# US 12,759,803 B2 · Transport facility

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- Number: US 12,759,803 B2
- Document ID: US12759803B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 19/055,747
- Filed: 2025-02-18
- Published: 2025-08-21
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2024-02-19
- Assignees: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Wataru Kiyokawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759803B2

## CPC

- B65G 43/02: detecting dangerous physical condition of load carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating
- B65G 1/0492: {with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles}
- B65G 1/1373: {for fulfilling orders in warehouses}
- B65G 43/08: Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)}
- B65G 2203/0275: Damage on the load carrier
- B65G 2203/042: Sensors
- 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)

## Abstract

A transport facility includes a plurality of transporters and a determination system. The determination system includes a vibration detector, a recorder, a determiner, and a controller. The vibration detector detects vibrations from each of the plurality of transporters and obtains vibration data indicating the vibrations. The recorder stores at least reference data for determination of a state of each of the plurality of transporters. The determiner determines a sign of an abnormality in each of the plurality of transporters based on the reference data stored in the recorder and the vibration data obtained by the vibration detector. The controller implements an inspection mode of stopping operations of the plurality of transporters other than a target transporter and obtaining, with the vibration detector, the vibration data of the target transporter in operation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A transport facility, comprising:
a plurality of transporters configured to transport articles; and
a determination system configured to determine a state of each of the plurality of transporters, the determination system comprising:
a vibration detector configured to detect vibrations from each of the plurality of transporters and obtain vibration data indicating the vibrations,
a recorder configured to store the vibration data obtained by the vibration detector,
a determiner configured to determine the state of each of the plurality of transporters based on the vibration data, and
a controller, and
wherein:
the recorder stores at least reference data for determination of the state of each of the plurality of transporters,
the determiner is configured to determine a sign of an abnormality in each of the plurality of transporters based on the reference data stored in the recorder and the vibration data obtained by the vibration detector, and
the controller is configured to implement an inspection mode of stopping operations of the plurality of transporters other than a target transporter selected among the plurality of transporters and obtaining, with the vibration detector, the vibration data of the target transporter in operation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The transport facility according to claim 1, wherein:
the target transporter comprises a plurality of drives, and
in the inspection mode, the controller causes the plurality of drives to operate sequentially and obtains, with the vibration detector, the vibration data of each of the plurality of drives in operation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The transport facility according to claim 1, wherein:
the controller is configured to implement a normal monitoring mode in addition to the inspection mode, and
in the normal monitoring mode, the controller obtains, with the vibration detector, the vibration data of the plurality of transporters transporting the articles.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The transport facility according to claim 1, wherein:
the reference data comprises abnormality data indicating a relationship between a past abnormality that has occurred in the plurality of transporters for each type of transporter and the vibration data, and
the determiner determines the state of the plurality of transporters based on the abnormality data and the vibration data obtained by the vibration detector.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The transport facility according to claim 1, wherein:
the vibration data comprises at least one of data about sound being vibrations transmitted through air or data about mechanical vibrations transmitted through structures including the plurality of transporters.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The transport facility according to claim 1, wherein:
the plurality of transporters comprise a plurality of transport vehicles configured to travel on a common travel path, and
in the inspection mode, the controller causes the plurality of transport vehicles other than a target transport vehicle selected as the target transporter among the plurality of transport vehicles to move and stop outside an inspection section on the travel path, and obtains, with the vibration detector, the vibration data of the target transport vehicle traveling in the inspection section.