Article transport facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12486117-B2
Application number	US-202418605014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2024
Priority date	Mar 15, 2023
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

In the case where a transport vehicle has received both a first passage permission and a second passage permission and is to pass through a second passing point, when the travel distance of the transport vehicle from a first stopping point reaches a first set distance, the transport vehicle issues, to a zone control device, a first occupation revocation request for revoking permission to occupy a first passing point, and when the travel distance of the transport vehicle from the first stopping point reaches a second set distance, the transport vehicle issues, to the zone control device, a second occupation revocation request for revoking permission to occupy the second passing point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An article transport facility comprising:
a plurality of transport vehicles configured to transport an article; a travel route travelable by the transport vehicles; and a zone control device configured to control the transport vehicles by giving a first passage permission or a second passage permission to the transport vehicles traveling in a specified zone in the travel route, and wherein: the specified zone comprises:
a first route and a second route not intersecting each other; and
a connection route connecting a first connecting section in the first route to a second connecting section in the second route,
the first route and the second route are each a route along which the transport vehicles travel in one direction from an upstream side toward a downstream side, the first route comprises a first passing point downstream of the first connecting section, the second route comprises a second passing point downstream of the second connecting section, the first route further comprises, upstream of the first connecting section, a first stopping point at which the transport vehicles stop in response to not obtaining the first passage permission, in response to giving the first passage permission to a transport vehicle among the plurality of transport vehicles, the zone control device gives permission to occupy the first passing point to the transport vehicle that obtained the first passage permission, in response to giving the second passage permission to a transport vehicle among the plurality of transport vehicles, the zone control device gives permission to occupy the second passing point to the transport vehicle that obtained the second passage permission, in order to travel from the first route or the second route to the connection route, the transport vehicles request both the first passage permission and the second passage permission from the zone control device, in response to the zone control device receiving a request for both the first passage permission and the second passage permission from a transport vehicle among the plurality of transport vehicles, in a case where both the first passing point and the second passing point are in a non-occupied state, in which occupation permission has not been given to a preceding transport vehicle, the zone control device gives permission to occupy both the first passing point and the second passing point to the transport vehicle that requested both the first passage permission and the second passage permission, each of the transport vehicles comprises a travel distance detector configured to detect a travel distance, the travel distance detector has set therein a first set distance and a second set distance as travel distances from the first stopping point, and in a case where a specified transport vehicle, which is one of the plurality of transport vehicles, receives both the first passage permission and the second passage permission and is to pass through the second passing point, (i) in response to the travel distance of the specified transport vehicle from the first stopping point reaching the first set distance, the specified transport vehicle issues, to the zone control device, a first occupation revocation request for revoking permission to occupy the first passing point, and (ii) in response to the travel distance of the specified transport vehicle from the first stopping point reaching the second set distance, the specified transport vehicle issues, to the zone control device, a second occupation revocation request for revoking permission to occupy the second passing point.

2 . The article transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the transport vehicles further comprises a detection sensor configured to detect another transport vehicle located ahead, and wherein the first set distance is set such that at a time at which a preceding transport vehicle reaches a point corresponding to the first set distance from the first stopping point while traveling along the connection route, the preceding transport vehicle is outside a locus of a detection range of the detection sensor of a subsequent transport vehicle traveling forward along the first route.

3 . The article transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first set distance is set such that at a time at which a preceding transport vehicle reaches a point corresponding to the first set distance from the first stopping point while traveling along the connection route, the preceding transport vehicle is outside a travel locus of a subsequent transport vehicle traveling forward along the first route.

4 . The article transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the transport vehicles further comprises a detection sensor configured to detect another transport vehicle located ahead, and wherein the second set distance is set such that at a time at which a preceding transport vehicle reaches a point corresponding to the second set distance from the first stopping point while traveling along the connection route, the preceding transport vehicle is inside a locus of a detection range of the detection sensor of a subsequent transport vehicle traveling forward along the second route.

5 . The article transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein in response to permission for a preceding transport vehicle to occupy the second passing point being revoked due to the preceding transport vehicle issuing the second occupation revocation request before passing through the second passing point, the zone control device gives the second passage permission to a subsequent transport vehicle that requested the second passage permission.

6 . The article transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where a preceding transport vehicle traveling along the first route is to pass through the first passing point, and a subsequent traveling along the first route is to turn at the first connecting section and travel along the connection route, the preceding transport vehicle issues the first occupation revocation request to the zone control device at a time at which the preceding transport vehicle is at a position that is downstream of the first connecting section and outside a travel locus of the subsequent transport vehicle passing through the first connecting section.

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Ueda Toshihito
• Inden Shota
• Tanaka Yoshitaka
• Suzuki Akira
• Kawanami Ayaka
• Ogawa Daisuke

Classifications

• H10P72/3218

  Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers · CPC title

• H10P72/3221

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H10P72/3214

  by means of a cart or a vehicle · CPC title

• H10P72/3208 Primary

  Changing the direction of the conveying path · CPC title

• B65G2201/0297

  Wafer cassette · CPC title