TW201823061A - Transportation cart comprising a voltage converter that is connected to a power accumulation device for boosting a voltage supplied from a power accumulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport trolley that uses electric power to travel and thereby transport articles. When the driving device (22) for driving cannot receive power supply from the power receiving device (24), which is the main power supply device, the driving device (22) is driven by the power stored in the power storage device (26). A voltage converter (30) that performs voltage conversion between the driving device (22), the power receiving device (24), and the power storage device (26) monitors the accumulated voltage (V _B ) output from the power storage device (26), and performs voltage conversion During the operation of the booster (30) as a booster, when the accumulated voltage (V _B ) is lower than a predetermined lower limit voltage, a voltage converter (30) serving as a booster and a power storage device (26) Connection blocked.

Description

Handling trolley

The present invention relates to a transport trolley that travels by using electricity.

In some cases, a conveyance trolley is used in the conveyance equipment, and this conveyance trolley travels by electric power, thereby conveying an article. In the conveyance equipment described in Patent Document 1, the conveyance trolley is supported and guided by the rail device and moves on a fixed path. A power supply line is arranged along the track device, and power is supplied from the power supply line to the handling trolley by a contactless power supply method. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-079074

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The moving path of the transport trolley may include not only a linear portion but also a curved portion, or a branching or converging portion of the moving path. In order to supply power to the transportation trolley by non-contact power supply in such a part, a power supply line must also be provided in the curved part. However, compared with the linear portion, the operation of allocating the power supply line to the curved portion is difficult, and the installation cost is high. In addition, for a portion where the moving path is branched, when the transportation trolley enters the portion, one of the left and right sides of the transportation trolley leaves the rail device. At this time, in order not to stop supplying power to the transport trolley, power supply lines need to be provided on the left and right sides of the linear portion closer to the front than the branch portion, and further, power receiving devices need to be provided on the left and right sides of the transport trolley. Therefore, as the distribution range of power supply lines is expanded, the cost of wiring is increased, and the number of power receiving devices is increased, which increases the cost of equipment and materials. In this way, in order to supply power to the transport trolley by a non-contact power supply method for parts other than the linear part, the construction cost of the equipment increases.

On the other hand, in the conveyance facility described in Patent Document 1, no power supply line is provided on a curved portion (branch, merge path portion) of the moving path of the conveyance trolley or the confluence. In the transport facility described in Patent Document 1, the transport trolley is equipped with a battery, and in a region where no power supply line is provided, the battery is used to supply power to the transport trolley.

However, this type of conveyance equipment has a problem that when the conveyance trolley is stopped in an area where no power supply line is provided, it is difficult to restart the movement of the conveyance trolley. For transportation equipment, when an abnormality occurs, for example, an obstacle is found in the transportation path, the transportation trolley may stop moving until the abnormality is resolved. At this time, if the transportation trolley is stopped in an area where no power supply line is provided, the power stored in the battery will be released during the stopping of the transportation trolley. Therefore, there is a case where, after the abnormality is resolved, even if the operator wants to restart the movement of the transport trolley, the battery does not have the power required for movement. In this case, the operator performs the operation of moving the transportation trolley to the power supply line by using human power, or the operation of charging the battery by an external power source. However, this operation is extremely time-consuming and may cause the overall operating efficiency of the equipment. Adverse effects.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transport vehicle that uses electric power to move an item to carry an article, and is capable of storing electricity by using electricity even when power supply from a main power supply source cannot be received. And the power storage device can ensure the power required to restart the movement of the transport trolley. [Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the transportation trolley of the present invention uses electric power to travel and transport articles, and the transportation trolley is characterized by including a driving device that is driven by applying a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined driving voltage, thereby causing The transportation trolley is driven; a main power supply device that supplies power to the drive device; a power storage device that stores power supplied by the main power supply device; and a booster that is connected to the drive device and the power storage device To step up the stored voltage output from the power storage device and supply the stored voltage to the driving device, and the driving device can go through the step-up when it cannot receive power supply from the main power supply device The booster receives the supply of electric power stored in the power storage device to drive the power, and the booster monitors the stored voltage output from the power storage device, boosts the stored voltage to the driving voltage, The driving device applies, on the other hand, when the accumulated voltage is lower than a predetermined lower limit voltage, the booster and the power storage device are connected. The connection between the blocking.

Moreover, in connection with the transporting trolley of the present invention, the transporting trolley can also travel along a track, which is set along a predetermined transport path, and a power-supply section and a non-power-supply section are provided on the track, and the power-supply section is provided with A power supply line for supplying power to the main power supply device, and the power supply line is not provided in the non-power supply section, and the driving device uses The power storage device is driven by the power supplied from the power supply line, and the power storage device stores the power supplied from the power supply line. During a period when the transport trolley is traveling in the non-power supply section, the drive device passes the booster. The power is driven by receiving the supply of electric power stored in the power storage device.

In addition, in connection with the transportation trolley of the present invention, the lower limit voltage may be a value equal to or higher than a voltage corresponding to the amount of power required for the transportation trolley to start traveling from the non-power-supply section until the power-supply section is reached. . [Effect of the invention]

According to the transporting trolley of the present invention, even when the power supply from the main power supply device cannot be received, the electric power stored in the power storage device will supply the traveling electric power of the transporting trolley. Therefore, the transporting trolley can also be transported in a non-powered section. Continue to drive along the route. Furthermore, if the amount of power stored in the power storage device decreases, the connection to the booster will be blocked. Therefore, the power stored in the power storage device will not be transmitted to the booster, so Since the driving device consumes power through the booster, the power stored in the power storage device will not be further reduced, and the power required to restart the movement of the transport trolley can be ensured.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a transport trolley 20 and an article transport facility 10 including the transport trolley 20 as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of transfer carts 20 are provided in the article transfer facility 10, and a transfer rail 12 is laid along the transfer path on which the transfer carts 20 travel. On the left and right sides of the moving direction of the conveyance trolley 20, one conveyance rail 12 is arranged at an interval equal to the vehicle width of the conveyance trolley 20. The wheels 21 of the conveyance trolley 20 are supported on the upper surface of the conveyance rail 12 and rotate, whereby the conveyance trolley 20 travels along the conveyance path. The conveyance trolley 20 can hold the article 11, and the conveyance trolley 20 travels along the conveyance rail 12 while holding the article 11, thereby conveying the article 11 in the article conveyance device 10. Here, the mechanism provided for the conveyance cart 20 to hold the article 11 is not shown. For example, a flat surface on which the article 11 can be placed is provided on the upper surface of the conveyance trolley 20, or an article that can be grasped is provided below the conveyance trolley 20. 11 robotic arm.

The conveyance path of the conveyance trolley 20 has a linear section and a curved section. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the two straight-line sections 16 arranged in parallel, two arc-shaped curve sections 18 are provided, and the arc-shaped curve section 18 ends the one straight-line section 16. The section is connected to the end of another straight section 16. Due to these straight sections 16 and curved sections 18, the entire transportation path has a rounded rectangular shape.

Further, an arc-shaped branch section 19 (shortcut section) is connected near the center of the straight section 16. The conveyance trolley 20 passes through this branch section 19, and thereby can move from one straight section 16 to another straight section 16 without passing through the curved section 18. The transport trolley 20 selects whether to pass through the branch section 19 or the curve section 18 depending on where in the article transport facility 10 should be moved, whereby the destination can be reached using the shortest route. In the branch section 19, two arc-shaped conveying tracks 12 _BR connected to the conveying track 12 _IN on the inner peripheral side of the straight section 16 are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by the same width as the vehicle width of the conveying trolley 20. Therefore, the transport rail 12 _IN on the inner peripheral side of the straight section 16 is interrupted by an amount corresponding to the width of the branch section 19. With this, when the transportation trolley 20 travels from one end to the other end of the linear section 16, the transportation trolley 20 continues to pass through the position near the transportation track 12 _OUT on the outer peripheral side, but at the connection part connected to the branch section 19, Temporarily leave the transport rail 12 _IN on the inner peripheral side.

A power supply line 14 through which an alternating current flows is laid along the transport rail 12 _OUT on the outer peripheral side of the linear section 16. As a method of laying the power supply line 14, for example, there is a method of inserting an electric wire into a groove provided in the conveyance rail 12. An AC power source 15 that supplies a high-voltage AC current is connected to the power supply line 14. The transport trolley 20 can obtain electric power from the power supply line 14 in a non-contact manner. On the other hand, no power supply line 14 is provided in the conveyance track 12 _CUR in the curved section 18 and the conveyance track 12 _{BR in the} branch section 19. Further, in the straight section 16, no power supply line 14 is provided on the inner peripheral side transport rail 12 _IN . Hereinafter, the section where the power supply line 14 is provided (here, the straight section 16) in the transport path is sometimes referred to as the power supply section, and the section where the power supply line 14 is not provided (here, the curve section 18 and the branch section 19) is referred to as the power supply section. For unpowered sections.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transfer cart 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the transportation trolley 20 includes a power receiving device 24 that obtains power from the power supply line 14 in a non-contact manner, and a drive device 22 that drives the wheels by supplying power from the power receiving device 24 to make the wheels 21 is rotated to drive the transport cart 20; and a power storage device 26 stores power supplied from the power receiving device 24. In addition, the transportation trolley 20 also includes a voltage converter 30 that is connected to the power receiving device 24, the driving device 22, and the power storage device 26. Here, the driving device 22 and the voltage converter 30 are connected in parallel to the power receiving device 24, and the voltage converter 30 is disposed between the power receiving device 24 and the power storage device 26.

The driving device 22 is a device for rotating the wheels 21 of the transport trolley 20 by electric power, and includes, for example, a motor and a rotation controller of the motor. The conveyance trolley 20 shown in FIG. 1 has four wheels 21, and a plurality of (for example, two for front wheels and two for rear wheels) motors and rotation controllers are provided in order to rotate these wheels 21. A plurality of motors or rotation controllers are collectively shown as one driving device 22. The driving device 22 is driven by the applied voltage to rotate the wheels 21, but a strong power equal to or greater than a fixed power is required to drive the transporting cart 20. Therefore, in order to drive the driving device 22, a predetermined driving voltage V _D (for example, 320) is applied. V) above the voltage.

The power receiving device 24 includes a pick-up coil and a rectifier. The power receiving device 24 is disposed at a position near the power supply line 14 such as the lower surface of the transport trolley 20. Since an alternating current flows through the power supply line 14, the direction and intensity of the magnetic flux generated near the power supply line 14 always change. The pickup coil generates a voltage by electromagnetic induction according to the change of the magnetic flux. The starting voltage is an AC voltage, but the starting voltage is converted into a DC voltage by a rectifier and applied to the driving device 22. In this way, even if the power receiving device 24 is not in direct contact with the power supply line 14, power can be obtained from the power supply line 14. After the power receiving device 24 obtains sufficient power from the power supply line 14, the power receiving device 24 applies a voltage equal to or higher than the driving voltage V _D to the driving device 22, and the carrier 20 travels. In the transportation trolley 20, the power receiving device 24 is a main power source device that supplies power to the driving device 22.

The voltage converter 30 is a bi-directional DC-DC converter. In addition to being capable of boosting the voltage applied to the input terminal and outputting it to the output terminal as a booster, the voltage converter 30 can also perform An operation as a step-down voltage in which a voltage is stepped down and output to an output terminal. Furthermore, the voltage converter 30 can also reverse the roles of the output terminal and the input terminal. While the power receiving device 24 is applying a voltage equal to or higher than the drive voltage V _D to the drive device 22, the voltage converter 30 is also applied to the reception voltage V _{R equal to} or greater than the drive voltage V _D. In this case, the voltage converter 30 operates as a voltage reducer, steps down the received voltage V _R to a lower voltage (for example, 100 V), and supplies power from the power receiving device 24 to the power storage device 26. On the other hand, when the received voltage V _R applied by the power receiving device 24 is lower than the driving voltage V _D , the voltage converter 30 operates as a booster, and the accumulated voltage V _B output from the power storage device 26 (for example, 100 V) is boosted to the driving voltage V _D , and the driving voltage V _{D is} applied to the driving device 22. In addition, the voltage converter 30 includes a switch 38 connected between the power storage device 26 and the voltage converter 30. The switch 38 is opened or closed according to the state of the power storage device 26 or the power receiving device 24, thereby being able to be blocked or maintained. Electrical connection between the power storage device 26 and the voltage converter 30.

The power storage device 26 is a capacitor or a storage battery, which can acquire and store (charge) electric power (electric energy) from the outside. The power storage device 26 can also supply the stored power to other electronic devices. While the voltage converter 30 is operating as a step-down, the power storage device 26 stores power supplied from the power receiving device 24. While the voltage converter 30 is operating as a booster, the power storage device 26 supplies power to the driving device 22 via the voltage converter 30.

How the voltage converter 30 operates will be described using a flowchart shown in FIG. 3. First, the voltage converter 30 operates as a voltage reducer while the transport trolley 20 is traveling in the power supply section (the straight section 16), and reduces the received voltage V _R from the power receiving device 24 to supply it to the power storage device 26. Power (step S01).

The voltage converter 30 monitors the received voltage V _R of the power receiving device 24 and the accumulated voltage V _{B of the} power storage device 26. While the voltage converter 30 is operating as a step-down, it is determined whether the received voltage V _R is lower than the driving voltage V _{D of the} driving device 22 (step S02). If the received voltage V _{R is} not lower than the driving voltage V _D (step S02 -No), the voltage converter 30 continues the operation as a step-down (returns to step S01).

After the transport trolley 20 enters the non-power-supply section (curve section 18 or branch section 19), the power receiving device 24 does not receive power supply from the power supply line 14, and therefore the received voltage V _R decreases and eventually becomes zero. The voltage converter 30 detects that the received voltage V _{R is} lower than the driving voltage V _D (step S02 -Yes), and operates as a booster to boost the accumulated voltage V _{B of the} power storage device 26 to the driving voltage V _D. The power stored in the power storage device 26 is supplied to the drive device 22 (step S03). Thereby, even in the non-power-supply section, the transportation trolley 20 can continue to travel by receiving power supply from the power storage device 26. Here, the storage voltage V _{B of the} power storage device 26 is not fixed, and it varies depending on the amount of power stored in the power storage device 26. Therefore, in order to reliably apply a voltage equal to or higher than the driving voltage V _D to the driving device 22, the voltage converter 30 may determine the step-up magnification based on the value of the accumulated voltage V _B. Specifically, the voltage converter 30 only needs to calculate a ratio N = V _D / V _B between the driving voltage V _D and the accumulated voltage V _B , and then increase the accumulated voltage V _{B by} N times and supply it to the driving device 22.

While the voltage converter 30 is operating as a booster, it also monitors the received voltage V _R from the power receiving device 24 and confirms whether the received voltage V _R is lower than the driving voltage V _D (step S04). If the receiving voltage V _{R is} not lower than the driving voltage V _D (step S04-No), the transport trolley 20 passes through the non-power-supply section and reaches the power-supply section, and the power receiving device 24 restarts receiving power from the power supply line 14. 30 operates again as a voltage regulator (return to step S01).

If the received voltage is in a state where V _{R is} lower than the driving voltage V _D (step S04 -Yes), the voltage converter 30 checks whether sufficient power remains in the power storage device 26. Specifically, the voltage converter 30 measures the accumulated voltage V _B output from the power storage device 26 and determines whether the accumulated voltage V _B is lower than a predetermined lower limit voltage V _L (for example, 80 V) (step S05). If the accumulated voltage V _B output from the power storage device 26 is not lower than the lower limit voltage V _L (step S05 -No), sufficient power remains in the power storage device 26, and therefore, the voltage converter 30 continues to operate as a booster. (Return to step S03).

In a case where the accumulated voltage V _B output from the power storage device 26 is lower than the predetermined lower limit voltage V _L (step S05 -Yes), the power storage device 26 does not have sufficient power remaining. Therefore, the voltage converter 30 opens the switch 38. The electrical connection between the voltage converter 30 and the power storage device 26 is blocked (step S06). Then, the power stored in the power storage device 26 is not supplied to the drive device 22 via the voltage converter 30, and therefore, the power stored in the power storage device 26 is not further reduced. Here, the predetermined lower limit voltage V _L is a predetermined value, which is a value equal to or greater than a voltage corresponding to the amount of power required for the transportation trolley 20 to start traveling from the non-power-supply section until it reaches the power-supply section.

The following describes the conditions under which the electrical connection between the voltage converter 30 and the power storage device 26 is blocked. In the article transport facility 10 having a plurality of transport carts 20 as shown in FIG. 1, generally, the travel of each transport cart 20 is controlled by a management system (not shown). The management system monitors the entire article transport facility 10 and controls the travel of each transport trolley 20 so that the articles 11 are transported safely and efficiently. For example, the management system controls the traveling speed of each of the transportation trolleys 20 to make the transportation trolleys 20 pass through the non-power-supply section (curve section 18 or branch section 19) within a fixed time, or to prevent more than two transportation trolleys 20 Enter the same unpowered zone at the same time. When the management system determines that the transportation cart 20 cannot travel safely, the management system stops the transportation cart 20. For example, when the management system finds an obstacle on the transportation rail 12, the management system stops the transportation trolley 20 in the vicinity of the obstacle.

Here, when the transportation trolley 20 stops in the non-power-supply section (curve section 18 or branch section 19), the transportation trolley 20 is located away from the power supply line 14, so the voltage received by the power receiving device 24 shown in FIG. 2 V _R is zero. Therefore, the voltage converter 30 operates as a booster, and supplies the power stored in the power storage device 26 to the drive device 22. Even if power is supplied to the driving device 22, if the management system blocks the power transmission between the driving device 22 and the wheels 11 and the transportation cart 20 cannot travel, the transportation cart 20 will remain stopped, but the power stored in the power storage device 26 Will be gradually consumed (discharged). After removing the obstacles and allowing the transportation trolley 20 to travel safely, the management system restarts the transportation trolley 20. However, if the power of the power storage device 26 is continuously consumed during this period, the power storage device 26 may not have any capacity remaining. With the electric power for driving the transporting cart 20, the transporting cart 20 cannot travel with electric power. In this case, the operator must use human power to move the transporting trolley 20 to the power supply section, so that it takes time before driving resumes. Therefore, when the transportation trolley 20 is stopped in a non-power-supplying zone, it is desirable to leave the power storage device 26 with the electric power required to leave the power-supplying zone. Therefore, the voltage converter 30 interrupts the electrical connection between the voltage converter 30 and the power storage device 26 in a state where power in the power storage device 26 can be left by the transporting trolley 20 to leave the non-powered section.

As described above, the storage voltage V _B of the power storage device 26 varies according to the amount of power stored in the power storage device 26. There is a fixed correspondence between the amount of power stored in power storage device 26 and the value of storage voltage V _B output from power storage device 26, which is determined by the electrical characteristics of power storage device 26. Therefore, if the storage voltage V _{B is} lower than the lower limit voltage V _At the point _L , when the electrical connection between the voltage converter 30 and the power storage device 26 is blocked, the power storage device 26 is in a state in which power corresponding to the lower limit voltage V _L is stored. Quantitatively speaking, the electric energy required for the moving trolley 20 to leave the non-powered section is “the power consumption per unit time during the self-propelled process” × “the time it takes to leave completely”, that is, the amount of electricity (Ws, watts) Seconds). This required amount of power can be calculated in advance by the user of the article transport facility 10 based on the mass of the transport trolley 20 and the article 11, the length of the non-power-supply section, and how fast the transport trolley 20 is traveling. Alternatively, the user may actually start the transportation trolley 20 from the non-power-supply section until it reaches the power-supply section, and measure how much power is consumed at this time.

Furthermore, the lower limit voltage V _L may be set to a voltage value corresponding to the amount of power required when the entrance of the transport trolley 20 at the entrance of the longest non-power-supply section, that is, the maximum amount of power that may be required, or more than this voltage value. The value of the voltage makes it possible to reach the power supply section without any problem no matter where the transportation trolley 20 starts traveling in the non-power supply section.

As described above, according to the transport trolley 20 of this embodiment, in the curve-free section 18 and the branch section 19 that are not supplied with power, the drive device 22 does not receive power supply from the power receiving device 24 as the main power supply device. The transportation trolley 20 can also run using the power stored in the power storage device 26. Therefore, the power supply line 14 may not be provided in the curve section 18 and the branch section 19, thereby reducing the work cost and material cost required for laying the power supply line 14.

In addition, even in the straight section 16, the power supply line 14 only needs to be installed on the outer conveyance rail 12 _OUT . Furthermore, the power receiving device 24 that obtains power from the power supply line 14 by non-contact power supply only needs to be installed. The outer peripheral sides of the left and right sides of the transporting trolley 20 (if the transporting trolley 20 is turned to the right in the figure, the outer circumferential side is the left side in the forward direction). Therefore, the material cost of the power receiving device 24 can also be reduced. .

In addition, according to the transfer cart 20 of this embodiment, the connection between the power storage device 26 and the voltage converter 30 is blocked before the energy stored in the power storage device 26 becomes less than the amount of power required to leave the non-powered section by itself. As a result, since a sufficient amount of power remains in the power storage device 26, after the transportation cart 20 stops in the non-power-supply section, when the transportation cart 20 resumes driving, the transportation cart 20 can travel using the power remaining in the storage device 26 And leave the unpowered zone. In this way, the operator does not need to move the transport trolley 20 with human power, so it does not take a long time to restart the transport trolley 20 stopped in the non-power-supply section, and it is possible to ensure high operation efficiency of the entire article transport facility 10.

In addition, according to the transportation trolley 20 of this embodiment, since the voltage converter 30 is provided, a small-capacity battery or capacitor can be used as the power storage device 26, and the voltage converter 30 is used to boost the stored voltage V _{B of the} power storage device 26 The booster supplied to the driving device 22 operates, and the accumulated voltage V _B output from the small-capacity battery or capacitor is a voltage lower than the driving voltage V _D. Therefore, the power storage device 26 may not be a high-capacity large-capacity battery whose output storage voltage V _B can be directly driven by the driving device 22, and the cost of the power storage device 26 may be low. Furthermore, the voltage converter 30 constantly monitors the accumulated voltage V _{B of} the power storage device 26 in order to determine the step-up ratio. Therefore, it is also possible to determine whether the accumulated voltage V _B is lower than the lower limit voltage V _L. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a device for monitoring the accumulated voltage V _B in addition to the voltage converter 30, and the manufacturing cost of the transportation cart 20 can be reduced.

In addition, although the conveyance trolley 20 in this embodiment travels along the conveyance rail 12, the conveyance trolley 20 of this invention is not limited to this. For example, in a facility in which a power supply line is embedded in the ground along the conveyance path, the conveyance trolley 20 may travel on the ground along the power supply line, thereby moving along the conveyance path.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the electric power stored in the power storage device 26 is used when the transport trolley 20 is traveling in a non-power-supply section, but the power storage device 26 may be used for other purposes. For example, if there is a momentary power outage in the article transport facility 10, the power supply from the power supply line 14 will be temporarily stopped, but the transport trolley 20 may also be accumulated by the power storage device 26 during the period from the power interruption of the article transport facility 10 to the restoration. Of electricity.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the power receiving device 24 of the transport trolley 20 is a main power supply device that mainly supplies power to the drive device 22, but the main power supply device may be in another form. For example, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the non-contact power supply method is adopted, but the transportation trolley 20 is directly connected to an external power source serving as a main power source device. This external power supply supplies power to the drive device 22 and accumulates power to the power storage device 22. When the transportation trolley 20 moves away from the external power source and temporarily cannot receive power supply from the external power source, the power stored in the power storage device 26 can be used. .

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the voltage converter 30 capable of operating as both a booster and a step-down is used. However, a booster that performs a boost operation and a step-down that performs a buck operation may be used. The press is set to a different machine. In this case, even when the power storage voltage V _{B is} low, the voltage step-down and the power storage device 26 can be electrically connected as long as only the connection between the power storage device 26 and the booster is blocked.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the lower limit value (lower limit voltage) of the power of the power storage device 26 is a voltage value corresponding to the amount of power required for the transportation trolley 20 to start traveling from the power supply section until it reaches the power supply section, but it is not limited to this. this. For example, when an inspection table for inspecting the state of the transportation cart 20 is installed in a non-power-supply section, a voltage value corresponding to the amount of power required to move the transportation cart 20 to the inspection table may be set to Lower limit voltage.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the entire conveyance path on which the conveyance trolley 20 travels has a rounded rectangular shape, but the conveyance path may have any shape such as a circle or a polygon. However, it is preferable to design the transportation path so that when the transportation cart 20 enters the non-power-supply section, the power storage device 26 is fully charged. For example, when a linear portion in the conveyance path is set as a power supply interval and a curved portion is set as a no-power supply interval, at least one linear portion may be arranged between the plurality of curved portions. In this way, it is preferable to design the conveyance path so that the conveyance trolley 20 travels in the non-power-supply section (curved section) after passing through the power-supply section (straight section) at least once.

10‧‧‧ Goods handling equipment

11‧‧‧ items

12‧‧‧ handling rail

12 _BR ‧‧‧ Branch track

12 _CUR ‧‧‧Curve section

12 _IN ‧‧‧ Conveying rail on the inner side of the straight section

12 _OUT ‧‧‧ Conveying track on the outer side of the straight section

14‧‧‧Power line

15‧‧‧AC Power

16‧‧‧Straight interval

18‧‧‧ curve interval

19‧‧‧ branch interval

20‧‧‧handling trolley

21‧‧‧ Wheel

22‧‧‧Drive

24‧‧‧ Power receiving device

26‧‧‧ Power storage device

30‧‧‧Voltage Converter

38‧‧‧Switch

S01‧‧‧Step-down action

S02‧‧‧Receiving voltage judgment

S03‧‧‧Boost operation

S04‧‧‧Receiving voltage judgment

S05‧‧‧Judgment of accumulated voltage

S06‧‧‧Blocking action

V _B ‧‧‧ Accumulated voltage

V _D ‧‧‧Drive voltage

V _R ‧‧‧Receive voltage

V _L ‧‧‧ lower limit voltage

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an article transport facility including a transport trolley as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a transfer cart in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation performed by the voltage converter of the transfer trolley in the present embodiment.

Claims (3)

A transporting trolley that uses electric power to travel and thereby transport items. The transporting trolley is characterized in that it includes: a driving device that is driven by applying a voltage equal to or greater than a predetermined driving voltage, thereby driving the transporting trolley; A main power supply device that supplies power to the drive device; a power storage device that stores power supplied by the main power supply device; and a booster that is connected to the drive device and the power storage device and The output accumulated voltage is boosted, and the accumulated voltage is supplied to the driving device. When the driving device cannot receive power supply from the main power supply device, the driving device can receive the voltage via the booster. The drive is driven by the supply of electric power stored in the power storage device, and the booster monitors the stored voltage output from the power storage device, boosts the stored voltage to the driving voltage, and applies the stored voltage to the driving device. On the other hand, when the accumulated voltage is lower than a predetermined lower limit voltage, the connection between the booster and the power storage device is connected. Off. The transporting trolley according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the transporting trolley travels along a track, the track is set along a predetermined transport path, and a power supply section and a non-power supply section are provided on the track, and the power supply section A power supply line for supplying power to the main power supply device is provided in the section, and the power supply line is not provided in the non-power supply section. During a period when the transport trolley is traveling in the power supply section, the drive device uses The main power supply device is driven from the power supplied from the power supply line, and the power storage device stores the power supplied from the power supply line, and the drive device passes the The booster is driven by receiving a supply of electric power stored in the power storage device. The handling trolley according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the lower limit voltage is equal to or higher than a voltage corresponding to the amount of power required for the handling trolley to start traveling from the non-power-supply section until reaching the power-supply section. value.