Ceiling transport vehicle

A ceiling transport vehicle comprising:

• a travel portion that travels along a guide rail installed on a ceiling side along a set travel path;
• a main body portion that is suspended and supported by the travel portion and that supports an article such that the article can be moved vertically;
• and
• a pair of guiding bodies that contact right and left lateral sides of the guide rail to guide the travel portion along the set travel path;
• wherein the guide rail includes a pair of rail portions spaced apart from each other in a lateral width direction that is perpendicular to a travel direction of the travel portion,
• the travel portion includes a pair of travel wheels rotating in contact with a top surface of the guide rail,
• the pair of travel wheels are disposed on the pair of rail portions correspondingly,
• the pair of guiding bodies each include a rotatable roller which can rotate about a vertical axis, and
• the ceiling transport vehicle further comprises:
• a pair of contacting members that are supported by one of the travel portion and the main body portion such that the contacting members can be moved away from each other and moved toward each other in the lateral width direction, the pair of contacting members being disposed independently of the pair of travel wheels and the pair of guiding bodies;
• a switching arrangement for moving each of the pair of contacting members away from each other and toward each other to switch between a holding state in which the travel portion is positioned and held in an article transfer position in the lateral width direction with respect to the guide rail, and a holding release state in which the pair of contacting members are spaced apart from and not in contact with the guide rail,
• the pair of contacting members includes a first contacting member provided in a first lateral side representing one side in the lateral width direction, and a second contacting member provided in a second lateral side representing the other side in the lateral width direction,
• the pair of rail portions includes a first rail portion provided in the first lateral side, and a second rail portion provided in the second lateral side, and
• the first contacting member contacts the first rail portion in the holding state toward a direction opposite to a direction toward which the second contacting member contacts the second rail portion in the holding state.