Article support device and article loading and unloading system

An article loading and unloading system, comprising:

• an automatic guided vehicle having a rangefinder;
• and
• an article support device assisting the automated guided vehicle to autonomously load and unload an article, the article support device including:
• a pair of support platforms arranged symmetrically and opposite to each other, each of the support platforms having:
• a support frame;
• a support plate disposed on a top of the support frame and having a horizontal support top surface;
• at least one positioning block installed on the horizontal support top surface, the horizontal support top surfaces of the two support plates are located at a same height position, the article is supported on the horizontal support top surfaces and positioned between the positioning blocks on the two support plates;
• and
• a positioning plate installed on the support frame and located inside the accommodation space, the positioning plate having a vertical positioning surface perpendicular to a left-and-right direction;
• and
• an accommodation space defined between the support plates and the support frames of the pair of support platforms, the automated guided vehicle moves into the accommodation space, the article carried on the article support device is loadable onto the automatic guided vehicle or the article carried on the automatic guided vehicle is unloadable onto the article support device, the rangefinder of the automatic guided vehicle adapted to detect a distance between left and right sides of the automatic guided vehicle and the vertical positioning surfaces of the positioning plates located opposite to each other in the left-and-right direction to determine a position of the automatic guided vehicle relative to the positioning plates and correctly guide the automatic guided vehicle into the accommodation space.

An article support device assisting an automated guided vehicle to autonomously load and unload an article, comprising:

• a pair of support platforms arranged symmetrically and opposite to each other, each of the support platforms including:
• a support frame;
• a support plate disposed on a top of the support frame and having a horizontal support top surface, the support plates opposed to and spaced apart from each other in a left-and-right direction;
• and
• at least one positioning block installed on the horizontal support top surface, including:
• a pair of opposite sides in the left-and-right direction and a pair of opposite ends in a front-and-back direction;
• a vertical positioning side surface on each of the pair of opposite sides, the vertical positioning side surface adapted to contact a side surface of the article so as to position the article between the positioning blocks on the support plates;
• and
• a first guide slant face perpendicular to the horizontal support top surface formed at either side of each end of the positioning block, each end of the positioning block has a width decreasing from a base to a tip in the front-and-back direction;
• and
• an accommodation space defined between the support plates and the support frames of the pair of support platforms, the automated guided vehicle moves into the accommodation space, the article carried on the article support device is loadable onto the automatic guided vehicle or the article carried on the automatic guided vehicle is unloadable onto the article support device.