Transport vehicle and transport method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027949-B2
Application number	US-201716301277-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2017
Priority date	May 20, 2016
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A transport vehicle includes a body; a lift platform that includes a holder to hold an article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body; a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support; a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver; and a corrector that corrects a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender in a state in which the lift driver is caused to project laterally from the body by the lateral extender.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transport vehicle comprising:
a body;
a lift platform that includes a holder to hold an article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body;
a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support;
a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position;
a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver; and
a corrector that corrects a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender in a state in which the lift driver is caused to project laterally from the body by the lateral extender.

2. The transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the corrector changes an angle of the sensor with respect to the lift driver.

3. The transport vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the corrector includes an actuator that changes the angle of the sensor.

4. The transport vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and
a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

5. The transport vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the corrector changes the angle of the sensor by gravity.

6. The transport vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and
a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

7. The transport vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the corrector changes the angle of the sensor in conjunction with projecting movement of the lift driver by the lateral extender.

8. The transport vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and
a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

9. The transport vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and
a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

10. The transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and
a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

11. A transport method that transports an article by a transport vehicle, the transport vehicle including:
a body;
a lift platform that includes a holder to hold the article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body;
a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support;
a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; and
a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver,
the transport method comprising:
when the lateral extender causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body, correcting a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Wada Eiji

Classifications

• H10P72/50

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/30

  for conveying, e.g. between different workstations · CPC title

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/3222

  Loading to or unloading from a conveyor · CPC title

• H10P72/3221 Primary

  Overhead conveying · CPC title