Transport vehicle system and transport vehicle arrangement method in transport vehicle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019177087-A1
Application number	US-201816180569-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 5, 2018
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Jun 13, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A transport vehicle system includes: a plurality of transport vehicles that transport articles; a main track, and a plurality of branch tracks branching off from the main track at different positions of the main track; and a controller that, with each of the branch tracks and a part of the main track taken as a reciprocation traveling track, causes each of the plurality of transport vehicles to reciprocate in the reciprocation traveling track and transport an article, and when a transport vehicle is placed on any of the reciprocation traveling tracks, the controller causes a transport vehicle that is reciprocating on a reciprocation traveling track in front of the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination in the extending direction, to retreat to the branch track in the reciprocation traveling track and thereafter causes passage of the transport vehicle to be placed through the main track in the reciprocation traveling track.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A transport vehicle system comprising:
a plurality of transport vehicles that transport articles; a main track, and a plurality of branch tracks respectively branching off from the main track at different positions in an extending direction of the main track; and a controller that, with each of the branch tracks and a part of the main track taken as a reciprocation traveling track, causes each of the plurality of transport vehicles to reciprocate in the reciprocation traveling track and transport an article, wherein, when a transport vehicle is placed on any of the reciprocation traveling tracks, the controller causes a transport vehicle that is reciprocating on a reciprocation traveling track in front of the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination in the extending direction to retreat to the branch track in the reciprocation traveling track and thereafter causes passage of the transport vehicle to be placed through the main track in the reciprocation traveling track.

2 . The transport vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller causes a transport vehicle reciprocating in a reciprocation traveling track on which the transport vehicle to be placed is located and a transport vehicle reciprocating in a reciprocation traveling track through which the transport vehicle to be placed next passes to retreat to the branch tracks in the respective reciprocation traveling tracks, the controller permits transporting motion of a transport vehicle on the main track in the reciprocation traveling track which is closer to the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination than the next passing reciprocation traveling track, and after the transport vehicle to be placed completes passing through the reciprocation traveling track, the controller causes the transport vehicle on the main track in the reciprocation traveling track to resume transporting motion.

3 . The transport vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller causes transport vehicles, located from a starting position of the transport vehicle to be placed to the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination and reciprocating in reciprocation traveling tracks, to retreat all at once to the branch tracks in the respective reciprocation traveling tracks.

4 . The transport vehicle system according to claims 1 , wherein
the main track is linear, the branch track is made up of an arcuate branching and joining track and a linear second track, and the reciprocation traveling track has a U-shape.

5 . A transport vehicle system comprising:
a plurality of transport vehicles that transport articles; a main track, and a plurality of branch tracks respectively branching off from the main track at different positions in an extending direction of the main track; and a controller that, with each of the branch tracks and a part of the main track taken as a reciprocation traveling track, causes each of the plurality of transport vehicles to reciprocate in the reciprocation traveling track and transport an article, wherein, when a transport vehicle is placed on any of the reciprocation traveling tracks, the controller causes a transport vehicle, located from a starting position to the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination, to move to a reciprocation traveling track downstream by at least one reciprocation traveling track along a traveling direction of the transport vehicle to be placed so that the transport vehicle is placed on the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination and the reciprocation traveling track on which the transport vehicle is placed before the placement.

6 . A transport vehicle placement method in a transport vehicle system including
a plurality of transport vehicles that transport articles, a main track, and a plurality of branch tracks respectively branching off from the main track at different positions in an extending direction of the main track, and a controller that, with each of the branch tracks and a part of the main track taken as a reciprocation traveling track, causes each of the plurality of transport vehicles to reciprocate in the reciprocation traveling track and transport an article, wherein the controller of the transport vehicle system is caused to execute: a step of reciprocating the transport vehicle in the reciprocation traveling track to transport an article; and a step of, when placing a transport vehicle on any of the reciprocation traveling tracks, causing a transport vehicle that is reciprocating in a reciprocation traveling track in front of the reciprocation traveling track of placement destination in the extending direction, to retreat to the branch track in the reciprocation traveling track, and thereafter causing passage of the transport vehicle to be placed through the main track in the reciprocation traveling track.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Imamura Yuichi

Classifications

• H10P72/3221 Primary

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H10P72/3216

  using a general scheme of a conveying path within a factory · CPC title

• H10P72/3214

  by means of a cart or a vehicle · CPC title

• H10P72/3208

  Changing the direction of the conveying path · CPC title

• B65G1/137

  with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed · CPC title