Article transport facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670004-B1
Application number	US-201615373042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 8, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2015
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

An article transport facility is provided with a first control device that controls an article transport vehicle in a first area in which articles are transported, and a second control device that controls the article transport vehicle in a second area in which adjustment of the article transport vehicle is performed. Based on a withdrawal instruction from the first control device, an operation control portion of an article transport vehicle that needs adjustment causes the article transport vehicle to enter the second area, and a communication control portion that can perform exclusive wireless communication with the first control device and the second control device changes the communication destination to the second control device. In response to an adjustment instruction from the second control device, the operation control portion performs adjustment operations with use of the adjustment device and updates transport profile information in a profile storage portion, and then the communication control portion changes the communication destination to the first control device after updating is complete.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article transport facility comprising:
a traveling rail disposed on a ceiling;
a plurality of loading platforms provided on a ground side along the traveling rail;
an article transport vehicle that is suspended from the traveling rail, travels along a traveling path formed by the traveling rail, and transports an article from a loading platform that is a transport source to a loading platform that is a transport destination;
a first area in which the article is transported by the article transport vehicle;
a second area that is provided in a region different from the first area, and in which adjustment of the article transport vehicle is performed;
an adjustment device disposed in the second area;
a first control device that controls operations of the article transport vehicle in the first area; and
a second control device that controls operations of the article transport vehicle in the second area,
wherein:
the traveling path includes a first path provided in the first area, and a second path that is provided in the second area and diverges from and merges with the first path,
the article transport vehicle is provided with a communication control portion that can perform exclusive wireless communication with at least the first control device and the second control device, an operation control portion that causes the article transport vehicle to operate under autonomous control based on instructions from the first control device and the second control device, and a profile storage portion that stores transport profile information that includes at least position information for transferring the article at the loading platforms,
the first control device gives the article transport vehicle an operation instruction for causing the article transport vehicle to operate,
the operation instruction includes at least an article transport instruction for transporting the article, and a withdrawal instruction for causing the article transport vehicle to withdraw from the first area to the second area,
the operation control portion of an adjustment target vehicle, which is the article transport vehicle that needs adjustment, causes the article transport vehicle to enter the second path based on the withdrawal instruction, and the communication control portion of the adjustment target vehicle changes a communication destination from the first control device to the second control device,
in response to an adjustment instruction from the second control device, the operation control portion of the adjustment target vehicle performs adjustment with use of the adjustment device and updates the transport profile information, and
the communication control portion of the adjustment target vehicle changes the communication destination from the second control device to the first control device after the transport profile information has been updated.

2. The article transport facility according to claim 1 , further comprising a facility supervising device that stores past operation statuses of each article transport vehicle as running information,
wherein the facility supervising device successively acquires operation status information that includes at least a transport count and a travel time for each article transport vehicle, selects the article transport vehicle that needs adjustment as the adjustment target vehicle based on the running information, and gives a result of the selection to the first control device, and
wherein the first control device gives the withdrawal instruction to the adjustment target vehicle based on the selection result.

3. The article transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein the article transport vehicle is provided with a traveling portion that travels along the traveling path, a supporting portion that is supported to the traveling portion and suspends the article, and an elevation driving portion that raises and lowers the supporting portion relative to the traveling portion in a state where the traveling portion is stopped,
wherein in the second area, the supporting portion suspends the adjustment device instead of the article, and
wherein the adjustment device acquires adjustment data when being raised and lowered by the elevation driving portion, calculates transport profile information that corresponds to the adjustment target vehicle, and transmits the transport profile information to the adjustment target vehicle.

4. The article transport facility according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second area is provided with an adjustment loading platform that has an adjustment loading surface on which the adjustment device can be placed in the same manner as a manner in which the article is placed on the loading platforms, and
wherein in the second area, the adjustment device is placed on at least two adjustment loading surfaces that have different heights, and the adjustment device acquires the adjustment data when being raised and lowered from and to the at least two adjustment loading surfaces.

5. The article transport facility according to claim 4 ,
wherein at least two adjustment loading platforms that have adjustment loading surfaces with different heights are arranged along the second path, and the adjustment target vehicle transfers the adjustment device between different adjustment loading platforms while traveling along the second path, and
wherein the adjustment device acquires the adjustment data for each of the adjustment loading platforms.

6. The article transport facility according to claim 5 , wherein the adjustment loading platforms are arranged along the second path in order of descending or ascending ground height.

7. The article transport facility according to claim 4 , wherein ground heights of the adjustment loading surfaces are heights that correspond to ground heights of the loading platforms.

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Horii Takahiro
• Fujita Motohiro

Classifications

• B65G43/00 Primary

  Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting · CPC title

• G05B19/4189 Primary

  characterised by the transport system · CPC title

• B65G49/061

  Lifting, gripping, or carrying means, for one or more sheets forming independent means of transport, e.g. suction cups, transport frames (suction means as load-engaging elements attached to the lifting or lowering gear of cranes B66C1/02; suction cups for attaching purposes F16B47/00; suction cups on gripping heads B25J15/0616; suction cups in general B65G47/91; suction cups combined with cutting means on vertical conveyors C03B33/00 - C03B33/10; devices for turning sheets B65G49/067; suspending devices B65G49/066) · CPC title

• B61B3/02

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B65G2201/0297

  Wafer cassette · CPC title