Article transport facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167142-B2
Application number	US-201615059447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 4, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A ceiling guided vehicle includes a travel driving portion, an elevation driving portion, and a control portion that controls the operation of the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion. An auxiliary unit that supplies, to the ceiling guided vehicle, one or both of power for driving the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion and a control signal is provided so as to be attachable to and removable from the ceiling guided vehicle. The auxiliary unit includes a supported portion configured to be supported in a suspended state on a supporting portion provided on the ceiling guided vehicle; and an abutment portion configured to abut against the ceiling guided vehicle in a plurality of abutment areas disposed at different positions in plan view, and the abutment areas are provided at positions lower than the supporting portion in a vertical direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article transport facility comprising:
a plurality of ceiling guided vehicles that travel along a traveling rail provided on a ceiling side, wherein each of the ceiling guided vehicle includes:
a holding portion that holds an article to be transported;
a body portion that supports the holding portion such that the holding portion can be moved up and down;
a power-driven travel driving portion that drives the ceiling guided vehicle to travel;
a power-driven elevation driving portion that drives the holding portion to move up and down; and
a control portion that outputs a control signal and controls operation of the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion;

an auxiliary unit that supplies, to the ceiling guided vehicle, one or both of power for driving the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion and the control signal, the auxiliary unit provided so as to be attachable to and removable from the ceiling guided vehicle, the auxiliary unit including a supported portion configured to be supported in a suspended state on a supporting portion provided on the ceiling guided vehicle; and
an abutment portion configured to abut against the ceiling guided vehicle in a plurality of abutment areas disposed at different positions in plan view,
wherein the abutment portion includes a pair of abutting parts,
wherein each of the pair of abutting parts is configured to be switchable between a hold orientation in which the abutting part is caused to abut against the corresponding abutment area, and a hold-release orientation in which the abutting part is moved away from the abutment area, and
wherein the abutment areas are provided at positions lower than the supporting portion in a vertical direction.

2. The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein both the supporting portion and the abutment areas are provided on the body portion.

3. The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting portion includes a part extending from the body portion, and
wherein the supported portion is supported in a suspended state by hooking the supported portion to the part of the supporting portion.

4. The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein both the supporting portion and the abutment area are provided on the body portion, and
wherein the auxiliary unit is mounted to the ceiling guided vehicle in a state in which the pair of abutting parts embrace the body portion.

5. An article transport facility comprising:
a plurality of ceiling guided vehicles that travel along a traveling rail provided on a ceiling side, wherein each of the ceiling guided vehicles includes:
a holding portion that holds an article to be transported;
a body portion that supports the holding portion such that the holding portion can be moved up and down;
a power-driven travel driving portion that drives the ceiling guided vehicle to travel;
a power-driven elevation driving portion that drives the holding portion to move up and down; and
a control portion that outputs a control signal and controls operation of the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion;

an auxiliary unit that supplies, to the ceiling guided vehicle, one or both of power for driving the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion and the control signal, the auxiliary unit provided so as to be attachable to and removable from the ceiling guided vehicle, the auxiliary unit including a supported portion configured to be supported in a suspended state on a supporting portion provided on the ceiling guided vehicle; and
an abutment portion configured to abut against the ceiling guided vehicle in a plurality of abutment areas disposed at different positions in plan view,
wherein the abutment areas are provided at positions lower than the supporting portion in a vertical direction,
wherein both the supporting portion and the abutment areas are provided on the body portion,
wherein the abutment portion includes a pair of abutting parts,
wherein the pair of abutting parts are disposed separately on opposite sides in a lateral width direction that is orthogonal to a traveling direction of the ceiling guided vehicle in plan view in a mounted state in which the auxiliary unit is mounted to the ceiling guided vehicle, and
wherein each of the pair of abutting parts is configured to be switchable between a hold orientation in which the abutting part is caused to abut against the corresponding abutment area, and a hold-release orientation in which the abutting part is moved away from the abutment area, by being pivoted about a vertical axis.

6. The article transport facility according to claim 5 , wherein:
each of the pair of abutting parts is configured to press the corresponding abutment area in a state in which the abutting part is in the hold orientation, and
each of the pair of abutting parts is provided with a pressing force adjustment mechanism for adjusting a pressing force for pressing the abutment area.

7. An article transport facility comprising:
a plurality of ceiling guided vehicles that travel along a traveling rail provided on a ceiling side, wherein each of the ceiling guided vehicle includes:
a holding portion that holds an article to be transported;
a body portion that supports the holding portion such that the holding portion can be moved up and down;
a power-driven travel driving portion that drives the ceiling guided vehicle to travel;
a power-driven elevation driving portion that drives the holding portion to move up and down; and
a control portion that outputs a control signal and controls operation of the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion;

an auxiliary unit that supplies, to the ceiling guided vehicle, one or both of power for driving the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion and the control signal, the auxiliary unit provided so as to be attachable to and removable from the ceiling guided vehicle, the auxiliary unit including a supported portion configured to be supported in a suspended state on a supporting portion provided on the ceiling guided vehicle; and
an abutment portion configured to abut against the ceiling guided vehicle in a plurality of abutment areas disposed at different positions in plan view,
wherein the abutment areas are provided at positions lower than the supporting portion in a vertical direction, and
wherein the auxiliary unit is configured such that, in a mounted state in which the auxiliary unit is mounted to the ceiling guided vehicle, a suspension fulcrum at the supported portion is located at a gravity center position in a lateral width direction that is orthogonal to a traveling direction of the ceiling guided vehicle in plan view.

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Murakami Ryuya
• Wada Yoshinari

Classifications

• B65G35/06 Primary

  comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path (effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32) · CPC title

• B61B3/02 Primary

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• H10P72/3221

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H01L21/67733

  Electricity · mapped topic