Driver-free transport vehicle for the safe transportation of heavy loads

• US 10,202,061 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH (Rudolf Grenzebach,)
• Original Assignee: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH (Rudolf Grenzebach,)
• Inventors: Scherle, Mathias, Mecklinger, Sigfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coolman, Vaughn
• Application Number:
  US15/036,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20160288687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/10 Indicating wheel slip ; Correction of wheel slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/6409 details, accessories, auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided

Abstract

The invention relates to a driver-free transport vehicle and to a method for the safe transportation of heavy loads which are in the form of loaded carriages which can be moved on castors, said vehicle having the following characteristics: a) vehicle housing having a central lifting mandrel for receiving and transporting a carriage by means of a docking traverse, with two drive wheels arranged on both sides of the vehicle housing, and in the center thereof, and at least one laser scanner system which is installed in the outer area of the vehicle housing; b) a drive motor for driving a hub spindle which presses, by means of a compression spring, the central lifting mandrel in a central opening of the docking traverse, and a system for supplying energy of the transport vehicle via inductive lines laid in the ground, by means of an induction current collector, is provided; c) an emergency stop system which comprises an emergency switch on the transport vehicle, the activation on the emergency stop switches triggering on each castor of the carriage, the simultaneous locking of a pressurized brake shoe.

Claims

1. A driverless transport system for the safe transportation of heavy loads in the form of loaded carriages which are movable on casters, comprising a transport vehicle comprising:

a vehicle housing (40) comprising

a central lifting pin (15), a left lifting pin (28), and a right lifting pin (20) for receiving and transporting a carriage (1) comprising a docking cross beam (5) which is integrated in the carriage (1),

wherein the central lifting pin (15) is positioned in a center of the vehicle housing (40), wherein the left (28) and right (20) lifting pins are on opposite sides of the central lifting pin (15), and where each of the central (15), left (28), and right (20) lifting pins extends upward,

a pressure spring (34) having the central lifting pin (15) at one end and a lifting spindle (23) at the opposing end, wherein the lifting spindle (23) comprises a pressure plate (27) in contact with the left (28) and right (20) lifting pins;

two drive wheels (7), each on a dedicated mounted rotation axle, which are independently drivable on either side of the center of the vehicle housing (40) by one drive (16) each, wherein a rotary encoder (33) is provided on each drive wheel (7),

wherein support wheels (19) in each case in pairs are provided on the front side and on the rear side of the vehicle housing (40), and

wherein at least one laser scanner (2) is installed in an external region of the vehicle housing (40);

a drive motor for driving the lifting spindle (23) upward, whereby the pressure spring (34) presses the central lifting pin (15) into a central opening of the docking cross beam (5), and the pressure plate (27) presses the left lifting pin (28) and the right lifting pin (20) into corresponding further openings of the docking cross beam (5),

wherein a system for supplying energy to the transport vehicle comprising an induction current pick-up (39) is provided; and

an emergency-stop system comprising emergency off-switches (9) on the transport vehicle, and emergency off-switches (8) on the carriage (1), wherein a pressure-loaded brake shoe (45) on each caster (3) of the carriage (1) is configured to simultaneously release upon actuation of the emergency off-switches to lock the caster (3).

2. The transport system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the docking cross beam (5) comprises a docking cross brace (6) which enables receiving the carriage (1) in a position of the transport vehicle that is rotated about a right angle.

3. The transport system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure spring (34) concentrically encloses a further pressure spring (32) which provides higher contact pressure on the carriage (1).

4. The transport system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carriage (1) further comprises a brake system (37, 42) comprising:

a shifting and lifting axle (41) disposed transverse to the lifting pins, a resetting spring (44) at one end of the shifting and lifting axle, and an electromagnetic actuator (43) at the opposing end of the shifting and lifting axle;

a shift lever (14) pivotably coupled to the brake (42) at one end and having a slot configured to receive a cross-section of the shifting and lifting axle (41) at the opposing end; and

a brake cable (11) in communication with the shift lever (14) and the pressure-loaded brake shoe (45) on each caster (3),

wherein (i) when in an engaged position, the central lifting pin (15) pushes the shifting and lifting axle upward so that the slot in the shift lever (14) has no effect; and

(ii) when in a disengaged position during an emergency stop, the shift lever (14) pivots and the slot slides over the shifting and lifting axle, which causes the brake cable (11) to press the brake shoe (45) onto the caster (3).

5. The transport system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one laser scanner (2) and rotary encoder (33) on each drive wheel are adapted to calculate a slippage for each drive wheel (7).

6. A method for operating a driverless transport system for the transportation of heavy loads in the form of loaded carriages which are movable on casters, the method comprising:

providing a transport vehicle comprising a vehicle housing (40) comprising

a central lifting pin (15), a left lifting pin (28), and a right lifting pin (20) for receiving and transporting a carriage (1) by a docking cross beam (5) which is integrated in the carriage (1),

wherein the central lifting pin (15) is positioned in a center of the vehicle housing (40), wherein the left (28) and right (20) lifting pins are on opposite sides of the central lifting pin (15), and where each of the central (15), left (28), and right (20) lifting pins extends upward,

a pressure spring (34) having the central lifting pin (15) at one end and a lifting spindle (23) at the opposing end, wherein the lifting spindle (23) comprises a pressure plate (27) in contact with the left (28) and right (20) lifting pins;

comprising two drive wheels (7), each on an independently mounted rotation axle, which are independently driven on either side of the center of the vehicle housing (38) by one drive (16) each;

moving the vehicle housing (40) below a carriage (1),

determining openings in the docking cross beam (5), and

deploying the central lifting pin (15), the left lifting pin (28), and the right lifting pin (20) into these openings, wherein a drive motor for driving the lifting spindle (23) upward causes the pressure spring (34) to press the central lifting pin (15) into a central opening of the docking cross beam (5), and the pressure plate (27) presses the left lifting pin (28) and the right lifting pin (20) into corresponding further openings of the docking cross beam (5),

wherein at least one laser scanner (2) is provided for orientation;

optionally triggering an emergency stop by engaging an emergency off-switch (8, 9) to activate brakes, and, if activated, releasing the brakes prior to onward travel;

transporting the carriage (1) onward to a destination, and

releasing the carriage (1).

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a contact pressure of the lifting pins (28, 15, 20) depends on the payload of the carriage (1).

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the docking cross beam (5) comprises a docking cross brace (6) which allows alignment of the carriage (1) in two mutually perpendicular directions.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising determining a weight of the loaded carriage.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising calculating a slippage for each drive wheel (7), wherein the slippage is calculated by a laser scanner (2) in conjunction with a rotary encoder (33) on each drive wheel.

11. A computer program having a programming code for carrying out the method steps as claimed in claim 6, wherein the program is executed using a computer.

12. A machine-readable carrier having the programming code of a computer program for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the program is executed using a computer.