Article transport facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758177-B2
Application number	US-201615076751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2016
Priority date	Mar 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A sub-path is connected to a first main path and a second main path along which an article transport vehicle travels in a direction opposite to that of the first main path. The sub-path includes an intersection portion, a first upstream path connected to the first main path and the intersection portion, a second upstream path connected to the second main path and the intersection portion, a first downstream path connected to the intersection portion and the second main path, and a second downstream path connected to the intersection portion and the first main path. In the intersection portion, a first connection path that connects the first upstream path and the first downstream path, and a second connection path that connects the second upstream path and the second downstream path are provided so as to be located at the same height and to intersect each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article transport facility comprising:
as traveling paths, a first main path that is formed in a loop shape, a second main path that is formed in a loop shape separately from the first main path, and a sub-path that connects the first main path and the second main path,
the article transport facility being configured to transport an article by an article transport vehicle that travels along the traveling paths only in a direction of forward movement,
wherein the sub-path includes a first sub-path connected to the first main path at a first connection portion, and a second sub-path connected to the second main path at a second connection portion,
a direction of arrangement of the first main path and the second main path is set to be a longitudinal direction, a direction extending from the second main path toward the first main path in the longitudinal direction is set to be a first longitudinal direction, and a direction extending from the first main path toward the second main path in the longitudinal direction is set to be a second longitudinal direction,
a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in plan view is set to be a width direction, one direction extending along the width direction is set to be a first width direction, and another direction extending along the width direction is set to be a second width direction, the first main path and the second main path are paths along which the article transport vehicle travels in directions opposite to each other,
wherein the sub-path includes:
an intersection portion that is located between the first main path and the second main path in the longitudinal direction and in which the first sub-path and the second sub-path intersect each other;
a first upstream path whose end on the first longitudinal direction side is connected to the first connection portion and whose end on the second longitudinal direction side is connected to the intersection portion;
a second upstream path whose end on the second longitudinal direction side is connected to the second connection portion and whose end on the first longitudinal direction side is connected to the intersection portion;
a first downstream path that is located on the first width direction side with respect to the second upstream path, and whose end on the first longitudinal direction side is connected to the intersection portion and whose end on the second longitudinal direction side is connected to a first different path different from the first main path at a third connection portion; and
a second downstream path that is located on the first width direction side with respect to the first upstream path, and whose end on the second longitudinal direction side is connected to the intersection portion and whose end on the first longitudinal direction side is connected to a second different path different from the second main path at a fourth connection portion,

the first upstream path and the first downstream path are paths along which the article transport vehicle travels in the second longitudinal direction,
the second upstream path and the second downstream path are paths along which the article transport vehicle travels in the first longitudinal direction,
the intersection portion includes a first connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the first upstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the first downstream path, and a second connection path that connects the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the second upstream path and the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the second downstream path, and
the first connection path and the second connection path are provided so as to be located at the same height and to intersect each other.

2. The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein the first downstream path and the second main path are connected at the third connection portion, and the second downstream path and the first main path are connected at the fourth connection portion.

3. The article transport facility according to claim 2 , wherein the intersection portion includes a third connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the first upstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the second upstream path, and a fourth connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the second downstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the first downstream path.

4. The article transport facility according to claim 2 , wherein the first width direction is a direction in which the article transport vehicle travels along the width direction in each of a path of the first main path that opposes the second main path and a path of the second main path that opposes the first main path, the first connection portion and the fourth connection portion are provided in a path along which the article transport vehicle travels in the first width direction along the first main path, and the second connection portion and the third connection portion are provided in a path along which the article transport vehicle travels in the first width direction along the second main path.

5. The article transport facility according to claim 4 , wherein the third connection portion is located on the first width direction side with respect to the second connection portion, and the fourth connection portion is located on the first width direction side with respect to the first connection portion.

6. The article transport facility according to claim 5 , wherein the intersection portion includes a third connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the first upstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the second upstream path, and a fourth connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the second downstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the first downstream path.

7. The article transport facility according to claim 4 , wherein the intersection portion includes a third connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the first upstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the second upstream path, and a fourth connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the second downstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the first downstream path.

8. The article transport facility according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first width direction is a direction in which the article transport vehicle travels along the width direction in each of a path of the first main path that opposes the second main path and a path of the second main path that opposes the first main path,
the first connection portion is provided in a path along which the article transport vehicle travels in the first width direction along the first main path, and
the second connection portion is provided in a path along which the article transport vehicle travels in the first width direction along the second main path.

9. The article transport facility according to claim 8 , wherein the intersection portion includes a third connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the first upstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the second upstream path, and a fourth connection path that connects the end on the second longitudinal direction side of the second downstream path and the end on the first longitudinal direction side of the first downstream path.

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Takada Ayato

Classifications

• B61B3/02 Primary

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B65G35/00 Primary

  Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for · CPC title