Article transport device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758310-B2
Application number	US-201715403604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2017
Priority date	Jan 12, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A controller provided to an article transport device is configured to perform a transfer control and an oscillation damping control. The transfer control is a control for controlling an operation of an actuator while a travel portion is at rest to cause a first support portion to be moved with respect to the travel portion between a first position within a travel path and a second position for transferring an article between the first support portion and a transport target location which is one of a transport origin and a transport destination for the article. The oscillation damping control is a control for controlling the operation of the actuator based on a physical quantity detected by a detector, while the travel portion is traveling and the first support portion is supporting an article, to reduce the oscillation of the article supported by the first support portion that occurs while the travel portion is traveling.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article transport device comprising:
a travel portion configured to travel along a travel path;
a first support portion configured to support an article;
an actuator configured to move the first support portion with respect to the travel portion along at least one of a plurality of perpendicular directions which are perpendicular to a direction along the travel path;
a controller configured to control operation of the actuator; and
a detector configured to detect a physical quantity that represents a motion, with respect to the travel portion, of the article supported by the first support portion along a moving direction along which the first support portion is moved with respect to the travel portion by the actuator;
wherein the controller is configured to perform a transfer control and an oscillation damping control,
wherein the transfer control is a control for controlling an operation of the actuator while the travel portion is at rest to cause the first support portion to be moved with respect to the travel portion between a first position within the travel path and a second position for transferring the article between the first support portion and a transport target location which is one of a transport origin and a transport destination for the article, and
wherein the oscillation damping control is a control for controlling operation of the actuator based on the physical quantity detected by the detector while the travel portion is traveling and the first support portion is supporting an article, to reduce an oscillation of the article supported by the first support portion that occurs while the travel portion is traveling.

2. The article transport device as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second support portion which is supported by the travel portion, and suspends and supports the first support portion; and
wherein the actuator is configured to move the second support portion along a path width direction which is a lateral width direction of the travel path and with respect to the travel portion to move the first support portion along the path width direction with respect to the travel portion with the path width direction designated as one of the at least one of a plurality of perpendicular directions, and
wherein, in the oscillation damping control, the controller causes the second support portion to be moved with respect to the traveling portion in a direction that reduces a displacement of the article supported by the first support portion along the path width direction with respect to the second support portion.

3. The article transport device as defined in claim 2 , wherein in the oscillation damping control, the controller obtains a relative acceleration of the article supported by the first support portion along the path width direction with respect to the traveling portion, based on the physical quantity detected by the detector, and causes the second support portion to be moved with respect to the traveling portion at an acceleration that depends on the relative acceleration that is obtained.

4. The article transport device as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second support portion which is supported by the travel portion, and suspends and supports the first support portion; and
wherein the second support portion is provided with winding portions for spooling elongate flexible members that are connected to the first support portion,
wherein the actuator is configured to move the first support portion along the vertical direction with respect to the travel portion by rotating the winding portions to spool or feed out the elongate flexible members with the vertical direction designated as one of the at least one of a plurality of perpendicular directions, and
wherein, in the oscillation damping control, the controller causes the winding members to be rotated in a rotational direction that reduces an amount of change in tension in the elongate flexible members.

5. The article transport device as defined in claim 4 , wherein in the oscillation damping control, the controller obtains a vertical acceleration which is a relative acceleration of the article supported by the first support portion along the vertical direction with respect to the traveling portion, based on the physical quantity detected by the detector, and causes a rotational speed of the winding portions to be changed at a rotational acceleration that depends on the vertical acceleration that is obtained.

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Murao Kazuhiro

Classifications

• H10P72/3222

  Loading to or unloading from a conveyor · CPC title

• H10P72/3221

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H10P72/3206

  the substrate being handled substantially vertically · CPC title

• H10P72/3202

  Mechanical details, e.g. rollers or belts · CPC title

• H10P72/0606 Primary

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title