Conveying Equipment

Abstract

To provide a transportation facility capable of properly resuming control of a carrier by a control system even in the event that a specific event that the carrier loses information on a travel position has occurred.SOLUTION: A guide section E1 where a guide rail 15 is installed and a non-guide section E2 where the guide rail 15 is not installed are designated in a travel route 11 of a transportation facility 10. When a specific event that a carrier 20 loses information on a travel position occurs, a control system causes a guide drive unit 24 to perform an acknowledgement motion of driving a first guided part 25a in a width direction Y. When the first guided part 25a moves from one of a first position and a second position to the other position, the control system determines that the carrier 20 is located in the non-guide section E2. When the first guided part 25a is prevented from moving from one of the first position and the second position to the other position, the control system determines that the carrier 20 is located in the guide section E1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport facility including a transport vehicle that travels along a travel path and a control system that controls the transport vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional example of such a conveyance facility is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-080411 (Patent Document 1). In the following description of the background art, the reference numerals in parentheses refer to those in Patent Document 1. In the conveyance facility of Patent Document 1, the position information reading unit (23) of the transport vehicle (3) reads position information from position display devices (26) that are discretely arranged along the rail (2), so that the transport vehicle obtains information on its traveling position, and a control system (H) controls the transport vehicle based on the obtained information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-080411 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, the control system that controls the transport vehicle needs to appropriately control the transport vehicle depending on, for example, the shape of the travel route, such as whether there is a branch or a merge, or whether it is straight or curved, the locations of various facilities where the transport vehicle will stop, etc. However, in the transport facility described above, if a specific event occurs in which the transport vehicle loses information about its travel position, such as a power outage, the transport vehicle will be in a state where it has lost information about its travel position, and it has been difficult to appropriately resume control of the transport vehicle by the control system unless an operator performs recovery work to make the transport vehicle recognize its travel position.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to realize a transport facility that can appropriately resume control of the transport vehicle by the control system even if a specific event occurs in which the transport vehicle loses information about its traveling position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A conveying facility according to the present disclosure is a conveying facility including a conveying vehicle that travels along a travel path, a guide rail installed along the travel path, and a control system that controls the conveying vehicle, wherein a direction along the travel path is defined as a travel direction, a direction perpendicular to the travel direction when viewed in a vertical direction is defined as a width direction, one side in the width direction is defined as a first width direction side, and the other side in the width direction is defined as a second width direction side, and the conveying vehicle includes a guided portion that is guided by the guide rail, and a guide drive that drives the guided portion in the width direction to move it to a first position that is on the first width direction side with respect to the guide rail and a second position that is on the second width direction side with respect to the guide rail. and a driving unit, wherein the travel path is set to include a guide section where the guide rail is installed and a non-guided section where the guide rail is not installed, and when a specific event occurs in which the transport vehicle loses information about its travel position, the control system causes the guide driving unit to perform a confirmation operation to drive the guided section in the width direction, and when the guided section moves from one of the first position and the second position to the other, it determines that the transport vehicle is located in the non-guided section, and when movement of the guided section from one of the first position and the second position to the other is prevented, it determines that the transport vehicle is located in the guided section.

[0007] According to this configuration, even if a specific event occurs in which the information on the travel position of the transport vehicle is lost, it is possible to determine whether the transport vehicle is located in the guide section or the non-guidance section by performing a confirmation operation of driving the guided section in the width direction. As a result, the control system can determine whether the transport vehicle is located in the guide section or the non-guidance section. to Therefore, even if a specific event occurs in which the information on the travel position of the transport vehicle is lost, it is possible to appropriately resume control of the transport vehicle by the control system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a conveying facility according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] Top view of the transport path in Figure 1 [Figure 3] Control block diagram of the transport equipment in Figure 1 [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a confirmation operation in the intersection section shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state during a confirmation operation in the crossing section of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the state just before two guided vehicles enter the intersection section shown in Figure 2. [Figure 7] A diagram showing the state in which the two guided vehicles shown in Figure 6 are traveling in an intersecting section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the conveying equipment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying facility 10 includes a conveying vehicle 20 that travels along a travel path 11, and a guide rail 15 that is installed along the travel path 11. In this embodiment, the conveying facility 10 includes a plurality of conveying vehicles 20. In this embodiment, the conveying vehicles 20 are overhead conveying vehicles. In addition, the conveying vehicles 20 are electric unmanned conveying vehicles. In addition, the conveying vehicles 20 convey, for example, FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods) that accommodate semiconductor substrates as the articles W. In this embodiment, the conveying facility 10 is installed indoors, for example, in a clean room.

[0011] Here, the direction along the travel path 11 is defined as the travel direction X. The vertical direction is defined as the up-down direction Z. The direction perpendicular to the travel direction X when viewed from the up-down direction is defined as the width direction Y. One side of the width direction Y is defined as a first width direction side Y1, and the other side of the width direction Y is defined as a second width direction side Y2. In this embodiment, travel rails 12 on which the transport vehicle 20 travels are installed on the travel path 11. A pair of travel rails 12 are provided, and are arranged on both sides of the width direction Y. The travel rails 12 are suspended from the ceiling.

[0012] In this embodiment, the travel path 11 is provided with a guide section E1 where a guide rail 15 is installed, and a non-guide section E2 where no guide rail 15 is installed. In the illustrated example, the guide rail 15 is disposed in the center of the travel path 11 in the width direction Y. The guide rail 15 is also disposed inside the pair of travel rails 12 when viewed in the up-down direction. The guide rail 15 is also suspended from the ceiling.

[0013] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the travel path 11. In this embodiment, equipment 16 such as processing equipment for articles W, article placement tables, article storage shelves, various tools, etc. are provided outside the travel path 11 in the width direction Y. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 20 travels in one direction along the travel path 11.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the guide rail 15 is installed in at least one of an intersecting section E11 where the travel paths 11 intersect and a curved section E12 where the travel paths 11 are curved. Examples of the intersecting section E11 include a branching section, a merging section, a crisscrossing section, and an N-shaped branching and merging section. Examples of the curved section E12 include curved travel paths such as a U-shaped, S-shaped, and C-shaped section. In the illustrated example, the intersecting section E11 is a branching section and a merging section. A branching section is, for example, a location where one travel path 11 branches into multiple travel paths 11. A merging section is, for example, a location where multiple travel paths 11 merge into one travel path 11. In the branching section and the merging section of the present embodiment, the guide rail 15 is configured to guide the travel path of the transport vehicle 20.

[0015] Returning to FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 includes a first traveling section 21a that travels along the travel path 11. In this embodiment, the first traveling section 21a includes wheels 22 that roll on the road surface of the travel path 11, and a traveling drive section 23 that rotates the wheels 22. Examples of the traveling drive section 23 include an electric motor such as a servo motor, and an internal combustion engine. The road surface of the travel path 11 on which the wheels 22 roll is a surface facing the upper side of the travel rail 12, and the wheels 22 rotate around an axis perpendicular to the vertical direction Z.

[0016] The transport vehicle 20 is provided with a first guided portion 25a that is guided by the guide rail 15. In this embodiment, the first guided portion 25a rolls on the guide surface of the guide rail 15. The guide surface of the guide rail 15 is a surface that faces one side in the width direction Y, and the first guided portion 25a rotates around an axis that extends along the up-down direction Z. The first guided portion 25a is provided on the first running portion 21a. Two first guided portions 25a are provided side by side in the running direction X. The first guided portion 25a corresponds to the "guided portion."

[0017] The transport vehicle 20 also includes a guide drive unit 24 that drives the first guided portion 25a in the width direction Y to move it between a first position P1 on the first width direction side Y1 relative to the guide rail 15 and a second position P2 on the second width direction side Y2 relative to the guide rail 15. Examples of the guide drive unit 24 include a solenoid actuator, an electric motor, and a hydraulic device. In this embodiment, the guide drive unit 24 performs a path selection operation to switch the position of the first guided portion 25a depending on the path of the transport vehicle 20 before entering the guide section E1. For example, when the transport vehicle 20 enters the branch section shown in FIG. 4, if the position of the first guided portion 25a is switched to the first position P1, the transport vehicle 20 proceeds to the branch path on the first width direction side Y1 (right side), and if the position of the first guided portion 25a is switched to the second position P2, the transport vehicle 20 proceeds to the branch path on the second width direction side Y2 (left side).

[0018] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 includes, in addition to the first guided portion 25a, a second guided portion 25b that is arranged on the rear side X2 of the first guided portion 25a in the traveling direction X. The guide drive unit 24 is configured to drive the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b independently of each other in the width direction Y. Furthermore, before entering the guide section E1, the guide drive unit 24 performs a path selection operation to switch the positions of the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b independently of each other in the width direction Y according to the path of the transport vehicle 20.

[0019] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 is provided with a second running section 21b on the rear side X2 of the first running section 21a in the traveling direction X. The second running section 21b is provided with wheels 22 that roll on the road surface of the traveling path 11 and a traveling drive section 23 that rotates the wheels 22. In this embodiment, the second running section 21b is provided with second guided sections 25b. Two second guided sections 25b are provided side by side in the traveling direction X. In the illustrated example, the first guided section 25a and the second guided section 25b are guide wheels. In the illustrated example, the first guided section 25a and the second guided section 25b are guide wheels formed to have the same diameter.

[0020] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 includes a main body 30 connected to the first running section 21a. The main body 30 is supported by the first running section 21a while being positioned below the first running section 21a in the up-down direction Z. The main body 30 is also connected to the second running section 21b. The main body 30 is supported by the first running section 21a and the second running section 21b while being positioned below the first running section 21a and the second running section 21b. The main body 30 is also provided with a transfer device (not shown) that transfers the item W to its destination. The item W is transported by the transport vehicle 20 while the transfer device is in a predetermined travel position.

[0021] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 includes a first detector 27a that detects movement of the first guided portion 25a in the width direction Y. The first detector 27a detects whether the first guided portion 25a has moved from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other. In this embodiment, the first detector 27a is configured to detect whether the first guided portion 25a is at the first position P1. The first detector 27a is also configured to detect whether the first guided portion 25a is at the second position P2. Examples of the first detector 27a include an optical sensor and a laser sensor. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 includes a second detector 27b that detects movement of the second guided portion 25b in the width direction Y. The second detector 27b has the same configuration as the first detector 27a. The detection results of the first detector 27a and the second detector 27b are transmitted to a control system 40, which will be described later.

[0022] In this embodiment, a plurality of information holders 18 that hold position information for each installation position are installed at a plurality of locations along the travel route 11. In this embodiment, the information holders 18 are discretely arranged along the travel route 11. Examples of the information holders 18 include one-dimensional barcodes, two-dimensional barcodes, numbers, letters, image marks, and wireless tags. The information holders 18 are installed, for example, on the traveling rails 12, the guide rails 15, holding members that hold the traveling rails 12 or the guide rails 15, the road surface, etc.

[0023] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 is equipped with a reading device 28 that reads the position information held by the information holder 18, and is configured to recognize its own traveling position based on the information read by the reading device 28. Examples of the reading device 28 include a barcode reader, an image recognition device, a character recognition device that recognizes numbers and letters, and a radio frequency identification device.

[0024] In this embodiment, the guided vehicle 20 is equipped with an obstacle sensor 31 that detects an obstacle present on the forward side X1 in the traveling direction X. For example, if the obstacle sensor 31 detects an obstacle while the guided vehicle 20 is traveling, the guided vehicle 20 slows down or stops. The obstacle sensor 31 is configured to be able to change its detection range M1. Examples of obstacles include workers, work robots, foreign objects, other guided vehicles 20, etc. on the traveling path 11. Examples of the obstacle sensor 31 include optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, image sensors, millimeter-wave sensors, and laser sensors. The detection results of the obstacle sensor 31 are transmitted to a control system 40, which will be described later. The detection range M1 may be changed by changing the detection range of a single obstacle sensor 31, or by individually switching on and off multiple obstacle sensors 31 arranged in the width direction Y or the up-down direction Z. In this embodiment, the obstacle sensor 31 is configured to project light toward the forward side X1 in the traveling direction X and measure the distance to an obstacle based on the reflected light. The obstacle sensor 31 is disposed on the front surface of the transport vehicle 20. The obstacle sensor 31 is disposed on the front surface of the main body 30.

[0025] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 is equipped with a collision prevention sensor 32 that detects another transport vehicle 20 that is present on the forward side X1 in the traveling direction X. Examples of the collision prevention sensor 32 include an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an image sensor, a millimeter wave sensor, and a laser sensor. The collision prevention sensor 32 is arranged closer to the traveling rail 12 in the vertical direction Z than the obstacle sensor 31 on the front side of the transport vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the collision prevention sensor 32 is configured to project light toward the forward side X1 in the traveling direction X and detect reflection from a reflective member arranged on the surface of the other transport vehicle 20 on the rear side X2. The collision prevention sensor 32 is also arranged on the front side of the main body 30.

[0026] 3 is a control block diagram of the transport facility 10. In this embodiment, the transport facility 10 is equipped with a vehicle speed detection unit 33 that detects the traveling speed of the transport vehicle 20. The vehicle speed detection unit 33 is mounted on the transport vehicle 20. The vehicle speed detection unit 33 detects the traveling speed of the transport vehicle 20 by measuring the rotation speed of the wheels 22.

[0027] The conveyance facility 10 includes a control system 40 that controls the transport vehicles 20. In this embodiment, the control system 40 controls the first travel section 21a and the second travel section 21b of the transport vehicles 20 and the transfer device of the main body 30. Each function of the control system 40 is realized by cooperation between hardware such as a processor and a program executed on the hardware. The entire control system 40 may be provided on the transport vehicles 20, or a portion of the control system 40 may be provided on a control device mounted on the transport vehicles 20 and a portion of the control system 40 may be provided on a control device installed externally, such as in a centralized control room. Alternatively, the entire control system 40 may be provided on a control device installed externally. In this embodiment, the control system 40 includes an externally installed material control processor 41 and a transport vehicle control device 42 mounted on each of the multiple transport vehicles 20. The material control processor 41 and the transport vehicle control device 42 are configured to be capable of wireless communication. In this embodiment, the control system 40 includes a storage unit 43 that stores information acquired by the reading device 28. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 43 is provided in the transport vehicle 20, but it may be provided in the transport management device 41 or the transport vehicle control device .

[0028] When a specific event occurs in which the information on the travel position of the transport vehicle 20 is lost, the control system 40 causes the guide drive unit 24 to execute a confirmation operation of driving the first guided portion 25a in the width direction Y. Examples of specific events in which the information on the travel position is lost include a power outage, an update of the control software from a higher-level control device, an abnormal stop, a power cut by an operator, and the travel of the transport vehicle 20 after a malfunction or power cut occurs. In this embodiment, the confirmation operation is performed in a state in which the transport vehicle 20 is stopped. In this embodiment, in the event of a power outage, the power supply is cut off and the transport vehicle 20 is stopped. Note that when a specific event occurs, the control system 40 may execute a stop process to stop the transport vehicle 20 at a predetermined position.

[0029] The control system 40 determines that the transport vehicle 20 is located in the non-guided section E2 when the confirmation operation causes the first guided portion 25a to move from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other. Furthermore, the control system 40 determines that the transport vehicle 20 is located in the guided section E1 when the confirmation operation prevents the first guided portion 25a from moving from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other. Note that the control system 40 may be configured to determine that the transport vehicle 20 is located in either the guided section E1 or the non-guided section E2 by a confirmation operation that detects the guide rail 15 using a sensor or the like, rather than by a confirmation operation that drives the first guided portion 25a in the width direction Y.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a top view of the branch section in the intersecting section E11. For example, in FIG. 4, the guided vehicle 20 on the rear side X2 of the traveling direction X has the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b at the first position P1. When a confirmation operation is performed to drive the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b to the second position P2, the movement is prevented by the guide rail 15. Therefore, the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicle 20 is located in the guide section E1. In addition, in FIG. 4, the guided vehicle 20 on the front side X1 of the traveling direction X has the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b at the second position P2. When a confirmation operation is performed to drive the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b to the first position P1, the movement is not prevented by the guide rail 15, and the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b move to the first position P1. Therefore, the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicle 20 is located in the non-guidance section E2. In this case, the control system 40 executes a post-determination return operation to return the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b to their original positions (second position P2).

[0031] In this embodiment, when a specific event occurs, the control system 40 executes a checking operation on both the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b. Furthermore, when the checking operation causes both the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b to move from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other, the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicle 20 is located in the non-guided section E2. Furthermore, when the checking operation prevents at least one of the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b from moving from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other, the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicle 20 is located in the guided section E1.

[0032] 5 is a diagram showing a state during a confirmation operation in the branch section of the intersection section E11. For example, the two guided vehicles 20 shown in FIG. 5 show a state in which only one of the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b has moved from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other due to the confirmation operation. Therefore, the control system 40 determines that both guided vehicles 20 are located in the guiding section E1. In this case, the control system 40 executes a post-determination return operation to return the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b to their original positions.

[0033] 5, when the first guided portion 25a moves from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other, the control system 40 may be configured to determine that the guided vehicle 20 is located in the non-guidance section E2. That is, when the guided portion 25a is located on the front side X1 in the traveling direction X, the control system 40 may be configured to determine that the guided vehicle 20 is located in the non-guidance section E2 when the guided portion closest to the front side X1 in the traveling direction X moves from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state immediately before two guided vehicles 20 enter the merging section. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state in which two guided vehicles 20 are traveling in the merging section. In this embodiment, when the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicles 20 are located in the guided section E1 as a result of performing the confirmation operation, the control system 40 sets the detection range M1 of the obstacle sensor 31 to be wider than when the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicles 20 are located in the non-guidance section E2. In this embodiment, the detection range M1 of the obstacle sensor 31 in the width direction Y is set to be wider. This setting change is preferably performed by the control system 40 before the recovery process described below.

[0035] In this embodiment, the detection range M1 in the width direction Y of the obstacle sensor 31 in the non-guidance section E2 is a range that does not detect equipment 16 (see FIG. 2) that is arranged outside the width direction Y of the travel route 11. In addition, the equipment 16 is arranged outside the detection range M1 in the width direction Y of the obstacle sensor 31 in the guidance section E1.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 6 , when the control system 40 determines that the guided vehicles 20 are located in the non-guidance section E2 as a result of the confirmation operation, it sets the detection range M1 to a range in the width direction Y corresponding to the travel path of the guided vehicles 20 on the forward side X1 of the travel direction X of the guided vehicles 20. Therefore, the equipment 16 that does not constitute an obstacle in the non-guidance section E2 is not detected as an obstacle. However, if two guided vehicles 20 travel through the recovery process described below while maintaining the detection range M1 within the range shown in FIG. 6 , there is a possibility that the obstacle sensors 31 of both guided vehicles 20 may come into contact without detecting each other. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , when it determines that the guided vehicles 20 are located in the guided section E1, the detection range M1 is set to a range that can detect other guided vehicles 20 located on the forward side X1 of the travel direction X and on the lateral side. This increases the possibility that at least one guided vehicle 20 will detect the other guided vehicle 20 with the obstacle sensor 31. Furthermore, by setting the detection range M1 of the obstacle sensor 31 to be wide in the curved section E12, it becomes possible to quickly detect obstacles on the travel path of other guided vehicles 20, etc.

[0037] In this embodiment, the control system 40 executes a recovery process to cause the guided vehicle 20 to start traveling after the specific event is resolved. The recovery process may be terminated by the control system 40, for example, after the guided vehicle 20 reads the position information stored in the information storage device 18 (shown in FIG. 1). Alternatively, the control system 40 may terminate the recovery process after the guided vehicle 20 reads the position information stored in the information storage device 18 multiple times. In this embodiment, the control system 40 starts a normal process after the recovery process is terminated. The normal process is, for example, a process of transporting or transferring the item W based on information from outside the guided vehicle 20 (for example, a command from the transport management device 41). In this embodiment, the control system 40 terminates the recovery process after the guided vehicle 20 reads the position information stored in the information storage device 18 and restarts the transport management device 41 of the control system 40. However, the control system 40 may terminate the recovery process immediately after the guided vehicle 20 reads the position information stored in the information storage device 18.

[0038] In the recovery process executed by the control system 40 of this embodiment, after the stopped transport vehicle 20 is caused to start traveling, the transport vehicle 20 is caused to travel at a speed equal to or less than a predetermined first recovery speed limit V1 until the transport vehicle 20 reads the position information held by the information holder 18 (shown in FIG. 1). Also, in the recovery process of this embodiment, if the control system 40 determines, as a result of performing a confirmation operation, that the transport vehicle 20 is located in a non-guidance section E2, the control system 40 causes the transport vehicle 20 to travel at a speed equal to or less than the first recovery speed limit V1, and if, as a result of performing a confirmation operation, the control system 40 determines that the transport vehicle 20 is located in a guided section E1, the control system 40 causes the transport vehicle 20 to travel at a speed equal to or less than a second recovery speed limit V2 that is lower than the first recovery speed limit V1.

[0039] In this embodiment, when a specific event occurs in multiple guided vehicles 20 present on the travel route 11, the control system 40 simultaneously executes a check operation on the multiple guided vehicles 20 in which the specific event occurred. Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the check operation, a recovery process (described later) is executed on the multiple guided vehicles 20. The check operation simultaneously executed on the multiple guided vehicles 20 does not have to be completely simultaneous. For example, after executing a recovery process on multiple guided vehicles 20 determined to be located in the non-guidance section E2, the control system 40 may execute a recovery process on multiple guided vehicles 20 determined to be located in the guided section E1. Furthermore, after executing a recovery process on multiple guided vehicles 20 determined to be located in the guided section E1, the control system 40 may execute a recovery process on multiple guided vehicles 20 determined to be located in the non-guidance section E2. Furthermore, the recovery process may be executed only on the multiple guided vehicles 20 that satisfy predetermined travel conditions among the multiple guided vehicles 20. Examples of predetermined travel conditions include the transfer device provided in the main body 30 being in a predetermined travel position, the transport vehicle 20 not supporting the article W, the obstacle sensor 31 not detecting an obstacle, and the collision prevention sensor 32 not detecting another transport vehicle 20. According to the above-described transport facility 10, when restoring the transport vehicles 20, the worker only needs to approach and restore the transport vehicles 20 that need to be visually confirmed. Therefore, even when the transport facility 10 is equipped with a plurality of transport vehicles 20, the worker's effort in restoring the transport vehicle 20 after a specific event occurs can be reduced.

[0040] Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the conveying equipment 10 will be described.

[0041] (1) In the above embodiment, the guide rail 15 is disposed in the center of the travel path 11 in the width direction Y and is suspended from the ceiling. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the guide rail 15 may be installed on the floor. Furthermore, the guide rail 15 may be provided so as to contact one of the pair of left and right travel rails 12.

[0042] (2) In the above embodiment, the transport vehicle 20 is an electric overhead transport vehicle, and a pair of left and right travel rails 12 is installed on the travel path 11. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, only one travel rail 12 may be installed on the floor surface. For example, no travel rail 12 may be installed. For example, the travel path 11 may be set on the floor surface suspended from the ceiling. For example, the transport vehicle 20 may be a manned ground transport vehicle. For example, the transport vehicle 20 may be a vehicle that runs on an internal combustion engine. For example, the transport facility 10 may be equipped with only one transport vehicle 20.

[0043] (3) In the above embodiment, the guided vehicle 20 travels in one direction along the travel path 11. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and the guided vehicle 20 may travel in both forward and backward directions along the travel path 11. Furthermore, the obstacle sensor 31 or the collision prevention sensor 32 may be disposed on the front side X1 surface and the rear side X2 surface of the guided vehicle 20.

[0044] (4) In the above embodiment, the guided vehicle 20 is described as being equipped with the obstacle sensor 31 and the collision prevention sensor 32. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the guided vehicle 20 may not be equipped with the obstacle sensor 31. Furthermore, the guided vehicle 20 may not be equipped with the collision prevention sensor 32.

[0045] (5) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which information holders 18 are installed at multiple locations along the travel path 11, and the transport vehicle 20 is equipped with a reading device 28. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and, for example, only one information holder 18 may be installed along the travel path 11. Also, for example, a configuration may be possible in which no information holder 18 is installed, and an operator inputs information about the travel position into the transport vehicle 20 at a predetermined position on the travel path 11.

[0046] (6) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the transport vehicle 20 includes the first running portion 21a and the second running portion 21b, and includes two first guided portions 25a and two second guided portions 25b. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the transport vehicle 20 may include one first guided portion 25a and one second guided portion 25b. Alternatively, the transport vehicle 20 may not include the second guided portion 25b and the second running portion 21b. Alternatively, the travel drive unit 23 may be provided on either the first running portion 21a or the second running portion 21b, and the wheels 22 provided on the other running portion may be driven by the travel drive unit 23.

[0047] (7) In the above embodiment, the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b are guide wheels. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and may be configured, for example, so that the first guided portion 25a and the second guided portion 25b slide along the guide rail 15 and are guided. Furthermore, for example, the first guided portion 25a may be a guide wheel and a support portion that supports the guide wheel, and the guide drive portion 24 may drive the support portion together with the guide wheel in the width direction Y.

[0048] (8) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the first detector 27a is capable of detecting the first guided portion 25a located at the first position P1 and the second position P2. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the first detector 27a may be configured to detect whether the first guided portion 25a has moved from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other by detecting the drive or rotation of the guide drive unit 24. Furthermore, for example, the first detector 27a may be configured to detect whether the first guided portion 25a has moved from one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 to the other by detecting the passage of the first guided portion 25a at an intermediate position between the first position P1 and the second position P2.

[0049] (9) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control system 40 sets the detection range M1 of the obstacle sensor 31 in the width direction Y to be wider when it determines that the vehicle is located in the guided section E1 than when it determines that the vehicle is located in the non-guidance section E2. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and the detection range M1 of the obstacle sensor 31 in the up-down direction Z or the traveling direction X may be set wider, for example.

[0050] [Summary of the above embodiment] The above-described conveying equipment will now be described.

[0051] A conveying facility according to the present disclosure is a conveying facility including a conveying vehicle that travels along a travel path, a guide rail installed along the travel path, and a control system that controls the conveying vehicle, wherein a direction along the travel path is defined as a travel direction, a direction perpendicular to the travel direction when viewed in a vertical direction is defined as a width direction, one side in the width direction is defined as a first width direction side, and the other side in the width direction is defined as a second width direction side, and the conveying vehicle includes a guided portion that is guided by the guide rail, and a guide drive that drives the guided portion in the width direction to move it to a first position that is on the first width direction side with respect to the guide rail and a second position that is on the second width direction side with respect to the guide rail. and a driving unit, wherein the travel path is set to include a guide section where the guide rail is installed and a non-guided section where the guide rail is not installed, and when a specific event occurs in which the transport vehicle loses information about its travel position, the control system causes the guide driving unit to perform a confirmation operation to drive the guided section in the width direction, and when the guided section moves from one of the first position and the second position to the other, it determines that the transport vehicle is located in the non-guided section, and when movement of the guided section from one of the first position and the second position to the other is prevented, it determines that the transport vehicle is located in the guided section.

[0052] According to this configuration, even if a specific event occurs in which the information on the travel position of the transport vehicle is lost, it is possible to determine whether the transport vehicle is located in the guide section or the non-guidance section by performing a confirmation operation of driving the guided section in the width direction. As a result, the control system can determine whether the transport vehicle is located in the guide section or the non-guidance section. to Therefore, even if a specific event occurs in which the information on the travel position of the transport vehicle is lost, it is possible to appropriately resume control of the transport vehicle by the control system.

[0053] In one aspect, the transport vehicle is equipped with an obstacle sensor that detects obstacles present ahead in the direction of travel, the guide rail is installed in at least one of a section where the travel path intersects and a section where the travel path is curved, and when the control system determines, as a result of performing the confirmation operation, that the transport vehicle is located in the guided section, it sets the detection range of the obstacle sensor wider than when it determines that the transport vehicle is located in the non-guided section.

[0054] According to this configuration, the detection range of the obstacle sensor can be appropriately set depending on whether the guided vehicle is located in a guided section or a non-guided section. Therefore, the possibility of false detection of an object that does not constitute an obstacle as an obstacle in a non-guided section can be reduced, while the possibility of properly detecting obstacles such as other guided vehicles branching off or merging in a guided section can be increased. This allows the guided vehicle to travel appropriately when control of the guided vehicle by the control system is resumed.

[0055] In one embodiment, information holders holding position information for each installation position are installed at multiple locations along the travel route, the transport vehicle is equipped with a reading device that reads the position information held by the information holder and is configured to recognize its own travel position based on the information read by the reading device, and the control system executes a recovery process to cause the transport vehicle to start traveling after the specific event is resolved, and in the recovery process, after causing the stopped transport vehicle to start traveling, the transport vehicle is caused to travel at a speed equal to or less than a predetermined first recovery speed limit until the transport vehicle reads the position information held by the information holder.

[0056] According to this configuration, even if the transport vehicle loses information about its own running position due to the occurrence of a specific event, the transport vehicle can be controlled according to whether it is located in a guided section or a non-guided section based on the confirmation operation, and can be driven at a low speed equal to or lower than the first recovery speed limit. This reduces the possibility of problems such as the transport vehicle colliding with another transport vehicle, and makes it possible to automatically perform a series of processes from running the transport vehicle to recognizing its running position, terminating the recovery process, and returning to normal processing.

[0057] In one aspect, in the recovery process, if the control system determines, as a result of performing the confirmation operation, that the transport vehicle is located in the non-guidance section, it preferably causes the transport vehicle to travel at a speed equal to or less than the first recovery speed limit, and if, as a result of performing the confirmation operation, it determines that the transport vehicle is located in the guidance section, it preferably causes the transport vehicle to travel at a speed equal to or less than the second recovery speed limit, which is lower than the first recovery speed limit.

[0058] This configuration can further reduce the possibility of problems such as the transport vehicle colliding with another transport vehicle.

[0059] In one aspect, when the specific event occurs in multiple transport vehicles on the travel route, the control system preferably causes the multiple transport vehicles in which the specific event has occurred to simultaneously perform the confirmation operation.

[0060] According to this configuration, even when there are multiple transport vehicles, the amount of work required by workers to recover after a specific event occurs can be reduced.

[0061] In one embodiment, the transport vehicle is provided with, in addition to a first guided portion which is the guided portion, a second guided portion which is arranged rearward of the first guided portion in the traveling direction, and the guide drive unit is configured to drive the first guided portion and the second guided portion in the width direction independently of each other, and the control system, when the specific event occurs, executes the confirmation operation on both the first guided portion and the second guided portion, and when both the first guided portion and the second guided portion move from one of the first position and the second position to the other, determines that the transport vehicle is located in the non-guided section, and when movement of at least one of the first guided portion and the second guided portion from one of the first position and the second position to the other is prevented, determines that the transport vehicle is located in the guided section.

[0062] According to this configuration, even when the transport vehicle has a plurality of guided parts lined up in the traveling direction, the confirmation operation and the determination based on the confirmation operation can be performed appropriately. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10:Transportation equipment 11: Driving route 15: Guide rail 16: Equipment 18: Information carrier 20: Transport vehicle 24: Guide drive unit 25a: First guided part (guided part) 25b: 2nd guided part 28: Reading device 31: Obstacle sensor 40: Control System E1: Guidance section E2: Unguided section

Claims

1. A conveyance facility including a conveyance vehicle that travels along a travel path, a guide rail installed along the travel path, and a control system that controls the conveyance vehicle, The direction along the travel path is the travel direction, the direction perpendicular to the travel direction when viewed in the up-down direction is the width direction, one side of the width direction is the width direction first side, and the other side of the width direction is the width direction second side, The transport vehicle is a guided portion guided by the guide rail; a guide drive unit that drives the guided portion in the width direction to move it to a first position on a first side in the width direction relative to the guide rail and to a second position on a second side in the width direction relative to the guide rail, a guide section in which the guide rail is installed and a non-guide section in which the guide rail is not installed are set on the travel route, The control system includes: when a specific event occurs in which information on the travel position of the transport vehicle is lost, the guide drive unit executes a confirmation operation of driving the guided portion in the width direction; When the guided portion moves from one of the first position and the second position to the other, it is determined that the transported vehicle is located in the non-guiding section; A conveying facility that determines that the conveying vehicle is located in the guide section when movement of the guided part from one of the first position and the second position to the other is prevented.

2. the transport vehicle is equipped with an obstacle sensor that detects an obstacle present ahead in the traveling direction, The guide rail is installed in at least one of a section where the travel path intersects and a section where the travel path curves, The conveying equipment according to claim 1, wherein, when the control system determines that the vehicle is located in the guided section as a result of performing the confirmation operation, the control system sets the detection range of the obstacle sensor in the width direction to be wider than when the control system determines that the vehicle is located in the non-guided section.

3. information holders each holding position information of the respective installation positions are installed at a plurality of locations along the travel route, the transport vehicle is provided with a reading device that reads the position information held by the information holder, and is configured to recognize its own traveling position based on the information read by the reading device; the control system executes a recovery process to start the transportation vehicle traveling after the specific event is resolved; The conveying equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the recovery process, after the stopped conveying vehicle is caused to start moving, the conveying vehicle is caused to move at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined first recovery speed limit until the conveying vehicle reads the position information held by the information holder.

4. In the recovery process, the control system When it is determined that the transported vehicle is located in the non-guidance section as a result of the confirmation operation, the transported vehicle is caused to travel at a speed equal to or less than the first restoration speed limit, The conveying equipment of claim 3, wherein, if it is determined that the transport vehicle is located in the guidance section as a result of performing the confirmation operation, the transport vehicle is caused to travel at a speed equal to or lower than a second recovery speed limit that is lower than the first recovery speed limit.

5. The conveying equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the specific event occurs in a plurality of the conveying vehicles present on the travel route, the control system simultaneously executes the confirmation operation on the plurality of conveying vehicles in which the specific event has occurred.

6. the transport vehicle includes, in addition to a first guided portion that is the guided portion, a second guided portion that is arranged rearward of the first guided portion in the traveling direction, the guide drive unit is configured to drive the first guided portion and the second guided portion independently of each other in the width direction, The control system includes: When the specific event occurs, the checking operation is performed on both the first guided portion and the second guided portion; When both the first guided portion and the second guided portion have moved from one of the first position and the second position to the other, it is determined that the transported vehicle is located in the non-guided section, A conveying facility as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when movement of at least one of the first guided portion and the second guided portion from one of the first position and the second position to the other is prevented, it is determined that the conveying vehicle is located in the guide section.

7. The transport vehicle is equipped with an obstacle sensor that detects obstacles present ahead in the traveling direction, The guide rail is installed in at least one of a section where the travel path intersects and a section where the travel path curves, The conveying equipment of claim 1, wherein the control system, when determining that the vehicle is located in the guided section as a result of performing the confirmation operation, sets the detection range of the obstacle sensor in the vertical direction or the traveling direction to be wider than when determining that the vehicle is located in the non-guided section.

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