Article transport apparatus and article transport method

• US 20060073002A1
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Inventors: Koide, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/640
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0421 with control for stacker crane operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/122 Remote control handlers

Abstract

An article transport apparatus is provided with a path that is arranged along a plurality of article transferring locations and that has a first end and a second end, a plurality of article transporting vehicles that run along the path, and a controller that controls movement of the plurality of article transporting vehicles, and that processes transport request data that includes information specifying an article transfer location for transfer among the plurality of article transfer locations. The controller selects an article transporting vehicle for a transport process from the plurality of article transporting vehicles based on the transport request data, and moves the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process to the article transferring location for transfer. Also, when the transport request data is processed while there is an article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process, the controller moves the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process to the article transferring location for transfer as long as a run range of the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process does not interfere with an interference range, of a set length in the lengthwise direction of the path, that originates from the article transferring location for transfer corresponding to the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process.

Claims

1. An article transport apparatus, comprising:

a path that is arranged along a plurality of article transferring locations and that has a first end and a second end;

a plurality of article transporting vehicles that run along the path; and

a controller that controls movement of the plurality of article transporting vehicles, and that processes transport request data that include information specifying an article transfer location for transfer among the plurality of article transfer locations;

wherein the controller selects an article transporting vehicle for a transport process from the plurality of article transporting vehicles based on the transport request data, and moves the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process to the article transferring location for transfer; and

wherein when the transport request data is processed while there is an article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process, the controller moves the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process to the article transferring location for transfer as long as a run range of the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process does not interfere with an interference range, of a set length in the lengthwise direction of the path, that originates from the article transferring location for transfer corresponding to the article transporting vehicle currently performing the transport process.

2. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein there are two article transporting vehicles;

and

wherein when the transport request data is processed while there is no article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process, the controller selects the article transporting vehicle of the two article transporting vehicles that is closest to the article transferring location for transfer as the article transporting vehicle for a transport process, and when the transport request data is processed while there is an article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process, the controller selects the remaining article transporting vehicle to serve as the article transporting vehicle for a transport process.

3. The article transport apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein if the transport process being performed is a receiving transport process for receiving an article, then the interference range is set originating from the article transferring location for transfer from which the article is to be received, and if the transport process that is presently processing is a delivering transport process for delivering an article, then the interference range is set originating from the article transferring location for transfer to which the article is to be delivered.

4. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the run direction of the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process and the run direction of the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process are the same, then the controller allows the run range of the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process to interfere with the interference range, and moves the selected article transporting vehicle for a transport process to the article transferring location for transfer, and

the controller moves that article transporting vehicle for a transport process in such a manner as to avoid a collision between the article transporting vehicle for a transport process and the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process.

5. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the interference range does not include a region corresponding to a separate article transferring location that is closest to the article transferring location for transfer.

6. An article transport method for an article transport apparatus that comprises a plurality of article transporting vehicles that run along a path that is arranged along a plurality of article transferring locations and that has a first end and a second end, and a controller that controls movement of the plurality of article transporting vehicles, and that processes transport request data that includes information specifying an article transfer location for transfer from among the plurality of article transfer locations, the method comprising:

determining whether there is an article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process;

selecting one other article transporting vehicle that is different from the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process from among the plurality of article transporting vehicles, based on the transport request data;

selecting an interference range having a set length in the lengthwise direction of the path about the target article transferring location for the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process; and

determining whether a movement range of the other article transporting vehicle overlaps with the interference range, and if it is determined that there is no overlap, moving the other article transporting vehicle to the article transferring location for transfer.

7. The article transport method according to claim 6,

wherein if it is determined that the movement range of the other article transporting vehicle overlaps the interference range, and if the run direction of the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process is the same as the run direction of the other article transporting vehicle, then interference between the run range of the other article transporting vehicle and the interference range is allowed, and the other article transporting vehicle is moved to the article transferring location for transfer;

and

the other article transporting vehicle is moved in such a manner as to avoid a collision between that article transporting vehicle and the article transporting vehicle currently performing a transport process.

8. The article transport method according to claim 6,

wherein if the transport process being performed is a receiving transport process for receiving an article, then the interference range is set originating from the article transferring location for transfer from which the article is to be received, and if the transport process that is presently processing is a delivering transport process for delivering an article, then the interference range is set originating from the article transferring location for transfer to which the article is to be delivered.