Overhead transport system and overhead transport vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052926-B2
Application number	US-201716335849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

An overhead transport system includes a first placement part that can have placed thereon an article held by an article holder in a state where the article is placed thereon, and also articles do not interfere with each other when the article holder and a lift driver are projected; a second placement part that can have placed thereon the article held by the article holder in a state where the article holder and the lift driver have been projected by the second projection length by the lateral extender; and a third placement part arranged below the track and can have placed thereon an article held by the article holder, wherein the first and third placement parts are provided at the same height.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An overhead transport system comprising:
a track installed on a ceiling or in a vicinity of the ceiling;
an overhead transport vehicle that travels along the track and includes an article holder that holds an article, a lift driver that lifts or lowers the article holder, and a lateral extender capable of projecting the article holder and the lift driver toward a side of the track;
a first placement part arranged below and on the side of the track, that can have placed thereon an article held by the article holder in a state where the article holder and the lift driver have been projected by a first projection length by the lateral extender, and is set to a height at which the article holder and the lift driver can be projected by a second projection length, which is longer than the first projection length, by the lateral extender while the article is held by the article holder, in a state where the article is placed thereon, and also articles do not interfere with each other when the article holder and the lift driver are projected;
a second placement part arranged below and on the side of the track and on an outer side of the first placement part, and can have placed thereon the article held by the article holder in a state where the article holder and the lift driver have been projected by the second projection length by the lateral extender; and
a third placement part arranged directly below the track and can have placed thereon an article held by the article holder, wherein
a distance from the track in a horizontal direction to the second placement part is larger than a distance from the track in a horizontal direction to the first placement part,
the first placement part and the third placement part are arranged at the same height,
the second placement part is arranged above the first placement part, and
at a single position where the overhead transport vehicle stops, the article can be transferred to any of the first, the second, and the third placement parts.

2. The overhead transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the first placement part is arranged lower, by more than a total height of two of the articles, than a reference, which is the article holder in a state of being projected toward the side of the track by the first projection length.

3. The overhead transport system according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the first placement parts are arranged toward the side of the track.

4. The overhead transport system according to claim 2 , wherein the first placement part and the second placement part are each provided on a frame suspended from the ceiling.

5. The overhead transport system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the first placement parts are arranged toward the side of the track.

6. The overhead transport system according to claim 5 , wherein the first placement part and the second placement part are each provided on a frame suspended from the ceiling.

7. The overhead transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the second placement part is arranged above an upper end of the article placed on the first placement part.

8. The overhead transport system according to claim 7 , wherein the first placement part and the second placement part are each provided on a frame suspended from the ceiling.

9. The overhead transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the second placement part is arranged at the same position as that of the first placement part in a direction along the track.

10. The overhead transport system according to claim 9 , wherein the first placement part and the second placement part are each provided on a frame suspended from the ceiling.

11. The overhead transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the first placement part and the second placement part are each provided on a frame suspended from the ceiling.

12. An overhead transport vehicle used for the overhead transport system according to claim 1 .

13. An overhead transport system comprising:
a track installed on a ceiling or in a vicinity of the ceiling;
an overhead transport vehicle that travels along the track and includes an article holder that holds an article, a lift driver that lifts or lowers the article holder, and a lateral extender capable of projecting the article holder and the lift driver toward a side of the track;
a first placement part arranged below and on the side of the track, that can have placed thereon an article held by the article holder in a state where the article holder and the lift driver have been projected by a first projection length by the lateral extender, and is set to a height at which the article holder and the lift driver can be projected by a second projection length, which is longer than the first projection length, by the lateral extender while the article is held by the article holder, in a state where the article is placed thereon, and also articles do not interfere with each other when the article holder and the lift driver are projected;
a second placement part arranged below and on the side of the track and on an outer side of the first placement part, and can have placed thereon the article held by the article holder in a state where the article holder and the lift driver have been projected by the second projection length by the lateral extender; and
a third placement part arranged directly below the track and can have placed thereon an article held by the article holder, wherein
a distance from the track in a horizontal direction to the second placement part is larger than a distance from the track in a horizontal direction to the first placement part,
the first placement part, the second replacement part and the third placement part are arranged at the same height, and
at a single position where the overhead transport vehicle stops, the article can be transferred to any of the first, the second, and the third placement parts.

14. The overhead transport system according to claim 13 , wherein the second placement part is arranged at the same position as that of the first placement part in a direction along the track.

15. An overhead transport vehicle used for the overhead transport system according to claim 13 .

16. The overhead transport system according to claim 13 , wherein the first placement part is arranged lower, by more than a total height of two of the articles, than a reference, which is the article holder in a state of being projected toward the side of the track by the first projection length.

17. The overhead transport system according to claim 16 , wherein a plurality of the first placement parts are arranged toward the side of the track.

18. The overhead transport system according to claim 13 , wherein a plurality of the first placement parts are arranged toward the side of the track.

19. The overhead transport system according to claim 13 , wherein the first placement part and the second placement part are each provided on a frame suspended from the ceiling.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Imahori Fuyuki

Classifications

• H10P72/3404

  Storage means · CPC title

• H10P72/3222

  Loading to or unloading from a conveyor · CPC title

• H10P72/3221 Primary

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• B65G37/02

  Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops · CPC title

• B61B3/00 Primary

  Elevated railway systems with suspended vehicles (with suspended flexible tracks B61B7/00; saddle or like balanced type with monorail B61B13/06; with propelling cables and for transporting materials B65G; tracks therefor E01B25/00) · CPC title