveyance device including the guide rail 12 and the guide pin 13 described above, the guide rail protruding on the floor. 12 is a major obstacle to the passage of the passage T.

  Therefore, conventionally, for example, the guide rail 12 is divided at the portion of the passage T, and during this time, the carriage 10 is caused to travel without a guide. However, in this case, since the guide pin 13 is disengaged from the restraint of the guide rail 12, the posture of the carriage 10 changes, and it becomes difficult to smoothly engage the guide pin 13 with the subsequent guide rail 12. Further, for example, the guide rail 12 is limited to a straight portion including the straight lines A and B, and a measure for transferring (traverse) between the two straight portions by a slat conveyor installed in the semi-basement, or between the two straight portions. There was also a measure to transfer it to an overhead conveyor at a high place, but with such a measure, the equipment becomes large and the installation cost increases, and in addition, it becomes a fixed facility, so the assembly line is modified (line extension, line shortening) Etc.) cannot be easily handled.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 9, the guide rail 2 laid along the wall surface 1 is divided at the portion of the passage 3, and the side of the carriage (self-propelled carriage) 4 has a carriage running direction. Three sets of guide rollers 5, 6, and 7 are arranged apart from each other, and the three sets of separation pitches P of these guide rollers (guide members) 5, 6, and 7 are larger than the cutting length W of the guide rail 2. An article conveying device (cart conveying device) set to a pitch is described. According to this device, two of the three sets of guide rollers 5, 6, and 7 are engaged with the guide rail 2 even in the passage 3, so that the carriage 4 crosses the passage 2 while maintaining the carriage 4 in a fixed posture. Can be made.

In addition, as this kind of trolley conveyance apparatus, there also exists what makes a trolley | bogie (AGV) self-propelled along the driving | running | working guidance tape laid on the floor surface (for example, refer patent document 2).
No. 7-42765 JP-A-6-329060

  However, according to the cart conveyance device described in Patent Document 1, the cart 4 travels with the guide rails 5, 6, 7 provided at the front and rear in the traveling direction engaged with the guide rail 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the curved portion L ″ exists in the transport line L, the curved portion L ″ cannot be traveled in a curve, so that it cannot be applied to the assembly line configured in the above-described closed loop. Become.

  In addition, according to the AGV type cart transport device, since the cart must be equipped with various mechanisms for self-propelling and steering, the cart itself is extremely expensive, and its maintenance is troublesome, and many carts are required. Cost is significantly increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described technical background, and the problem is that it does not depend on large-scale equipment and is not restricted by the layout of the transfer line, and without other obstacles. An object of the present invention is to provide a cart transport apparatus that can cross.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is a cart transport device that engages two guide members provided on a cart with a guide rail, and causes the cart to travel in a constant posture along the guide rail, A direction in which the guide rail is divided by a passage portion intersecting with the carriage travel path, in a direction parallel to the guide rail and intersecting the carriage travel direction, on the near side and the rear side of the carriage running direction across the passage portion. Two sub guide rails are disposed at different positions, and the carriage has at least two first sub guide members engageable with the front side sub guide rail and the back side sub guide rail. At least two second sub-guide members that can be engaged are provided with their positions shifted in the cart traveling direction, and the first sub-guide member and the second sub-guide member are located at the forefront with respect to the cart traveling direction. And the spacing between the guide members to each other as the last column, characterized by being larger than the width of the passage portion.

  In the cart conveyance device configured as described above, at a passage portion intersecting with the cart traveling path, one of at least two first sub guide members and at least two second sub guide members provided on the cart corresponds. By alternately engaging the sub guide rails, the passage portion can be traversed while maintaining the carriage in a fixed posture. In addition, since only the auxiliary guide rail and the auxiliary guide member are added, complicated and large-scale equipment is not required. Further, since the traveling guide of the carriage is performed by the engagement of the two guide members with the guide rail as in the conventional case, the carriage can be smoothly curved even if the conveyance line has a curved portion.

  According to the cart transportation device according to the present invention, it is possible to traverse other passages harmlessly by adding a simple member, so that the cost burden required for the installation is greatly reduced and the facility can be easily modified. It can correspond to. Further, since the carriage can be freely curved, the degree of freedom of the layout of the transfer line is increased. For example, it can be effectively applied to an assembly line configured in a closed loop, and its utility value is remarkably increased.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 4 show a cart transport apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention. The present cart transport device is applied to the cart assembly system assembly line shown in FIG. 6, and the basic configuration including the cart 10 having the wheels 11, the guide rails 12, and the guide pins (guide members) 13 is conventional. Since they are the same, here, the same parts as those shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the present embodiment, the cart 10 is provided with four wheels 11 on the lower surface of a rectangular cart body 20 in which a jig (not shown) for removably supporting a vehicle body as a workpiece is disposed on the upper surface. All of the four wheels 11 are attached to the carriage main body 20 so as to be able to turn around a vertical shaft 21 (FIG. 3), and the carriage 10 can freely travel in any direction. The guide rail 12 is installed on substantially the center line of the carriage traveling path 22 set along a conveying line L that connects the straight lines A and B (FIG. 6) in a closed loop. Here, the guide rail 12 includes a pair of opposing frames 12a with a predetermined gap, and two guide pins 13 on the cart 10 side are slidably inserted into the gap between the pair of frames 12a. . On the other hand, the two guide pins 13 are installed on the center line C in the width direction of the carriage 10 at a predetermined interval, whereby the carriage 10 is guided to the guide rail 12 while being guided at the center in the width direction. Then, the vehicle travels in the conveying direction (cart traveling direction) F in a fixed posture.

  The guide rail 12 is divided by the width W of the passage T at a portion of the passage T that intersects the carriage traveling path 22. In addition, two sub guide rails 23 and 24 are laid on a front side portion and a rear side portion with respect to the passage T on the carriage traveling path 22. The two sub guide rails 23 and 24 are arranged on both sides of the guide rail 12 (hereinafter referred to as the main guide rail 12) with one end aligned with the cut surface of the main guide rail 12, respectively. Each length is set so that the other end does not reach the curved portion L ″ of the transport line L. On the other hand, the sub-guide rail 23 on the near side (hereinafter referred to as the first guide rail 23) is provided on the lower surface of the carriage body 20. Two first sub-guide pins 25 that can be engaged with one sub-guide rail 23) and two second sub-guide rails 22 that can be engaged with the inner sub-guide rail 22 (hereinafter referred to as second sub-guide rail 22). 2 and a second sub guide pin 26. The first and second sub guide rails 23 and 24 are composed of a pair of frames 23a and 24a as in the case of the main guide rail 12 (FIG. 4). Two each 1, the second sub guide pins 25 and 26 are slidably inserted into the gap of the pair of frames 23a, 24a.

  Each of the two sub guide pins 25 and 26 is a parallel line C1 having a cart center line C on which a guide pin 13 engaging with the main guide rail 12 (hereinafter referred to as a main guide pin 13) is disposed. , C2. Of these auxiliary guide pins, the first auxiliary guide pin 25 is on the rear left side of the carriage 10 in the cart traveling direction F, and the second auxiliary guide pin 26 is on the front side in the cart traveling direction F. It is arranged at the right front part. Further, between the first sub-guide pin 25 and the second sub-guide pin 26, the distance S1 between the guide pins in the front row and the distance S2 between the guide pins in the rear row (FIG. 2). ) Is set slightly larger than the width W of the passage T portion.

  In the present embodiment, as the driving method of the carriage 10, the driving method by the chain conveyor 15 shown in FIG. 7 is directly adopted in the straight lines A and B, but the curved portion L ″ of the conveying line L is used. In the inter-line conveying section L ′ including a friction roller drive system, reference numeral 30 in FIG. 1 denotes a friction roller that constitutes a drive mechanism of the friction roller drive system, and the friction roller 30 is rotated. However, a thrust is applied to the carriage 10 by frictional contact with the side surface of the carriage body 20. In this case, the friction roller 30 disposed corresponding to the curved portion L ″ of the transport line L is, for example, rocking. It is supported by a lever (not shown) and is always in contact with the carriage 10 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). Thrust is applied to ensure that the carriage 10 even when.

Hereinafter, the operation of the cart conveyance device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
The carriage 10 that has passed the straight line A or B receives thrust from the friction roller 30 and reaches the inter-line conveyance section L ′ while traveling along the curved section L ″ of the conveyance line L (FIG. 1). Since the two main guide pins 13 are engaged with the main guide rail 12, the curved portion L ″ is smoothly curved by the two-point guide. In a state where the carriage 10 reaches just before the passage T (FIG. 1), the two first sub guide pins 25 at the left rear portion are positioned in line with the first sub guide rail 23, and from this state, the carriage 10 When the head moves forward, the two first sub guide pins 25 enter the gap between the two frames 23 a constituting the first sub guide rail 23.

  Thereafter, when the carriage 10 moves forward, the two main guide pins 13 are sequentially detached from the main guide rail 12, and finally all the main guide pins 13 are detached from the main guide rail 12 as shown in FIG. To do. However, at this stage, since the two first sub guide pins 25 are engaged with the first sub guide rail 23, the carriage 10 moves forward while maintaining a constant posture.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, one of the front rows of the two first sub guide pins 25 is detached from the first sub guide rail 23. However, as described above, the first sub guide pin 25 and the second sub guide pin 26 are set so that the interval S1 (FIG. 2) between those arranged in the front row is slightly larger than the width W of the passage T portion. Therefore, immediately before the first sub-guide pin 25 in the front row is detached from the first sub-guide rail 23, the one located in the front row of the second guide pin 26 enters the second sub-guide rail 24. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the state where the carriage 10 completely crosses the passage T, the carriage 10 is guided by the first sub guide pin 25 in the rear row and the second sub guide pin 26 in the front row, As a result, the carriage 10 continues to advance while maintaining a constant posture.

  Further, when the carriage 10 moves forward, all of the two first sub guide pins 25 are detached from the first sub guide rail 23 as shown in FIG. However, as described above, the first sub guide pin 25 and the second sub guide pin 26 are set such that the interval S2 (FIG. 2) between those arranged in the rear row is set slightly larger than the width W of the passage T portion. Therefore, immediately after all of the first sub-guide pins 25 are separated from the first sub-guide rail 23, those located in the rear row of the second sub-guide pins 26 enter the second sub-guide rail 24. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (3), the two second sub guide pins 26 are engaged with the second sub guide rail 24, whereby the carriage 10 has two second sub guide pins 26 and a second sub guide pin. Guided by the guide rail 24, it continues to move forward while maintaining a constant posture. During this time, the two main guide pins 12 sequentially enter the main guide rail 12. Thereafter, all of the second sub guide pins 26 are detached from the second sub guide rails 24. Thereafter, the carriage 10 travels on the transport line L in a fixed posture with a general-purpose guide by the main guide pins 12 and the main guide rails 12. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the main guide rail 12 and the two sub guide rails 23, 24 are laid on the carriage traveling path 22, and the main guide pin 13 that engages with the main guide rail 12 and each sub guide rail 23. , 24 are provided together on the lower surface of the carriage body 20 (within the carriage frame), so that the minimum required travel distance of the carriage travel path 22 to the width of the carriage 10 is provided. The width can be set to the limit, and there is no waste of space.

  Two sub guide rails 23 and 24 are disposed on both sides of the main guide rail 12, and sub guide pins 25 and 26 that engage with the sub guide rails 23 and 24 are associated with the main guide rail 12. Since the main guide pins 13 to be joined are respectively arranged on the parallel lines C1 and C2 with the arranged center lines C therebetween, there is no need to change the existing main guide rails 12 and main guide pins 13 at all. Therefore, the cost burden of remodeling as well as new construction is remarkably reduced.

  Further, since the carriage 10 is caused to travel by the friction roller 30 in the inter-line conveyance portion L ′ including the curved portion L ″ of the conveyance line L, the chain conveyor 15 is disposed in the inter-line conveyance portion L ′. This eliminates the need for the pit 14 (FIG. 7), and can easily cope with remodeling of the assembly line (line extension, line reduction, etc.)

  Here, since the first and second sub guide rails 23 and 24 are arranged so as not to bend the curved portion L ″ of the transport line L as described above, each sub guide pin 25 to each sub guide rail 23, 26 does not become an obstacle to the curve travel of the carriage 10. Therefore, the number of sub guide pins 25 and 26 is not limited to two as in the above embodiment, and three or more may be provided. If the number of the auxiliary guide pins 25 and 26 is increased, the traveling of the carriage 10 when crossing the passage T portion becomes more stable.

  In the above embodiment, the two sub guide rails 23 and 24 are arranged on both sides of the main guide rail 12. However, these sub guide rails 23 and 24 are arranged on one side of the main guide rail 12. Also good. In the above embodiment, all of the main guide rail 12 and the two sub guide rails 23 and 24 are laid on the carriage conveyance path 22. However, the present invention conveys all or part of these guide rails on the carriage. It may be installed outside the path 22. However, when installed on the outside of the carriage conveyance path 22, it is necessary to provide an extension portion extending laterally on the carriage 10 and to arrange the guide pins 13, 25, and 26 corresponding to the extension portions.

  In the above embodiment, a pin guide structure in which the guide pins 13, 25, 26 are inserted into the gaps between the two frames 12 a, 25 a, 26 a is adopted as the guide means for guiding the carriage 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, a roller guide structure in which a guide rail is sandwiched between guide roller sets can be adopted as shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the carriage 10 is caused to travel by the friction roller 30 in the inter-line conveyance portion L ′ including the curved portion L ″ in the conveyance line L. A conveyor may be provided to pull the carriage 10 by the chain conveyor, and the carriage 10 may be configured as a self-propelled type with at least one of the wheels 11 as a drive wheel.

It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the trolley | bogie conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view (rear view) which shows typically the structure of the trolley | bogie which comprises this trolley | bogie conveyance apparatus. It is a side view which shows the structure of the trolley | bogie shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. It is a front view which shows the principal part structure of this trolley | bogie conveyance apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the passage crossing situation by this trolley carrier device in order. It is a schematic diagram which shows the layout of the vehicle assembly line comprised by the closed loop. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the drive system of a trolley | bogie. It is a schematic diagram which shows the curve driving | running | working condition of a trolley | bogie. It is a top view which extracts and shows the structure of the conventional trolley | bogie conveyance apparatus from patent documents.

Explanation of symbols

10 carts 11 wheels 12 main guide rails (guide rails)
13 Main guide pin (guide member)
22 bogie travel path 23 first sub guide rail 24 second sub guide rail 25 first sub guide pin (first sub guide member)
26 Second sub guide pin (second sub guide member)
L transfer line T passage

Claims (4)

  A carriage transport device that engages two guide members provided on a carriage with a guide rail and causes the carriage to travel along the guide rail in a fixed posture, wherein the guide rail intersects the carriage travel path. The two sub guide rails are shifted in a direction parallel to the guide rail and intersecting the carriage traveling direction on the front side and the rear side of the carriage traveling direction across the passage portion. The cart is provided with at least two first sub-guide members that can be engaged with the sub-guide rail on the near side and at least two second sub-guides that can be engaged with the sub-guide rail on the back side. Between the first sub-guide member and the second sub-guide member, and the guide members that are in the foremost row and the last row in the cart running direction. Carriage conveying apparatus characterized by interval was set larger than the width of the passage portion.   A guide rail and two sub guide rails are laid on the carriage travel path, and a guide member that engages with the guide rail and first and second sub guide members that engage with the two sub guide rails, Is provided within a frame of the carriage.   Two sub guide rails are arranged on both sides of the guide rail, and at least two guide members that engage with the guide rail engage with the sub guide rails substantially on the center line in the width direction of the carriage. The cart transportation device according to claim 2, wherein two sub guide members are respectively arranged on a parallel line with the center line in between. The cart transportation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cart is an assembly cart that circulates on an assembly line configured in a closed loop.

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