JP2020040459A - Coupling device, coupled travel device and autonomous travel device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a connecting device, a connecting traveling device, and an autonomous traveling device that can prevent a connecting member from contacting an object other than an object to be connected.
A connecting device includes a connecting claw as a connecting member that is connected to a basket truck to be connected by moving from a retracted position to a connecting position, wherein the connecting claw moves from the retracted position to the connected position. A contact detection sensor 201, which is a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an object such as luggage on a route to be connected, is provided. When the contact detection sensor 201 detects an object, the movement of the connection claw 12 to the connection position is stopped.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection device, a connection traveling device, and an autonomous traveling device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a connecting device including a connecting member that connects to an object to be connected by moving from a retracted position to a connecting position.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a connecting device that hooks and connects a claw member as a connecting member to a basket cart to be connected.

  In the connecting device described in Patent Literature 1, when the connecting member attempts to move from the retracted position to the connecting position, the connecting member may come into contact with an object other than the connection target such as a load placed on the connection target. Yes, there was room for improvement.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention relates to a connection device including a connection member that connects to a connection target by moving from a retreat position to a connection position, wherein the connection member moves from the retreat position to the connection position. It is characterized by comprising detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an object on a moving route.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there exists an outstanding effect that it becomes possible to prevent that a connection member contacts an object other than a connection target.

Explanatory drawing of the self-propelled robot and basket cart of embodiment. Explanatory drawing of an ID display panel, (a) is a perspective view of a basket cart on which an ID display panel is arranged, (b) is an explanatory view of an example of a color code, and (c) is an explanatory view of an example of a light and shade bar code. FIG. Explanatory drawing of an example of a distribution warehouse. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a transport system according to an embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of the operation | movement which a self-propelled robot conveys a cart from a temporary storage area to a storage area. The enlarged view of the second storage area. Explanatory drawing which shows the modification of a conveyance system typically. Explanatory drawing of a connection apparatus, (a) is a perspective view in a state where a connection claw is opened, (b) is a perspective view in a state where a connection claw is closed, and (c) is a top view. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a portion of the connecting device that rotates with respect to a fixed plate together with a rotating member, FIG. 7A is a perspective view, and FIG. Sectional explanatory drawing of the connection apparatus explaining the fixing method of the magnet with respect to a rotating member. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the connecting device illustrating the operation of the connecting claw, FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view in a state where the connecting claw is closed, and FIG. FIG. 7A is an explanatory view of a tip shape of a connecting claw, FIG. 7A is an explanatory view of a shape having a bent tip portion, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory view of a shape having a bent tip portion. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connecting device of the first embodiment with the connecting claws closed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connecting device of the first embodiment with the connecting claws open. FIG. 14 is a side view of the connecting device 10 in the state shown in FIG. 14, (a) is an explanatory diagram of the entire connecting device, and (b) is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the tip of the connecting claw. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the connection claw and the contact detection sensor viewed from a positive direction of the z-axis. The side view which shows the state which the connection device of Example 1 was connected to the basket cart. The side view of the connection device of Example 1 in the state where the lever contacted the luggage of the cart. 5 is a flowchart of a connection operation in the connection device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the tip of a connection claw provided in the connection device according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an autonomous mobile device to which the present invention can be applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a self-propelled robot 1 that is an autonomous mobile device according to an embodiment and a basket cart 2 that is a connection target.
The present embodiment automatically connects to a towed truck such as a basket cart 2 and tow, thereby autonomously moving a device such as a self-propelled robot 1 that automatically transports the towed truck to a desired destination. This is an embodiment relating to a transport system using the self-propelled robot 1.

  The self-propelled robot 1 is an autonomous mobile device having a function of automatically connecting to a cart cart 2 on which goods are loaded. Accordingly, the self-propelled robot 1 does not have a structure capable of loading, and the basket 2 is pulled by a simple moving device, so that a large number of articles loaded on the basket 2 can be transported. it can.

The self-propelled robot 1 includes a robot main body 100 as a device main body, a magnetic sensor 3, a controller 4, a camera 5, a power source (battery) 6, a power motor 7, a motor driver 8, a range sensor 9, a coupling device 10, and a drive. The vehicle includes a wheel 71, a driven wheel 72, and the like.
The magnetic sensor 3 and the range sensor 9 are environment recognition means for recognizing the surrounding environment of the self-propelled robot 1.

  In the transport system of the present embodiment, a magnetic tape is installed on the floor of a path along which the self-propelled robot 1 can travel, and the magnetic tape is detected by using the magnetic sensor 3 so that the magnetic tape can be detected on the path along which the self-propelled robot 1 can travel. Can be recognized. The guide system for installing the tape on the floor is not limited to the configuration using the magnetic tape, but may be a configuration using an optical tape. When an optical tape is used, a reflection sensor or an image sensor can be used instead of the magnetic sensor 3.

  Further, in the transport system of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform autonomous traveling in which the self-position is recognized by comparing the two-dimensional or three-dimensional map with the detection result of the range sensor 9. The range sensor 9 is a laser range sensor that irradiates the object with laser light, receives the reflected light, and measures the distance to the object. A stereo camera, a depth camera, or the like can also be used as a sensor used for recognizing its own position by comparing the detection result with a two-dimensional or three-dimensional map.

In the self-propelled robot 1, the controller 4 controls the driving of the power motor 7 via the motor driver 8 based on the detection results of the magnetic sensor 3 and the range sensor 9, and the power motor 7 drives the driving wheels 71 to rotate. This allows the self-propelled robot 1 to perform autonomous traveling.
The cart cart 2 includes a bottom plate 22 that holds the basket portion 20, casters 23 arranged at four corners of the rectangular bottom plate 22, and an ID display panel 21 arranged on a side surface of the basket portion 20.

An ID display panel 21 on which a marker for recognition is displayed is attached to the cart 2 placed at a predetermined place. In the marker, identification number information, transport destination information, and transport priority information of the cart 2 are encoded using a two-dimensional color code or the like.
The ID display panel 21 is attached to the car cart 2 and can read information such as a transfer position or ID information that can be recognized by referring to a table. A general barcode or QR code (registered trademark) can be used to display the marker ID. In addition, by increasing the amount of information per unit area using a color code or a gray bar code as an ID, it becomes possible to recognize the information from a greater distance.

  The self-propelled robot 1 is provided with a marker reading device. The marker reading device includes a camera 5 as ID recognition means and a decoding unit. In the present embodiment, the controller 4 has a function as a decoding unit. A marker code is recognized from an image captured by the camera 5 by image recognition of the characteristics of the marker. The decoding unit decodes the code information of the recognized marker to obtain the identification number information, the transport destination information, and the priority information of the cart 2.

  In the present embodiment, since the color code is used as the marker installed on the cart 2, the marker is read using the camera 5. When the marker for displaying the ID is a barcode or a QR code, a barcode reader can be used as ID recognition means. When the marker is a gray bar code, the reflection intensity information of the laser range sensor can be used for the ID code.

  The self-propelled robot 1 includes a range sensor 9 that acquires a distance from a surrounding environment as environment recognition means. As the range sensor 9, a laser range finder (LRF) or the like can be used. The controller 4 calculates the position coordinates of the ID display panel 21 from the distance information between the ID display panel 21 whose position is recognized by the range sensor 9 and the range sensor 9. The controller 4 controls the driving of the power motor 7 by using the calculated position coordinates of the ID display panel 21, thereby positioning the self-propelled robot 1 at a predetermined position in front of the ID display panel 21 in the basket cart 2.

  As the ID display panel position recognizing means for recognizing the position of the ID display panel 21 installed on the basket 2 in order to control the connection operation with the basket 2, the position of the ID display panel 21 can also be read by the ID recognizing means. In such a case, they can be shared. For example, when reading a gray bar code as the ID of the marker of the ID display panel 21 with a laser range sensor as ID recognition means, the ID of the ID display panel 21 is detected while the position of the ID display panel 21 is detected by the laser range sensor. Can be read. Also, when a color code is used as the marker ID, the camera 5 can read the ID of the ID display panel 21 while detecting the position of the ID display panel 21.

  Further, the density bar code can be detected by a laser range finder, and the laser range finder can also be used as a highly accurate position detecting means of the ID display panel 21 and an environment recognition sensor for autonomous traveling.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the ID display panel 21.
FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an example in which an ID display panel 21 for displaying a marker whose ID is a color code is arranged on the basket cart 2. FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of an example of a color code, and FIG. 2C is an explanatory diagram of an example of a gray bar code.
Unlike a barcode, a QR code and a color code are read using a camera, so that the ID information of the code and the position information of the ID display panel 21 with respect to the camera can be simultaneously obtained based on an image captured by the camera. Can be. Therefore, the position where the object to be read (the ID display panel 21 in the present embodiment) is placed can be recognized.

  If the ID is a gray bar code, it can be read by a laser range sensor. The shade barcode shown in FIG. 2C uses a plurality of types of linear marks having different black densities, and a code number is assigned to each density. In the configuration using the gray bar code, the controller 4 stores the code number for the received light intensity of the reflected light corresponding to the linear mark of each density, and sets the code number in accordance with the received light intensity of the laser range sensor. Recognize.

  The laser range finder sensor rotates the laser beam irradiation part in the horizontal direction, periodically changes the irradiation direction of the laser light, scans the surroundings with the laser light, and reflects the laser light by the reflected light of the irradiated laser light. The distance information to the reflected object can be obtained. Further, it is possible to acquire angle information from the laser range finder for the position of the object reflecting the laser light based on the irradiation direction of the laser light. Further, it is possible to find a gray bar code based on a change in the intensity of the reflected light.

  When a gray bar code is found, relative position information between the ID display panel 21 with the gray bar code and the laser range sensor can be obtained based on the distance information and the angle information of the gray bar code. I can do it. For this reason, in a configuration in which the gray bar code is read by the laser range sensor, information acquired by the laser range sensor can be used as feedback information used for positioning the self-propelled robot 1 at the time of connection.

The transport system according to the present embodiment using the self-propelled robot 1 automates a task of transporting a transport object with casters such as a cart in a distribution warehouse or the like.
The transport operation by the self-propelled robot 1 is divided into the following three operations (1) to (3).
(1) Searching and linking the transport target in the temporary storage area.
(2) Traveling in the traveling area.
(3) Searching and unloading storage locations in storage areas.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a distribution warehouse 1000 to which the transport system of the present embodiment is applied. In the distribution warehouse 1000 shown in FIG. 3, the worker M arranges the cargo unloaded from the truck 2000 to the platform 1001, and another worker M transports the cargo to an area in front of the elevator 1002. Transfer to another floor. In the distribution warehouse 1000, the temporary storage area in the above (1) is assumed to be a place where the cargo unloaded by the platform 1001 is arranged. The storage area of the above (3) is assumed to be an area before the elevator when the elevator 1002 transfers the storage area to another floor. Further, the traveling area of the above (2) is assumed to be a place indicating a reciprocating route between the temporary storage area and the storage area by an arrow in FIG.

  The self-propelled robot 1 moves in a main line operation in a guidance system based on line recognition in which a line of a magnetic tape or an optical tape installed on the floor is recognized by a sensor. Further, the area is determined by detecting an address mark beside the line. The ID display panel 21 includes information on the transport area and information on the priority.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the transport system of the present embodiment.
The transport system shown in FIG. 4 includes a traveling area 50, a temporary storage area A, a first storage area B, and a second storage area C. In the traveling area 50, a magnetic tape or an optical tape for guiding the self-propelled robot 1 is provided in a line shape, and a main line 51 on which the self-propelled robot 1 travels is provided. The start position S of the self-propelled robot 1 is on the main line 51. An address mark 52 is arranged near the main line 51 at the entrance of the temporary storage area A, the first storage area B, and the second storage area C in the traveling area 50.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation in which the self-propelled robot 1 transports the car cart 2 from the temporary storage area A to the storage area (B or C).
First, the self-propelled robot 1 is started to run along the main line 51 by arranging the self-propelled robot 1 as a moving body on the main line 51 and starting the operation while the line is recognized (S1). While traveling on the main line 51, the vehicle travels at a specified speed while watching the position of the line. The vehicle travels while searching for the address mark 52 of the temporary storage area A, and stops when the address mark 52 of the temporary storage area A is detected (“Yes” in S2).

When the address mark 52 of the temporary storage area A is detected ("Yes" in S2) and stopped, the operation of entering the temporary storage area A is started (S3).
When the self-propelled robot 1 enters the temporary storage area A from the traveling area 50 where the main line 51 is provided, the self-propelled robot 1 reads the marker on the ID display panel 21 of the temporarily stored basket cart 2 while traveling, and Generate a list. At this time, the ID, the XY coordinates, and the destination are recorded, and if there is a priority, they are recorded together. Then, the vehicle stops at the address mark at the end of the temporary storage area A, selects a transport target from the generated list of the carts 2 (S4), and starts the connection operation with the selected transport target cart 2 (S5). ).

  In the linking operation, the cart is moved to the row of the cart 2 specified based on the XY coordinates on the list. Using the relative position information with respect to the ID display panel 21, the user moves to a position short of the basket cart 2. Thereafter, when approaching the cart 2, it is connected to the cart 2 by the connecting device 10. When the connection with the cart cart 2 to be transported is detected ("Yes" in S6), it returns to the main line 51 (S7), travels on the main line 51 (S8), and the storage area (B) for storing the cart cart 2 being transported. Or, when the address mark 52 of C) is detected ("Yes" in S9), the operation is stopped.

When the address mark 52 of the storage area (B or C) is detected ("Yes" in S9) and stopped, the operation of entering the storage area (B or C) is started (S10).
When the self-propelled robot 1 enters the storage area (B or C) from the traveling area 50 provided with the main line 51, the self-propelled robot 1 reads the marker on the ID display panel 21 of the stored cart cart 2 while traveling, and reads the cart cart. 2 is generated. At this time, if there is an ID, XY coordinates, a destination, and a priority, they are recorded together. Next, the vehicle stops at the address mark at the end of the storage area (B or C), and searches for an empty address from the generated list of the cart 2 (S11). Then, an address for storing the car cart 2 being transported in the garage is selected from the vacant addresses (S12), and the garage entry operation to the selected vacant address is started (S13).

In the garage storing operation, the garage is moved to the garage line of the designated empty address based on the XY coordinates on the list. Thereafter, when the vehicle arrives at the designated empty address, the connection with the car cart 2 being transported is released.
After the connection is released, the storage area (B or C) returns to the main line 51, and the search for the temporary storage area A is started again.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the second storage area C. In FIG. 6, the X-axis direction is the “column direction” and the Y-axis direction is the “row direction”.
The temporary storage area A and the storage area (B or C) are arranged at positions off the main line 51. A travel line 53 and a stop mark 54 for searching and traveling in the area are provided. A frame line or a mark is provided at the position where the car cart 2 is placed (the parking lot 55) to make it easier for people to place it. When the self-propelled robot 1 enters the temporary storage area A or the storage area (B or C), it travels on the traveling line 53 by line guidance until the stop mark 54 is detected.

At this time, in the temporary storage area A, an operation of connecting to the basket cart 2 found first may be performed. In the storage area (B or C), control may be performed so that the vehicle is parked in the parking lot 55 of the vacant address found first.
The self-propelled robot 1 searches for the car cart 2 placed using the range sensor 9 while moving and makes a list. When the stop mark 54 is found, the self-propelled robot 1 stops and enters the car cart 2 or the garage to be connected. (Parking lot 55) is selected.

In the case of connection, movement to the listed XY coordinates starts, but after moving in the column direction of the address, turning 90 [°], and approaching the cart cart 2 to be connected straight, Connection operation is easy. At the time of connection, by controlling the travel of the self-propelled robot 1 using relative position information with the ID display panel 21, highly accurate positioning can be performed. In the case of autonomous traveling using the environmental map, the cart cart 2 to be connected may be arranged on the data of the environmental map, and traveling may be controlled based on the coordinates.
In the case of a garage putting operation, the garage may be moved while recognizing the environment so as to be positioned at the XY coordinates of the address of the parking lot 55, or a positioning line may be laid to perform positioning by the line.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a modified example of the transport system that can use the self-propelled robot 1 of the present embodiment.
The transport system of the modified example has a configuration in which the temporary storage area A and the storage area D are right beside the main line 51. In the modified example, the self-propelled robot 1 searches the temporary storage area A and the storage area D while traveling on the main line 51. When the car cart 2 to be transported is found in the temporary storage area A, the operation shifts to a connection operation from the main line 51 to the car cart 2. In addition, for the storage area D, a vacant address is searched from the main line 51 and a garage putting operation is performed.

  In the configuration of the modified example, when one self-propelled robot 1 is operating, the other self-propelled robot 1 is not allowed to pass, but the area occupied by the temporary storage area A and the storage area D may be reduced. Work time can be shortened.

In distribution warehouses and factories, general-purpose trolleys composed of four-wheel swivel casters, which are called basket trolleys, are often used as trolleys for loading articles. Generally, automatic connection by an autonomous mobile device is performed by recognizing a connection position and positioning the autonomous mobile device.
Specifically, a marker is attached to an object to be connected, the marker is recognized by a distance information acquisition device attached to the autonomous mobile device, and the position coordinates of the marker are calculated to recognize the connection position. Then, positioning is performed by controlling the drive of the autonomous mobile device so as to stop at the recognized connection position.

  After that, a connection mechanism such as an arm is operated to connect. For example, it can be used when connecting an autonomous mobile device to a target location such as a charging station. However, when connecting to a carriage provided with the above-described swivel casters, more accurate positioning of the autonomous mobile device is required. This is because the autonomous mobile device may come into contact with the truck while positioning the truck. If the contact is made before the positioning of the autonomous mobile device and the operation of the coupling mechanism are completed, the autonomous mobile device pushes the bogie, and the bogie moves away from the autonomous mobile device.

  If the positioning is performed on an object that does not move as in the charging station described above, control may be performed such that the autonomous mobile device contacts the connection target before positioning. However, if a similar operation is performed on a trolley in which casters are put in a released state, such as a site where a trolley of trolleys is frequently transported, there is a problem that the connection cannot be easily performed for the above-described reason. .

  As described above, if the self-propelled robot 1 comes into contact with the self-propelled robot 1 before the connection is completed, there is a possibility that the self-propelled robot 1 moves away from the self-propelled robot 1 as described above. For this reason, it is required that the connecting device 10 of the self-propelled robot 1 be brought close to the car cart 2 and that the self-propelled robot 1 be precisely positioned and controlled so as not to come into contact therewith. The connection device 10 of the self-propelled robot 1 according to the present embodiment includes a mechanism for temporarily holding the basket cart 2 so as not to move when the self-propelled robot 1 comes into contact.

The self-propelled robot 1 is provided with a connecting device 10 for holding the basket 2 to be transported. Hereinafter, the details of the connecting device 10 included in the self-propelled robot 1 will be described.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the connecting device 10. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the connecting device 10 with the connecting claw 12 open, and FIG. 8B is a diagram of the connecting device 12 with the connecting claw 12 closed. FIG. 8C is a perspective view of the connecting device 10, and FIG. 8C is a top view of the connecting device 10.

The connecting device 10 includes a fixed plate member 30, a rotating member 11, a connecting claw 12 as a hooking member, a magnet 13 as an attracting member, and the like.
The fixing plate 30 is a member for fixing the connecting device 10 to the robot main body 100 of the self-propelled robot 1, and is fixed to the frame of the robot main body 100 with a fixing screw hole 30a.

  The turning member 11 is a member that can turn with respect to the fixed plate 30 around a turning shaft 111 that extends in the vertical direction. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the connecting device 10 shown in FIG. 8 in which a portion fixed to the rotating member 11 and rotated with the rotating member 11 with respect to the fixed plate 30 is hatched. FIG. 9A is a perspective view, and FIG. 9B is a top view. The rotating member 11 is rotatable about a rotating shaft 111 as shown by an arrow “G” in FIG. 9B. The fixed plate member 30 includes a rotation range regulating member 32, and the front end portion 11e of the rotation member 11 that is the front end of the rotation member 11 (the front end of the rotation member 11 in the front-rear direction of the self-propelled robot 1) rotates. The rotation range of the rotation member 11 is restricted at a position where the rotation member 11 abuts on the movement range restriction member 32.

  In the present embodiment, as a mechanism for temporarily holding, the magnet 13 is temporarily held by using the magnetic force thereof, and then the permanent fixing is performed by the connecting claws 12. Further, the magnet 13 is arranged on the rotating member 11 so that the temporary fixing mechanism using the magnet 13 can be rotated. With this configuration, even when the self-propelled robot 1 approaches the basket cart 2 in a tilted state, the rotating member 11 rotates, and the two connecting claws 12 are moved with respect to the horizontal frame of the cart cart 2. Can be parallel. Thereby, it becomes easy to make the positional relationship between the connecting claw 12 and the horizontal frame of the cart cart 2 a connectable positional relationship.

  The fixed plate member 30 is made of sheet metal and includes a shaft holding portion 31 that holds the rotation shaft 111. By fixing the fixing plate 30 to the robot main body 100, the rotating member 11 is rotatable with respect to the robot main body 100 about the rotating shaft 111. The connecting claw 12 and the magnet 13 are attached to the rotating member 11. The connecting claws 12 are to be hooked and fixed to the frame of the cart cart 2. The magnet 13 is for attracting to the frame of the cart cart 2.

Generally, the frame of the cart 2 is made of a steel material, and the cart 2 used in the present embodiment is made of a material to which the magnet 13 can be attached like a steel material. When the connecting pawls 12 are not connected, they are retracted upward as shown in FIG. 8A so as not to be caught on the frame of the cart 2 during the connecting operation.
The reason for using both the connecting claw 12 and the magnet 13 is as follows.
In other words, the connection claw 12 alone does not measure the timing of the connection operation, and requires high-precision positioning of the self-propelled robot 1. The magnet 13 alone separates during transportation when the weight of the cart cart 2 to be transported is large. This is because there are times.

Positioning of the self-propelled robot 1 at a predetermined position on the front of the ID display panel 21 of the cart 2 and the connecting operation are performed by the following three steps.
As a first step, the self-propelled robot 1 is driven so as to be at a fixed distance from the car cart 2 and to be in a substantially directly facing posture.
As a second step, the vehicle speed is reduced toward the car cart while keeping a substantially facing posture.
As a third step, the self-propelled robot 1 is stopped after the attraction of the magnet 13 to the frame of the car cart 2 is confirmed, and the connecting claws 12 are operated and fixed.

  The self-propelled robot 1 includes a microswitch 14 that is a contact-type switch that can detect that an object has contacted the same plane as the surface of the magnet 13 that contacts the frame when the magnet 13 is attracted to the frame. I have. With this micro switch 14, the attraction of the magnet 13 to the frame of the car cart 2 can be confirmed.

  The reading of the marker for obtaining the position coordinates of the ID display panel 21 includes a detection error and a calculation error by the range sensor 9. In addition, an error occurs due to slippage of wheels when driving the self-propelled robot 1. For this reason, the self-propelled robot 1 is usually in a state of being inclined and displaced with respect to the cart 2, and it is difficult to completely face the cart 1.

  In the present embodiment, when the magnet 13 is attracted to the car cart 2 in the second step, it is only necessary to slow down and proceed, so that the self-propelled robot 1 is accurately stopped at the connection position with the car cart 2. A highly accurate positioning operation is not required. For this reason, it becomes tolerant to displacement. Further, even when the self-propelled robot 1 approaches the car cart 2 with an inclination, the magnet 13 can be made parallel to the frame surface of the car cart 2 by rotating the rotating member 11. , Can be surely adsorbed. With such a configuration, the self-propelled robot 1 and the car cart 2 can be reliably connected without requiring high-precision positioning.

  As the magnet 13, it is preferable to use an electromagnet. Since the electromagnet performs ON / OFF control by supplying power, it can be freely attracted and released. For this reason, at the time of the above-mentioned second step of performing the above-described positioning and coupling operation, the power can be turned “ON”, and the suction can be performed only when necessary.

  As the electromagnet, a permanent electromagnetic electromagnet can be used. A permanent electromagnetic electromagnet can be attracted as a permanent magnet when the power is off, and can be released when the power is on. When a permanent electromagnetic electromagnet is used, even if a power failure or disconnection occurs, the magnetic force is not lost, so that the cage cart 2 can be held more reliably. Regardless of which electromagnet is used, it is possible to operate as a system in which the cart cart 2 transported to a predetermined location by the self-propelled robot 1 is automatically separated and released by a simple operation.

  In the case of using a permanent magnet as the magnet 13, a separating mechanism that presses the basket cart 2 and separates it from the self-propelled robot 1 may be provided in order to separate the basket cart 2 transported to a predetermined place.

Next, the magnet 13 attached to the rotating member 11 will be described.
It is preferable that a plurality of magnets 13 are arranged on the rotating member 11. This is for the following reason.
That is, the frame to be connected in the car cart 2 is generally short in the height direction and long in the width direction. On the other hand, general-purpose magnets are often cylindrical or square, so for example, by using two small magnets side by side, the surface on which magnetic force acts on a horizontally long frame can be enlarged, Adsorption can be performed more reliably and cheaply than using one magnet.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the connecting device 10 for explaining a method of fixing the magnet 13 to the rotating member 11. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 8C.
In the cross section shown in FIG. 10, the turning member 11 has an L-shaped cross section, and is located on the rear side (the connection target side at the time of connection, the right side in FIG. 10) extending in the horizontal direction. A turning member magnet attachment portion 11a that is bent at the end and extends vertically downward is formed.

  The rotating member magnet mounting portion 11a has a through hole penetrating in the left-right direction in FIG. The coupling device 10 includes a magnet holding member 131 that holds the magnet 13. The magnet holding member 131 is disposed on a side opposite to the magnet 13 with the magnet holding shaft 131b penetrating through the through hole of the rotating member magnet mounting portion 11a and the magnet holding shaft 131b interposed therebetween, and a first spring 132 to be described later abuts. And a magnet holding butting portion 131a.

The connection device 10 includes a first spring 132 and a second spring 133 arranged so that the magnet holding shaft 131b is located inside. The first spring 132 has a surface on the front side (the side opposite to the connection target at the time of connection, the left side in FIG. 10) of the rotating member magnet attachment portion 11a, and the rear side (the connection target at the time of connection). 10 (right side in FIG. 10). The second spring 133 has a surface on the rear side (the connection target side at the time of connection, the right side in FIG. 10) of the rotating member magnet attachment portion 11a, and the front side of the magnet 13 (the side opposite to the connection target at the time of connection, FIG. (Left side in the middle).
In addition, the connecting device 10 has a configuration in which the lower surface of the magnet 13 is configured to prevent the magnet 13 held by the rotating member magnet mounting portion 11a from moving downward through the magnet holding shaft 131b and inclining the magnet holding shaft 131b. A magnet lower surface holding part for holding is provided.

With such a configuration, the first spring 132 and the second spring 133 are provided between the magnet holding butting portion 131a and the rotating member magnet mounting portion 11a and between the rotating member magnet mounting portion 11a and the magnet 13. Can be connected by using the elastic member.
When the self-propelled robot 1 is trying to connect to the basket cart 2 in an inclined state, the corner of the magnet 13 hits one side before the turning member 11 turns due to the attraction force of the magnet 13, so that the car There is a possibility that the frame of the trolley 2 will be struck. On the other hand, in the connecting device of the present embodiment, the direction of the magnet 13 that has been hit by the elastic member can be changed.

  Since the connecting claws 12 hooked and held on the frame of the car cart 2 are configured to protrude more toward the basket car 2 than the magnets 13, as shown in FIG. Has a gap. When the self-propelled robot 1 pulls the car cart 2, the car cart is mainly pulled by the connecting claws 12. At this time, the above-mentioned first spring 132 contracts and the second spring 133 expands, so that the magnet 13 can be prevented from separating from the frame of the cart cart 2 during towing. This makes it possible to prevent the conveyance from becoming unstable due to the magnet 13 being attracted to or separated from the frame of the cart cart 2 during the conveyance.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of the connecting device 10 for explaining the operation of the connecting claw 12. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line FF in FIG.
FIG. 11A shows a state in which the connection claw 12 is closed after connection (the state of FIG. 8B), and FIG. 11B shows a state in which the connection claw 12 before connection is open (FIG. a)).
As a configuration for performing the operation of the connecting claw 12, any configuration may be used as long as it can be hooked on a part of the car cart 2 such as a frame of the car cart 2 to pull or press the car cart 2. In the connection device 10 of the present embodiment, a mechanism using a linear motion cylinder is used as a configuration for performing the operation of the connection claw 12.

A bearing holder 113, which is a connection claw rotation shaft holding member, is installed on the rotation member 11, and holds the connection claw shaft 120 to which the connection claw 12 is fixed. The connection claw 12 is rotated by the rotation of the connection claw shaft 120 such that the tip (the right end in FIG. 11) of the connection claw 12 moves up and down.
When performing the connecting operation, first, the connecting claw 12 is retracted upward so that the tip of the connecting claw 12 is not caught by the frame of the car cart 2, and after being attracted by the magnet 13, the connecting claw 12 is rotated by the rotation of the connecting claw shaft 120. Of the car cart 2 so as to hang on the frame height.
When performing the operation of releasing the connection, the tip of the connection claw 12 is similarly raised by rotating the connection claw shaft 120 in the opposite direction to the connection operation.

A general-purpose electric cylinder 121 is used as the direct-acting cylinder, and the non-moving portion of the electric cylinder 121 is fixed on a direct-acting cylinder holding member 122 provided on the rotating member 11.
The moving part of the electric cylinder 121, the tip of the cylinder part 123 which moves vertically by the driving of the electric cylinder 121 is the lower end part in FIG. 11, and the cylinder part 123 expands and contracts within a predetermined length range. Can be done.

  A vertical movement connecting member 124 is fixed to the tip of the cylinder portion 123, and a vertical movement transmitting member 125 for transmitting the vertical movement of the cylinder portion 123 to the connection pawl shaft 120 is provided at the lower end of the vertical moving connection member 124. The up-down movement transmission member 125 of the present embodiment is a roller-shaped member that is rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

A vertical motion transmitting plate member 127 to which the lower end of the vertical motion transmitting member 125 is in contact with the connecting claw shaft 120 and to which the vertical motion of the vertical motion transmitting member 125 is transmitted is fixed. Further, a convex plate member 126 is fixed on the vertical movement transmission plate 127 so that the upper end of the vertical movement transmission member 125 is in contact with the convex inner wall surface.
When the cylinder portion 123 contracts by driving the electric cylinder 121 from the state shown in FIG. 11A, the vertical movement transmitting member 125 moves upward, and pushes up the convex plate member 126 with which the upper end contacts. Thereby, the vertical motion transmitting plate 127 to which the convex plate 126 is fixed is pulled upward, and the connecting claw shaft 120 to which the vertical motion transmitting plate 127 is fixed rotates counterclockwise in FIG. By this rotation, the connecting claw 12 fixed to the connecting claw shaft 120 also rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 11 around the connecting claw shaft 120, and the connecting claw 12 is opened as shown in FIG. 11B. State.

  When the cylinder portion 123 is extended by driving the electric cylinder 121 from the state shown in FIG. 11B, the vertical movement transmission member 125 moves downward, and pushes down the vertical movement transmission plate member 127 whose lower end contacts. Thereby, the connecting pawl shaft 120 to which the vertical movement transmitting plate 127 is fixed rotates clockwise in FIG. Due to this rotation, the connecting pawl 12 fixed to the connecting pawl shaft 120 also rotates clockwise in FIG. 11 around the connecting pawl shaft 120, and the connecting pawl 12 is closed as shown in FIG. Becomes

  In this manner, the expansion and contraction driving of the electric cylinder 121 which is a linear motion cylinder can be converted into the rotational movement of the connecting claw 12 with a simple configuration. By using such an operation mechanism of the connection claw 12 by the linear motion cylinder, the connection claw 12 (hook member) can be inserted between the flip-up type bottom plate 22 which is a common form of the car cart 2 and the frame. Therefore, it is possible to deal with a wide variety of basket carts 2 without modification.

Next, the tip shape of the connecting claw 12 will be described.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the distal end shape of the connecting claw 12, and FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of a shape having one bent end portion used in the connecting device 10 of the above-described embodiment. FIG. 12B is an explanatory view of a shape having two bent portions at the tip.

As shown in FIG. 12A, the shape having a single bent portion at the tip is a sufficient configuration when the self-propelled robot 1 pulls the basket cart 2 mainly by pulling by the connecting claws 12.
On the other hand, in the case of the two bent portions shown in FIG. 12B, the frame of the cart cart 2 can be held between the two bent portions. For this reason, not only when the self-propelled robot 1 pulls the basket 2 but also when the self-propelled robot 1 pushes the basket 2 into a predetermined position, a more stable operation is performed. It is a suitable configuration.

  The hook member is not limited to a claw member such as the connection claw 12. In the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a configuration for connecting to a connection target with a simple configuration of a claw member whose tip is bent at a right angle.

  The rotation range restricting member 32 provided on the fixed plate 30 limits the rotation range so that the rotation member 11 does not rotate too much with respect to the robot body 100 of the self-propelled robot 1. . This makes it possible to prevent contact between the rotating member 11 and the robot body 100 and between the cart 2 and the self-propelled robot 1 during connection or when pulling the basket 2, thereby preventing damage due to the contact. Becomes possible.

  Further, the self-propelled robot 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a bumper fixing part 41 with respect to the robot main body part 100, and the rear of the self-propelled robot 1 (upward in FIG. 8C) from the bumper fixing part 41. It has a bumper 40 extending toward it. The bumper 40 has a rod-shaped bumper shaft 40b having one end fixed to the bumper fixing portion 41, and a bumper abutment rubber 40a fixed to the other end of the bumper shaft 40b.

By using an elastic member such as a rubber material such as a bumper abutment rubber 40a at the tip of the bumper 40, it is possible to generate sound caused by the contact between the car cart 2 and the bumper 40 when the car cart 2 is towed and conveyed. Damage to the frame of the cart 2 can be prevented.
In this embodiment, the bumper 40 is arranged so that the bumper 40 does not protrude beyond the magnet 13 so that the tip of the bumper 40 does not contact the basket 2 before the magnet 13 at the time of connection. Alternatively, the bumper 40 may be driven to extend after being connected to the car cart 2 by the connecting claws 12. Thereby, the behavior of the car cart 2 during the towing conveyance by the self-propelled robot 1 can be further stabilized.
By arranging such a bumper 40, contact between the car cart 2 and the self-propelled robot 1 can be prevented, and damage caused by the contact can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the connecting device 10 of the present embodiment, the bumper 40, the connecting claw 12, and the magnet 13 are arranged in this order from the outside in the lateral direction. That is, two magnets 13 are arranged outward from the center in the lateral direction, two connecting claws 12 are arranged outside the two magnets 13, and two bumpers 40 are arranged further outside. The order of these three horizontal arrangements may be any order.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the basket portion 20 of the cart cart 2 has a cage shape in which a plurality of horizontal frames and a plurality of vertical frames are combined, and the connecting device 10 connects the connecting claws 12 to the basket portion 20. It is a configuration to hook on the horizontal frame.
For this reason, the connecting claws 12 of the connecting device 10 are arranged such that the two connecting claws 12 are spaced from the center of the connecting surface of the car cart 2 so as not to interfere with the vertical frame of the car part 20. The above-described ID display panel 21 is installed at a position that is the center in the horizontal direction on the connecting surface of the cart 2, and the position of the ID display panel 21 is recognized using the range measurement sensor 9, so that the two connections are made. It is possible to connect the claws 12 without interfering with the vertical frame.

As a configuration for connecting the autonomous mobile device and the connection target, a configuration in which no attracting means such as the magnet 13 is provided and the connection is performed only by the hook member such as the connection claw 12 has the following problems. In other words, when attempting to automatically connect, if the autonomous mobile device is completely facing the object to be connected and is stationary and cannot be connected and fixed by the hooking member, there is a problem that the connection cannot be reliably performed.
On the other hand, in the self-propelled robot 1 according to the present embodiment, the connecting and fixing operation by the connecting claw 12 as the hooking member can be performed even if the car 1 to be connected is not completely stationary. It can be performed.

  An automatic connection method using a parallel link mechanism can be considered as a configuration that does not require highly accurate positioning of the autonomous mobile device. However, a complicated mechanism and a highly accurate control of the parallel link mechanism are required. On the other hand, in the self-propelled robot 1 of the present embodiment, automatic connection can be performed with a simple configuration including the magnet 13 and the connection claw 12.

In the above-described embodiment, the connection traveling device including the moving means such as the power motor 7 and the driving wheels 71 and the coupling device 10 for coupling to the basket cart 2 to be coupled is an autonomous traveling device in which the traveling means is controlled by the controller 4. The case of the self-propelled robot 1 as described above has been described. The connecting traveling device provided with the connecting device 10 is not limited to a device that travels automatically, such as an autonomous traveling device, but may be a traveling device such as a car driven by a human.
Further, the connection traveling device is not limited to a configuration in which the connected connection target is towed, and may be a configuration in which the connection target is pushed and moved or lifted and moved.

[Example 1]
Next, a first example (hereinafter, referred to as “Example 1”) in which the invention is applied to the connection device 10 of the above-described embodiment will be described.
13 and 14 are perspective views of the connecting device 10 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the connecting claws 12 are closed. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a state where the connecting claws 12 are opened.
The connection device 10 according to the first embodiment includes a contact detection sensor 201 that is a detection unit. 13 and 14 show the coupling device 10 with the electric cylinder 121 and the linear motion cylinder holding member 122 removed for convenience.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the contact detection sensor 201 is fixed to the connection claw 12 via a bracket 203. The contact detection sensor 201 is fixed to the bracket 203 with a screw, and the bracket 203 is fixed to the connecting claw 12 with a screw. The contact detection sensors 201 are arranged one by one with respect to one connection claw 12. Since the connection device 10 of the present embodiment includes two connection claws 12, it also includes two contact detection sensors 201.

15 is a side view of the connecting device 10 in the state shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of the entire connecting device 10, and FIG. 15B is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the distal end of the connecting claw 12. is there.
In the contact detection sensor 201, the lever 204 protrudes from the sensor housing toward the distal end of the connection claw 12, and the lever 204 is moved in a predetermined direction in the arrow “I” direction in FIG. The switch is turned on when displaced by an amount of.

  As shown in FIG. 15B, the tip of the lever 204 protrudes more forward than the tip of the connecting claw 12 in the clockwise direction in FIG. Here, the leading side in the clockwise direction in FIG. 15 refers to the leading side in the direction in which the connecting claw 12 rotates from the opened state to the closed state (the connecting claw 12 operating direction indicated by an arrow “H” in FIG. 15). Side.

  As shown in FIG. 15B, the direction parallel to the tip of the L-shaped connecting claw 12 (operating direction at the time of connection) is the x-axis, the direction parallel to the connecting claw shaft 120 which is the rotation axis is the y-axis, The direction orthogonal to both the x-axis and the y-axis is defined as the z-axis. When the three-dimensional axis is set in this way, the lever tip 204a is located on the plus side of the x-axis with respect to the claw tip 12a.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of the connection claw 12 and the contact detection sensor 201 viewed from the plus direction of the z-axis of the three-dimensional axis illustrated in FIG. The arrow “W” in FIG. 16 indicates the width of the connection claw 12. As shown in FIG. 16, the position of the lever 204 in the left-right direction (the direction parallel to the connecting claw shaft 120) may be any position as long as it is within the width of the connecting claw 12. By arranging in this way, even if the connecting claw 12 rotates about the connecting claw shaft 120, an object that is located at the tip side of the connecting claw 12 and can be an obstacle to the connecting claw 12 that moves in the moving direction during connection. Can be detected.

  FIG. 17 is a side view showing a state in which the connecting device 10 of the first embodiment is connected to the cart 2. Before the self-propelled robot 1 is connected to the cart 2, the connection claws 12 of the connection device 10 are open as shown in FIG. When the self-propelled robot 1 is connected to the cart 2, the connecting claws 12 of the connecting device 10 are closed as shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the car cart 2 comes into contact with the microswitch 14 which is a contact switch, and the electric claw shaft 120 starts to rotate by starting the operation of the electric cylinder 121 with the microswitch 14 being turned on as a starting point. The connecting claws 12 come into contact with the frame of the cart cart 2.

  In the self-propelled robot 1 according to the present embodiment, when connecting to the car cart 2 to be connected, the relative positions of the connecting device 10 and the car cart 2 are adjusted, and the connecting claws 12 serving as the hook members are moved. Hang on the cart. At this time, when a load such as luggage is loaded on the cart 2 and there is a load on the path along which the connecting claw 12 moves, in the process of the connecting operation in which the open connecting claw 12 is closed, Before the connecting pawl 12 is connected to the cart 2 in the connecting operation, the connecting pawl 12 comes into contact with the load. When the connecting claw 12 comes into contact with the load, the connecting claw 12 hits the load, so that the connecting claw 12 cannot be hooked on a target position such as a frame of the cart cart 2 and cannot be connected to the cart cart 2. I am concerned.

Further, the connecting claws 12 need to have a certain strength to pull the basket cart 2, and a metal material such as a sheet metal is used. Although the edge of the sheet metal is chamfered, if the connecting claws 12 come into contact with the load, the load may be damaged due to the contact of the connecting claws 12 depending on the material or state of the load, and the load may be damaged. It is feared that the appearance quality of the product may be deteriorated.
Furthermore, in a state where the connecting claw 12 and the load are in contact with each other, the connecting claw 12 cannot be rotated to a predetermined position, and the connecting claw 12 cannot be hooked on the frame of the cart cart 2. If this is the case, the car cart 2 and the self-propelled robot 1 cannot be connected, and the self-propelled robot 1 will move only, so that a desired function cannot be achieved.

  FIG. 18 is a side view of the coupling device 10 showing a state in which the lever 204 has come into contact with the luggage 206 of the basket 2 when the luggage 206 as the load is connected to the basket 2 loaded with the luggage. is there. If the load 206 is on the path of the rotation of the connecting claw 12, the connecting claw 12 may come into contact with the load 206. However, the connection device 10 according to the first embodiment has the contact detection sensor 201 arranged as described above, so that even if the luggage 206 is on the rotation path of the connection claw 12, as shown in FIG. The lever tip 204a of the lever 204 contacts the load 206 earlier than before. Then, when the connecting claw 12 continues to rotate in the direction of the connecting position while the lever tip 204a is in contact with the load 206, the lever 204 moves in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the connecting claw 12 with respect to the connecting claw 12 (FIG. 15). (A) in the direction of arrow “I”). When the lever 204 is displaced by a predetermined amount, the “ON / OFF” signal output from the contact detection sensor 201 switches. The controller 4 to which the switching of the signal is input determines that the contact detection sensor 201 has detected the obstacle, and stops the rotation operation of the connecting claw 12.

  Here, the amount of protrusion of the lever tip 204a in the z-axis plus direction with respect to the claw tip 12a needs to be considered in the following points. That is, the claw tip 12a is loaded during a period from when the contact detection sensor 201 is turned on to when the electric cylinder 121 stops after the switch is turned on and when the rotation of the connection claw shaft 120 to which the connection claw 12 is fixed stops. Care must be taken not to touch 206.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart of the connection operation in the connection device 10 according to the first embodiment. When the micro switch 14 comes into contact with the frame of the car cart 2 and the micro switch 14 is turned “ON” (S21), the connecting operation is started. When the coupling operation is started, the normal rotation operation of the electric cylinder 121 is started (S22). Here, the normal rotation operation is an operation of rotating the connection claw shaft 120 so that the connection claw 12 rotates in the connection operation direction (the direction of the arrow “H” in FIG. 15). When the lever 204 comes into contact with the baggage 206 after the forward rotation operation of the electric cylinder 121 is started, the ON / OFF signal from the contact detection sensor 201, which was in the “OFF” state, is switched to “ON” (“Yes” in S23). ).

  When the contact detection sensor 201 is turned “ON”, the rotation of the connection claw 12 is stopped by stopping the electric cylinder 121 (S27). After the stop, the reverse rotation operation of the electric cylinder 121 is started so that the connecting claw shaft 120 rotates in the reverse direction to the normal rotation operation (S28). After the reverse operation of the electric cylinder 121 is started, when the connecting pawl 12 returns to the retracted position shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 (“Yes” in S29), an error state is generated for the surrounding workers (including the robot user, etc.). Is transmitted (S31). In the self-propelled robot 1 according to the present embodiment, an error state is transmitted to surrounding workers by displaying an error on an operation panel or a monitor.

  After the worker moves the luggage 206, the operation is restored by inputting an error release to the self-propelled robot 1. When there is no luggage 206 on the path along which the connecting claw 12 moves, the micro switch 14 is turned “ON” (S21), and after the electric cylinder 121 starts the normal rotation operation (S22), the contact detection sensor 201 sets “ It does not become "ON", and a predetermined time elapses ("Yes" in S24). When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the normal rotation operation of the electric cylinder 121, the electric cylinder 121 is stopped (S25), and assuming that the car cart 2 is connected to the self-propelled robot 1, the movement of the self-propelled robot 1 is started (S26). ).

Here, regarding the length of the lever 204, if the lever 204 protrudes too far from the claw tip 12a, the lever 204 contacts the bottom surface or the frame of the cart cart 2 before the connecting claw 12 hits the frame of the cart cart 2. May be. In this case, there is a possibility that the cart cart 2 may be erroneously detected as an obstacle even though there is no luggage 206 on the path along which the connecting claws 12 move.
For this reason, the connection claw 12 starts to rotate, and after a certain period of time, the signal of the contact detection sensor 201 is ignored, thereby preventing erroneous detection. The timing of ignoring the signal of the contact detection sensor 201 may be a predetermined time after the start of rotation, or may be a predetermined rotation amount rotation based on the detection result of the rotation state of the connection claw 12 or the rotation state of the connection claw shaft 120. It may be later. By providing a timing for ignoring the signal of the contact detection sensor 201 in the connecting operation of hooking the connecting claw 12 on the frame of the car cart 2, erroneous detection can be prevented.

[Example 2]
Next, a second example (hereinafter, referred to as “Example 2”) in which the present invention is applied to the connection device 10 of the above-described embodiment will be described.
FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the distal end of the connection claw 12 included in the connection device 10 according to the second embodiment.

  The connection device 10 of the first embodiment described above has a configuration including the contact-type contact detection sensor 201 as the detection unit, whereas the connection device 10 of the second embodiment has a non-contact non-contact The configuration includes a contact detection sensor 210. The connection device 10 of the second embodiment is the same as the connection device 10 of the first embodiment except that the contact-type detection unit of the first embodiment is replaced with a non-contact detection unit. Therefore, only the differences will be described.

The non-contact detection sensor 210 according to the second embodiment is an optical non-contact sensor. The non-contact detection sensor 210 includes a light projecting unit 211 and a light receiving unit 212 in a housing of the sensor, and laser light emitted by the light projecting unit 211 is reflected on a surface of a non-detection object and receives the reflected light. The configuration is such that the unit 212 detects.
In the second embodiment, the non-contact detection sensor 210 having a detection distance (arrow “L1” in FIG. 20) of about 100 [mm] is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the second embodiment, the non-contact detection sensor 210 is attached to the connection claw 12 via the bracket 203 so that the leading side can be detected by the arrow “L2” (20 [mm]) from the claw tip 12a. I have.

  The principle of operation of the connection device 10 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the connection device 10 of the first embodiment having the contact sensor. That is, the rotation of the connection claw 12 is started based on the fact that the switch of the sensor (14) for detecting contact with the car cart 2 is turned on as a reference (trigger). At this time, the rotation is continued while detecting the presence / absence of the baggage 206 that is “L2 (20 [mm])” ahead of the nail tip 12a. If there is no luggage 206, the connecting claw 12 comes into contact with the frame of the car cart 2 to be in a connected state. On the other hand, when the non-contact detection sensor 210 detects that the package 206 is present, the rotation of the connecting claw 12 is stopped, and the connecting claw 12 returns to the retracted position. The subsequent operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Even in the configuration using the non-contact detection sensor 210 as in the second embodiment, when the connection claw 12 rotates, the non-contact detection sensor 210 erroneously detects the lower surface or the frame of the basket cart 2 as the load 206. There are cases. For this reason, it is desirable to attach the bracket 203 so that the detection range of the non-contact detection sensor 210 is near the claw tip 12a of the connecting claw 12. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which a change in a signal from the non-contact detection sensor 210 after a predetermined time has elapsed after the connection claw 12 starts rotating is ignored.

  The connection device 10 according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11 has a configuration including the connection claws 12 as the hook members and the magnets 13 as the attraction members. The frame of the car cart 2 to be connected is attracted by the magnet 13 so that the car cart 2 can be easily connected to the car cart 2. Further, the connecting device 10 includes a plurality of magnets 13 and a connecting claw 12 that can move up and down, and a rotating member 11 that holds these and that can rotate with respect to the fixed plate 30. Even if the self-propelled robot 1 including the coupling device 10 and the car cart 2 are relatively inclined, the plurality of magnets 13 can be attracted to the frame of the car cart 2 by rotating the rotating member 11. This makes it easy to connect the self-propelled robot 1 and the cart 2. In addition, the self-propelled robot 1 has a power motor 7 and a driving wheel 71 and is a connecting and moving device including a connecting device 10. It is a traveling device.

  The connection device 10 of the first and second embodiments is different from the connection device 10 of the above-described embodiment in that the luggage 206 is not present on the movement path during the connection operation in which the connection claw 12 is hooked on the basket cart 2. This is a configuration in which a detection unit is provided to determine whether the condition is satisfied. Based on the detection result of such a detecting unit, the controller 4 as the controlling unit controls the driving of the electric cylinder 121 as the driving source of the connecting claw 12. More specifically, when the detecting means detects an obstacle such as a luggage 206 on the forward side in the moving direction of the connecting claw 12 when the connecting operation of hooking the connecting claw 12 is performed, the driving of the electric cylinder 121 is stopped and the connection is stopped. Stop operation. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate a connection failure that may occur at the time of the connection operation of the connection device 10 and to avoid damage to the load 206 that is a conveyed object due to the connection claw 12 that is a hooking member.

In the connection device 10 according to the first and second embodiments, the detection unit is fixed to the connection claw 12. Therefore, regardless of the position of the connecting claw 12 which is rotated by the driving of the electric cylinder 121, the detecting means moves together with the connecting claw 12, and the obstacle located on the leading side in the moving direction of the connecting claw 12 during the connecting operation. It is possible to detect the luggage 206 that can be an object. The detecting means fixed to the connecting claw 12 changes the detection area of the connecting device 10 with the movement of the connecting claw 12, and detects the position on the leading side in the moving direction of the connecting claw 12 during the connecting operation. It can be. Therefore, regardless of the position of the connecting claw 12, it is possible to detect the luggage 206 that may be an obstacle located on the leading side in the moving direction of the connecting claw 12 during the connecting operation.
The self-propelled robot 1 including the connection device 10 according to the first and second embodiments can be reliably connected to a connection target such as the basket cart 2 by the connection claws 12 and has an external appearance with respect to a conveyed object such as a load 206 on the connection target. The conveyed object can be conveyed by the connection object without deteriorating the quality.

  What has been described above is merely an example, and each embodiment has a specific effect.

(Aspect 1)
In a connecting device such as a connecting device 10 including a connecting member such as a connecting claw 12 connected to an object to be connected such as the car cart 2 by moving from the retracted position to the connected position, the connecting member moves from the retracted position to the connected position. It is characterized by having a detecting means such as a contact detecting sensor 201 or a non-contact detecting sensor 210 for detecting the presence or absence of an object such as a baggage 206 on a route to be performed.
According to this, the object can be detected by the detection unit before the connecting member comes into contact with the object on the path along which the connecting member moves. For this reason, it is possible to perform control to prevent the connection member from coming into contact with the detected object, such as control to stop the movement of the connection member to the connection position based on the detection result. Can be prevented.

(Aspect 2)
In the first aspect, the detecting means is provided on the connecting member.
According to this, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an object on the path along which the connecting member moves regardless of the position of the connecting member.

(Aspect 3)
Aspects 1 and 2 are characterized in that the detection area of the coupling device by the detection means changes with the movement of the coupling member.
According to this, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an object on the path along which the connecting member moves regardless of the position of the connecting member.

(Aspect 4)
In any one of the first to third aspects, the detection area of the detection means is located forward of the connecting member moving from the retreat position to the connecting position.
According to this, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an object located in front of the connecting member during the connecting operation of moving from the evacuation position to the connecting position. This makes it possible to detect in advance an object that can be an obstacle during the connecting operation of the connecting member.

(Aspect 5)
In any of the first to fourth aspects, when the detection unit detects an object on the movement path, the movement of the connection member to the connection position is stopped, and the connection member moves to the retracted position. It is assumed that.
According to this, even when there is an object on the moving path of the connecting member, when the object is detected, the connecting member is returned to the retracted position, so that the worker or the like can easily move the object on the moving path. Become. By moving the object on the movement route, the connection between the connection device and the connection target can be performed by the connection operation again.

(Aspect 6)
In any of the first to fifth aspects, even when an object is present in the detection area of the detecting means when the connecting member moves from the retracted position to the connecting position, the detecting means has a timing at which the detecting means does not determine the presence or absence of the object. It is characterized by the following.
According to this, the state in which a part of the connection target such as the bottom plate of the basket cart 2 is located in the detection area of the detection means is erroneously detected as an object on the path of the connection member that hinders the movement of the connection member. Can be prevented.

(Aspect 7)
In a connection traveling device such as a self-propelled robot 1 including a moving unit such as a power motor 7 and a driving wheel 71 and a coupling unit coupled to an object to be coupled such as a car cart 2, any one of modes 1 to 6 as a coupling unit A coupling device such as the coupling device 10 according to the above aspect is provided.
According to this, it is possible to realize a connection traveling device that can prevent the connection member from contacting an object placed on the connection target such as the load 206. When an object is present on the path along which the connecting member moves, the moving of the connecting member to the connecting position is stopped, and the worker or the like moves the object on the path, so that the connection can be performed by the object on the path. It can be prevented from being left unattended. Therefore, it is possible to reliably connect the connection traveling device and the connection target.

(Aspect 8)
A self-propelled robot including a moving means such as a power motor 7 and a driving wheel 71, a connecting moving means having a connecting means for connecting to a connected object such as a car cart 2, and a control means such as a controller 4 for controlling the moving means. An autonomous traveling apparatus such as 1 is characterized in that the coupling traveling means has the configuration of the coupled traveling apparatus according to aspect 7.
According to this, it is possible to realize an autonomous traveling device that can prevent the connection member from coming into contact with an object placed on the connection target. In addition, while the detecting means does not detect an object on the moving path of the connecting member, the autonomous traveling device can be connected to the object to be connected without an operator, and the object to be connected can be transported by autonomous traveling. Become.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self-propelled robot 2 Car cart 3 Magnetic sensor 4 Controller 5 Camera 7 Power motor 8 Motor driver 9 Range sensor 10 Connecting device 11 Rotating member 11a Rotating member magnet mounting portion 11e Rotating member front end portion 12 Connecting claw 12a Claw tip 13 Magnet 14 Micro switch 20 Cage part 21 Display panel 22 Bottom plate 23 Caster 30 Fixed plate 30a Fixed screw hole 31 Shaft holding part 32 Rotation range restricting member 40 Bumper 40a Rubber 40b Bumper shaft 41 Bumper fixed part 50 Running area 51 Main line 52 Address Mark 53 running line 54 stop mark 55 parking lot 71 driving wheel 72 driven wheel 100 robot main body 111 rotating shaft 113 bearing holder 120 connecting claw shaft 121 electric cylinder 122 direct-acting cylinder holding member 123 cylinder portion 124 vertical moving connecting member 25 Vertical motion transmitting member 126 Convex plate 127 Vertical motion transmitting plate 131 Magnet holding member 131a Magnet holding butting portion 131b Magnet holding shaft 132 First spring 133 Second spring 201 Contact detection sensor 203 Bracket 204 Lever 204a Lever tip 206 Luggage 210 Non-contact detection sensor 211 Light emitting unit 212 Light receiving unit 1000 Distribution warehouse 1001 Platform 1002 Elevator 2000 Truck A Temporary storage area B First storage area C Second storage area D Storage area M Worker S Start position

JP 2005-178504 A

Claims (8)

In a connection device including a connection member that is connected to a connection target by moving from a retracted position to a connection position,
A connection device, comprising: detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an object on a movement path on which the connection member moves from the retracted position to the connection position. The connecting device according to claim 1,
The connection device, wherein the detection unit is provided on the connection member. The coupling device according to claim 1 or 2,
A connection device, wherein a detection area of the connection device by the detection means changes as the connection member moves. The coupling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A connection device, wherein a detection area of the detection unit is located in front of a moving direction of the connection member that moves from the retreat position to the connection position. The coupling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the detecting means detects the object on the movement path, the movement of the connection member to the connection position is stopped, and the connection member moves to the retreat position. The coupling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the connection member moves from the retracted position to the connection position, even if the object is present in the detection area of the detection unit, the detection unit has a timing at which the detection unit does not determine the presence or absence of the object. A coupling device. Means of transportation;
A connection means for connecting to a connection object,
A connection travel device comprising the connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 as the connection means. Moving means, a connecting moving means having a connecting means for connecting to a connection object,
An autonomous traveling device comprising: a control unit that controls the moving unit;
An autonomous traveling device comprising the coupling traveling device according to claim 7 as the coupling moving means.