Automatic transport system

• US 20020185572A1
• Filed: 08/20/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hisashi Onishi, Masanao Murata, Senzo Kyutoku
• Original Assignee: Hisashi Onishi, Masanao Murata, Senzo Kyutoku
• Inventors: Onishi, Hisashi, Murata, Masanao, Kyutoku, Senzo
• Granted Patent: US 6,592,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 246/167R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/005 Automatic control or safety means for points for operator-less railway, e.g. transportation systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/041 Obstacle detection

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to improve the transportation efficiency of an automatic transport system for transporting an article. In order to attain the above object, the automatic transport system of the present invention comprises a front detecting device which detects an obstruction in a non-contact state in an area through which an automatic transport vehicle passes and a projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and when said front detecting device detects the obstruction in said area, the running speed of said automatic transport vehicle is reduced or said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

Claims

1. An automatic transport system for transporting articles, comprising

a front detecting device which detects an obstruction in a non-contact state in an area through which an automatic transport vehicle passes, and a projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and when said front detecting device detects an obstruction in said area, the running speed of said automatic transport vehicle is reduced or said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

2. The automatic transport system according to claim 1, wherein

said front detecting device is an optical sensor, which emits an optical beam so as to irradiate an entire outer periphery of a projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and said optical sensor detects an obstruction in said area.

3. The automatic transport system according to claim 2, wherein

a plurality of said optical sensors are provided near the outer periphery of a front surface of said automatic transport vehicle, said optical sensors respectively emit the optical beams that irradiate an area covering of an entire outer periphery of the projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and said optical beams are fan-shaped.

4. The automatic transport system according to claim 3, wherein the area irradiated by said optical beams lies partially outside of the outer area of said projection surface.

5. The automatic transport system according to claim 4, wherein said automatic transport vehicle is any one of an Overhead Hoist Transport vehicle that runs on a ceiling rail, an Automatic Guided Vehicle that runs on a floor, or a Rail Guided Vehicle that runs on a rail on a floor.

6. An automatic transport system comprising a plurality of automatic transport vehicles, wherein said automatic transport, vehicles detect an obstruction ahead in a moving direction and determine whether said obstruction is an automatic transport vehicle running ahead, so as to perform running control.

7. The automatic transport system according to claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of automatic transport vehicles comprises

a front detecting device having at least two kinds of detecting regions and detecting whether an obstruction is present ahead,

an obstruction determining device determining whether or not the obstruction detected by said front detecting device is an automatic transport vehicle running ahead,

and running control of the automatic transport vehicle is performed based on a detection result of said front detecting device and an determination result of said obstruction determining device.

8. The automatic transport system according to claim 7, wherein said front detecting device comprises a long range detection sensor which detects an obstruction located within a tong range, and a short range detection sensor which detects an obstruction located in a close range, said obstruction determining device determines whether an obstruction ahead detected by said long range detection sensor is an automatic transport vehicle running ahead, and running control of said automatic transport vehicle is performed based on a detection result of said long range detection sensor, an determination result of said obstruction determining device, and a detection result of said short range detection sensor.

9. The automatic transport system according to claim 8, wherein

when said long range detection sensor detects an obstruction and said obstruction determining device determines that the obstruction detected by said long range detection sensor is an automatic transport vehicle running ahead,

said automatic transport vehicle is advanced until said short range detection sensor detects said automatic transport vehicle running ahead, and when said short range detection sensor detects said automatic transport vehicle running ahead, said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

10. The automatic transport system according to claim 8, wherein

when said long range detection sensor detects an obstruction and said obstruction determining device determines that the obstruction detected by said long range detection sensor is not an automatic transport vehicle running ahead, said automatic transport vehicle is immediately stopped, or when said short range detection sensor detects said obstruction, said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

11. The automatic transport system according to claim 7, wherein

said obstruction determining device comprises a light emitting device providing at a rear portion of the automatic transport vehicle running ahead, and a light receiving device providing at a front portion of the automatic transport vehicle behind.

12. The automatic transport system according to claim 7, wherein

said obstruction determining device comprises a reflector providing at a rear portion of the automatic transport vehicle running ahead, and a reflection sensor receiving a reflected light, which is provided at a front portion of the automatic transport vehicle behind.

13. The automatic transport system according to claim 7, wherein

said front detecting device is a plurality of optical sensors, which are provided near the outer periphery of a front surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and

said obstruction determining device having a logic circuit of signals from said plurality of optical sensors.

14. The automatic transport system according to claim 6, wherein

said automatic transport vehicle is any one of an Overhead Hoist Transport that runs on a ceiling rail, an Automatic Guided Vehicle that runs on a floor, or a Rail Guided Vehicle that runs on a rail on a floor.