Conveying device

Abstract

Provided is a transport facility provided with a travel track disposed along a travel path, a transport vehicle, and a guide track (9) disposed along the travel path separately from the travel track and guiding the transport vehicle. A transport vehicle is provided with a vehicle body, a guided section guided by a guide rail (9) disposed in at least one of a section where a travel path intersects and a section where the travel path is curved, travel wheels supported by the vehicle body and rolling on the upper surface of the travel rail, and a floating restriction section (30) supported by the vehicle body, and the guide rail (9) is disposed in at least one of a section where the travel path intersects and a section where the travel path is curved. The floating restriction section (30) is not disposed in a section in which the travel path extends linearly, and is configured so as to be disposed at a position facing from the lower side with respect to a guide rail lower surface (91), which is a surface facing the lower side of the guide rail (9), in the section in which the guide rail (9) is disposed, and so as to be in contact with the guide rail lower surface (91) from the lower side when the vehicle body is floating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device, comprising: a travel track arranged along a travel path; a conveying vehicle traveling along the travel path; and a guide track arranged along the travel path separately from the travel track to guide the conveying vehicle. Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-080411 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology related to a conveying device. In the following, the reference numerals shown in parentheses in the description of the background technology are the reference numerals of Patent Document 1.

[0003] The conveying equipment of Patent Document 1 comprises: a travel track (2) arranged along a travel path (1); a transport vehicle (article transport vehicle 3) travelling along the travel path (1); and a guide track (21) guiding the transport vehicle. The transport vehicle comprises: a vehicle body (travel portion 9); a guided portion (19) guided by the guide track (21); and travel wheels (15) supported by the vehicle body and rolling on the travel track (2). The guide track (21) is provided at a branching portion (7) where the travel path (1) branches off, etc. The transport vehicle is constructed in the following manner: the guided portion (19) is guided by the guide track (21) and at the same time, for example, travels in a straight direction or a branching direction at the branching portion (7). Summary of the invention

[0004] In the above-mentioned conveying equipment, generally speaking, in the section where the travel paths intersect or the section where the travel paths are curved, the shape of the travel track or the guide track is likely to be complicated compared to the section where the travel paths are straight. Therefore, due to the influence of the error in the installation position of the track or the error in the installation position of the travel wheels and the guided part relative to the vehicle body, the vehicle body is likely to float. As a result, a large load acts on the travel wheels or the vehicle body supporting the travel wheels, which is likely to become a major cause of damage or deterioration of various parts of the transport vehicle such as the travel wheels or the vehicle body.

[0005] Therefore, it is desired to realize transportation equipment that can appropriately suppress the lifting of the vehicle body of the transportation vehicle.

[0006] The conveying equipment involved in the present disclosure is a conveying equipment comprising: a travel track arranged along a travel path; a transport vehicle traveling along the travel path; and a guide track arranged along the travel path separately from the travel track to guide the transport vehicle. The transport vehicle comprises: a vehicle body; a guided portion guided by the guide rail; a travel wheel supported by the vehicle body and rolling on the upper surface of the travel rail; and a floating restricting portion supported by the vehicle body. The guide rail is arranged in at least one of a section where the travel paths intersect and a section where the travel paths curve, and is not arranged in a section where the travel paths extend linearly. The float restricting portion is configured in the section where the guide rail is arranged, at a position facing from below a lower surface of the guide rail which is a surface of the guide rail facing downward, and contacts from below the lower surface of the guide rail when the vehicle body floats.

[0007] According to this configuration, in the section of the travel path where the guide rail is arranged, when the vehicle body is about to float, the float restricting portion is in contact with the lower surface of the guide rail from the bottom side, thereby restricting the float of the vehicle body. Therefore, damage or degradation of various parts of the transport vehicle caused by the float of the vehicle body can be minimized. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the guide rail is disposed in at least one of the section where the travel paths intersect and the section where the travel paths curve, so that the vehicle body of the transport vehicle can be appropriately suppressed from floating in the section where the possibility of floating of the vehicle body is high. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the guide rail is not arranged in the section where the travel path extends linearly. Therefore, while the transport vehicle is traveling in this section, the lift restricting portion does not contact the lower surface of the guide rail. Therefore, in this section where the possibility of the vehicle body lifting is low, the travel resistance of the transport vehicle can be reduced.

[0008] Further features and advantages of the conveying device will become apparent from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments explained with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a plan view schematically showing the entire travel path of the conveyor equipment. Figure 2 It is a plan view showing an intersecting section, a straight section, and a curved section of a travel route. Figure 3 It is a top view showing an intersection section of a travel route. Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the conveyor vehicle and the travel track. Figure 5 This is the front view of the transport vehicle. Figure 6 It is an enlarged view of the main part showing the floating regulating portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Embodiments of the conveying equipment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, the conveying device 100 includes: a travel track 8, which is arranged along the travel path 1; a conveying vehicle 3, which travels along the travel path 1; and a guide track 9, which is arranged along the travel path 1 separately from the travel track 8 and guides the conveying vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the conveying device 100 also includes a plurality of processing devices 10. Each of the plurality of processing devices 10 is arranged along the travel path 1. The conveying vehicle 3 travels along the travel path 1 and conveys the article W to each processing device 10 (refer to Figure 4 ). In addition, the transport vehicle 3 travels along the travel path 1 and collects the articles W from each processing device 10. In this example, the article W is a container for containing the contents. More specifically, the article W is a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) for containing semiconductor substrates, but is not limited to this. Figure 1 In the example of , the processing device 10 is a device that performs a predetermined process on the content (here, the semiconductor substrate) contained in the article W.

[0012] like Figure 1 As shown, the travel path 1 includes a ring-shaped main path 4, a ring-shaped secondary path 5 passing through a plurality of processing devices 10, and a connecting path 6 connecting the main path 4 and the secondary path 5. A plurality of secondary paths 5 are arranged on the travel path 1. The transport vehicle 3 moves along the same circling direction (in the main path 4 and the plurality of secondary paths 5). Figure 1 In the example above, turn counterclockwise. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the direction in which the transport vehicle 3 travels is indicated by an arrow.

[0013] The travel path 1 includes a straight path 1A set in a straight line and a curved path 1B set in a curved line. The straight path 1A and the curved path 1B are arranged in each of the main path 4 and the sub-path 5. In this way, the travel path 1 is set by combining the straight path 1A and the curved path 1B. Therefore, the transport vehicle 3 travels on the straight path 1A and the curved path 1B and moves toward each processing device 10.

[0014] Hereinafter, the direction along the travel path 1 is referred to as the travel direction X, and the direction perpendicular to the travel direction X when viewed in the vertical direction is referred to as the width direction Y. Furthermore, one side in the width direction Y is referred to as the first width direction side Y1, and the opposite side is referred to as the second width direction side Y2.

[0015] The travel track 8 is provided on the entire travel path 1 of the transport vehicle 3. In the present embodiment, the travel track 8 comprises a first track portion 81 and a second track portion 82 which are arranged separately from each other in the width direction Y. The first track portion 81 and the second track portion 82 are arranged at the same position in the up-down direction. Moreover, the first track portion 81 and the second track portion 82 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a "pair of track portions") support the transport vehicle 3. Here, the first track portion 81 is arranged on the first side Y1 in the width direction relative to the second track portion 82. In the present embodiment, a pair of track portions are suspended from the ceiling, and the travel path 1 is formed along the ceiling. That is, in the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 3 is a ceiling transport vehicle. In addition, the transport vehicle 3 may also be a transport vehicle other than a ceiling transport vehicle.

[0016] like Figure 5 As shown, the guide rail 9 is arranged between the position where the first rail portion 81 is arranged and the position where the second rail portion 82 is arranged in the width direction Y. Here, the guide rail 9 is formed by a single rail member. The guide rail 9 is arranged at a position in the middle of the position where the first rail portion 81 is arranged and the position where the second rail portion 82 is arranged in the width direction Y. In addition, the guide rail 9 is arranged above the pair of rail portions. In addition, the guide rail 9 may also be at the same position as the pair of rail portions in the up-down direction.

[0017] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the guide rail 9 is arranged in at least one of the section 11 where the travel path 1 intersects (hereinafter referred to as the "intersecting section 11") and the section 12 where the travel path 1 curves (hereinafter referred to as the "curved section 12"), and is not arranged in the section 13 where the travel path 1 extends straight (hereinafter referred to as the "straight section 13"). In this way, the guide rail 9 is not arranged in the entire travel path 1, but is arranged in a part of it.

[0018] In the present embodiment, the guide rail 9 is disposed in both the intersection section 11 and the curved section 12 of the travel path 1, but is not disposed in the straight section 13. Figure 1 As shown, the intersection section 11 is formed in a path where the travel track 8 of the travel path 1 branches or merges. In addition to these paths, the intersection section 11 is also formed in a path such as the following: the travel path 1 intersects in order to connect two different travel tracks 8 to each other. In addition, the curved section 12 is a section (curved section) where a travel track 8 of the travel path 1 is curved. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , an example of this is shown.

[0019] exist Figure 2, an example of a merging section 11a where two travel rails 8 merge as an intersection section 11 and a curved section 12 is shown. In these sections, guide rails 9 are arranged. On the other hand, in a straight section 13 other than the intersection section 11 and the curved section 12, no guide rails 9 are arranged. Figure 3 In the figure, as the intersection section 11, the section branching from the straight section 13 and the section where the branched running track 8 merge (herein, referred to as "N-shaped branch merging section 11b") are shown. In these sections, the guide track 9 is arranged. On the other hand, the guide track 9 is not arranged in the straight section 13 other than such an intersection section 11. In addition, Figure 3 The N-shaped branch merging section 11b shown in the figure is as follows Figure 1 In addition to the paths (e.g., branch paths, merging paths) where the travel paths 1 shown intersect, there are also sections where two different travel tracks 8 are simply connected to each other. Thus, the intersection section 11, the curved section 12, and the straight section 13 are sections formed according to the specific arrangement relationship of the travel tracks 8 (here, a pair of track parts), and therefore, sometimes Figure 1 A portion of the straight path in Figure 3 Although not shown in the figure, the intersection section 11 also includes a section where the travel rails 8 intersect in a cross or an X shape.

[0020] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the transport vehicle 3 includes: a vehicle body 21; a guided portion 24 guided by the guide rail 9; a travel wheel 26 supported by the vehicle body 21 and rolling on the upper surface of the travel rail 8; and a floating restricting portion 30 supported by the vehicle body 21. The transport vehicle 3 further includes a guide auxiliary wheel 101 supported by the vehicle body 21. In this example, the guided portion 24 is supported by the vehicle body 21.

[0021] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the vehicle body 21 includes: a coupling body 74; a first support body 41, which is supported to be rotatable around a first axis Q1 along the vertical direction relative to the coupling body 74; and a second support body 42, which is arranged separately from the first support body 41 along the travel direction X, and is supported to be rotatable around a second axis Q2 along the vertical direction relative to the coupling body 74. In addition, the vehicle body 21 includes a plurality of (here, two) coupling shafts 71 corresponding to each of the first support body 41 and the second support body 42. The first support body 41 and the second support body 42 are arranged in parallel along the travel direction X. In this example, the first support body 41 is arranged in front of the second support body 42 in the travel direction X. Here, the first support body 41 supports the coupling body 74 from above via the coupling shaft 71 along the vertical direction. Similarly, the second support body 42 supports the coupling body 74 from above via the coupling shaft 71 along the vertical direction (a coupling shaft 71 different from the coupling shaft 71 corresponding to the first support body 41). Furthermore, the corresponding connecting shaft 71 rotates around the axis along the up-down direction, so that the first support body 41 can rotate around the first axis Q1, and the second support body 42 can rotate around the second axis Q2. In this example, the first support body 41 and the second support body 42 are arranged above the travel rail 8, and the connecting body 74 is arranged below the travel rail 8.

[0022] In this example, the coupling body 74 is the ceiling portion of a storage portion 76 for storing articles W. The storage portion 76 has the function of holding the articles W and raising and lowering the articles W. If the transport vehicle 3 stops at a position corresponding to the processing device 10 that is the transport destination of the articles W, the storage portion 76 lowers the articles W from the storage position and transfers them to the port of the processing device 10. In addition, the storage portion 76 can also hold the articles W placed on the port of the processing device 10 and raise them to the storage position. The storage position is a position at which the articles W are held while the transport vehicle 3 is traveling. Figure 4 In the example of , the article W at the storage position is covered by the cover provided in the storage section 76. Thus, in this example, the transport vehicle 3 further includes the storage section 76. Moreover, the storage section 76 is suspended and supported on the vehicle body 21.

[0023] The first support body 41 and the second support body 42 respectively support a plurality of running wheels 26. Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the transport vehicle 3 includes the following as the running wheels 26: a first wheel 26a that rolls on the upper surface 81a of the first rail portion 81; and a second wheel 26b that rolls on the upper surface 82a of the second rail portion 82. In addition to the first wheel 26a and the second wheel 26b, the transport vehicle 3 also includes the following as the running wheels 26: a third wheel 26c that rolls on the upper surface 81a of the first rail portion 81; and a fourth wheel 26d that rolls on the upper surface 82a of the second rail portion 82. The vehicle body 21 is provided with a running wheel driving unit M (running wheel driving motor) that drives at least one of the first wheel 26a to the fourth wheel 26d.

[0024] In this embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, the first support body 41 supports the first wheel 26a and the second wheel 26b. The second support body 42 supports the third wheel 26c and the fourth wheel 26d. In addition, in this example, the first support body 41 supports a pair of guide auxiliary wheels 101 that are separated and arranged along the width direction Y. Similarly, the second support body 42 supports a pair of guide auxiliary wheels 101 that are separated and arranged along the width direction. The guide auxiliary wheels 101 are configured to rotate around an axis along the up-down direction and are configured to roll on the inner side surface (opposing surfaces of a pair of track portions) of the first track portion 81 or the second track portion 82. These guide auxiliary wheels 101 are each configured one corresponding to each of the first wheel 26a to the fourth wheel 26d.

[0025] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the guided portion 24 is configured to abut against the side surface of the guide rail 9 facing the width direction Y. As the transport vehicle 3 travels, the guided portion 24 abuts against any one of the surface facing the first side Y1 in the width direction (the first side surface 92 in the width direction) and the surface facing the second side Y2 in the width direction (the second side surface 93 in the width direction) of the guide rail 9 in the intersection section 11 and the curved section 12. In the present embodiment, the guided portion 24 includes a first guided portion 24a supported by the first support body 41 and a second guided portion 24b supported by the second support body 42. Each of the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b is provided on the upper surface of the corresponding support portion (the first support body 41, the second support body 42) via a linear motion guide mechanism 36.

[0026] Each of the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b is configured to be movable in the width direction Y. Specifically, the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b are movable between a first position P1 and a second position P2 which is on the second side Y2 in the width direction relative to the first position P1. The first position P1 is a position where the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b abut against the first side surface 92 in the width direction of the guide rail 9. The second position P2 is a position where the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b abut against the second side surface 93 in the width direction of the guide rail 9. The structures of the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b are the same as each other, and therefore the structure of the first guided portion 24a will be specifically described here, and the description of the structure of the second guided portion 24b will be omitted.

[0027] The first guided portion 24a is guided by the linear motion guide mechanism 36 and moves between the first position P1 and the second position P2 along the width direction Y. In this example, the first guided portion 24a has a plurality of (here, 2) guide wheels that rotate around an axis along the up-down direction. In the illustrated example, the linear motion guide mechanism 36 is a linear guide. Moreover, the plurality of guide wheels are fixed to the slider portion 36a of the linear guide. In addition, the track portion of the linear guide is fixed to the upper surface of the first support body 41. Moreover, the guide wheel driving portion 29 that drives the guide wheels is provided on the first support body 41. The first guided portion 24a is moved along the width direction Y by the drive of the guide wheel driving portion 29. In addition, the first guided portion 24a and the second guided portion 24b may also be sliding components other than such guide wheels.

[0028] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when the transport vehicle 3 enters the intersection section 11 and the curved section 12, the transport vehicle 3 arranges the guided portion 24 at a position (the first position P1 or the second position P2) corresponding to the appropriate traveling direction. Figure 2 The guided portion 24 of the transport vehicle 3 entering the merging section 11a and the curved section 12 abuts against the first side surface 92 in the width direction. Figure 3 In the N-shaped branching and merging section 11b, the transport vehicle 3 switches the position of the guided portion 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 during travel. Figure 3In the example shown in FIG. 1 , two guide rails 9 are arranged in series in the N-shaped branching and merging section 11b. On the other hand, in the N-shaped branching and merging section 11b, an overlapping section 14 is formed in which the positions of the two guide rails 9 in the travel direction X overlap. The overlapping section 14 is formed in the central area of ​​the branch path portion of the N-shaped branching and merging section 11b in the travel direction X. In the example shown in the figure, the transport vehicle 3 switches the position of the guided portion 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in the overlapping section 14. As a result, the abutting surface of the guided portion 24 is changed from the first side surface 92 in the width direction to the second side surface 93 in the width direction.

[0029] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the float limiting portion 30 is constructed as follows: in the section where the guide rail 9 is configured, it is configured at a position opposite to the guide rail lower surface 91 which is the downward surface of the guide rail 9, and when the vehicle body 21 floats, it contacts the guide rail lower surface 91 from the bottom.

[0030] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the flotation limiting portion 30 is arranged between the position where the first wheel 26a is arranged and the position where the second wheel 26b is arranged in the width direction Y. In this example, the flotation limiting portion 30 is arranged at a position overlapping with the guide rail 9 when viewed in the up and down direction. In other words, the flotation limiting portion 30 is arranged at the central portion of the width direction Y between the position where the first wheel 26a is arranged and the position where the second wheel 26b is arranged. In addition, the positions of the flotation limiting portion 30 and these wheels in the up and down direction are different. Here, the flotation limiting portion 30 is arranged on the upper side relative to these wheels. In addition, the positions of the flotation limiting portion 30 and these wheels in the up and down direction may also be the same. In this embodiment, the flotation limiting portion 30 is arranged on the upper part of the vehicle body 21.

[0031] In this embodiment, the floating restriction part 30 is a rotating body supported in a manner that it can rotate freely around the axis P along the width direction Y. Here, the floating restriction part 30 is a floating restriction wheel 33 ( Figure 6 The float limiting wheel 33 is configured in such a way that it rolls on the lower surface 91 of the guide rail when in contact with the lower surface 91 of the guide rail. Figure 4As shown, the transport vehicle 3 has a second flotation restriction portion 32 in addition to the first flotation restriction portion 31 serving as the flotation restriction portion 30. Furthermore, the first wheel 26a, the second wheel 26b, and the first flotation restriction portion 31 are supported on the first support body 41, and the third wheel 26c, the fourth wheel 26d, and the second flotation restriction portion 32 are supported on the second support body 42. In addition, as described above, a plurality of guide auxiliary wheels 101 corresponding to each of the first wheel 26a and the second wheel 26b are supported on the first support body 41, and a plurality of guide auxiliary wheels 101 corresponding to each of the third wheel 26c and the fourth wheel 26d are supported on the second support body 42. Figure 6 In the example of , the floating restriction section 30 (the first floating restriction section 31 and the second floating restriction section 32) is provided on the upper surface of the support body (the first support body 41 and the second support body 42) via the support member 34 supporting the floating restriction wheel 33. In addition, the first floating restriction section 31 and the second floating restriction section 32 are arranged between the first guided section 24a and the second guided section 24b in the travel direction X (inner side).

[0032] In this embodiment, if Figure 6 As shown, the floating restricting portion 30 is opposed to the lower surface 91 of the guide rail with a gap S therebetween. Moreover, the gap S is set to be smaller than the narrowest gap E between the lower surface 91 of the guide rail and a component mounted on the vehicle body 21 and arranged at a position opposite to the lower surface 91 of the guide rail. Here, the component arranged at a position opposite to the lower surface 91 of the guide rail is a linear motion guide mechanism 36 that supports the guided portion 24. That is, the size of the gap S in the vertical direction is set to be smaller than the gap E between the lower surface 91 of the guide rail and the linear motion guide mechanism 36 (specifically, the slider portion 36a). As a result, when the vehicle body 21 floats, the floating restricting portion 30 abuts against the lower surface 91 of the guide rail, thereby preventing other components of the vehicle body 21 such as the linear motion guide mechanism 36 from interfering with the guide rail 9. In addition, the mechanism for switching the position (first position P1, second position P2) of the guided portion 24 may be other than the linear motion guide mechanism 36. In this case, the component arranged at a position opposite to the lower surface 91 of the guide rail may be another position switching mechanism. In addition, the component arranged at a position opposite to the lower surface 91 of the guide rail may be the traveling wheel driving unit M. In the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 3 includes a control unit 29 ( Figure 4 ) is provided. The control device controls the travel wheel drive unit 24 or the guide wheel drive unit 29 according to the instruction from the upper controller that manages the entire conveying equipment. In addition, the control device controls the storage unit 76 so that the conveying vehicle 3 properly transfers the article W to the transfer target location of the article W.

[0033] Here, in Figure 2 and Figure 3The intersection section 11 shown (in the example shown, the merging section 11a, the N-shaped branch merging section 11b) or the curved section 12 may sometimes float relative to the horizontal posture of the vehicle body 21 due to the influence of the error in the setting position of the travel rail 8 and the guide rail 9. Moreover, when the vehicle body 21 floats, there is a risk that the components constituting the vehicle body 21 (here, the linear motion guide mechanism 36 supporting the guided portion 24) will contact the guide rail 9. In this way, it can be considered that the vehicle body 21 is damaged due to the contact between the vehicle body 21 and the guide rail 9 during travel, and the deterioration of the transport vehicle 3 is accelerated. In addition, the following risk can be considered: the contents contained in the article W (container) are damaged due to the floating of the vehicle body 21 or the vibration caused by the contact between the vehicle body 21 and the guide rail 9.

[0034] exist Figure 5 , the following example is shown: in the intersection section 11, the transport vehicle 3 travels in a section of a pair of rail sections where the second rail section 82 is not configured. In the example shown in the figure, the second rail section 82 is not configured, so the second wheel 26b is in a derailed state. Even in such a case, since the guide auxiliary wheel 101 abuts against the inner side surface of the first rail section 81 and the guided portion 24 (here, the guide wheel) abuts against the first side surface 92 in the width direction of the guide rail 9, the movement of the vehicle body 21 in the width direction Y is also restricted, and since the first wheel 26a is supported on the upper surface 81a of the first rail section 81, the movement of the vehicle body 21 in the up and down directions is also restricted. Therefore, the vehicle body 21 can maintain a horizontal posture ( Figure 5 On the other hand, when there is an error in the setting positions of the travel rail 8 and the guide rail 9, the vehicle body 21 is likely to be in a floating position relative to the horizontal position ( Figure 5 The double-dotted dashed line portion). In the illustrated example, the vehicle body 21 (specifically, the first support body 41) is in a tilted posture in the width direction Y. In addition, as a floating form of the vehicle body 21, it can also be considered that when the transport vehicle 3 travels in a section where any one of the pair of track parts is not continuously arranged as described above, or in the overlapping section 14 of the N-shaped branch merging section 11b, for example, the first support body 41 floats relative to the second support body 42. In the present embodiment, if the vehicle body 21 floats in this way, the floating restriction portion 30 (here, the first floating restriction portion 31) abuts against the lower surface 91 of the guide rail. Therefore, the vehicle body 21 can be prevented from contacting the guide rail 9. On the other hand, the guide rail 9 is not provided in the straight section 13 where it is relatively difficult to generate an error in the setting position of the travel rail 8. Therefore, the floating restriction portion 30 does not contact the guide rail 9. Therefore, the travel resistance of the transport vehicle 3 traveling in the straight section 13 can be reduced, and as a result, the transportation efficiency of the article W of the entire equipment can be improved.

[0035] [Other implementation methods] (1) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto: the lift restricting portion 30 contacts the guide rail lower surface 91 from below when the vehicle body 21 floats. The lift restricting portion 30 may also be configured to always contact the guide rail lower surface 91 regardless of whether the vehicle body 21 floats.

[0036] (2) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto: the gap S is set to be smaller than the narrowest interval E between the guide rail lower surface 91 and the component mounted on the vehicle body 21 and arranged at a position opposite to the guide rail lower surface 91. The gap S may be set to the same level as the narrowest interval E between the component mounted on the vehicle body 21 and arranged at a position opposite to the guide rail lower surface 91.

[0037] (3) In the above embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto: the lift restricting portion 30 is a rotating body that rotates around the axis P along the width direction Y. The lift restricting portion 30 may be a ball caster or the like that can rotate around an axis in any direction.

[0038] (4) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto: the float restricting portion 30 is arranged between the position where the first wheel 26a is arranged and the position where the second wheel 26b is arranged in the width direction Y. The float restricting portion 30 may be arranged outside the first wheel 26a and the second wheel 26b in the width direction Y. In this way, the position where the float restricting portion 30 is arranged can be appropriately changed.

[0039] (5) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto: the vehicle body 21 includes the first support body 41 and the second support body 42. The vehicle body 21 may be configured to include only the first support body 41. In addition, the vehicle body 21 may be configured to include a third support body in addition to the first support body 41 and the second support body 42. In this way, the number of supports included in the vehicle body 21 may be changed as appropriate.

[0040] (6) In addition, the configurations disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments can also be combined with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments (including the combination of the embodiments described as other embodiments) as long as no contradiction occurs. With regard to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all points. Therefore, various changes can be appropriately made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] [Summary of the above embodiments] The following is a summary of the conveying equipment described above.

[0042] The conveying equipment involved in the present disclosure is a conveying equipment comprising: a travel track arranged along a travel path; a transport vehicle traveling along the travel path; and a guide track arranged along the travel path separately from the travel track to guide the transport vehicle. The transport vehicle comprises: a vehicle body; a guided portion guided by the guide rail; a travel wheel supported by the vehicle body and rolling on the upper surface of the travel rail; and a floating restricting portion supported by the vehicle body. The guide rail is arranged in at least one of a section where the travel paths intersect and a section where the travel paths curve, and is not arranged in a section where the travel paths extend linearly. The float restricting portion is configured in the section where the guide rail is arranged, at a position facing from below a lower surface of the guide rail which is a surface of the guide rail facing downward, and contacts from below the lower surface of the guide rail when the vehicle body floats.

[0043] According to this configuration, in the section of the travel path where the guide rail is arranged, when the vehicle body is about to float, the float restricting portion is in contact with the lower surface of the guide rail from the bottom side, thereby restricting the float of the vehicle body. Therefore, damage or degradation of various parts of the transport vehicle caused by the float of the vehicle body can be minimized. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the guide rail is disposed in at least one of the section where the travel paths intersect and the section where the travel paths curve, so that the vehicle body of the transport vehicle can be appropriately suppressed from floating in the section where the possibility of floating of the vehicle body is high. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the guide rail is not arranged in the section where the travel path extends linearly. Therefore, while the transport vehicle is traveling in this section, the lift restricting portion does not contact the lower surface of the guide rail. Therefore, in this section where the possibility of the vehicle body lifting is low, the travel resistance of the transport vehicle can be reduced.

[0044] Here, preferably, the lift restricting portion is opposed to the lower surface of the guide rail with a gap therebetween. The gap is set to be smaller than the narrowest distance between the lower surface of the guide rail and a component mounted on the vehicle body and arranged at a position facing the lower surface of the guide rail.

[0045] According to this configuration, even if the vehicle body floats in the section where the guide rail is arranged, the float restricting portion contacts the lower surface of the guide rail from below, thereby preventing components other than the float restricting portion attached to the vehicle body from contacting the guide rail.

[0046] In addition, it is suitable that the direction along the aforementioned travel path is the travel direction, and the direction perpendicular to the aforementioned travel direction when viewed in the vertical direction is the width direction. The lift regulating portion is a rotating body supported to be rotatable around at least an axis extending in the width direction.

[0047] According to this configuration, it is easy to suppress the friction resistance between the float restricting portion and the lower surface of the guide rail when the float restricting portion contacts the lower surface of the guide rail from below. Therefore, it is easy to suppress the running resistance when the float restricting portion restricts the floatation of the vehicle body.

[0048] In addition, it is suitable that the direction along the aforementioned travel path is the travel direction, and the direction perpendicular to the aforementioned travel direction when viewed in the vertical direction is the width direction. The travel track includes a first track portion and a second track portion which are arranged to be separated from each other in the width direction. The guide rail is arranged between the position where the first rail portion is arranged and the position where the second rail portion is arranged in the width direction. The transport vehicle includes a first wheel rolling on the upper surface of the first rail portion and a second wheel rolling on the upper surface of the second rail portion as the travel wheels. The lift regulating portion is disposed between a position where the first wheel is disposed and a position where the second wheel is disposed in the width direction.

[0049] According to this configuration, since the lift restricting portion is disposed between the first wheel and the second wheel that are disposed to be separated from each other in the width direction, lift of the vehicle body can be stably supported.

[0050] In addition, it is suitable that the vehicle body comprises: a connecting body; a first support body, which is supported to be rotatable relative to the connecting body around a first axis along the up-down direction; and a second support body, which is arranged separately from the first support body along the traveling direction and is supported to be rotatable relative to the connecting body around a second axis along the up-down direction. The transport vehicle includes, in addition to the first wheel and the second wheel, a third wheel rolling on the upper surface of the first rail portion and a fourth wheel rolling on the upper surface of the second rail portion as the travel wheels, and, in addition to the first flotation restricting portion as the flotation restricting portion, a second flotation restricting portion. The first wheel, the second wheel and the first floating restriction portion are supported by the first support body. The third wheel, the fourth wheel, and the second lift restricting portion are supported by the second supporting body.

[0051] According to this configuration, in the configuration in which a pair of running wheels are supported by the first support body and the second support body disposed apart from each other in the running direction, the floating of the vehicle body can be restricted by both the first floating restriction portion and the second floating restriction portion. Therefore, the floating of the vehicle body can be restricted more stably.

[0052] The conveying equipment according to the present disclosure only needs to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned effects. Description of Reference Numerals

[0053] 1: Driving path 3: Transport vehicle 8: Driving track 9: Guide Track 11: Intersection section (section where driving paths intersect) 12: Curved section (section where the driving path is curved) 13: Straight section (section where the driving path extends in a straight line) 21: Body 24: Guided Department 26: Driving wheel 26a: Round 1 26b: Round 2 26c: Round 3 26d: Round 4 30: Float limiting part 31: First floating restriction part 32: Second floating restriction part 36: Parts 41: The first support 42: Second support 74: Connector 81: Track 1 82: Track 2 91: Lower surface of guide rail E: Interval P: Axis along the width direction Y Q1: Axis 1 Q2: The Second Axis S: Clearance X: Driving direction Y: width direction.

Claims

1. A conveying device, comprising: a travel track arranged along a travel path; a transport vehicle traveling along the travel path; and a guide track arranged along the travel path separately from the travel track to guide the transport vehicle, The conveying device has the following characteristics: The transport vehicle comprises: a vehicle body; a guided portion guided by the guide rail; a travel wheel supported by the vehicle body and rolling on the upper surface of the travel rail; and a floating restricting portion supported by the vehicle body. The guide rail is arranged in at least one of a section where the travel paths intersect and a section where the travel paths curve, and is not arranged in a section where the travel paths extend linearly. The lift restricting portion is arranged at a position facing from below a guide rail lower surface, which is a downwardly directed surface of the guide rail, in a section where the guide rail is arranged, and is configured to contact from below the guide rail lower surface when the vehicle body floats.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: The lift restricting portion is opposed to the lower surface of the guide rail with a gap therebetween. The gap is set to be smaller than the narrowest distance between the lower surface of the guide rail and a component mounted on the vehicle body and arranged at a position facing the lower surface of the guide rail.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: The direction along the driving path is the driving direction, and the direction perpendicular to the driving direction when viewed from top to bottom is the width direction. The lift regulating portion is a rotating body supported to be rotatable around at least an axis extending along the width direction.

4. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The direction along the driving path is the driving direction, and the direction perpendicular to the driving direction when viewed from top to bottom is the width direction. The travel rail includes a first rail portion and a second rail portion which are arranged to be separated from each other in the width direction. The guide rail is arranged between a position where the first rail portion is arranged and a position where the second rail portion is arranged in the width direction. The transport vehicle includes a first wheel that rolls on the upper surface of the first rail portion and a second wheel that rolls on the upper surface of the second rail portion as the travel wheels. The lift regulating portion is disposed between a position where the first wheel is disposed and a position where the second wheel is disposed in the width direction.

5. The conveying device according to claim 4, wherein: The vehicle body comprises: a coupling body; a first support body rotatably supported relative to the coupling body around a first axis along the up-down direction; and a second support body disposed separately from the first support body along the travel direction and rotatably supported relative to the coupling body around a second axis along the up-down direction. The transport vehicle includes, in addition to the first wheel and the second wheel, a third wheel rolling on the upper surface of the first rail portion and a fourth wheel rolling on the upper surface of the second rail portion as the travel wheels, and, in addition to the first flotation restricting portion as the flotation restricting portion, a second flotation restricting portion. The first wheel, the second wheel, and the first floating restriction portion are supported by the first support body. The third wheel, the fourth wheel, and the second lift restricting portion are supported by the second support body.

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