US 6,019,563 AGranted

Automated guided vehicle

AssigneeShinko Electric Co., Ltd.

InventorsMasanao Murata, Tatsuo Tsubaki, Hitoshi Kawano

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Abstract

An automated guided vehicle includes a transporting portion having an upper surface and a driving device, the transporting portion being movable by the driving device; a transferring device provided on the upper surface of the transporting portion, the transferring device being capable of transferring a workpiece to or from an apparatus; and a mounting portion formed on the upper surface of the transporting portion, the mounting portion having at least two opening portions which allow an operation for transferring the workpiece. In the automated guided vehicle, photosensors are respectively arranged on the opening portions to detect an object which intrudes into a predetermined area or projects from the predetermined area, and a control device monitors a state of the photosensors and controls the transferring device or the driving device in accordance with the state of the photosensors.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An automated guided vehicle, comprising:

a transporting portion having an upper surface and a driving device, the transporting portion being movable by the driving device;
a transferring device provided on the upper surface of the transporting portion, the transferring device being capable of transferring a workpiece to or from an apparatus;
a mounting portion formed on the upper surface of the transporting portion, the mounting portion having at least two opening portions which allow an operation for transferring the workpiece;
at least one photosensor respectively arranged on each of the opening portions to detect an object which intrudes from outside of the mounting portion into the mounting portion or projects from the mounting portion to the outside, each of the photosensors including a light emitting device emitting a beam and a light receiving device receiving the beam, the light emitting device and the light receiving device being respectively disposed on opposite end portions of each of the opening portions so as to oppose each other;
and
a control device which monitors a state of the photosensors and controls one of the transferring device and the driving device in accordance with the state of the photosensors;
wherein when a beam emitted by the light emitting device of one of the opening portions and being incident upon the corresponding light receiving device is obstructed, the control device judges intrusion or projection of an object such that the control device controls the transferring device into a non-operative state when one of the photosensors, which is arranged on one of the opening portions other than the opening portion through which the transferring operation is performed, has detected intrusion or projection of an object via the obstruction of the beam.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.