Transport system
AssigneeMurata Machinery, Ltd.
InventorEiji Wada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The efficiency of transporting articles is improved by smoothly delivering and receiving the articles between overhead transport vehicles traveling on different tracks. A transport system includes a first overhead transport vehicle that travels on a first overhead track; a second overhead transport vehicle that travels on a second overhead track and a third overhead track; and a first placement portion and a second placement portion that allow articles to be delivered and received between the first overhead transport vehicle and the second overhead transport vehicle. At least one of the first overhead transport vehicle, the second overhead transport vehicle, the first placement portion, and the second placement portion is provided with a rotator that rotates an article around a vertical axis.
Claims6
A transport system that transports an article, the article having a defined a front-and-rear orientation, the transport system comprising:
- a first overhead track a traveling direction of which is set to be a first direction;
- a first overhead transport vehicle including a first traveler that travels along the first overhead track, a first holder that holds the article, and a first lifting driver that raises and lowers the first holder;
- a second overhead track a traveling direction of which is set to be a second direction;
- a third overhead track that is provided parallel to the second overhead track and a traveling direction of which is set to be a third direction opposite to the second direction;
- a second overhead transport vehicle including a second traveler that travels on the second overhead track and the third overhead track, a second holder that holds the article, a second lifting driver that raises and lowers the second holder, and a second lateral feeder that laterally moves the second lifting driver;
- a first placement portion onto which or from which the second overhead transport vehicle on the second overhead track delivers or receives the article;
- a second placement portion onto which or from which the second overhead transport vehicle on the third overhead track delivers or receives the article,
- a rack including a plurality of storages arranged vertically;
- and
- a crane that travels along a track including the first overhead track and delivers and receives the article between the storages,
- wherein
- the first overhead transport vehicle is able to deliver or receive the article onto or from the first placement portion with the first lifting driver positioned directly above the first placement portion, and is able to deliver or receive the article onto or from the second placement portion with the first lifting driver positioned directly above the second placement portion,
- at least one of the first overhead transport vehicle, the second overhead transport vehicle, the first placement portion, and the second placement portion is provided with a rotator that rotates the article around a vertical axis,
- the first overhead transport vehicle includes a first lateral feeder that laterally moves the first lifting driver, and is able to deliver or receive the article to or from each storage with the first lifting driver being laterally fed directly above the storage by the first lateral feeder, and
- the second overhead track and the third overhead track are provided below lower ends of the crane and the rack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.