Article transport facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160464-B2
Application number	US-201615196106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

An article transport facility includes an engaging member capable of being moved to an engaging position at which the engaging member is in engagement with a movable guide portion and with a fixed guide portion to hold the movable guide portion in the guiding position, and to a releasing position at which the engaging member is not in engagement with at least one of the movable guide portion and the fixed guide portion wherein the engaging member supports the movable guide portion from below when in the engaging position; an urging member for urging the engaging member; a holding device for generating an operating force with electric power supplied from an electric power supply to hold the engaging member in the engaging position against an urging force of the urging member; and a power-supply controller for controlling the operation of the electric power supply. The power-supply controller maintains electric power supply in an electric power supplying state while fire information is not outputted from a fire detector and switches the electric power supply to an electric power non-supplying state if fire information is outputted from the fire detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article transport facility comprising:
an article transport vehicle configured to travel along a travel path which extends through an opening formed in a wall;
a guide rail for guiding the article transport vehicle along the travel path;
a fire door for closing the opening through movement along a wall surface of the wall;
wherein the guide rail includes a movable guide portion capable of being located at a door installation location which is a location along a path longitudinal direction at which the fire door is installed and a fixed guide portion including two portions, one of which is located on one side of the door installation location and the other of which is located on the other side of the door installation location, along the path longitudinal direction,
wherein the movable guide portion is configured to be moved to a guiding position in which the movable guide portion is located at the door installation location, is adjacent to, and lined up with, the fixed guide portion, and to an out-of-the-way position in which the movable guide portion has been moved out of the door installation location for allowing passage of the fire door, wherein the movable guide portion is moved from the guiding position to the out-of-the-way position under a weight of the movable guide portion;
an engaging member capable of being moved to an engaging position at which the engaging member is in engagement with the movable guide portion in the guiding position and with the fixed guide portion to hold the movable guide portion in the guiding position, and to a releasing position at which the engaging member is not in engagement with at least one of the movable guide portion and the fixed guide portion, along a direction that intersects a direction in which the movable guide portion is moved from the guiding position under the weight of the movable guide portion wherein the engaging member supports the movable guide portion from below when in the engaging position;
an urging member for urging the engaging member from the engaging position toward the releasing position;
a holding device for generating an operating force with electric power supplied from an electric power supply to hold the engaging member in the engaging position against an urging force of the urging member;
a power-supply controller for controlling operation of the electric power supply; and
a fire detector for detecting a fire;
wherein the power-supply controller controls the operation of the electric power supply to:
maintain an electric power supplying state in which electric power is supplied from the electric power supply to the holding device while fire information which indicates a presence of a fire is not outputted from the fire detector; and
switch to an electric power non-supplying state in which electric power is not supplied from the electric power supply to the holding device if the fire information is outputted from the fire detector; and
wherein the guide rail has a travel surface on which a travel wheel of the article transport vehicle rolls,
wherein the engaging member is configured, when the operating force of the holding device is not acting on the engaging member:
to be movable from the engaging position to the releasing position under the urging force of the urging member when the travel wheel of the article transport vehicle is not on the movable guide portion; and
not to move from the engaging position to the releasing position under the urging force of the urging member when the travel wheel of the article transport vehicle is on the movable guide portion.

2. The article transport facility as defined in claim 1 , wherein the engaging member is movable to the engaging position and to the releasing position by sliding along a slide path formed in, and extending at least partially through, the fixed guide portion and the movable guide portion, and
wherein the urging force of the urging member is set to be greater than a frictional force between the engaging member and the slide path when the travel wheel of the article transport vehicle is not on the movable guide portion, and to be less than the frictional force between the engaging member and the slide path when the travel wheel of the article transport vehicle is on the movable guide portion.

3. The article transport facility as defined in claim 1 , wherein the engaging member includes an inserted portion for being inserted to an engaging recess portion of the fixed guide portion, and
wherein the inserted portion is formed in a tapered shape in which a distal end side has a smaller transverse dimension than a proximal end side in an inserting direction.

4. An article transport facility comprising:
an article transport vehicle configured to travel along a travel path which extends through an opening formed in a wall;
a guide rail for guiding the article transport vehicle along the travel path;
a fire door for closing the opening through movement along a wall surface of the wall;
wherein the guide rail includes a movable guide portion capable of being located at a door installation location which is a location along a path longitudinal direction at which the fire door is installed and a fixed guide portion including two portions, one of which is located on one side of the door installation location and the other of which is located on the other side of the door installation location, along the path longitudinal direction,
wherein the movable guide portion is configured to be moved to a guiding position in which the movable guide portion is located at the door installation location, is adjacent to, and lined up with, the fixed guide portion, and to an out-of-the-way position in which the movable guide portion has been moved out of the door installation location for allowing passage of the fire door, wherein the movable guide portion is moved from the guiding position to the out-of-the-way position under a weight of the movable guide portion;
an engaging member capable of being moved to an engaging position at which the engaging member is in engagement with the movable guide portion in the guiding position and with the fixed guide portion to hold the movable guide portion in the guiding position, and to a releasing position at which the engaging member is not in engagement with at least one of the movable guide portion and the fixed guide portion, along a direction that intersects a direction in which the movable guide portion is moved from the guiding position under the weight of the movable guide portion wherein the engaging member supports the movable guide portion from below when in the engaging position;
an urging member for urging the engaging member from the engaging position toward the releasing position;
a holding device for generating an operating force with electric power supplied from an electric power supply to hold the engaging member in the engaging position against an urging force of the urging member;
a power-supply controller for controlling operation of the electric power supply; and
a fire detector for detecting a fire;
wherein the power-supply controller controls the operation of the electric power supply to:
maintain an electric power supplying state in which electric power is supplied from the electric power supply to the holding device while fire information which indicates a presence of a fire is not outputted from the fire detector; and
switch to an electric power non-supplying state in which electric power is not supplied from the electric power supply to the holding device if the fire information is outputted from the fire detector;
wherein the electric power supply includes a main power source, an electricity storage, and a main power supply abnormal condition detector for detecting an abnormal condition of the main power source,

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Ogisu Motonari

Classifications

• E01B2202/08

  Locking devices or mechanisms for inhibiting movement · CPC title

• E01B2202/02

  Nature of the movement · CPC title

• B61B3/02 Primary

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B65G35/00 Primary

  Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• Y02T30/30

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic