US20240247514A1

US20240247514A1 - Vehicle transport device

Info

Publication number: US20240247514A1
Application number: US18/516,016
Authority: US
Inventors: Yutaka Nakamura; Yutaka Suenaga
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2023-01-19
Filing date: 2023-11-21
Publication date: 2024-07-25
Also published as: JP2024102485A

Abstract

In a vehicle transport device, a carriage can enter under a vehicle to be transported. The first arm portion has a pair of arms provided to the carriage that can support one of a front wheel or a rear wheel of the vehicle. The second arm portion has a pair of arms provided to the carriage that can support the other of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle. The acquisition unit acquires size information of the vehicle. The distance adjusting device adjusts a distance between the first arm portion and the second arm portion according to the acquired size information of the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward the position of the vehicle.

Description

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-6390 filed on Jan. 19, 2023 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This disclosure relates to a vehicle transport device.

2. Description of Related Art

JP H10-35346 discloses a vehicle transport device for lifting and lowering a cargo bed, which moves forward or backward with respect to a vehicle bed equipped with a traveling device.
A vehicle transport device is known in which a carriage is inserted under a four-wheeled vehicle, an arm provided on the carriage supports the vehicle by contacting each wheel, and the vehicle is transported by raising the carriage and moving the vehicle in a lifted state. When such a vehicle transport device transports each of several vehicles of different sizes, it is necessary to adjust the position of the arm in contact with the wheels to match the position of the wheels of each vehicle. A technique to adjust the position of the arm by inserting the carriage under the vehicle and then extending or retracting the carriage is considered, but this is time consuming and may reduce work efficiency.

SUMMARY

A purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle transport device that can improve work efficiency.
A vehicle transport device of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a carriage capable of entering under a vehicle to be transported; a first arm portion provided to the carriage, the first arm portion having a pair of arms capable of supporting one of a front wheel or a rear wheel of the vehicle; a second arm portion provided to the carriage, the second arm portion having a pair of arms capable of supporting the other of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle; an acquisition unit that acquires size information of the vehicle; and a distance adjusting device that adjusts a distance between the first arm portion and the second arm portion according to the acquired size information of the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward a location of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings that are meant to be exemplary, not limiting, and wherein like elements are numbered alike in several figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the vehicle transport system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the vehicle transport system of FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are top views of the vehicle transport system of FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the vehicle transport device of FIG. 1 to illustrate the operation of lowering the carriage;

FIG. 5 shows the functional configuration of the vehicle transport device;

FIGS. 6A to 6E are top views of the vehicle transport device showing the operation of loading a vehicle;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are side views of the vehicle transport device of FIG. 1 with a vehicle loaded; and

FIGS. 8A to 8E are top views of a comparative example vehicle transport device showing the operation of loading a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments now will be described. The embodiments are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vehicle transport system 1 of an embodiment. The vehicle transport system 1 is a system for transporting each of a plurality of vehicles to a predetermined destination, for example, in a finished vehicle yard where a plurality of vehicles manufactured at a vehicle assembly plant are parked. The predetermined destination is, for example, a parking position for loading the vehicles onto a carrier car or the like. The vehicles are automobiles with at least four wheels.
The vehicle transport system 1 has a plurality of vehicle transport devices 10 and a management device 12. The management device 12 communicates wirelessly with the vehicle transport devices 10. The management device 12 manages the plurality of vehicle transport devices 10 based on a vehicle logistics plan. The management device 12 transmits a transport instruction to each of the plurality of vehicle transport devices 10. The transport instructions include information such as the location of the vehicle to be transported, information about the vehicle to be transported, the destination, the travel route, and the temporary stop location.
The vehicle transport device 10 has no occupants. The vehicle transport device 10 travels to the location of the vehicle to be transported by automatic operation control according to the transport instructions received from the management device 12, and loads the vehicle to be transported by automatic control. There are no occupants in the vehicle to be transported, and the vehicle to be transported is loaded onto the vehicle transport device 10 while it is parked. The vehicle transport device 10 then transports the loaded vehicle to its destination by automatic operation control and unloads the vehicle by automatic control. The vehicle transport device 10 periodically transmits information such as the current position of its own device to the management device 12. The management device 12 manages the vehicle transport device 10 based on the received current position information, etc. of the vehicle transport device 10. The vehicle transport device 10 can also be called a vehicle transport robot or a lift transport carriage.
FIG. 2 is a diagonal view of the vehicle transport device 10 of FIG. 1 . The vehicle transport device 10 has a carriage 20, front wheels 22, rear wheels 24 (see FIG. 4 ), a body 26, a first arm portion 28, a front arm drive 30, a second arm portion 32, a first rear arm drive 34 a, a second rear arm drive 34 b, a communication device 38, a control device 40, a traveling drive device 42, a height adjusting device 44, a distance adjusting device 46, and a detection sensor 48.
The carriage 20 extends rearward from the main body 26 and extends longitudinally in the front-back direction. The carriage 20 can enter under a vehicle to be transported. The front wheels 22 are provided in pairs at the bottom of the main body 26. A pair of rear wheels 24 is provided at the rear side of the carriage 20 (see FIG. 4 ).
The main body 26 is provided at the front of the vehicle transport device 10. A communication device 38, a control device 40, a traveling drive unit 42, and a height adjusting unit 44 are provided inside the main body 26. The communication device 38 communicates with the management device 12. The communication device 38 receives transport instructions from the management device 12 regarding the next vehicle to be transported, and provides the received transport instructions to the control device 40. The control device 40 controls the traveling drive unit 42, the height adjusting unit 44, the distance adjusting unit 46, the front arm drive unit 30, the first rear arm drive unit 34 a, and the second rear arm drive unit 34 b based on the transport instructions supplied by the communication unit 38.
The traveling drive unit 42 includes a drive unit for advancing and retreating the vehicle transport device 10, a steering unit for steering the front wheels 22, and a braking unit for braking the front wheels 22. The drive unit may be, for example, a motor that rotates the front wheels 22.
The height adjusting device 44 adjusts the height of the carriage 20 from the ground. The height adjuster 44 raises and lowers the carriage 20 while keeping it level.
The height adjuster 44 is operated by an actuator. The height adjuster 44 may, for example, operate an air spring to adjust the height of the carriage 20, or a motor-driven hydraulic jack to adjust the height of the carriage 20.
The first arm portion 28 is provided on the carriage 20. The first arm section 28 has two first arms 50 a and two second arms 50 b. The first arm 50 a and the second arm 50 b located on the left side of the carriage 20 are a pair of arms that can support one of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle to be transported, for example, the left front wheel. The first arm 50 a and the second arm 50 b located on the right side of the carriage 20 are a pair of arms capable of supporting one of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle, for example, the right front wheel.
The two first arms 50 a extend along the left and right directions of the bogie 20, respectively, and are fixed to the bogie 20 in a state overhanging the left and right directions. The left-right direction is along the top surface of the carriage 20 and orthogonal to the front-back direction.
The two second arms 50 b are rotatable along the top surface of the carriage 20 between a first position extending along the front-back direction of the carriage 20 and a second position extending along the left-right direction, each centering on a fixed point. In FIG. 2 , the second arm 50 b is in the second position. The second arm 50 b is rotatable to approach the first arm 50 a when moving from the first position to the second position. The front arm drive 30 is an actuator including, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, which rotates the second arm 50 b between the first and second positions. With the carriage 20 under the vehicle, the second arm 50 b rotates from the first position to the second position, so that the first arm 50 a and the second arm 50 b support, for example, the front wheels between them.
The second arm portion 32 is also provided on the carriage 20. The second arm section 32 has two third arms 50 c and two fourth arms 50 d. The third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d, located on the left side of the carriage 20, are a pair of arms that can support the other wheel of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle, for example, the left rear wheel. The third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d located on the right side of the carriage 20 are a pair of arms capable of supporting the other wheel of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle, for example, the right rear wheel.
The two third arms 50 c and two fourth arms 50 d are rotatable along the top surface of the carriage 20 between a first position and a second position, respectively, about a fixed point. In FIG. 2 , the third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d are in the second position, respectively. The third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d are rotatable to approach each other when moving from the first position to the second position. The first rear arm drive 34 a is an actuator including, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, which rotates the two third arms 50 c between the first and second positions. The second rear arm drive 34 b is an actuator including, for example, a hydraulic cylinder and rotates the two fourth arms 50 d between the first and second positions. With the carriage 20 under the vehicle, the third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d each rotate from the first position to the second position, so that the third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d support the rear wheels between them, for example.
The first arm 50 a, second arm 50 b, third arm 50 c, and fourth arm 50 d are arranged along the front/rear direction in this order from the body 26 side.
The detection sensor 48 detects information for use in the traveling of the vehicle transport device 10 and the loading operation of the vehicle, and supplies the detection results to the control device 40. The detection sensor 48 maybe, for example, a camera, millimeter wave radar, infrared laser, sound wave sensor, or a combination thereof that detects an object. The control device 40 can recognize the positional relationship between the vehicle and the vehicle transport device 10 based on the detection results of the detection sensors 48.
Here, it is assumed that the vehicle transport device 10 transports multiple vehicles of different types. In this case, the distance between the front and rear wheels, i.e., the wheelbase, may differ depending on the vehicle to be transported. Therefore, the vehicle transport device 10 can adjust the position of the first arm portion 28 in the front-back direction to match the wheelbase of the vehicle to be transported. The vehicle transport device 10 maybe able to adjust the forward/backward position of the second arm portion 32.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are top views of the vehicle transport device 10 of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3A shows a state in which the distance between the first arm section 28 and the second arm section 32 is relatively long. FIG. 3B shows the first arm section 28 sliding backward and the distance between the first arm section 28 and the second arm section 32 being relatively short.
The vehicle transport device 10 is equipped with a slide mechanism that slides the first arm section 28 and the front arm drive section 30 along the front/rear direction independently from the carriage 20.
The top plate 60 covers a portion of the top surface of the bogie 20. Slide members (not shown) are provided on each of the two sides of the carriage 20 on the back side of the top plate 60 and slide along the front-back direction of the carriage 20 independently from the carriage 20. The slide members fit into and slide on rail portions provided on each of the two sides of the carriage 20. The slide members on both sides of the carriage 20 are joined by the top plate 60. The first arm section 28 and the front arm drive section 30 are coupled to the slide members.
The distance adjuster 46 adjusts the distance between the first arm section 28 and the second arm section 32. The distance adjuster 46 is an actuator including, for example, a hydraulic cylinder. The actuator of the distance adjusting device 46 is coupled between the carriage 20 and the slide member. As the actuator of the distance adjusting device 46 extends and retracts, the first arm portion 28 and the front arm drive 30 slide back and forth independently of the carriage 20, integrally with the slide member and the top plate 60. The carriage 20 does not extend or retract.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the actuator of the distance adjuster 46 pushes the first arm section 28 and the front arm drive section 30 toward the second arm section 32.
The distance adjusting device 46 requires, for example, more than ten seconds to adjust the distance between the first arm section 28 and the second arm section 32.
In order for the vehicle transport device 10 to load a vehicle, it is necessary to lower the bogie 20 and allow the lowered bogie 20 to enter under the vehicle. The height adjusting device 44 requires, for example, several tens of seconds to lower the bogie.
Here, when the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at a predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle, it may pause, adjust the distance between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32, lower the bogie 20, and then resume movement to allow the bogie 20 to enter under the vehicle in a comparative example. However, in order to efficiently transport multiple vehicles by a small number of vehicle transport devices 10, it is desirable to reduce the working time from the time when the vehicle transport device 10 starts moving toward the vehicle to be transported to the destination to the completion of the transport of the vehicle to the destination more than in the comparative example.
Therefore, in the embodiment, while the vehicle transport device 10 is moving toward the vehicle to be transported, that is, before the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at a predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle, the distance adjustment between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32 and the lowering operation of the carriage 20 are completed. This allows the work time to be reduced and the work efficiency to be improved compared to the comparative example.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views to illustrate the operation of the vehicle transport device 10 of FIG. 1 to lower the bogie 20. FIG. 4A shows a situation where the vehicle transport device 10 is lowering the bogie 20 while moving toward the vehicle 100. The vehicle transport device 10 is backing toward the front of the vehicle 100 while lowering the bogie 20.
FIG. 4B shows the situation where the vehicle transport device 10 has arrived at a predetermined position in front of the vehicle 100. At the point shown in FIG. 4B, the operation of lowering the carriage 20 has been completed. Therefore, the vehicle transport device 10 does not pause at this predetermined position, but continues to back up and place the bogie 20 under the vehicle 100. Since it does not pause at the predetermined position, the work time can be shortened.
The vehicle transport device 10 can be driven by the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 24 in the state where the carriage 20 is lowered, the height of the carriage 20 is being adjusted, and the carriage 20 is raised, respectively.
In FIG. 4 , the vehicle carrier 10 is shown loading the vehicle 100 from the front side, but the vehicle 100 may be loaded from the rear side.
FIG. 5 shows the functional configuration of the vehicle transport device 10. The control device 40 has an acquisition unit 70, a position acquisition unit 72, a predicted time acquisition unit 74, and a controller 76. Although the configuration of the control device 40 can be realized hardware-wise by the CPU, memory, or other LSI of any computer, and software-wise by programs loaded into the memory, etc., the functional blocks realized by their coordination are depicted here. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof.
The acquisition unit 70 acquires the conveyance instructions received by the communication device 38 and the detection results of the detection sensor 48, and supplies the acquired information to the control unit 76. The information of the vehicle 100 to be transported included in the transport instruction includes size information of the vehicle 100. The size information includes information on the wheelbase of the vehicle 100.
The position acquisition unit 72 periodically acquires the position of the vehicle transport device 10 and outputs the acquired position information to the control unit 76, the predicted time acquisition unit 74, and the communication device 38. The position acquisition unit 72 includes, for example, a GPS receiver, receives signals from GPS satellites, and derives the position of the device based on the received signals.
The control unit 76 controls the traveling drive unit 42 in accordance with the transport instructions supplied by the acquisition unit 70, the detection results of the detection sensor 48, and the position information supplied by the position acquisition unit 72 to make the vehicle transport device 10 travel autonomously toward the position of the vehicle 100. For autonomous driving, known automatic driving technology can be used.
The control unit 76 activates the distance adjusting device 46 based on the size information of the vehicle 100 while the vehicle transport device 10 is moving toward the location of the vehicle 100. The distance adjusting device 46 adjusts the distance between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32 according to the obtained size information of the vehicle 100 while the vehicle transport device 10 is moving toward the location of the vehicle 100, in accordance with the control unit 76. As already mentioned, the first arm section 28 and the front arm drive section 30 slide independently from the carriage 20, so they do not affect the autonomous traveling of the vehicle transport device 10. Since the overall length of the vehicle transport device 10 does not change, there is no need to change the parameters for autonomous traveling control.
Specifically, the distance adjuster 46 adjusts the distance between the first arm section 28 and the second arm section 32 to the wheelbase of the vehicle 100 plus a predetermined length for fine adjustment. The distance between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32 is, for example, the distance from the rear side of the first arm 50 a to the rear side of the third arm 50 c in the second position. The predetermined length may be, for example, 50 mm to 100, mm and may be determined by experiment or simulation as appropriate.
The distance adjuster 46 completes the adjustment operation of the distance between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32 before the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at the predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100, that is, before the carriage 20 enters under the vehicle 100. As long as the distance adjustment operation is completed before the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at the predetermined position, the distance adjusting device 46 may start the distance adjustment operation at any timing.
This eliminates the need to adjust the distance between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32 after the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at the predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100. Thus, the time required to load the vehicle 100 can be reduced.
The control unit 76 also activates the height adjusting device 44 while the vehicle transport device 10 is moving toward the position of the vehicle 100. The height adjusting device 44 lowers the carriage 20 to a position where it can enter under the vehicle 100 while the vehicle transport device 10 is moving toward the position of the vehicle 100, in accordance with the control unit 76. The position at which it can enter under the vehicle 100 is predetermined. While the vehicle transport device 10 is lowering the bogie 20, the vehicle transport device 10 continues to travel. The height adjusting device 44 completes the lowering operation of the bogie 20 by the time the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at a predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100.
This allows the carriage 20 to enter under the vehicle 100 as soon as the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at the predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100, thereby reducing the time required to load the vehicle 100.
The predicted time acquisition unit 74 periodically derives a predicted time until the vehicle carrier 10 arrives at a predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100 based on the current position, the position of the vehicle 100, and the travel route, and acquires the derived predicted time. The forecast time acquisition unit 74 supplies the acquired forecast time to the control unit 76. The forecast time may be derived by the management device 12 and transmitted to the vehicle transport device 10. In this case, the prediction time acquisition unit 74 acquires the prediction time information received by the communication device 38.
The height adjusting device 44 starts lowering the bogie 20 when the predicted time until the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at a predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100 becomes the time required for the lowering operation of the bogie 20, in accordance with the control of the control unit 76. In this case, the height adjusting device 44 completes the lowering operation of the bogie 20 when the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at the predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle 100. The time required for the lowering operation of the bogie 20 can be determined by experimentation and is stored in advance in the memory section not shown.
This allows the vehicle transport device 10 to travel with the bogie 20 in the raised position without lowering the bogie 20 until the predicted time to arrive at the location of the vehicle 100 is the time required for the lowering operation of the bogie 20. Thus, the vehicle transport device 10 can move easily even on uneven road surfaces. For example, the road surface of a finished car yard can be uneven for drainage. Unlike the embodiment, if it is assumed that the vehicle transport device travels with the bogie lowered from the point where it starts moving toward the position of the vehicle 100 to the point where it can enter under the vehicle 100, this unevenness may make it difficult for the vehicle transport device to travel.
The operation of the distance adjusting device 46 adjusting the distance and the operation of the height adjusting device 44 lowering the bogie 20 maybe performed in parallel or in separate periods.
Next, the operation of the vehicle transport device 10 loading the vehicle 100 will be described. FIGS. 6A to 6E are top views of the operation of the vehicle transport device 10 loading the vehicle 100. FIGS. 6B through 6E show the front wheels 102 and the rear wheels 104 of the vehicle 100 to be transported, and do not show the body of the vehicle 100.
When the vehicle transport device 10 arrives in front of the vehicle 100 as shown in FIG. 4B above, as shown in FIG. 6A, with the second arm 50 b, the third arm 50 c, and the fourth arm 50 d in the first position, the carriage 20 is driven by the traveling drive unit 42 to enter under the vehicle 100 from the fourth arm 50 d side.
When the third arm 50 c enters between the front wheel 102 and the rear wheel 104 of the vehicle 100, the control unit 76 controls the first rear arm drive 34 a to rotate the third arm 50 c to the second position as shown in FIG. 6B, and the carriage 20 moves until the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104. As shown in FIG. 6C, the carriage 20 stops when the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104. The third arm 50 c hits the tread of the tire of the rear wheel 104. The fact that the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104 can be detected by known techniques. For example, it can be detected by a sensor not shown in the figure that detects the force applied to the third arm 50 c, or by using the detection results of the detection sensor 48.
As already mentioned, the distance between the first arm portion 28 and the second arm portion 32 is adjusted to be slightly longer than the wheelbase of the vehicle 100, so that the first arm 50 a does not hit the front wheel 102 and the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104.
When the carriage 20 stops, as shown in FIG. 6D, the control unit 76 controls the second rear arm drive unit 34 b and the fourth arm 50 d rotates to the second position, so that the third arm 50 c and fourth arm 50 d clamp the rear wheel 104.
When the third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d sandwich the rear wheel 104, the distance adjuster 46 moves the first arm portion 28 slightly toward the second arm portion 32 until the first arm 50 a hits the front wheel 102, as shown in FIG. 6E. In other words, the distance adjuster 46 performs a fine adjustment of the position of the first arm section 28. When the first arm portion 28 stops, the control unit 76 controls the front arm drive 30 and the second arm 50 b rotates to the second position, so that the first arm 50 a and the second arm 50 b sandwich the front wheel 102.
Since the distance between the pre-adjusted first arm portion 28 and second arm portion 32 is longer than the wheelbase of the vehicle 100 by a predetermined length for fine adjustment, the position of the first arm portion 28 can be fine adjusted after the third arm 50 c and fourth arm 50 d sandwich the rear wheels 104. This makes it easier to absorb misalignment when the front/rear direction of the carriage 20 entering under the vehicle 100 is positioned at a slight angle to the front/rear direction of the vehicle 100.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are side views of the vehicle transport device 10 of FIG. 1 with the vehicle 100 loaded. FIG. 7A shows the vehicle 100 secured to the lowered bogie 20. FIG. 7A corresponds to the side view of FIG. 6E. FIG. 7B shows the bogie 20 in the raised state. As shown in FIG. 7B, the vehicle transport device 10 lifts the vehicle 100 by raising the carriage 20, and transports the vehicle 100 by moving in this state.
Here is another comparative example in which the arm position is adjusted by inserting the carriage under the vehicle 100 and then extending and retracting the carriage. FIGS. 8A to 8E are top views showing the operation of the comparative example vehicle transfer device 10X loading the vehicle 100. FIGS. 8B to 8E show the front and rear wheels 102 and 104 of the vehicle 100 and do not show the body of the vehicle 100.
The vehicle transport device 10X in the comparative example is driven by a pair of front wheels 22X on the body 26X and a pair of rear wheels 24X on the rear of the bogie 20X. The carriage 20X is extendable and retractable.
When the vehicle transport device 10X arrives at the front of the vehicle 100, it pauses and lowers the carriage 20X. After the lowering of the bogie 20X is completed, as shown in FIG. 8A, with the second arm 50 b, third arm 50 c, and fourth arm 50 d in the first position, the front wheels 22X are driven and the bogie 20X enters under the vehicle 100 from the fourth arm 50 d side. The second arm 50 b and third arm 50 c in the first position are stored in the carriage 20X and are not shown.
As shown in FIG. 8B, when the first arm 50 a hits the front wheels 102 of the vehicle 100, the front wheels 22X stop driving, the carriage 20X stops moving, and the third arm 50 c rotates to the second position.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, the carriage 20X extends backward until the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104. The rear of the bogie 20X is pushed backward by an actuator, for example, to extend the bogie 20X. In other words, the positions of the third arm 50 c and fourth arm 50 d are adjusted to match the wheelbase of the vehicle 100.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8D, the second arm 50 b rotates to the second position, so that the first arm 50 a and the second arm 50 b sandwich the front wheels 102. Also, when the fourth arm 50 d rotates to the second position, the third arm 50 c and the fourth arm 50 d sandwich the rear wheel 104.
In this comparative example, the time from the start of the operation of the carriage 20X entering under the vehicle 100 to the completion of fixing the front and rear wheels is generally longer than in the embodiment because of the time required to extend the carriage 20X backward until the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104.
Assume the case where the weight of the vehicle 100 is relatively light, or the vehicle 100 is a manual transmission vehicle and the parking brake is not fully operational, and the force of the bogie 20X extending backward is relatively strong. In this case, if the bogie 20X extends backward until the third arm 50 c hits the rear wheel 104 as shown in FIG. 8C, the rear wheel 104 may be pushed by the third arm 50 c and the vehicle 100 may move backward as shown in FIG. 8E. On the other hand, in FIG. 6E, even if the force of the distance adjuster 46 moving the first arm portion 28 toward the second arm portion 32 is relatively strong, the rear wheels 104 are fixed, making it difficult for the vehicle 100 to move backward.
Described above is an explanation based on exemplary embodiments. The embodiments are intended to be illustrative only, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications to a combination of constituting elements or processes could be developed and that such modifications also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
For example, if the vehicle transport device 10 is used in an environment where the unevenness of the road surface is small and the vehicle transport device 10 can easily travel with the bogie 20 lowered, the height adjuster 44 may start lowering the bogie 20 at any time, as long as the lowering operation of the bogie 20 is completed before the vehicle transport device 10 reaches the predetermined position. For example, the height adjuster 44 may start the lowering operation of the bogie 20 when the vehicle transport device 10 starts moving. In this variant, the predicted time acquisition unit 74 is not necessary, and control can be simplified.
The management device 12 may also derive a predicted time until the vehicle transport device 10 arrives at a predetermined position in front of or behind the vehicle, and when the predicted time becomes the time required for the lowering operation of the carriage 20, an instruction to start the lowering operation of the carriage 20 maybe sent to the vehicle transport device 10. In this case, when the communication device 38 receives the instruction to start the operation to lower the carriage 20, the control unit 76 causes the height adjusting device 44 to start the operation to lower the carriage 20. In this variant, the processing of the control device 40 can be simplified.
In the embodiment, the four arms of the first arm section 28 slide forward and backward integrally. The pair of first and second arms 50 a and 50 b on the left side of the carriage 20 and the left side front arm drive unit 30 are referred to as the left side first arm mechanism. The pair of first and second arms 50 a and 50 b on the right side and the right side front arm drive 30 are referred to as the right side first arm mechanism. The left side first arm mechanism and the right side first arm mechanism are not coupled and may slide back and forth separately. The distance adjuster 46 can move the left side first arm mechanism and the right side first arm mechanism separately. In the adjustment before the carriage 20 enters under the vehicle 100, the distance adjuster 46 moves the left side first arm mechanism and the right side first arm mechanism the same distance to align the two first arms 50 a in the front-back direction. In FIG. 6E, the distance adjuster 46 moves the left side first arm mechanism toward the second arm portion 32 until the left side first arm 50 a hits the left side front wheel 102 and moves the right side first arm mechanism toward the second arm portion 32 until the right side first arm 50 a hits the right side front wheel 102. This makes it easier to fine-tune the front/rear direction of the carriage 20 that has entered under the vehicle 100, when it is positioned at a slight angle to the front/rear direction of the vehicle 100.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle transport device comprising:

a carriage capable of entering under a vehicle to be transported;

a first arm portion provided to the carriage, the first arm portion having a pair of arms capable of supporting one of a front wheel or a rear wheel of the vehicle;

a second arm portion provided to the carriage, the second arm portion having a pair of arms capable of supporting the other of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the vehicle;

an acquisition unit that acquires size information of the vehicle; and

a distance adjusting device that adjusts a distance between the first arm portion and the second arm portion according to the acquired size information of the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward a location of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle transport device of claim 1, further comprising a height adjusting device that adjusts a height of the carriage,

wherein the height adjusting device lowers the carriage to a position where the carriage can enter under the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward the location of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle transport device of claim 2,

wherein the height adjusting device starts an operation of lowering the carriage when an estimated time until the vehicle transport device arrives in front of or behind the vehicle becomes a time required for the operation of lowering the carriage.

4. The vehicle transport device of claim 1,

wherein the distance adjusting device adjusts the distance between the first arm portion and the second arm portion to a distance obtained by adding a wheelbase of the vehicle to a predetermined length for fine adjustment.

5. The vehicle transport device of claim 4,

wherein the first arm portion has a first arm and a second arm extending along a left-right direction of the carriage,

wherein the second arm portion has a third arm and a fourth arm,

wherein the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are each rotatable between a first position extending along a front-rear direction of the carriage and a second position extending along the left-right direction of the carriage,

wherein the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are arranged along the front-rear direction in this order,

wherein the carriage enters under the vehicle from the fourth arm side with the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm in the first position, when the vehicle transport device arrives in front of or behind the vehicle,

wherein the third arm rotates to the second position and the carriage moves until the third arm hits the other wheel when the third arm enters between the front wheel and the rear wheel of the vehicle,

wherein the fourth arm rotates to the second position when the carriage stops, whereby the third arm and the fourth arm clamp the other wheel,

wherein the distance adjusting device moves the first arm portion toward the second arm until the first arm hits the one wheel, when the third arm and the fourth arm clamp the other wheel, and

wherein the second arm rotates to the second position when the first arm section stops, whereby the first arm and the second arm clamp the one wheel.