Transport vehicle and transport method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020270102-A1
Application number	US-201716301277-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2017
Priority date	May 20, 2016
Publication date	Aug 27, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A transport vehicle includes a body; a lift platform that includes a holder to hold an article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body; a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support; a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver; and a corrector that corrects a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender in a state in which the lift driver is caused to project laterally from the body by the lateral extender.

First claim

1 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . A transport vehicle comprising:
a body; a lift platform that includes a holder to hold an article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body; a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support; a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver; and a corrector that corrects a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender in a state in which the lift driver is caused to project laterally from the body by the lateral extender.

9 . The transport vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the corrector changes an angle of the sensor with respect to the lift driver.

10 . The transport vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the corrector includes an actuator that changes the angle of the sensor.

11 . The transport vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the corrector changes the angle of the sensor by gravity.

12 . The transport vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the corrector changes the angle of the sensor in conjunction with projecting movement of the lift driver by the lateral extender.

13 . The transport vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

14 . A transport method that transports an article by a transport vehicle, the transport vehicle including:
a body; a lift platform that includes a holder to hold the article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body; a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support; a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; and a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver, the transport method comprising: when the lateral extender causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body, correcting a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender.

15 . The transport vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

16 . The transport vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

17 . The transport vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

18 . The transport vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the sensor is at least one of:
a swing detection sensor that detects whether the detection wave is emitted to a certain range of the lift platform when the lift platform is raised or lowered; and a lookdown sensor that emits the detection wave to a vicinity of a lowering destination of the lift platform to detect whether a foreign matter is present.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Wada Eiji

Classifications

• H10P72/50

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/30

  for conveying, e.g. between different workstations · CPC title

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/3222

  Loading to or unloading from a conveyor · CPC title

• H10P72/3221 Primary

  Overhead conveying · CPC title