Towing device of automatic guided vehicle and automatic guided vehicle having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10960717-B2
Application number	US-201716099852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	May 12, 2016
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A towing device of an automatic guided vehicle is mounted on the automatic guided vehicle for towing a cart. The towing device includes a hook member and a driving device. The hook member is engageable with a cart and is to be engaged with the cart in an elastically biased state at least when towing the cart. The driving device is for driving the hook member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A towing device of an automatic guided vehicle, the towing device mounted on the automatic guided vehicle for towing a cart, the towing device comprising:
a hook member that is engageable with a cart and is configured to be engaged with the cart in an elastically biased state at least when towing the cart; and
a driving device for driving the hook member, the driving device including
a motor having a rotating shaft;
a moving member that reciprocates in a vertical direction based on a rotating motion of the rotating shaft; and
a spring member for biasing the moving member vertically upward,

the spring member is capable of applying a spring force to the hook member through the moving member,
the hook member is configured to enter either an engageable state in which the hook member is capable of engaging with the cart based on a reciprocating motion in the vertical direction of the moving member or a non-engageable state in which the hook member is not engaged with the cart, and
the hook member is configured to be engaged with the cart with the hook member being biased with the spring force when the hook member is in the engageable state.

2. The towing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the hook member is rotatably mounted to a vehicle body of the automatic guided vehicle and is configured to rotate based on the reciprocating motion in the vertical direction of the moving member.

3. The towing device according to claim 2 , wherein
the hook member includes a long handle part and a short handle part intersecting the long handle part, and
the long handle part has a short-handle-side end part that is connected to the short handle part and that is engageable with the moving member, and has an opposite end part that is located opposite to the short-handle-side end part and that is rotatably supported to the vehicle body of the automatic guided vehicle.

4. A towing device of an automatic guided vehicle, the towing device mounted on the automatic guided vehicle for towing a cart, the towing device comprising:
a hook member that is engageable with a cart and is configured to be engaged with the cart in an elastically biased state at least when towing the cart; and
a driving device for driving the hook member, the driving device including:
a motor having a rotating shaft;
a moving member that reciprocates in a vertical direction based on a rotating motion of the rotating shaft; and
a spring member for biasing the moving member vertically upward,

the spring member is capable of applying a spring force to the hook member through the moving member,
the hook member is configured to enter either an engageable state in which the hook member is capable of engaging with the cart based on a reciprocating motion in the vertical direction of the moving member or a non-engageable state in which the hook member is not engaged with the cart, the hook member is integral with the moving member and reciprocates in the vertical direction as the moving member reciprocates in the vertical direction, and
the hook member is configured to be engaged with the cart with the hook member being biased with the spring force when the hook member is in the engageable state.

5. The towing device according to any one of claim 1 or 2 - 4 , wherein
the hook member engages with a frame of the cart on a rear side of the frame in a traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle, when the automatic guided vehicle travels forward, and
the towing device further includes a restricting member that restricts a forward movement of the frame in the traveling direction after the hook member engages with the frame.

6. The towing device according to claim 5 , wherein
the restricting member is configured to allow the frame to move rearward when the frame abuts against the restricting member on a front side of the restricting member, and to restrict the forward movement of the frame when the frame abuts against the restricting member on a rear side of the restricting member.

7. The towing device according to claim 6 , wherein
the restricting member is configured to allow the rearward movement of the frame by rotating or inclining when the frame abuts against the restricting member on the front side, and to restrict the forward movement of the frame by returning to an initial state when the abutment of the frame against the restricting member on the front side is released.

8. The towing device according to claim 7 , wherein
the restricting member has an abutting surface against which the frame is able to abut from the front side of the restricting member, and
the abutting surface is configured to incline upward from the front side to the rear side of the restricting member.

9. An automatic guided vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
a driving unit that is swivelably mounted to the vehicle body;
a caster that is swivelably mounted to the vehicle body;
the towing device according to claim 1 or claim 4 ; and
a control device for controlling the driving unit and the towing device,
the automatic guided vehicle configured to tow the cart with the hook member of the towing device engaged with a frame of the cart.

10. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein
the automatic guided vehicle tows the cart in a state where the automatic guided vehicle is positioned under the cart.

11. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 9 , further comprising
a coupling member that is configured to be swingably coupled to the vehicle body, to extend toward the cart, the coupling member having an extended end,
wherein the towing device is mounted on the extended end.

Assignees

• Aichikikai Technosystem Co Ltd
• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Ryuji
• Kaneko Takayuki

Classifications

• B61B10/04

  with vehicles rolling trackless on the ground · CPC title

• B61G1/02

  having links or bars coupling or uncoupling by rotating around a transverse horizontal axis · CPC title

• B60D1/04 Primary

  Hook or hook-and-hasp couplings · CPC title

• B61G1/283

  and coupling when the coupling halves are pushed together · CPC title

• B60D1/62

  involving supply lines, electric circuits or the like · CPC title