Transport system and transport method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12129115-B2
Application number	US-202217648343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2022
Priority date	Feb 16, 2021
Publication date	Oct 29, 2024
Grant date	Oct 29, 2024

Abstract

A transport vehicle includes at least one rack, a top plate, an arm attached to the top plate and extendable and retractable in a horizontal direction, a rotation mechanism that changes an extension direction of the arm by rotating the top plate with a vertical direction as a rotation axis, and a control unit that controls operation of the rotation mechanism and the arm. The control unit extends and retracts the arm to pull out an object from the at least one rack or a rack installed outside, rotates the top plate on which the pulled-out object is placed, and extends the arm to store the object in the rack when the object has been pulled out from the at least one rack, and extends the arm to store the object in the at least one rack when the object has been pulled out from the rack.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transport system comprising a transport vehicle that transports an object, wherein:
the transport vehicle includes
at least one rack configured to accommodate the object,
a top plate,
an arm attached to the top plate and configured to extend and retract in a horizontal direction,
a rotation mechanism that changes an extension direction of the arm by rotating the top plate by a predetermined amount with a vertical direction serving as a rotation axis, and
a control unit that controls operation of the rotation mechanism and the arm; and

the control unit
extends and retracts the arm to pull out the object from the at least one rack or a rack installed outside,
rotates the top plate on which the object that has been pulled out is placed by a predetermined amount, and
extends the arm to store the object in the rack installed outside when the object has been pulled out from the at least one rack, and extends the arm to store the object in the at least one rack when the object has been pulled out from the rack installed outside.

2. The transport system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the transport vehicle is provided with two racks as the at least one rack; and
the two racks are arranged such that the top plate is interposed between the two racks.

3. The transport system according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit rotates the top plate on which the object that has been pulled out is placed by 90°.

4. The transport system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the transport vehicle further includes an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the top plate; and
the control unit further controls the elevating mechanism.

5. The transport system according to claim 4 , wherein:
the transport vehicle further includes a mechanism for horizontally moving the elevating mechanism; and
the top plate is configured to be accommodated in the at least one rack when the elevating mechanism is moved horizontally with the top plate lowered.

6. A transport method in which a transport vehicle transports an object, the transport vehicle including
at least one rack configured to accommodate the object,
a top plate,
an arm attached to the top plate and configured to extend and retract in a horizontal direction, and
a rotation mechanism that changes an extension direction of the arm by rotating the top plate by a predetermined amount with a vertical direction serving as a rotation axis, the transport method comprising:
a step of extending and retracting the arm to pull out the object from the at least one rack or a rack installed outside;
a step of rotating the top plate on which the object that has been pulled out is placed by a predetermined amount; and
a step of extending the arm to store the object in the rack installed outside when the object has been pulled out from the at least one rack and extending the arm to store the object in the at least one rack when the object has been pulled out from the rack installed outside.

7. The transport method according to claim 6 , wherein:
the transport vehicle is provided with two racks as the at least one rack; and
the two racks are arranged such that the top plate is interposed between the two racks.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iwamoto Kunihiro
• Takagi Yutaro
• Itozawa Yuta
• Komura Hirotaka

Classifications

• B65G1/065

  with self propelled cars · CPC title

• B60P1/44

  having a loading platform thereon raising the load to the level of the load-transporting element {(vehicles with special provisions for invalids comprising means for loading or unloading invalid conveyances A61G3/02)} · CPC title

• B60P1/48

  using pivoted arms raisable above load-transporting element ({for refuse collecting vehicles B65F3/041}; load engaging elements B66C1/00 - B66C3/00) · CPC title

• B60P3/007

  for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles · CPC title

• B60R9/042

  Carriers characterised by means to facilitate loading or unloading of the load, e.g. rollers, tracks, or the like · CPC title