# US 12,759,596 B2 · Package transport device and control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,596 B2 - Document ID: US12759596B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/201,372 - Filed: 2023-05-24 - Published: 2024-03-07 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-30 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America - Inventors: Takuya Takahama; Mitsuaki Oshima; Hideki Aoyama; Yosuke Sumi; Fumio Muramatsu; Kazuma Kitazawa; Ryosuke Amagai; Tsuyoshi Kajikawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759596B2 ## CPC - B61B 3/02: with self-propelled vehicles - 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) - B64U 50/19: using electrically powered motors - G05D 1/667: Delivering or retrieving payloads - G05D 1/678: for tethered vehicles (positioning towed, pushed or suspended implements G05D1/672) - B64U 30/21: Rotary wings - B64U 2101/64: for parcel delivery or retrieval - B61B: RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (lifts or hoists, elevators, escalators, moving walkways B66B) - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A package transport device includes: a main body (a vehicle main body, a first vehicle main body, and a second vehicle main body); a rail holder (connector) held by a rail located above the main body; a turntable that is provided between the main body and the rail holder and rotates the main body; a slider portion that extends with respect to the main body; and a package holder that holds a package attached to the slider portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A package transport device, comprising: a main body; a rail holder held by a rail located above the main body; a turntable that is provided between the main body and the rail holder and configured to rotate the main body; a first slider portion that extends with respect to the main body; and a package holder configured to hold a package attached to the first slider portion, wherein the main body includes a frame having a first length in a first direction that is longer than a second length in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, the main body is disposed, by the turntable, at a position in which a lengthwise direction of the frame is approximately perpendicular to an extending direction of the rail, and the first slider portion: includes the package holder at a first end of the first slider portion, and a rotary wing at a second end of the first slider portion, the first end being opposite the second end; and is configured to extend to balance a weight of the package and a buoyancy of the rotary wing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The package transport device according to claim 1, wherein the first slider portion is configured to extend with respect to the main body in response to rotation of the main body by the turntable. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The package transport device according to claim 1, wherein the rail holder includes: a first holder held by the rail from above the rail; and a second holder held by the rail so as to push up on the rail from below. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The package transport device according to claim 1, wherein the rail holder includes: a first rail holder located on a first side of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame; a second rail holder located on a second side of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame; and a third rail holder located in a central region of the frame between the first side and the second side in the lengthwise direction of the frame. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The package transport device according to claim 4, wherein the first rail holder includes a first rotating roller that contacts the rail and is configured to be actuated by a first electric motor, the second rail holder includes a second rotating roller that contacts the rail and is configured to be actuated by a second electric motor, and the third rail holder includes a third rotating roller and a fourth rotating roller that contact the rail and are configured to be actuated by a third electric motor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The package transport device according to claim 5, wherein the third rail holder holds the rail so as to push up on the rail from below, and the first rail holder and the second rail holder are held by the rail, above the rail. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The package transport device according to claim 4, further comprising: a second slider portion that is provided on the main body and configured to extend with respect to the main body; and a third slider portion that is provided on the main body and configured to extend with respect to the main body, wherein the turntable is disposed between the third rail holder and the main body, and the turntable is configured to rotate the main body. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The package transport device according to claim 1, further comprising: a motor that is configured to rotate the rail holder so as to release a hold of the rail holder by the rail so as to avoid contact between a rail support portion that supports the rail and the rail holder when the package transport device is traveling on the rail. ### Claim 9 A control method of controlling a package transport device, the package transport device including: a main body; a rail holder held by a rail located above the main body; a turntable that is provided between the main body and the rail holder and configured to rotate the main body; a first slider portion that extends with respect to the main body; and a package holder that holds configured to hold a package attached to the first slider portion, the control method comprising: rotating the main body by the turntable; and extending the first slider portion with respect to the main body after the turntable rotates the main body, wherein the main body includes a frame having a first length in a first direction that is longer than a second length in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, the first slider portion includes the package holder at a first end of the first slider portion, and a counterweight of a predetermined weight at a second end of the first slider portion, the first end being opposite the second end, in the rotating, the main body is rotated until a lengthwise direction of the frame is approximately perpendicular to an extending direction of the rail, in the extending, the first slider portion is extended from both ends of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame so as to maintain balance between a weight of the package and a weight of the counterweight, the rail holder includes: a first rail holder located on a first side of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame; a second rail holder located on a second side of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame; and a third rail holder located in a central region of the frame between the first side and the second side in the lengthwise direction of the frame, the package transport device further includes: a second slider portion that is disposed between the first rail holder and the main body and extends with respect to the main body; and a third slider portion that is disposed between the second rail holder and the main body and extends with respect to the main body, the turntable is disposed between the third rail holder and the main body, and in the rotating, the turntable is rotated after the second slider portion and the third slider portion are extended to separate the first rail holder and the second rail holder from the rail. ### Claim 10 A package transport device, comprising: a main body; a rail holder held by a rail located above the main body; a turntable that is provided between the main body and the rail holder and configured to rotate the main body; a first slider portion that extends with respect to the main body; and a package holder configured to hold a package attached to the first slider portion, wherein the main body includes a frame having a first length in a first direction that is longer than a second length in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, the main body is disposed, by the turntable, at a position in which a lengthwise direction of the frame is approximately perpendicular to an extending direction of the rail, and the rail holder includes: a first holder held by the rail from above the rail; and a second holder held by the rail so as to push up on the rail from below. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The package transport device according to claim 10, wherein the first slider portion: includes the package holder at a first end of the first slider portion, and a counterweight of a predetermined weight at a second end of the first slider portion, the first end being opposite the second end; and extends so as to maintain balance between a weight of the package and a weight of the counterweight. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The package transport device according to claim 11, wherein the counterweight is a battery. ### Claim 13 A package transport device, comprising: a main body; a rail holder held by a rail located above the main body; a turntable that is provided between the main body and the rail holder and configured to rotate the main body; a first slider portion that extends with respect to the main body; and a package holder configured to hold a package attached to the first slider portion, wherein the main body includes a frame having a first length in a first direction that is longer than a second length in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, the main body is disposed, by the turntable, at a position in which a lengthwise direction of the frame is approximately perpendicular to an extending direction of the rail, and the rail holder includes: a first rail holder located on a first side of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame; a second rail holder located on a second side of the frame in the lengthwise direction of the frame; and a third rail holder located in a central region of the frame between the first side and the second side in the lengthwise direction of the frame.