US 2015/0307277 A1Published application

Article Transport Facility

AssigneeDaifuku Co., Ltd.

InventorsTomotaka Kinugawa, Suguru Shibata, Daisuke Ogawa

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Abstract

An intermediate transfer device is located upwardly of an article delivering and receiving portion and downwardly of a ceiling transport vehicle. A transfer device grip is provided such that the intermediate transfer device is in vertical alignment with the ceiling transport vehicle and the article delivering and receiving portion and is capable of traveling, while guided and supported by a guiding support, to and among a transfer position for the delivering and receiving portion, a transfer position for the intermediate rack, a transfer-time retracted position, and a temporary-storage-time retracted. The guiding support is configured to form a space through which the grip portion and an article can pass in the vertical direction when the ceiling transport vehicle transfers the article.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An article transport facility comprising:

a ceiling transport vehicle that includes a grip portion for supporting an article such that the grip portion can be vertically moved;
a travel rail located at a position higher than an article delivering and receiving portion to guide a movement of the ceiling transport vehicle so as to form a traveling track for the ceiling transport vehicle passing above the article delivering and receiving portion;
an intermediate transfer device that includes a transfer device grip portion for supporting an article such that the transfer device grip portion can be vertically moved;
a guiding support that is located parallel with the travel rail at a height between the article delivering and receiving portion and the travel rail to guide a movement of the intermediate transfer device so as to form a traveling track for the intermediate transfer device passing above the article delivering and receiving portion;
and
an intermediate rack that is located at a height between the article delivering and receiving portion and the guiding support;
wherein the intermediate rack is located downwardly both of the traveling track of the ceiling transport vehicle and the traveling track of the intermediate transfer device, and is located at a position that is different from the article delivering and receiving portion in a horizontal direction.

4 more elements

An article transport facility comprising:

a ceiling transport vehicle that is capable of traveling along a travel rail arranged on a ceiling side, that includes a grip portion for supporting an article such that the grip portion can be vertically moved, and that is capable of transferring au article to or from an article delivering and receiving portion provided on a floor side;
an intermediate rack for temporarily storing an article to be transferred to the article delivering and receiving portion, the intermediate rack being located upwardly of the article delivering and receiving portion and downwardly of the ceiling transport vehicle, the intermediate rack being located at a position that is different from the article delivering and receiving portion in a travel direction of the ceiling transport vehicle;
an intermediate transfer device, that includes a transfer device grip portion for supporting an article such that the transfer device grip portion can be vertically moved, and that is capable of transferring an article to or from the intermediate rack and to or from the article delivering and receiving portion, the intermediate transfer device being capable of traveling, along the travel direction at a height between the article delivering and receiving portion and the ceiling transport vehicle;
and
a guiding support that supports the intermediate transfer device and that guides a movement of the intermediate transfer device along the travel direction,
wherein the intermediate transfer device is in vertical alignment with the ceiling transport vehicle and with the article delivering and receiving portion as seen along the travel direction.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/639,690Filed 5 Mar 2015
Priority: JP 2010-0506948 Mar 2010
Published: 29 Oct 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

B65G 1/065
With means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level: with self propelled cars
B65G 1/0464
Mechanical: with access from above
B66C 19/00
Cranes comprising trolleys or crabs running on fixed or movable bridges or
H10P 72/3221
Between different workstations: overhead conveying

Family

Application13/582,610Continuation · filed 16 Nov 2012
Application14/639,690Continuation
US 2013/0142597 A1Published application
US 9,004,840 B2Related patent
US 9,592,959 B2Related patent
US 2015/0307277 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.