Driverless transport vehicle having a payload lifting apparatus and securing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12344515-B2
Application number	US-202117999388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2021
Priority date	May 19, 2020
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A driverless automatically guided transport vehicle for conveying payloads, for example a material transport vehicle in a factory, having a payload lifting apparatus. In order to offer a transport vehicle which is improved with regard to the securing of loads, it is proposed that the transport vehicle has a retaining apparatus for securing the load on the transport vehicle, the activation of which retaining apparatus is positively coupled to the lifting movement of the lifting apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driverless automatically guided transport vehicle for transporting a load comprising:
a lifting apparatus which is configured to lift the load such that said load can be transported in the lifted state;
a retaining apparatus for securing the load on the transport vehicle, wherein the activation of the retaining apparatus is positively coupled to the lifting movement of the lifting apparatus; and
wherein the retaining apparatus has a locking fork which can be moved from a retracted parked position into a deployed locking position and which in the deployed position engages around a traverse, which is attached to the payload or to a separate payload carrier, at at least two opposite sides and thus secures said traverse in form-fitting fashion.

2. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling is implemented by mechanical means.

3. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the activation of the retaining apparatus is performed in track-controlled fashion by way of a profiled track.

4. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transport vehicle has a chassis with drive components arranged therein, and the lifting apparatus comprises at least one load carrier element which is height-adjustable relative to the chassis and which serves for carrying the payload, and wherein the locking fork is at least partially arranged in a gap between the chassis and the load carrier element.

5. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the transport vehicle has two load carrier elements and two locking forks, which are arranged in each case oppositely on both sides of the chassis.

6. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the lifting apparatus has a lifting shaft, the rotation of which is coupled to the lifting movement of the load carrier element.

7. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the lifting apparatus has a control cam which co-rotates with the lifting shaft and which extends radially outward with respect to the lifting shaft, wherein the locking fork, in one portion thereof, forms a profiled track such that the control cam, by sliding on the profiled track, moves the locking fork at least from the retracted parked position into the deployed locking position.

8. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 7 , wherein that end of the control cam which slides on the locking fork has a convex tip and a flattened or concave section, wherein, during the lifting operation, the tip slides on the profiled track, forming a linear contact point, and, in the deployed locking position, the section bears against the locking fork.

9. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the locking fork, in the retracted parked position, engages around the lifting shaft radially at the outside at least in certain portions.

10. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the lifting shaft is actuated by way of a wraparound drive.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Tech Gmbh

Inventors

• Lang Stefan
• Mainz Sven
• Gerber Sascha

Classifications

• B66F9/24

  Electrical devices or systems · CPC title

• B66F9/18

  Load gripping or retaining means · CPC title

• B66F9/065

  non-masted (mobile jacks of the garage type mounted on wheels or rollers B66F5/00) · CPC title

• B66F9/061

  characterised by having a lifting jib · CPC title

• B66F9/075

  Constructional features or details · CPC title