# US 10,766,513 B2 · Article transport vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,766,513 B2 - Document ID: US10766513B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/969,126 - Filed: 2018-05-02 - Published: 2018-11-15 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-09 - Assignees: Daifuku Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Daifuku Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Natsuo Takagawa; Kazuharu Yoshinaga; Toshikazu Kato; Yusuke Morimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10766513B2 ## CPC - B61L 23/34: for indicating the distance between vehicles or trains by the transmission of signals therebetween - B61L 23/041: {Obstacle detection} - B61L 25/025: {Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates} - B65G 13/12: adjustable - B65G 35/06: comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path (effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32) - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - G05D 1/0238: {using obstacle or wall sensors (G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93)} - B65G 43/00: Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting - B65G 47/642: {in a horizontal plane} - B65G 2203/0266: relating to the load carrier(s) - B65G 2203/042: Sensors - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract An article transport vehicle includes an obstacle sensor having a detection area that includes at least the width of the own vehicle and that expands in the advancing direction, controls the travel of the own vehicle, based on as front inter-object distance corresponding to own-vehicle position information indicating a position of the own vehicle and front object position information indicating a position on a track of a front object that is located in front of the own vehicle and whose position on the track is specified, and sets a length of the detection area E along the advancing direction of the obstacle sensor to be variable according to the front inter-object distance such that the length is less than the front inter-object distance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An article transport vehicle for use in an article transport facility in which a plurality of article transport vehicles travel along a track so as to transport articles, the article transport vehicle comprising: an obstacle sensor having a detection area that includes at least a width of own vehicle in a width direction extending along a horizontal plane and orthogonal to an advancing direction of the own vehicle and that expands in the advancing direction, wherein the article transport vehicle controls travel of the own vehicle, based on a front inter-object distance corresponding to own-vehicle position information indicating a position on the track of the own vehicle and front object position information indicating a position on the track of a front object that is located in front of the own vehicle and whose position on the track is specified, and sets a length of the detection area along the advancing direction of the obstacle sensor to be variable according to the front inter-object distance such that the length is less than the front inter-object distance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The article transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the front object is another vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle, the front object position information is another-vehicle position information indicating a position on the track of the other vehicle, and the front inter-object distance is a front inter-vehicle distance corresponding to the own-vehicle position information and the another-vehicle position information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The article transport vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the own vehicle acquires the another-vehicle position information from the other vehicle by communicating with the other vehicle, and calculates the front inter-vehicle distance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The article transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when a length, along the advancing direction, of an object that is included in objects assumed as detection targets of the obstacle sensor and that has the shortest length along the advancing direction is taken as a target object length, a length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to be less than the front inter-object distance and greater than or equal to a distance that is shorter than the front inter-object distance by the target object length. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The article transport vehicle according to claim 2, wherein when a length, along the advancing direction, of an object that is included in objects assumed as detection targets of the obstacle sensor and that has the shortest length along the advancing direction is taken as a target object length, a length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to be less than the front inter-object distance and greater than or equal to a distance that is shorter than the front inter-object distance by the target object length. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The article transport vehicle according to claim 3, wherein when a length, along the advancing direction, of an object that is included in objects assumed as detection targets of the obstacle sensor and that has the shortest length along the advancing direction is taken as a target object length, a length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to be less than the front inter-object distance and greater than or equal to a distance that is shorter than the front inter-object distance by the target object length. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The article transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter or longer by a predefined prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein the length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the prescribed error. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The article transport vehicle according to claim 2, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter or longer by a predefined prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein the length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the prescribed error. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The article transport vehicle according to claim 3, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter or longer by a predefined prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein the length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the prescribed error. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The article transport vehicle according to claim 4, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter or longer by a predefined prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein the length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the prescribed error. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The article transport vehicle according to claim 5, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter or longer by a predefined prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein the length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the prescribed error. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The article transport vehicle according to claim 6, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter or longer by a predefined prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein the length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the prescribed error. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The article transport vehicle according to claim 4, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter by a predefined minus side-prescribed error or longer by a plus side-prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein a length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the plus side-prescribed error, and is also set to be greater than or equal to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by the target object length from which the minus side-prescribed error has been subtracted. ### Claim 14 (depends on 5) The article transport vehicle according to claim 5, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter by a predefined minus side-prescribed error or longer by a plus side-prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein a length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the plus side-prescribed error, and is also set to be greater than or equal to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by the target object length from which the minus side-prescribed error has been subtracted. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The article transport vehicle according to claim 6, wherein an actual length of the detection area along the advancing direction is allowed to be shorter by a predefined minus side-prescribed error or longer by a plus side-prescribed error, relative to a length set for the obstacle sensor, and wherein a length of the detection area along the advancing direction is set to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by at least the plus side-prescribed error, and is also set to be greater than or equal to a distance shorter than the front inter-object distance by the target object length from which the minus side-prescribed error has been subtracted.