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Controller of conveyance system

  • US 5,867,388 A
  • Filed: 03/18/1996
  • Issued: 02/02/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A controller of a conveyance system connected to a production line having a plurality of independent work stations for implementing a certain processing to parts, a distribution station for temporarily holding said parts, a plurality of passes provided and set in advance between said work stations and said distribution station, and a plurality of carrier means for carrying said parts to any one of said work stations and said distribution station by moving through the passes, said controller performing centralized control over the conveyance of said parts using said carrier means, said controller comprising:

  • request storage means for storing a carry-in request of said parts either from any one of said work stations or said distribution station to any other of said work stations and a carry-out request of said parts either from any one of said work stations to any other of said work stations or said distribution station in order of generation of the requests;

    request selecting means for selecting requests in order of storage up to a maximum loading capacity of said parts on said carrier means from requests stored in said requests storage means;

    computing means for specifying a work station/distribution station to/from which said parts should be carried in/out based on each selected request; and

    carriage control means for determining, responsive to said computing means, a carrying route of said carrier means and outputting a carriage instruction to said carrier means so that said carrier means performs carry-in or carry-out operations in accordance with each request selected by said request selecting means every time said carrier means arrives at one of said work stations or said distribution station following the carrying route.

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