ORDER-PICKING VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A SINGLE MOTOR FOR DRIVING THE DRIVE WHEELS

Abstract

A motorized vehicle intended to transport a load including at least 3 wheels for running along the floor, capable of pivoting at least 90?, the wheels being mounted on pivoting and driving devices attached to the chassis of the vehicle, each of the pivoting and driving devices including a motor for pivoting a wheel about a vertical axis, intended to make it possible to pivot a wheel about itself. A single motor for driving in rotation the wheels intended to actuate the mechanism for driving in rotation the wheels housed in the pivoting and driving devices.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A motorized vehicle intended to transport a load comprising at least 3 drive wheels intended to run along the floor, capable of pivoting at least 90?, said drive wheels being mounted on pivoting and driving devices attached to the chassis of the vehicle, each of the pivoting and driving devices comprising a motor for actuating means for pivoting a drive wheel about a vertical axis, intended to make it possible to pivot a drive wheel about itself, and a single motor for driving in rotation said drive wheels intended to actuate the means for driving in rotation said drive wheels housed in said pivoting and driving devices.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, characterised in that said vehicle is an automatic guided vehicle.

11. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said means for pivoting a drive wheel comprise a first toothed wheel driven in rotation by one of said motors for actuating the pivoting means engaged with a second toothed wheel of vertical axis, said second toothed wheel being attached to a fork straddling said wheel, the axle of said drive wheel being mounted pivoting in relation to the blade of said fork extending on either side of said drive wheel.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said driving means comprise a first conical pinion and a second conical pinion arranged relative to one another so as to form an angular transmission, the axle of said first pinion being coaxial with that of said second toothed wheel and the axle of the second pinion being coaxial with the axle of one of said drive wheels.

13. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said drive motor actuates said means for driving in rotation said drive wheels of each of said pivoting and driving devices by means of a belt.

14. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said pivoting and driving devices are substantially identical.

15. The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising: four drive wheels mounted on pivoting and driving devices attached substantially to the four corners of said chassis.

16. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein at least one of said pivoting and driving devices is configured so that the axle of the second pinion of this device passes through the centre of the drive wheel mounted on this device.

Description

5. LIST OF FIGURES

[0030] Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of one embodiment of the invention, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and the appended figures, wherein:

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic view, in perspective, of an order picking warehouse equipped with an example of embodiment of automatic guided vehicles according to the invention;

[0032] FIG. 2 is a detailed representation of one of the vehicles presented with reference to FIG. 1;

[0033] FIG. 3 is a detail view, from the top, of the system for driving the drive wheels of the vehicle presented with reference to FIG. 2.

6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] FIG. 1 illustrates a warehouse 10 intended to store products in view of their shipping. This warehouse is divided between a storage area 11 and an order picking area wherein order picking stations 12 are disposed at which operators 13 prepare parcels with the products of an order.

[0035] The storage area 11 is organised into shelving units 14 comprising shelves on a plurality of levels supported by posts 15, whereon containers 16 that contain the stored products or items are placed.

[0036] A fleet of automatic guided vehicles 17 ensures the transport of the containers 16 between the storage area 11 and the order picking stations 12.

[0037] When a robot 17 receives location information for a container 16 containing one or more items to go and collect in order to complete an order processed by an operator 13, the robot 17 runs along the floor up to the bottom of the shelving unit 14 where the container 16 is stored and positions itself in the aisle 18 between this shelving unit 14 and the shelving unit facing it.

[0038] During this movement, the robot 17 follows the direction of the lines marked on the floor organised according to the diagram of a grid 19. As can be seen in FIG. 1, a robot 17 can thus move in the direction of the longitudinal lines 19.sub.1 or of the lateral lines 19.sub.2 perpendicular to the lines 19.sub.1 and can circulate under the shelving units 14. This robot 17 subsequently climbs, in the manner of the robot 17.sub.1 shown in FIG. 1, by bearing on two shelving units up to the shelf where the container 16 is stored and removes it from the shelving unit. It subsequently goes back down between the two shelving units, and once on the floor, transports the container 16 to the order picking station 12 by travelling along the grid 19. The operator 13 simply takes the quantity of items ordered and packages them.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a robot 17 carrying a container 16 in an aisle 18 at the bottom of two shelving units 21 and 22. In this particular embodiment of the invention, the width of the chassis 23 of the robot and that of the container 16 are advantageously smaller than the space between the two adjacent posts 15 of the shelving unit 21 or of the shelving unit 22 in order to enable the robot to pass between these posts.

[0040] The robot 17 is equipped at the four corners of its chassis 23 with motorised retractable toothed wheels 25 that can be retracted inside the chassis 23 or deployed outside of the chassis 23.

[0041] To climb between the two shelving units 22 and 23, the robot 17 deploys the motorised arms 26 carrying the toothed wheels 25 outside of the chassis 23 in the extension of the diagonals of the chassis until the toothed wheels reach racks 27 attached to the posts 15, as can be seen in FIG. 2, and can engage with the latter.

[0042] Moreover, the robot 17 has four drive wheels 29 mounted on turrets at the four corners of the chassis 23 and driven by a single motor 210.

[0043] As can be seen in FIG. 3, which is a partial top view of the system for driving the drive wheels 29, the motor 210 drives a toothed belt 31, via a roller 32 coupled to the drive shaft. This belt 31 is held taut using three tensioner rollers 34.

[0044] The motion of the belt 31 drives in rotation pulleys 33 connected to the drive wheels 29 by means of two pinions forming an angular transmission.

[0045] The rotation of a pulley 33 rotates a first pinion that is attached to and coaxial with this pulley, which engages a second perpendicularly orientated pinion, attached to one end of the axle of the wheel, which drives the drive wheel 29 in rotation with a rotational speed proportional to the reduction ratio of the gearing formed of the two pinions.

[0046] In this particular embodiment of the invention, the four turrets are identical and the motor 210 drives the four drive wheels 29 in rotation at the same speed. It should be noted that this single motor enables the vehicle to rotate about itself and thus orientate the vehicle perpendicular to its previous direction to enable it to perform a right angle. Moreover, it should be noted that each of the turrets has a system for pivoting the fork whereon a drive wheel is mounted making it possible to orientate the drive wheels in different directions, independently. This pivoting system comprises a stepper motor 35 and a toothed wheel 36 of axis coaxial with that of the pulley 33, actuated by the motor 35 by means of an intermediate pinion mounted on the shaft of the motor 35.