# US 12,217,553 B2 · Transport vehicle management method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,217,553 B2 - Document ID: US12217553B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/564,685 - Filed: 2021-12-29 - Published: 2022-06-30 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-30 - Assignees: Semes Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Semes Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Tae In Kim; Hyun Joon Yoon; Tae Uk Park - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12217553B2 ## CPC - B25J 5/02: travelling along a guideway - G07C 5/006: {Indicating maintenance} - B60W 40/12: related to parameters of the vehicle itself {, e.g. tyre models} - B60W 50/0205: {Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models} - G05B 19/4189: {characterised by the transport system} - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - G07C 5/0816: {Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction} - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract A transport vehicle management method includes self-testing a transport vehicle to determine whether there is an abnormality in the transport vehicle, checking whether the transport vehicle is capable of self-correcting the abnormality when the abnormality is detected in the transport vehicle, and self-correcting the abnormality when the transport vehicle is capable of self-correcting the abnormality. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A transport vehicle management method comprising: self-testing a transport vehicle to determine whether there is an abnormality in the transport vehicle; checking whether the transport vehicle is capable of self-correcting the abnormality when the abnormality is detected in the transport vehicle, wherein the transport vehicle is configured to be movable on a transport rail; self-correcting the abnormality when the transport vehicle is capable of self-correcting the abnormality; and moving the transport vehicle to a self-testing area connected to the transport rail. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The transport vehicle management method of claim 1, further comprising transporting a material using the transport vehicle after self-correcting the abnormality. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The transport vehicle management method of claim 1, further comprising transporting a material using the transport vehicle when the abnormality is not detected in the transport vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The transport vehicle management method of claim 1, wherein the self-testing the transport vehicle is performed in the self-testing area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The transport vehicle management method of claim 4, further comprising taking out the transport vehicle from the self-testing area when the abnormality cannot be self-corrected. ### Claim 6 A transport vehicle management method comprising: self-testing a transport vehicle to determine whether there is an abnormality in the transport vehicle; checking whether the transport vehicle is capable of self-correcting the abnormality when the abnormality is detected in the transport vehicle; and self-correcting the abnormality when the transport vehicle is capable of self-correcting the abnormality, wherein the transport vehicle comprises: a drive unit configured to be movable on a transport rail; a hand unit for gripping a material; a hoist unit for elevating the hand unit; a slide unit for moving the hoist unit in a horizontal direction; and a frame unit connected to a lower portion of the drive unit and on which the slide unit is mounted to be movable in the horizontal direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The transport vehicle management method of claim 6, wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of a home position and left and right limit adjustment state of the slide unit, a deviation between a home position of the hoist unit and a position of the hoist unit, an operation time and sensor detection state of the hand unit, a distortion and input/output of an obstacle sensor and a front distance sensor mounted on the frame unit, and a sensing distance of the sensors for a movement of the drive unit and loading and unloading of the material, a recognition rate of barcode or QR code of a code reader mounted on the frame unit, and a wear state of drive wheels of the drive unit is self-tested. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The transport vehicle management method of claim 6, wherein when a position error of the slide unit is detected by self-testing an operating state of the slide unit, it is determined that the abnormality has occurred in the transport vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The transport vehicle management method of claim 6, wherein a dog bar is mounted on the slide unit, and a home sensor for detecting the dog bar is mounted on the frame unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The transport vehicle management method of claim 9, wherein the self-testing the transport vehicle comprises: measuring a total length of the dog bar using the home sensor while moving the slide unit in the horizontal direction; measuring a left length of the dog bar while moving the slide unit in a right direction from a predetermined home position; and measuring a right length of the dog bar while moving the slide unit in a left direction from the predetermined home position. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The transport vehicle management method of claim 10, further comprising taking out the transport vehicle when the measured total length is different from a predetermined reference length. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The transport vehicle management method of claim 10, wherein when the measured total length is equal to a predetermined reference length and the measured left length is different from the measured right length, the home position of the slide unit is corrected so that a left length and a right length of the dog bar are equal to each other. ### Claim 13 A transport vehicle management method of managing a transport vehicle comprising a drive unit configured to be movable on a transport rail, a hand unit for gripping a material, a hoist unit for elevating the hand unit, a slide unit for moving the hoist unit in a horizontal direction, a frame unit connected to a lower portion of the drive unit and on which the slide unit is mounted to be movable in the horizontal direction, a dog bar mounted on the slide unit, and a home sensor mounted on the frame unit and configured to detect the dog bar, the transport vehicle management method comprising: measuring a total length of the dog bar using the home sensor while moving the slide unit in the horizontal direction; and taking out the transport vehicle when the measured total length is different from a predetermined reference length. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The transport vehicle management method of claim 13, further comprising: measuring a left length of the dog bar while moving the slide unit in a right direction from a predetermined home position; and measuring a right length of the dog bar while moving the slide unit in a left direction from the predetermined home position. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The transport vehicle management method of claim 14, further comprising transporting the material using the transport vehicle when the measured total length is equal to the predetermined reference length and the measured left length is equal to the measured right length. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The transport vehicle management method of claim 14, further comprising correcting the home position of the slide unit so that a left length and a right length of the dog bar are equal to each other when the measured total length is equal to the predetermined reference length and the measured left length is different from the measured right length.