Transport system for automatically controlled motor-driven transport cars and transport car for said transport system

• US 4,127,182 A
• Filed: 05/27/1977
• Issued: 11/28/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AB Volvo
• Original Assignee: AB Volvo
• Inventors: Thole, Ulf L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mar, Michael
• Application Number:
  US05/801,368
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 180/98, 180/77 R, 340/53
• US Class Current: 180/168
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires

Abstract

A transport system is described in which one or more motor-driven cars are guided along a path with provision for emitting signals along the path, which signals control the state of motion of the cars. A transport car for the transport system has a front and a rear drive wheel with individual drive motors, steering motors and antenna equipment and at least one additional wheel which is freely rotatably and freely swingably journalled.

Claims

1. Transport system, in which one or more motor-driven cars are guided along a path with means emitting signals along the path, said signals controlling the state of motion of the cars, the signal-emitting means comprising two electrical control wires (1, 2), placed in the path, which emit various control signals for controlling individual wheels on the cars (3), said wheels being individually steered and driven, a front and a rear drive wheel each having an individual drive motor, steering motor and antenna equipment, at least one additional wheel which is freely rotatably and freely swingably journalled, and control equipment (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) disposed to regulate the relative speeds of the drive wheels (A,B) depending on the difference between the steering angle deflections (α

, β

) of the drive wheels;

characterized in that the control equipment has a computing unit (11) into which the command speed V₀ for the car (3) is fed, and the unit computes the relationship between the desired values for the speeds V_A and V_B respectively, of the drive wheels, according to the formula V_A ·

Cosα

= V_B ·

Cosβ

, where α and

β

are the steering angle deflections for the respective drive wheels (A,B) from a connecting line (L) between the drive wheels.

2. Transport car according to claim 1, characterized in that the computing unit (11) is adapted to selected the highest desired value of the speeds V_A and V_B of the drive wheels (A,B) as equal to the command speed V₀.

3. Transport car according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive wheels (A,B) are so placed on the car (3) that a connecting line (L) between the steering shafts of these wheels runs obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the car.