Article transport vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12139342-B2
Application number	US-202217672902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2022
Priority date	Feb 17, 2021
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

An article transport vehicle includes a shake prevention mechanism configured to prevent an article that is housed in a housing portion from shaking in a target direction. The shake prevention mechanism includes an abutting portion and an abutting support portion that is coupled to the housing portion and supports the abutting portion. The abutting support portion includes a second elastic support portion configured to elastically support the abutting portion in the vertical direction relative to the housing portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article transport vehicle that transports an article, comprising:
a travel body configured to travel along a travel path;
a holding body coupled to the travel body and configured to hold the article such that the article is suspended therefrom;
a housing portion coupled to the travel body and configured to house the article held by the holding body; and
a shake prevention mechanism configured to prevent the article housed in the housing portion from shaking in a target direction that is a direction orthogonal to a vertical direction,
wherein;
the holding body comprises a main portion, an article holding portion configured to hold the article, and a first elastic support portion configured to elastically support the article holding portion in the vertical direction relative to the main portion,
the shake prevention mechanism comprises an abutting portion, an abutting support portion coupled to the housing portion and supporting the abutting portion, and an abutting drive unit configured to change a position of the abutting portion to an abutting position at which the abutting portion abuts against a side surface of the article housed in the housing portion and a separation position at which the abutting portion is separated from the side surface, and
the abutting support portion comprises a second elastic support portion configured to elastically support the abutting portion in the vertical direction relative to the housing portion,
wherein when a vertical range in which a lower end of the article housed in the housing portion is configured to be elastically moved by the first elastic support portion is defined as a first elastic movement range,
wherein the vertical range in which an upper end of the abutting portion abutting against the side surface of the article is configured to be elastically moved by the second elastic support portion is defined as a second elastic movement range, and
wherein the first elastic movement range has an upper limit position that is set to be lower than a lower limit position of the second elastic movement range.

2. The article transport vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first elastic support portion comprises a first elastic body,
the second elastic support portion comprises a second elastic body, and
the second elastic body has a spring constant that is set to be lower than a spring constant of the first elastic body.

3. The article transport vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the abutting support portion comprises a penetrating portion that penetrates through the abutting portion in the vertical direction, and
wherein the second elastic support portion is provided around the penetrating portion.

4. The article transport vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the abutting portion comprises an elastic member that has a cylindrical outer surface, and, when the abutting portion is located at the abutting position, the abutting portion abuts against the side surface of the article on the cylindrical outer surface, and
wherein the abutting support portion supports the abutting portion such that the abutting portion is rotatable about an axis that extends in the vertical direction.

5. The article transport vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fall restriction body located at a lower position than a bottom portion of the article housed in the housing portion, and configured to restrict the article housed in the housing portion from falling; and
a restriction body drive unit configured to change an orientation of the fall restriction body to a protruding orientation in which the fall restriction body protrudes to a position at which the fall restriction body overlaps the bottom portion, and a retracted orientation in which the fall restriction body is retracted to a position at which the fall restriction body does not overlap the bottom portion, in a vertical view that is a view in the vertical direction, and
wherein the abutting drive unit has a drive source that also serves as a drive source of the restriction body drive unit.

6. The article transport vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the holding body comprises a support state changing device configured to change a support state of the article holding portion to an elastic support state in which the article holding portion is elastically supported by the first elastic support portion relative to the main portion, and a fixed support state in which the article holding portion is fixedly supported relative to the main portion.

7. The article transport vehicle according to claim 6 ,
wherein the holding body comprises a movable support portion configured to move in the vertical direction integrally with the article holding portion,
wherein the first elastic support portion comprises a first elastic body that is a coil spring, a first coupling portion that couples the movable support portion and one end of the first elastic body to each other, and a second coupling portion that couples the main portion and the other end of the first elastic body to each other, and
wherein the support state changing device is configured to bring the support state of the article holding portion into the fixed support state by fixing a distance between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion to restrict the first elastic body from elastically deforming.

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• TOMIDA Daichi

Classifications

• H10P72/3221 Primary

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• B65G2201/0297

  Wafer cassette · CPC title

• B65G1/0457

  with suspended load carriers · CPC title

• B65G17/20 Primary

  comprising load-carriers suspended from overhead traction chains · CPC title