Equipment for transporting a load

• US 5,134,353 A
• Filed: 06/25/1991
• Issued: 07/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Inventors: Murata, Koichi, Kita, Hiroaki, Nakano, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US07/720,637
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 318/138, 318/583, 318/587, 318/582, 318/568.1-568.22, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 364/513, 364/443, 180/160-169, 356/1-9, 356/152, 356/375, 340/904, 340/942, 340/988, 367/99, 367/96, 367/909
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/34 for indicating the distance between vehicles or trains by the transmission of signals therebetween

Abstract

A load transport equipment having self-propelled trucks travelling on a predetermined route so as to transport a load by the truck, wherein an encoder is connected to a motor and the pulse number from the encoder is counted by a counter, the counted value being optically transmitted toward another self-propelled truck following the front self-propelled truck on the predetermined route, the following self-propelled truck receiving the counted value from the front self-propelled truck to obtain a difference between the received counted value and that of the following truck, so that the travel speed of the rear self-propelled truck is controlled on the basis of the difference so that the running speed is controlled in accordance with the distance between the trucks thereby preventing a rear-end collision.

Claims

1. Load transport equipment provided with a plurality of self-propelled trucks self-propelled along a predetermined route having a base point, said self-propelled trucks each having;

means for detecting a distance between said self-propelled truck and said base point,

means for transmitting-receiving the distance data between said self-propelled truck and another self-propelled truck behind and/or in front of said truck, and

means for transmitting from said transmitting-receiving means the distance data detected by said detecting means, receiving by said transmitting and receiving means the distance data of said front self-propelled truck transmitted therefrom and obtaining a difference between said distance data of said rear self-propelled truck and front self-propelled truck, thereby driving said rear self-propelled truck at high speed when said difference is greater than a predetermined value.

2. Load transport equipment provided with a plurality of self-propelled trucks self-propelled along a predetermined route having a base point, said self-propelled trucks each having;

means for detecting a distance between said self-propelled truck and said base point,

means for transmitting-receiving the distance data between said self-propelled truck and another self-propelled truck behind and/or in front of said truck,

means for transmitting from said transmitting-receiving means the distance data detected by said detecting means, receiving by said transmitting and receiving means the distance data of said front self-propelled truck transmitted therefrom and obtaining a difference between said distance data of said rear self-propelled truck and front self-propelled truck,

means for computing a distance between said rear self-propelled truck and front self-propelled truck and a relative speed of said rear self-propelled truck in relation to said front self-propelled truck from said difference between said distance data,

means for computing a stopping distance of said rear self-propelled truck at said relative speed and reducing the speed of said rear self-propelled truck when said stopping distance is greater than said distance between the trucks, and

means for increasing the speed of said rear self-propelled truck when said relative speed of said rear self-propelled truck is less than zero, indicating that the travel speed of said rear self-propelled truck is less than that of said front self-propelled truck.

3. Load transport equipment provided with a plurality of self-propelled trucks self-propelled along a predetermined route having a base point, said self-propelled trucks each having;

means for detecting a distance between said self-propelled truck and said base point,

means for computing a self-propelled speed of said self-propelled truck from said distance data,

means for transmitting-receiving said self-propelled speed data and distance data between said self-propelled truck and another self-propelled truck behind and/or in front of said truck,

means for comparing the self-propelled speed data and the distance data of said rear self-propelled truck with the self-propelled speed data and the distance data of said front self-propelled truck input from said transmitting-receiving means, thereby computing a distance between said rear self-propelled truck and front self-propelled truck and a relative speed of said rear self-propelled truck in relation to said front self-propelled truck,

means for computing a stopping distance of said rear self-propelled truck at said relative speed and reducing the speed of said rear self-propelled truck when said stopping distance is greater than said distance between the trucks, and

means for increasing the speed of said rear self-propelled truck when said relative speed of said rear self-propelled truck is less than zero, indicating that the travel speed of said rear self-propelled truck is less than that of said front self-propelled truck.