JP-7856015-B2 - Vehicle transport system

JP7856015B2JP 7856015 B2JP7856015 B2JP 7856015B2JP-7856015-B2

Inventors

中村裕
末永豊

Assignees

トヨタ自動車株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20230119

Claims (5)

A vehicle transport device, A trolley that can fit under the vehicle being transported, The trolley is provided with a first arm section having a pair of arms capable of supporting one of the front or rear wheels of the vehicle, The trolley is provided with a second arm section having a pair of arms capable of supporting the other wheel of the vehicle's front and rear wheels, An acquisition unit that acquires the size information of the aforementioned vehicle, A distance adjustment device adjusts the distance between the first arm and the second arm according to the acquired size information of the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward the position of the vehicle. A height adjustment device for adjusting the height of the trolley, Equipped with , The height adjustment device lowers the trolley to a position where it can fit under the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward the vehicle's position. A vehicle transport device characterized by the following features.
The height adjustment device starts lowering the trolley when the predicted time until the vehicle transport device arrives in front of or behind the vehicle becomes the time required to lower the trolley. The vehicle transport device according to feature 1 .
The distance adjustment device adjusts the distance between the first arm and the second arm to a distance equal to the wheelbase of the vehicle plus a predetermined length for fine adjustment. The vehicle transport device according to feature 1 or 2 .
The first arm portion comprises a first arm extending along the left-right direction of the trolley and a second arm. The aforementioned second arm portion includes a third arm and a fourth arm, The second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are each configured to be rotatable between a first position extending along the front-rear direction of the trolley and a second position extending along the left-right direction. The first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are arranged in this order along the front-rear direction. When the vehicle transport device arrives in front of or behind the vehicle, the trolley moves 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 third arm enters between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, the third arm rotates to the second position, and the trolley moves until the third arm contacts the other wheel. When the trolley stops, the fourth arm rotates to the second position, causing the third arm and the fourth arm to grip the other wheel. When the third arm and the fourth arm clamp the other wheel, the distance adjustment device moves the first arm portion toward the second arm until the first arm contacts the one wheel. When the first arm stops, the second arm rotates to the second position, so that the first arm and the second arm clamp one of the wheels. The vehicle transport device according to feature 3 .
A vehicle transport device, A trolley that can fit under the vehicle being transported, The trolley is provided with a first arm section having a pair of arms capable of supporting one of the front or rear wheels of the vehicle, The trolley is provided with a second arm section having a pair of arms capable of supporting the other wheel of the vehicle's front and rear wheels, An acquisition unit that acquires the size information of the aforementioned vehicle, A distance adjustment device adjusts the distance between the first arm and the second arm according to the acquired size information of the vehicle while the vehicle transport device is moving toward the position of the vehicle. Equipped with, The distance adjustment device adjusts the distance between the first arm and the second arm to a distance equal to the wheelbase of the vehicle plus a predetermined length for fine adjustment. The first arm portion comprises a first arm extending along the left-right direction of the trolley and a second arm. The aforementioned second arm portion includes a third arm and a fourth arm, The second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are each configured to be rotatable between a first position extending along the front-rear direction of the trolley and a second position extending along the left-right direction. The first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are arranged in this order along the front-rear direction. When the vehicle transport device arrives in front of or behind the vehicle, the trolley moves 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 third arm enters between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, the third arm rotates to the second position, and the trolley moves until the third arm contacts the other wheel. When the trolley stops, the fourth arm rotates to the second position, causing the third arm and the fourth arm to grip the other wheel. When the third arm and the fourth arm clamp the other wheel, the distance adjustment device moves the first arm portion toward the second arm until the first arm contacts the one wheel. When the first arm stops, the second arm rotates to the second position, so that the first arm and the second arm sandwich one of the wheels. A vehicle transport device characterized by the following features.

Description

This invention relates to a vehicle transport device. Patent Document 1 discloses a cargo platform lifting and transport vehicle in which the cargo platform moves forward or backward while being raised and lowered relative to a chassis equipped with a running gear. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-35346 This is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle transport system according to the embodiment.Figure 1 is a perspective view of the vehicle transport device.Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are top views of the vehicle transport device shown in Figure 1.Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are side views illustrating the operation of the vehicle transport device in Figure 1 in lowering the trolley.This diagram shows the functional configuration of a vehicle transport system.Figures 6(a) to 6(e) are top views showing the operation of a vehicle transport device in loading a vehicle.Figures 7(a) and 7(b) are side views of the vehicle transport device shown in Figure 1 with vehicles loaded onto it.Figures 8(a) to 8(e) are top views showing the operation of a comparative vehicle transport device in loading a vehicle. Figure 1 shows the configuration of the vehicle transport system 1 according to the embodiment. The vehicle transport system 1 is a system for transporting multiple vehicles to a predetermined destination, for example, within a finished vehicle yard where multiple vehicles manufactured at a vehicle assembly plant are parked. The predetermined destination is, for example, a parking position for loading the vehicles onto a car carrier or the like. The vehicles are at least four-wheeled automobiles. The vehicle transport system 1 comprises multiple 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 multiple vehicle transport devices 10 based on the vehicle logistics plan. The management device 12 transmits transport instructions to each of the multiple vehicle transport devices 10. The transport instructions include information such as the location of the vehicle to be transported, information about the vehicle, destination, travel route, and stopping points. The vehicle transport device 10 has no occupants. Following transport instructions received from the management device 12, the vehicle transport device 10 travels to the location of the vehicle to be transported using automatic driving control, and loads the vehicle using automatic control. The vehicle to be transported also has no occupants, and is loaded onto the vehicle transport device 10 while parked. Next, the vehicle transport device 10 transports the loaded vehicle to its destination using automatic driving control, and unloads the vehicle using automatic control. The vehicle transport device 10 periodically transmits its current location information and other data to the management device 12. The management device 12 manages the vehicle transport device 10 based on the received current location information and other data. The vehicle transport device 10 can also be called an automated vehicle transport robot or a lift transport trolley. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle transport device 10 shown in Figure 1. The vehicle transport device 10 comprises a trolley 20, front wheels 22, rear wheels 24 (see Figure 4), main body 26, first arm section 28, front arm drive section 30, second arm section 32, first rear arm drive section 34a, second rear arm drive section 34b, communication device 38, control device 40, travel drive device 42, height adjustment device 44, distance adjustment device 46, and detection sensor 48. The trolley 20 extends rearward from the main body 26 and extends longitudinally in the front-to-back direction. The trolley 20 can fit under the vehicle being transported. A pair of front wheels 22 are provided on the lower part of the main body 26. A pair of rear wheels 24 are provided on the rear side of the trolley 20 (see Figure 4). The main body 26 is located at the front of the vehicle transport device 10. Inside the main body 26 are a communication device 38, a control device 40, a travel drive device 42, and a height adjustment device 44. 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 supplies the received transport instructions to the control device 40. Based on the transport instructions supplied by the communication device 38, the control device 40 controls the travel drive device 42, the height adjustment device 44, the distance adjustment device 46, the front arm drive unit 30, the first rear arm drive unit 34a, and the second rear arm drive unit 34b. The driving unit 42 includes a drive unit for moving the vehicle transport device 10 forward and backward, a steering unit for steering the front wheels 22, and a brakin