# US 11,897,698 B2 · Article transport facility > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,698 B2 - Document ID: US11897698B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/462,440 - Filed: 2021-08-31 - Published: 2022-03-10 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-07 - Assignees: Daifuku Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Daifuku Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Seiya Nobuta; Tadashi Nishikawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897698B2 ## CPC - B65G 43/02: detecting dangerous physical condition of load carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating - H10P 72/3221: {Overhead conveying} - 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) - H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring} - H10P 72/3216: {using a general scheme of a conveying path within a factory} - B65G 2203/0266: relating to the load carrier(s) - B65G 2203/045: Thermic - 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) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A transport vehicle control system restricts a travel speed of an article transport vehicle to less than or equal to a restrictive speed prescribed in advance, in a case where a temperature sensor detects that the temperature of a regenerative resistor is greater than or equal to a first temperature set to a higher temperature than a steady temperature range which is a temperature range of a steady state prescribed in advance, and disconnects the connection between a power supply unit and a travel motor with a switch, in a case where the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the regenerative resistor is greater than or equal to a second temperature set to a higher temperature than the first temperature. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An article transport facility provided with an article transport vehicle that travels along a travel path and transports an article, the article transport facility comprising: a transport vehicle control system configured to control the article transport vehicle; wherein the article transport vehicle comprises: a travel motor to drive a wheel of the article transport vehicle; a power supply unit to supply power to the travel motor; a regenerative resistor to receive supply of regenerative power produced during regeneration of the travel motor; a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the regenerative resistor; and a switch disposed on an electrical connection path between the power supply unit and the travel motor, and configured to shut off power supply from the power supply unit to the travel motor, and wherein the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the regenerative resistor is greater than or equal to a first temperature set to a higher temperature than a steady temperature range which is a temperature range of a steady state prescribed in advance, restricts a travel speed of the article transport vehicle to less than or equal to a restrictive speed prescribed in advance, and wherein the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the regenerative resistor is greater than or equal to a second temperature set to a higher temperature than the first temperature, disconnects the connection between the power supply unit and the travel motor with the switch. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the regenerative resistor is less than a third temperature set to a lower temperature than the steady temperature range, restricts the travel speed of the article transport vehicle to less than or equal to the restrictive speed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein the travel path includes a transport area which is an area through which the article transport vehicle passes when transporting the article, and a maintenance area which is an area through which the article transport vehicle passes when maintenance of the article transport vehicle is performed, and wherein the transport vehicle control system restricts the travel speed of the article transport vehicle to less than or equal to the restrictive speed based on a detection result of the temperature sensor, wherein the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the article transport vehicle is transporting the article, directs the article transport vehicle to the maintenance area, after the article has been transported to a transport destination, and wherein the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the article transport vehicle is not transporting the article, directs the article transport vehicle straight to the maintenance area. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The article transport facility according to claim 2, wherein the travel path includes a transport area which is an area through which the article transport vehicle passes when transporting the article, and a maintenance area which is an area through which the article transport vehicle passes when maintenance of the article transport vehicle is performed, and wherein the transport vehicle control system restricts the travel speed of the article transport vehicle to less than or equal to the restrictive speed based on a detection result of the temperature sensor, where the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the article transport vehicle is transporting the article, directs the article transport vehicle to the maintenance area, after the article has been transported to a transport destination, and wherein the transport vehicle control system, in a case where the article transport vehicle is not transporting the article, directs the article transport vehicle straight to the maintenance area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The article transport facility according to claim 3, wherein the transport vehicle control system comprises a transport control unit provided in a facility control device that controls transportation of the article by a plurality of the article transport vehicle, and a vehicle control unit provided in each of the article transport vehicles, with bidirectional communication being possible between the facility control device and each of the article transport vehicles, wherein the vehicle control unit performs determination based on the detection result of the temperature sensor, transmission of regenerative resistor information that is based on at least one of the detection result and the determination result based on the detection result to the transport control unit, control of the travel speed of the article transport vehicle based on the determination result, and control of the switch based on the determination result, and wherein the transport control unit receives the regenerative resistor information, and, in a case where it is determined that the travel speed of the article transport vehicle is restricted to less than or equal to the restrictive speed based on the regenerative resistor information, transmits a transport instruction specifying a point within the maintenance area as a destination of the article transport vehicle to the article transport vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The article transport facility according to claim 4, wherein the transport vehicle control system comprises a transport control unit provided in a facility control device that controls transportation of the article by a plurality of the article transport vehicle, and a vehicle control unit provided in each of the article transport vehicles, with bidirectional communication being possible between the facility control device and each of the article transport vehicles, wherein the vehicle control unit performs determination based on the detection result of the temperature sensor, transmission of regenerative resistor information that is based on at least one of the detection result and the determination result based on the detection result to the transport control unit, control of the travel speed of the article transport vehicle based on the determination result, and control of the switch based on the determination result, and wherein the transport control unit receives the regenerative resistor information and, in a case where it is determined that the travel speed of the article transport vehicle is restricted to less than or equal to the restrictive speed based on the regenerative resistor information, transmits a transport instruction specifying a point within the maintenance area as a destination of the article transport vehicle to the article transport vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The article transport facility according to claim 5, wherein the article transport vehicle comprises a position detection unit configured to detect a position on the travel path, and transmits detected position information to the transport control unit, and wherein the transport control unit transmits the transport instruction generated based on the position information to the article transport vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The article transport facility according to claim 6, wherein the article transport vehicle comprises a position detection unit configured to detect a position on the travel path, and transmits detected position information to the transport control unit, and wherein the transport control unit transmits the transport instruction generated based on the position information to the article transport vehicle.