# US 12,119,249 B2 · Conveyance vehicle

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,119,249 B2
- Document ID: US12119249B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/312,454
- Filed: 2019-11-20
- Published: 2022-02-24
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-14
- Assignees: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
- Applicants: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
- Inventors: Eiji Wada
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119249B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/3214: {by means of a cart or a vehicle}
- B61B 3/00: Elevated railway systems with suspended vehicles (with suspended flexible tracks B61B7/00; saddle or like balanced type with monorail B61B13/06; with propelling cables and for transporting materials B65G; tracks therefor E01B25/00)
- H10P 72/0606: {Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection}
- H10P 72/3218: {Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers}
- H10P 72/3221: {Overhead conveying}
- H10P 72/3222: {Loading to or unloading from a conveyor}
- H10P 72/53: {using optical controlling means}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B61B: RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (lifts or hoists, elevators, escalators, moving walkways B66B)

## Abstract

A conveyance vehicle includes a traveling driver, a main body, an up-and-down stage including a gripper to hold an article and capable of moving up and down with respect to the main body, an up-and-down driver to cause the up-and-down stage to move up and down by drawing out and winding up of belts, a lateral mover to cause the up-and-down driver while being cantilevered to protrude laterally of the main body, and an adjuster. In accordance with a laterally moved amount of the up-and-down driver by the lateral mover and a lowered amount of the up-and-down stage by the up-and-down driver, the adjuster performs one or both of adjustment of the laterally moved amount and adjustment of an orientation of a sensor included in the up-and-down driver to deliver the article to the transfer destination and to receive the article from the transfer destination.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A conveyance vehicle comprising:
a traveler to travel along a track;
a main body coupled to the traveler to move by traveling of the traveler;
an up-and-down stage including a holder to hold an article and capable of moving up and down with respect to the main body;
an up-and-down driver to cause the up-and-down stage to move up and down by drawing out and winding up of a flexible hanging-and-holding structure;
a lateral mover to cause the up-and-down driver being cantilevered to protrude laterally of the main body; and
an adjuster to perform, in accordance with a laterally moved amount of the up-and-down driver by the lateral mover and a lowered amount of the up-and-down stage by the up-and-down driver, adjustment of an orientation of a sensor included in the up-and-down driver to deliver the article to a transfer destination or to receive the article from the transfer destination.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The conveyance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the sensor is configured to apply a detection wave having directivity toward a predetermined position; and
the adjuster is configured to adjust the orientation of the sensor so as to correct a deviation of an application direction of the detection wave.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The conveyance vehicle according to claim 2, wherein
the sensor includes an actuator to change the application direction of the detection wave; and
the adjuster is configured to drive the actuator to correct the deviation of the application direction of the detection wave.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The conveyance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the main body includes a storage to store therein a data table relating to the laterally moved amount of the up-and-down driver by the lateral mover and the lowered amount to the transfer destination, for each of a plurality of the transfer destinations from and to which the article is received and delivered; and
the adjuster is configured to acquire information on the transfer destinations of the article from the data table stored in the storage and, based on the information, perform the adjustment of the orientation of the sensor included in the up-and-down driver.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The conveyance vehicle according to claim 4, wherein when the laterally moved amount indicated by the data table is a first specific value, the adjuster is configured to:
not perform the adjustment of the orientation of the sensor included in the up-and-down driver when the lowered amount indicated by the data table is less than a first threshold; and
perform the adjustment of the orientation of the sensor included in the up-and-down driver when the lowered amount indicated by the data table is equal to the first threshold or more.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The conveyance vehicle according to claim 4, wherein when the lowered amount indicated by the data table is a second specific value, the adjuster is configured to:
not perform the adjustment of the orientation of the sensor included in the up-and-down driver when the laterally moved amount indicated by the data table is less than a second threshold; and
perform the adjustment of the orientation of the sensor included in the up-and-down driver when the laterally moved amount indicated by the data table is equal to the second threshold or more.