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US 9,845,192 B2Granted
Transport vehicle system and transport method
AssigneeMurata Machinery, Ltd.
InventorKazumi Harasaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a transport vehicle system, when a first transport vehicle passes through a predetermined point, a controller determines whether picking up an article at a high-priority transfer point would slow down or stop other transport vehicles, which pick up articles at transfer points on a downstream side, according to states of the other transport vehicles. If the other transport vehicles would be slowed down or stopped, a command is issued to the first transport vehicle to pick up the article at the transfer point on the downstream side. If the other transport vehicles will not be slowed down or stopped, a command is issued to the first transport vehicle to pick up the article at the high-priority transfer point.
Claims9
A transport vehicle system comprising:
- at least one circulating route;
- a plurality of transport vehicles that travel in one direction along the at least one circulating route;
- a plurality of transfer points along the at least one circulating route, where an article is transferred between the plurality of transport vehicles;
- and
- a transport vehicle controller configured or programmed to control the travel of the plurality of transport vehicles;
- wherein
- when pick-up requests to pick up articles are made from the plurality of transfer points within the at least one circulating route, and a priority is specified for each of the pick-up requests, the transport vehicle controller is configured or programmed to:
- assign commands to the plurality of transport vehicles to travel to a predetermined point on an upstream side of the plurality of transfer points according to a number of the plurality of transfer points where the articles are to be picked up;
- when a first transport vehicle included in the plurality of transport vehicles passes through the predetermined point, determine whether or not picking up the article at a high-priority transfer point included in the plurality of transfer points by the first transport vehicle would slow down or stop others of the plurality of transport vehicles which pick up the articles at the transfer points on a downstream side of the at least one circulating route, according to states of the others of the plurality of transport vehicles;
- issue a command to the first transport vehicle to travel to, and pick up an article from, a transfer point on the downstream side of the at least one circulating route if the others of the plurality of transport vehicles would be slowed down or stopped if the first transport vehicle were to pick up the article at the high-priority transfer point;
- and
- issue a command to the first transport vehicle to travel to, and pick up an article from, the high-priority transfer point if the others of the plurality of transport vehicles will not be slowed down or stopped if the first transport vehicle picks up the article at the high-priority transfer point.
9 more elements
A transport method performed by a transport vehicle system including:
- at least one circulating route;
- a plurality of transport vehicles that travel in one direction along the at least one circulating route;
- a plurality of transfer points along the at least one circulating route, where an article is transferred between the plurality of transport vehicles;
- and
- a transport vehicle controller configured or programmed to control the travel of the plurality of transport vehicles;
- when pick-up requests for picking up articles are made from the plurality of transfer points within the at least one circulating route and the priority is specified for each of the pick-up requests,
- the transport vehicle controller performs the steps including:
- assigning commands to the plurality of transport vehicles to travel to a predetermined point on an upstream side of the plurality of transfer points according to a number of the plurality of transfer points where the articles are to be picked up;
- when the first transport vehicle among the plurality of transport vehicles passes through the predetermined point, determining whether or not picking up the article at a high-priority transfer point included in the plurality of transfer points by the first transport vehicle would slow down or stop other transport vehicles among the plurality of transport vehicles, which pick up the articles at the transfer points on a downstream side of the at least one circulating route, according to states of others of the plurality of transport vehicles;
- issuing a command to the first transport vehicle to travel to, and pick up the article from, a transfer point on the downstream side of the at least one circulating route if the other transport vehicles would be slowed down or stopped if the first transport vehicle were to pick up the article at the high-priority transfer point;
- and
- issuing a command to the first transport vehicle to travel to, and pick up the article from, the high-priority transfer point if the other transport vehicles will not be slowed down or stopped if the first transport vehicle picks up the article at the high-priority transfer point.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.