US 12,459,788 B2Granted

Article transport vehicle

AssigneeDaifuku Co., Ltd.

InventorsTomotaka Kinugawa, Hiroshi Otsuka, Keisuke Shiroishi, Koji Kawaguchi, Yasushi Morikawa

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An article transport vehicle includes a travel section, a holding section, an elevating device, an inclination detection device, an inclination adjustment device, and an inclination control device for controlling the inclination adjustment device. The inclination adjustment device is configured to act on a target belt among a plurality of suspension belts to adjust an inclination of the holding section by adjusting a suspension height at which the holding section is held by the target belt. During the lowering of the holding section to the transfer position by the elevating device, the inclination control device executes an adjustment operation during lowering, in which the inclination of the holding section is detected by the inclination detection device, and based on the result of the detection performed by the inclination detection device, the inclination adjustment device is controlled to adjust the inclination of the holding section.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An article transport vehicle configured to transport an article, the article transport vehicle comprising:

a travel section configured to travel along a travel route;
a holding section configured to hold the article;
an elevating device configured to raise the holding section to a travel position for traveling along the travel route and lower the holding section to a transfer position for transferring the article between a transfer target location and the holding section, by winding and unwinding a plurality of suspension belts while the holding section is suspended by the plurality of suspension belts;
an inclination detection device configured to detect inclination of the holding section with respect to a horizontal plane;
an inclination adjustment device configured to adjust the inclination of the holding section;
and
an inclination control device configured to control the inclination adjustment device;
and
an elevation control device configured to control the elevating device,
wherein the inclination adjustment device is configured to adjust the inclination of the holding section by acting on at least one target belt among the plurality of suspension belts to adjust a suspension height at which the holding section is suspended by the at least one target belt, and
wherein the inclination control device executes an adjustment operation during lowering, in which, during lowering of the holding section to the transfer position by the elevating device, the inclination of the holding section is detected by the inclination detection device, and based on a result of the detection performed by the inclination detection device, the inclination adjustment device is controlled to adjust the inclination of the holding section, and
wherein, in the adjustment operation during lowering:
the elevation control device controls the elevating device to lower the holding section at a measurement speed, the measurement speed is a constant speed that is lower than a maximum lowering speed, and the maximum lowering speed is a maximum speed of the holding section during lowering to the transfer position;
the inclination control device controls the inclination detection device to detect the inclination of the holding section a plurality of times in a measurement segment in which the elevation control device controls the elevating device to lower the holding section at the measurement speed.

11 more elements

An article transport vehicle configured to transport an article, the article transport vehicle comprising:

a travel section configured to travel along a travel route;
a holding section configured to hold the article;
an elevating device configured to raise the holding section to a travel position for traveling along the travel route and lower the holding section to a transfer position for transferring the article between a transfer target location and the holding section, by winding and unwinding a plurality of suspension belts while the holding section is suspended by the plurality of suspension belts;
an inclination detection device configured to detect inclination of the holding section with respect to a horizontal plane;
an inclination adjustment device configured to adjust the inclination of the holding section;
and
an inclination control device configured to control the inclination adjustment device,
wherein the inclination adjustment device is configured to adjust the inclination of the holding section by acting on at least one target belt among the plurality of suspension belts to adjust a suspension height at which the holding section is suspended by the at least one target belt,
wherein the inclination control device executes an adjustment operation during lowering, in which, during lowering of the holding section to the transfer position by the elevating device, the inclination of the holding section is detected by the inclination detection device, and based on a result of the detection performed by the inclination detection device, the inclination adjustment device is controlled to adjust the inclination of the holding section, and
wherein at a time that is during raising of the holding section to the travel position or after completion of raising of the holding section and is before travel by the travel section is started, the inclination control device executes an adjustment cancellation operation for undoing an adjustment amount of the at least one target belt in the adjustment operation during lowering by the inclination adjustment device.

7 more elements

An article transport vehicle configured to transport an article, the article transport vehicle comprising:

a travel section configured to travel along a travel route;
a holding section configured to hold the article;
an elevating device configured to raise the holding section to a travel position for traveling along the travel route and lower the holding section to a transfer position for transferring the article between a transfer target location and the holding section, by winding and unwinding a plurality of suspension belts while the holding section is suspended by the plurality of suspension belts;
an inclination detection device configured to detect inclination of the holding section with respect to a horizontal plane;
an inclination adjustment device configured to adjust the inclination of the holding section;
and
an inclination control device configured to control the inclination adjustment device,
wherein the inclination adjustment device is configured to adjust the inclination of the holding section by acting on at least one target belt among the plurality of suspension belts to adjust a suspension height at which the holding section is suspended by the at least one target belt,
wherein the inclination control device executes an adjustment operation during lowering, in which, during lowering of the holding section to the transfer position by the elevating device, the inclination of the holding section is detected by the inclination detection device, and based on a result of the detection performed by the inclination detection device, the inclination adjustment device is controlled to adjust the inclination of the holding section,
wherein the elevating device comprises:
a plurality of winding pulleys around which the plurality of suspension belts are respectively wound;
and
a winding driving section configured to drive the plurality of winding pulleys to rotate,
wherein the elevating device is configured to lower the holding section by unwinding the suspension belts from the plurality of winding pulleys and raise the holding section by winding the suspension belts around the winding pulleys,
wherein the inclination adjustment device comprises an adjustment cam driving device,
wherein the adjustment cam driving device comprises:
a cam member configured to change a distance in at least a vertical direction between the holding section and the at least one target belt by being driven to rotate;
and
a cam rotation driving section configured to drive the cam member to rotate,
wherein the cam rotation driving section comprises:
a cam motor;
and
a transmission mechanism configured to transmit a driving force of the cam motor to the cam member,
wherein the holding section comprises a base section,
wherein the cam member is arranged on an upper surface of the base section, and
wherein the cam motor is arranged on a lower surface of the base section.

23 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/102,455Filed 27 Jan 2023
Priority: JP 2022-01224428 Jan 2022
Published: US 2023/0278833 A17 Sep 2023
Granted: 4 Nov 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B66C 13/08
Auxiliary devices for controlling movements of suspended loads, or preventing cable slack: for depositing loads in desired attitudes or positions
B66C 1/28
Rigid members, e.g. L-shaped members, with parts engaging the under surface of the loads; Crane hooks: duplicate, e.g. pivoted, members engaging…
B66C 11/00
Trolleys or crabs
B66C 13/06
Auxiliary devices for controlling movements of suspended loads, or preventing cable slack: for minimising or preventing longitudinal or transverse…