Conveyance system

Abstract

[Problem] To move a conveyance body, such as a tray, with a higher degree of freedom without restricting the moving direction thereof. [Solution] A conveyance system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a path structure that constitutes a conveyance path of an article, and a conveyance body that moves on the path structure and conveys the article, wherein: the conveyance body comprises a plurality of first permanent magnets; the path structure comprises a first coil layer including a plurality of first coils arranged in a two-dimensional lattice, and a second coil layer including a plurality of second coils disposed between the first coils; the plurality of first permanent magnets are disposed corresponding to any of the plurality of first coils; and a propulsive force is applied to the first permanent magnets by energizing the plurality of first coils and second coils.

Description

Transport System

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport system for transporting articles.

[0002] Conveying systems for transporting articles have been used for some time. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a conveying system used in automated warehouses. The conveying system described in this document includes a tray on which an article is placed, a plurality of drive tiles arranged in a matrix for moving the tray on a plane, and a central control device that instructs each drive tile to move the tray. A plurality of permanent magnets are arranged in a cross shape (directions perpendicular to each other) on the bottom surface of the tray, and a plurality of coils are similarly arranged on the drive tile. The interaction between these permanent magnets and coils forms a synchronous linear motor, which moves the tray on a plane.

[0003] Patent No. 7454894

[0004] In the conveyance system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the permanent magnets and coils constituting the synchronous linear motor are arranged in mutually orthogonal directions, so the direction of movement of the tray is limited to the front-to-back or left-to-right direction. As a result, there is a problem in that the degree of freedom of movement of the tray is insufficient. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance system that allows movement of conveyance bodies such as trays with a higher degree of freedom without restricting the direction of movement.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the conveying system of the present invention comprises a path structure that forms a conveying path for the item, and a conveying body that moves on the path structure and conveys the item, wherein the conveying body has a plurality of first permanent magnets, the path structure comprises a first coil layer that includes a plurality of first coils arranged in a two-dimensional lattice, and a second coil layer that includes a plurality of second coils that are arranged between the first coils, and the plurality of first permanent magnets are arranged corresponding to any of the plurality of first coils, and a propulsive force is imparted to the first permanent magnet by passing current through the plurality of first coils and the second coil.

[0006] In the above-described conveying system, the plurality of first permanent magnets are arranged in each quadrant of an orthogonal coordinate system having the center of the conveying body as the origin in a plan view.

[0007] In the above-mentioned conveying system, each of the quadrants is provided with a plurality of the first permanent magnets whose north pole faces are arranged opposite the path constituent, and a plurality of the first permanent magnets whose south pole faces are arranged opposite the path constituent, and the plurality of the first permanent magnets in one quadrant and the plurality of the first permanent magnets in the other quadrant are arranged symmetrically.

[0008] In the above-mentioned conveying system, the path constituent member is characterized by including a sensor for detecting the position or posture of the conveying body.

[0009] In the above-mentioned conveying system, the conveying body is characterized by having an information carrier unit that stores unique information assigned to the conveying body, and the route configuration body is characterized by having a reading unit that reads the unique information from the information carrier unit.

[0010] The transport system is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of the path structures, and one or both of power supply and communication for each of the path structures is realized by a daisy chain connection.

[0011] In the above-mentioned conveying system, the path structure is characterized by comprising a coil layer including the first coil layer and the second coil layer, a top plate arranged above the coil layer, a bottom plate arranged below the coil layer, and a support extending between the bottom plate and the top plate and supporting the top plate.

[0012] According to the transport system of the present invention, it is possible to move the transport body with a higher degree of freedom.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a floor plan of a restaurant in which a conveying system according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed; (a) a plan view of a conveying body provided by the conveying system, (b) a bottom view of the conveying body, and (c) an A-A cross-sectional view of the conveying body; (a) a plan view of a path constituent provided by the conveying system, and (b) a side view of the path constituent; A plan view showing the positional relationship between the position of the electromagnets of the path constituent and the position of the magnetic poles of the path constituent. A diagram showing an example of switching the magnetic poles for rightward movement in the above-mentioned modified example 1. A diagram showing an example of switching the magnetic poles for rotation in the above-mentioned modified example 1. A plan view of a conveying body of modified example 2 (a) A bottom view of a conveying body of modified example 3, (b) A plan view of a path constituent of modified example 3. A side view of a conveying body according to modified example 18-1. A side view of a conveying body according to modified example 18-2. A side view of a conveying body according to modified example 18-3. (a) A plan view showing an installation mode of a conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention, (b) A side view showing an installation mode of the conveying system. (a) A side view of a conveying body provided by the conveying system, (b) A schematic view of the inside of the conveying body (A-A cross-sectional view in FIG. 23). A diagram of the arrangement of permanent magnets in the magnet holder of the conveying body. A schematic view of the internal structure of a path constituent provided by the conveying system. (a) A perspective view of a path constituent,(b) A perspective view of a path configuration; A plan view of a small coil substrate provided in the path configuration; A plan view of a large coil substrate provided in the path configuration; A diagram showing the arrangement of small coils and large coils; A block diagram of a path configuration; An operation flow diagram of a path configuration; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a stationary phase before translational movement; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a first phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a second phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a third phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a fourth phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a fifth phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a sixth phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a seventh phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of an eighth phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a ninth phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of a tenth phase; A diagram showing the excitation mode of an eleventh phase; Figure showing the excitation mode of two phases Figure showing the excitation mode of the stationary phase after translational movement (a) Figure showing the excitation mode of the stationary phase during rotational movement, (b) Figure showing the excitation mode of the first phase (a) Figure showing the excitation mode of the second phase, (b) Figure showing the excitation mode of the third phase (a) Figure showing the excitation mode of the fourth phase, (b) Figure showing the excitation mode of the fifth phase (a) Figure showing the excitation mode of the sixth phase, (b) Figure showing the excitation mode of the seventh phase (a) Figure showing the excitation mode of the eighth phase, (b) Figure showing the excitation mode of the ninth phase (a) Figure showing the excitation mode of the tenth phase, (b) Figure showing the excitation mode of the stationary phase Figure showing the allocation of power sources in variant 13,

[0014] First Embodiment A transport system according to a first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG.

[0015] <Overview> As shown in Fig. 1, a conveyance system 1001 of this embodiment is installed in a restaurant. The restaurant has an eating space where customers eat and drink, and a cooking space where the food and drink to be served to customers is prepared. The eating space is provided with tables and chairs corresponding to each table. Note that the tables in this embodiment are counter tables T, and are composed of a pair of long tables Ta extending parallel to each other from the cooking space and a short table Tb connecting the ends of the long tables Ta.

[0016] In the restaurant described above, the conveyance system 1001 of this embodiment includes a conveyance body 1010 that conveys food and beverages, a plurality of path components 1050 that form a conveyance path for conveying the food and beverages, and a control computer (not shown), and conveys the food and beverages to a location specified by a tablet terminal (not shown) installed in the restaurant. Note that the tablet terminal functions as a location specifying device that specifies a destination location, and the destination location is input by a staff member of the restaurant.

[0017] <Conveyor> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the conveyor 1010 conveys food and beverages and includes a main body 1011 and multiple support members 1012. The main body 1011 is formed in a disk shape, and its upper surface functions as a placement portion on which food and beverages are placed. Multiple (two in this embodiment) permanent magnets 1013 are built into the main body 1011. These permanent magnets 1013 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the main body 1011. One of the permanent magnets 1013 (hereinafter referred to as the first permanent magnet 1013a) and the other permanent magnet (hereinafter referred to as the second permanent magnet 1013b) are arranged so that their magnetic poles are oriented in opposite directions. The first permanent magnet 1013a has its north pole on the upper surface side of the main body 1011 and its south pole on the lower surface side of the main body 1011. The second permanent magnet 1013b has its south pole on the upper surface side of the main body 1011 and its north pole on the lower surface side of the main body 1011.

[0018] An RF tag is provided on the main body 1011 of the conveyance 1010. The RF tag functions as a conveyance ID storage unit that stores identification information (hereinafter referred to as a conveyance ID) uniquely assigned to each conveyance 1010, and the conveyance ID is read by an RF reader of the path formation member 1050, which will be described later. The RF tag may be provided inside the main body 1011 or may be attached to the surface of the main body 1011.

[0019] A plurality of support parts 1012 (four in this embodiment) (1012a, 1012b, 1012c, 1012d) are provided on the underside of the main body part 1011. The support parts 1012 support the main body part 1011 while facilitating movement of the carrier 1010, and ball casters are used in this embodiment. These support parts 1012 are evenly arranged along the outer periphery of the main body part 1011. The shape of the main body part 1011 is not limited to a disk shape, and may be a rectangular plate shape.

[0020] <Path Constituent> As shown in FIG. 1 , a conveyance path for conveying food and beverages is formed inside the counter table T. The conveyance path in this embodiment includes a circulation path provided along the inner periphery of the counter table T and two relay paths arranged inside the circulation path. Note that the conveyance path is not limited to the form of this embodiment and may have other shapes. This conveyance path is composed of multiple path constituents 1050. As shown in FIG. 3 , each of the path constituents 1050 in this embodiment has a thick square panel shape, and the multiple path constituents 1050 are arranged adjacent to each other in the front-to-back or left-to-right direction on a stand K provided below the conveyance path. The size (area) of the path constituent 1050 is approximately the same as the size of the conveyance body 1010. The conveyance body 1010 passes over the upper surface of the path constituent 1050.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each of the path formation bodies 1050 includes a plurality of electromagnets 1051 (four in this embodiment), a plurality of switches 1052 (four in this embodiment), an RFID reader 1053, a communication module 1054, and a microcomputer 1055.

[0022] Each of the electromagnets 1051 is built into the path configuring body 1050 and is arranged at each corner of the path configuring body 1050. When each electromagnet 1051 is explained individually in the following explanation, the electromagnet 1051 arranged at the lower left corner in FIG. 3( a) will be referred to as the first electromagnet 1051a, the electromagnet 1051 arranged at the lower right corner will be referred to as the second electromagnet 1051b, the electromagnet 1051 arranged at the upper left corner will be referred to as the third electromagnet 1051c, and the electromagnet 1051 arranged at the upper right corner will be referred to as the fourth electromagnet 1051d. Each of the electromagnets 1051 is arranged so as to generate magnetic poles in the vertical direction of the path configuring body 1050.

[0023] Each of the electromagnets 1051 is connected to a power supply via a switch 1052. The switch 1052 functions as a switching unit that switches the direction of current flowing from the power supply to the electromagnet 1051. Each switch 1052 switches between a first current-carrying state in which current from the power supply flows to the electromagnet 1051 in one direction, a second current-carrying state in which current from the power supply flows to the electromagnet 1051 in the other direction, and a cut-off state in which current from the power supply to the electromagnet 1051 is cut off. The switch 1052 has an input terminal to which a switching signal from the microcomputer 1055 is input, and the switch 1052 switches to one of the three states based on the switching signal. In the first current-carrying state, the electromagnet 1051 forms a magnetic pole with an S pole at the top and an N pole at the bottom. Hereinafter, control that forms an S pole at the top in this manner will be simply referred to as "controlling the electromagnet 1051 to a S pole (S)," etc. In the second energized state, the electromagnet 1051 has a north pole at the top and a south pole at the bottom. Hereinafter, control to form a north pole at the top in this manner will be simply referred to as "controlling the electromagnet 1051 to a north pole (N)." In the cut-off state, no magnetic pole is generated in the electromagnet 1051, and such control to form no magnetic pole will be simply referred to as "controlling the electromagnet 1051 to a no magnetic pole (-)."

[0024] The RFID reader 1053 functions as a reading unit that reads the carrier ID from the RF tag of the carrier 1010 located on the path forming member 1050. The RFID reader 1053 inputs the read carrier ID to the microcomputer 1055.

[0025] The communication module 1054 functions as a communication unit that communicates with the control computer. In this embodiment, wired communication such as EtherCAT is used, but other wired communication or wireless communication may also be used. The communication module 1054 inputs control commands received from the control computer to the microcomputer 1055.

[0026] The microcomputer 1055 includes a memory storing a control program for controlling the magnetic poles of the electromagnets 1051, and a CPU for executing the control program. When the CPU executes the control program, the microcomputer 1055 functions as a magnetic pole control unit for controlling the magnetic poles of the electromagnets 1051 based on the control command received from the communication module 1054 and the carrier ID input from the RFID reader 1053.

[0027] The memory also stores predetermined control patterns for each electromagnet 1051 corresponding to control commands from the control computer. The control commands are commands for controlling the movement of the conveyance body 1010, and include the conveyance body ID of the conveyance body 1010 to be controlled and a movement command related to the movement mode. The movement commands also include a stop command (S command) for stopping the conveyance body 1010, a right movement command for moving the conveyance body 1010 to the right, a left movement command for moving the conveyance body 1010 to the left, a forward movement command for moving the conveyance body 1010 forward, a backward movement command for moving the conveyance body 1010 backward, and a rotation command for rotating the conveyance body 1010.

[0028] FIG. 5( a) shows a control pattern corresponding to a stop command. The stop command has one control phase, and the control of the first electromagnet 1051a to the fourth electromagnet 1051d in that control phase is [-, N, -, S], in that order. Similarly, FIGS. 5( b) to 5( d) show control patterns corresponding to a rightward movement command. The rightward movement command includes a command to start the rightward movement of the conveyance body 1010 (R1 command in FIG. 5( b)), a command to pass the conveyance body 1010 to the right (R2 command in FIG. 5( c)), and a command to stop the rightward movement of the conveyance body 1010 (R3 command in FIG. 5( d)), and the control pattern corresponding to each command has multiple control phases. The control phase transition is performed, for example, at a timing corresponding to the movement speed of the conveyance body 1010.

[0029] 5(e) to 5(g) show control patterns corresponding to leftward movement commands. The leftward movement commands include a command to start the leftward movement of the conveying body 1010 (L1 command in FIG. 5(e)), a command to pass the conveying body 1010 to the left (L2 command in FIG. 5(f)), and a command to stop the leftward movement of the conveying body 1010 (L3 command in FIG. 5(g)). The control patterns corresponding to each command have multiple control phases that transition at predetermined timings as described above.

[0030] 6(a) to 6(c) show control patterns corresponding to forward movement commands. The forward movement commands include a command to start the forward movement of the conveying body 1010 (F1 command in FIG. 6(a)), a command to pass the conveying body 1010 forward (F2 command in FIG. 6(b)), and a command to stop the forward movement of the conveying body 1010 (F3 command in FIG. 6(c)). The control patterns corresponding to each command have multiple control phases that transition at predetermined timings as described above.

[0031] 6(d) to 6(f) show control patterns corresponding to the backward movement command. The backward movement command includes a command to start the backward movement of the conveying body 1010 (command B1 in FIG. 6(d)), a command to pass the conveying body 1010 backward (command B2 in FIG. 6(e)), and a command to stop the backward movement of the conveying body 1010 (command B3 in FIG. 6(f)). The control pattern corresponding to each command has multiple control phases that transition at predetermined timings as described above.

[0032] 7A to 7D show control patterns corresponding to rotation commands. The rotation commands include a command to rotate the conveyance body 1010 clockwise from 0 to 90 degrees (T1 command in FIG. 7A), a command to rotate the conveyance body 1010 clockwise from 90 to 180 degrees (T2 command in FIG. 7B), a command to rotate the conveyance body 1010 clockwise from 180 to 270 degrees (T3 command in FIG. 7C), and a command to rotate the conveyance body 1010 clockwise from 270 to 360 degrees (T4 command in FIG. 7D). The control patterns corresponding to each command have multiple control phases that transition at predetermined timings as described above.

[0033] As will be described later, the CPU of the microcomputer 1055 changes the magnetic poles of each electromagnet 1051 by referring to the control pattern stored in memory. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 , when the power is turned on, the CPU of the microcomputer 1055 executes a reception confirmation process s1051. The reception confirmation process s1051 is a process for confirming whether or not a control command has been received from the control computer. If the confirmation result shows that a control command has not been received (s1051: no), the CPU executes a conveyance confirmation process s53. On the other hand, if a control command has been received (s1051: yes), the CPU stores the received control command in memory (s1052). Here, the control command includes a conveyance ID and a movement command, as described above, and the conveyance ID and the movement command are stored in association with each other.

[0034] The conveyance confirmation process s53 is a process for confirming the presence or absence of the conveyance 1010 on the route constituent 1050. In this embodiment, the CPU of the microcomputer 1055 confirms the presence or absence of input (read conveyance ID) from the RFID reader 1053. If there is no input of the conveyance ID from the RFID reader 1053 (s1053: no), it is determined that the conveyance 1010 is not located on the route constituent 1050, and the process returns to the reception confirmation process s1051. On the other hand, if there is input of the conveyance ID from the RFID reader 1053 (s1053: yes), the CPU of the microcomputer 1055 determines that the conveyance 1010 is located on the route constituent 1050, and executes the electromagnet control process s1054.

[0035] The electromagnet control process s1054 is a process in which the CPU of the microcomputer 1055 controls each electromagnet 1051 based on a control command received from the control computer, and includes a control command extraction process and a control process.

[0036] The control command extraction process is a process of extracting a control command corresponding to the conveyance body ID acquired from the RFID reader 1053, and searches for control commands stored in memory using the conveyance body ID acquired from the RFID reader 1053 as a search key. Then, a control pattern corresponding to the searched control command is extracted from the memory.

[0037] The control process is a process for controlling the electromagnet 1051 based on a control pattern, and controls the electromagnet 1051 based on the control pattern extracted in the control command extraction process. Here, if the control pattern has multiple phases, the phases are executed in order starting from the first phase.

[0038] <Control Computer> The control computer is a host computer in the conveyance system 1001, and transmits control commands to the multiple route components 1050. The control computer has the same configuration as known computers, and includes a communication module, memory, and a CPU. The communication module functions as a communication unit that communicates with the communication module of each conveyance 1010. The communication module also functions as a communication unit that communicates with tablet terminals installed in restaurants.

[0039] The memory stores the correspondence between the food and drink serving positions and the coordinates of the route constituents 1050 corresponding to the food and drink serving positions. As shown in Figure 9, the food and drink serving positions are table positions corresponding to seats, and there are serving positions #1 to #24. The coordinates of the route constituents 1050 are assigned based on the rules of an xy orthogonal coordinate system, with the origin [0,0] being the route constituent 1050 located at the corner. Therefore, the memory stores the correspondence as follows: #1: [1,0], #2: [2,0], ..., #13: [9,3], #20: [5,5].

[0040] The memory also stores a transport control program for controlling the transport of food and beverages, and the CPU executes the transport control program. The processing flow of the control computer will be described below with reference to Figure 10. The CPU of the control computer executes a reception process s1061, a route determination process s1063, and a command process s1064.

[0041] The receiving process s1061 is a process for receiving a destination location from a tablet terminal installed in the store. If the destination location has not been received in the receiving process s1061 (s1062: no), the receiving process s1061 is executed again. On the other hand, if the destination location has been received (s1062: yes), the route determination process s1063 is executed. In this way, the control computer functions as a receiving unit that receives the destination location.

[0042] The route determination process s1063 is a process for determining a transport route for transporting cooked food and drink to customer seats. The transport route can be determined by calculating the shortest route from any of the route constituents 1050 in the waiting area (FIG. 1) to the customer seats, or by determining a predetermined route from the route constituents 1050 in the waiting area to the customer seats and referring to that predetermined route. In this embodiment, a return route from the customer seats to the waiting position is also determined. Once the transport route is determined in this manner, command process s1064 is executed.

[0043] The command process s1064 is a process for transmitting control commands to the route constituents 1050 included in the transportation route. Specifically, first, a specification process for specifying the coordinates of the route constituents 1050 included in the route determination process s1063 is executed. Next, a command selection process for selecting a command for each route constituent 1050 is executed. The command selection process selects, for example, a stop command, a move right command, a move left command, a move forward command, a move backward command, and a rotate command, and then selects a more detailed command from the selected command. Below, an example will be described in which the transportation route shown in FIG. 1 has been determined.

[0044] First, for the path constituents 1050 of {[0,3], [0,2], [0,1], [0,0]} included in the transport route, a left movement command {L1, L2, L2, L3} is selected, and a transport body ID is associated with the combination of the path constituent 1050 and the left movement command. Hereinafter, this command set is referred to as the first control command. Furthermore, for the path constituents 1050 of {[0,0], [1,0], [2,0], [3,0], [4,0], [5,0], [6,0]} included in the transport route, a backward movement command {B1, B2, B2, B2, B2, B2, B3} is selected, and a transport body ID is associated with the combination of the path constituent 1050 and the backward movement command. Hereinafter, this command set is referred to as the second control command. Furthermore, a rotation command {T1} is selected for the path configuration 1050[6,0], and a carrier ID is associated with the combination of the path configuration 1050 and the rotation command. Hereinafter, this command set will be referred to as the third control command. Furthermore, a right movement command {R1, R2, R2, R2, R2, R3} is selected for the path configurations 1050 of {[6,0], [6,1], [6,2], [6,3], [6,4], [6,5]} included in the return route, and a carrier ID is associated with the combination of the path configuration 1050 and the right movement command. Hereinafter, this command set will be referred to as the fourth control command. Furthermore, for the path constituents 1050 of {[6,5], [5,5], [4,5], [3,5], [2,5], [1,5], [0,5]} included in the return route, a forward movement command {F1, F2, F2, F2, F2, F2, F3} is selected, and a vehicle ID is associated with the combination of the path constituent 1050 and the forward movement command. Hereinafter, this command set will be referred to as the fifth control command. Furthermore, for the path constituents 1050 of {[0,5], [0,4], [0,3]} included in the return route, a left movement command {L1, L2, L3} is selected, and a vehicle ID is associated with the combination of the path constituent 1050 and the left movement command. Hereinafter, this command set will be referred to as the sixth control command.

[0045] When a control command (first control command to sixth control command) is selected as described above, the control command is transmitted to the path constructor 1050 .

[0046] The route configuration element 1050 that receives the control command executes the above-described process flow shown in FIG. 8 . For example, the route configuration element 1050 at [0, 2] receives the first control command [L2] and the carrier ID, and stores the received [L2] and carrier ID in memory. Thereafter, when the carrier ID is acquired from the RFID reader 1053, it extracts [L2] associated with the carrier ID stored in memory and controls the magnetic pole of the electromagnet 1051 based on the control pattern defined as [L2]. As a result, the carrier 1010 located at [0, 2] passes to the left. Similarly, the route configuration element 1050 at [6, 0] receives the second control command [B3] and the carrier ID, the third control command [T1] and the carrier ID, and the fourth control command [R1] and the carrier ID, and stores each in memory. Thereafter, when the carrier ID is acquired from the RFID reader 1053, [B3], [T1], and [R1] associated with the carrier ID stored in the memory are extracted, and the magnetic poles of the electromagnet 1051 are controlled based on the control patterns determined for each. As a result, the carrier 1010 located at [6,0] stops moving backward, rotates 90 degrees clockwise, and starts moving to the right.

[0047] As described above, according to the conveyance system 1001 of this embodiment, the food and drink being conveyed can be rotated on the conveyance path, so that the food and drink can be faced directly to the customer.

[0048] According to the transfer system 1001 of this embodiment, the transfer body 1010 can be operated like an automatic transfer robot. In addition, since the transfer body 1010 does not require a power source, it can be operated continuously without needing to be charged.

[0049] Furthermore, since the carrier 1010 is movable while being supported by the support portion 1012, the magnetic force of the electromagnet 1051 can be reduced.

[0050] Second Embodiment

[0051] As shown in Figure 11, the conveyance system 1002 of the second embodiment is installed in an automated warehouse. The automated warehouse centrally manages and automates a series of processes from receiving, storing, and retrieving goods. Known types of automated warehouses, such as pallet types, bucket types, and movable shelf types, can be used. The automated warehouse includes a storage unit H for storing goods, a picking unit P for picking goods to be retrieved, and a conveyance area extending between the storage unit H and the picking unit P. The conveyance area is an area where goods are conveyed, and the conveyance system 1002 of this embodiment is installed in this conveyance area.

[0052] Similar to the first embodiment, the conveyance system 1002 of this embodiment includes a conveyance body 1010 that conveys items from the storage section H to the picking section P, a plurality of path components 1050 that form a conveyance path for the conveyance body 1010, and a control computer. The automated warehouse also includes a management computer (not shown) that functions as a position designation device that designates the destination position of an item, and the management computer inputs the destination position of the item into the control computer. The following description will focus on configurations and processes that differ from the first embodiment, and descriptions of configurations and processes that are similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0053] The transport body 1010 of this embodiment transports articles, and, similar to the first embodiment, includes a main body 1011 and a plurality of support members 1012. In this embodiment, the upper surface of the main body 1011 functions as a placement section on which articles or storage bodies (pallets, buckets, movable shelves, trays, carts, etc.) for storing articles are placed. Two permanent magnets 1013 are built into the main body 1011, similar to the first embodiment. Also, an RF tag is provided in the main body 1011, similar to the first embodiment.

[0054] As shown in Figure 11, a transport area for transporting items is provided between the storage section H and the picking section P, and a plurality of path constituents 1050 of this embodiment are laid across the entire surface of this transport area. Specifically, they are laid in a matrix of 6 rows and 6 columns in the transport area. Coordinates are assigned to each path constituent 1050 according to the same rules as in the first embodiment. Various (multiple) transport routes are formed by the path constituents 1050 laid down in this way.

[0055] Each of the path formation members 1050 of this embodiment includes, as in the first embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4), four electromagnets 1051, four switches 1052, an RFID reader 1053, a communication module, and a microcomputer 1055. As in the first embodiment, a control program for controlling the magnetic poles of the plurality of electromagnets 1051 is stored in the memory of the microcomputer 1055, and a control pattern for each electromagnet 1051 corresponding to a control command from the control computer is predetermined. As in the first embodiment, this path formation member 1050 switches the magnetic poles of the electromagnets 1051 and moves the conveyance member 1010 based on the control command received from the control computer and the conveyance member ID read from the conveyance member 1010.

[0056] Similar to the first embodiment, the control computer of this embodiment transmits control commands to a plurality of route configurations 1050. In this embodiment, the control computer receives information on the item receiving position and the item delivery position from a management computer installed in the automated warehouse, and transmits a control command to the route configurations 1050 to move the conveyance body 1010 from the receiving position to the delivery position.

[0057] The control computer's memory stores the item receiving position and the coordinates of the route component 1050 corresponding to the receiving position, and also stores the item delivery position and the coordinates of the route component 1050 corresponding to the delivery position, in correspondence with each other.

[0058] In addition, a transport control program for controlling the transport of items is stored in the memory of the control computer, and the CPU controls the transport program. The CPU executes reception processes s1061 and s1062, route determination process s1063, and command process s1064, similar to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, reception process s1061 receives a receiving position and a delivery position from the management computer of the automated warehouse. In route determination process s1063, a receiving route from the waiting position of the transport body 1010 to the receiving position and a transport rule from the receiving position to the delivery position are determined. As in the first embodiment, these routes can be determined by calculation or by referencing a predetermined route. In command process s1064, control commands are sent to the path components 1050 included in these routes, similar to the first embodiment.

[0059] As described above, the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be modified as follows.

[0060] <Modification 1> As shown in Fig. 12, a path configuration 1500 of this modification includes a plurality of electromagnets 1501 (nine in this modification) arranged in a matrix. Also, the conveyance body 1100 of this modification includes a permanent magnet 1113 (hereinafter referred to as the central magnet 1113) provided at the center of the main body 1110, and a plurality of permanent magnets 1114 (eight in this modification) (hereinafter referred to as the peripheral magnets 1114) arranged along the periphery of the main body 1110. Note that the magnetic poles of the peripheral magnets 1114 shown in Fig. 12 are the magnetic poles on the lower side of each peripheral magnet 1114 (i.e., the side facing the path configuration 1500).

[0061] The nine electromagnets 1501 included in the path formation 1500 are arranged in a matrix of three rows and three columns at equal intervals. In this modification, the intervals between adjacent electromagnets vertically and horizontally are approximately the same as the diameter of the peripheral magnets. In the following description, in FIG. 12 , the electromagnet 1501 located on the left side of the lower row is referred to as the first electromagnet 1501a. The electromagnet 1501 located in the center of the lower row is referred to as the second electromagnet 1501b. The electromagnet 1501 located on the right side of the lower row is referred to as the third electromagnet 1501c. The electromagnet 1501 located on the left side of the middle row is referred to as the fourth electromagnet 1501d. The electromagnet 1501 located in the center is referred to as the fifth electromagnet 1501e. The electromagnet 1501 located on the right side of the middle row is referred to as the sixth electromagnet 1501f. The electromagnet 1501 located on the left side of the upper row is referred to as the seventh electromagnet 1501g. The electromagnet 1501 located in the center of the upper row is referred to as an eighth electromagnet 1501h. The electromagnet 1501 located on the right side of the upper row is referred to as a ninth electromagnet 1501i. As in the first embodiment, the nine electromagnets 1501 provided in the path formation body 1500 are connected to a power source via a switch 1052, and the orientation of the magnetic poles is switched by switch control by a microcomputer 1055 (FIG. 4).

[0062] The central magnet 113 of the carrier 1100 has its north pole positioned downward and its south pole positioned upward. The multiple peripheral magnets 114 include four peripheral magnet pairs. In FIG. 12 , the first peripheral magnet pair includes two peripheral magnets 1114a and 1114b located at the lower left. The second peripheral magnet pair includes two peripheral magnets 1114c and 1114d located at the lower right. The third peripheral magnet pair includes two peripheral magnets 1114e and 1114f located at the upper left. The fourth peripheral magnet pair includes two peripheral magnets 1114g and 1114h located at the upper right. The peripheral magnets 1114a, 1114b, 1114g, and 1114h of the first and fourth peripheral magnet pairs are disposed within the main body 1011 with their north poles facing downward and their south poles facing upward. Furthermore, the peripheral magnets 1114c, 1114d, 1114e, and 1114f of the second peripheral magnet pair and the third peripheral magnet pair are arranged within the main body 1110 with their south poles facing downward and their north poles facing upward.

[0063] Here, this modified example is characterized by the relative positional relationship between each electromagnet 1501 and the permanent magnets 1113, 1114 (the central magnet 1113 and the peripheral magnets 1114). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 13, when the conveyance body 1100 is positioned above the path configuration 1500, the central magnet 1113 is disposed above the fifth electromagnet 1501e. Furthermore, the first peripheral magnet pair 1114a, 1114b is disposed around the first electromagnet 1501a, the second peripheral magnet pair 1114c, 1114d is disposed around the third electromagnet 1501c, the third peripheral magnet pair 1114e, 1114f is disposed around the seventh electromagnet 1501g, and the fourth peripheral magnet pair 1114g, 1114h is disposed around the ninth electromagnet 1501i. Here, one member 1114a of the first peripheral magnet pair is disposed between the first electromagnet 1501a and the second electromagnet 1501b, and the other member 1114b of the first peripheral magnet pair is disposed between the first electromagnet 1501a and the fourth electromagnet 1501d. Furthermore, one member 1114c of the second peripheral magnet pair is disposed between the third electromagnet 1501c and the second electromagnet 1501b, and the other member 1114d of the second peripheral magnet pair is disposed between the third electromagnet 1501c and the sixth electromagnet 1501f. Furthermore, one member 1114e of the third peripheral magnet pair is disposed between the seventh electromagnet 1501g and the eighth electromagnet 1501h. The other member 1114f of the third peripheral magnet pair is arranged between the seventh electromagnet 1501g and the fourth electromagnet 1501d, and one member 1114g of the fourth peripheral magnet pair is arranged between the ninth electromagnet 1501i and the eighth electromagnet 1501h, and the other member 1114h of the fourth peripheral magnet pair is arranged between the ninth electromagnet 1501i and the sixth electromagnet 1501f.

[0064] In this modification, the magnetic pole of an electromagnet 1501 is controlled as shown in FIGS.

[0065] Fig. 14(a) shows a control pattern when a stop command is received from the control computer. Fig. 14(b) shows a control pattern when a rightward movement command is received from the control computer. As shown in the figure, when the conveyance body 1100 is moved rightward in two adjacent path configurations 1500, the magnetic poles are controlled in eight phases in the two path configurations 1500. By sequentially performing such magnetic pole control in the adjacent path configurations 1500, the conveyance body 1100 moves rightward.

[0066] Specifically, in the first phase, the first peripheral magnet pair 1114a, 1114b to the fourth peripheral magnet pair 1114g, 1114h are subjected to reaction forces from the first electromagnet 1501a, the third electromagnet 1501c, the seventh electromagnet 1501g, and the ninth electromagnet 1501i, while only the central magnet 1113 is subjected to the attractive force of the fifth electromagnet 1501e. This results in a stopped state. In the second phase, the reaction force from the first electromagnet 1501a and the attractive force from the second electromagnet 1501b act on one of the first peripheral magnet pair 1114a, and the reaction force from the seventh electromagnet 1501g and the attractive force from the eighth electromagnet 1501h act on one of the third peripheral magnet pair 1114e. This initiates rightward movement. In the third phase, a reaction force from the fifth electromagnet 1501e acts on the central magnet 1113, and an attractive force from the sixth electromagnet 1501f acts on the other of the second peripheral magnet pair 1114d. Furthermore, an attractive force from the first electromagnet 1501a of the adjacent path configuration 1500 acts on the other of the fourth peripheral magnet pair 1114h. This results in a movement to the right. By repeatedly executing these phases while shifting the magnetic pole configuration in the second and third phases to the right, the conveyance body 1100 moves through the adjacent path configuration 1500 at one-third the width. The leftward, forward, and backward movements are based on the same principles as the rightward movement described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0067] FIG. 15 shows a control pattern when a rotation command is received from the control computer. As shown in the figure, the magnetic poles are controlled in four phases. Specifically, in the first phase of rightward (clockwise) rotation, the first peripheral magnet pair 1114a, 1114b to the fourth peripheral magnet pair 1114g, 1114h are subjected to reactive forces from the first electromagnet 1501a, the third electromagnet 1501c, the seventh electromagnet 1501g, and the ninth electromagnet 1501i, while only the central magnet 1113 is subjected to an attractive force from the fifth electromagnet 1501e. This results in a stopped state. In the second phase, a reactive force from the second electromagnet 1501b acts on one of the first peripheral magnet pair 1114a, and an attractive force from the fourth electromagnet 1501d acts on the other of the first peripheral magnet pair 1114b. Furthermore, an attractive force from the second electromagnet 1501b acts on one of the second peripheral magnet pairs 1114c, and a reactive force from the sixth electromagnet 1501f acts on the other of the second peripheral magnet pairs 1114d. Furthermore, an attractive force from the eighth electromagnet 1501h acts on one of the third peripheral magnet pairs 1114e, and a reactive force from the fourth electromagnet 1501d acts on the other of the third peripheral magnet pairs 1114f. Furthermore, a reactive force from the eighth electromagnet 1501h acts on one of the fourth peripheral magnet pairs 1114g, and an attractive force from the sixth electromagnet 1501f acts on the other of the fourth peripheral magnet pairs 1114h. Furthermore, an attractive force from the fifth electromagnet 1501e acts on the central magnet 1113. As a result, the conveyance body 1100 begins to rotate 45 degrees clockwise around the central magnet 1113. In the third phase, the reaction force of the first electromagnet acts on one member of the first peripheral magnet pair, and the attractive force of the seventh electromagnet acts on the other member of the first peripheral magnet pair. Furthermore, the attraction force of the first electromagnet acts on one member of the second peripheral magnet pair, and the reaction force of the third electromagnet acts on the other member of the second peripheral magnet pair. Furthermore, the attraction force of the ninth electromagnet acts on one member of the third peripheral magnet pair, and the reaction force from the seventh electromagnet acts on the other member of the third peripheral magnet pair. Furthermore, the reaction force from the ninth electromagnet acts on one member of the fourth peripheral magnet pair, and the attractive force of the third electromagnet acts on the other member of the fourth peripheral magnet pair. Furthermore, the attraction force of the fifth electromagnet acts on the central magnet. As a result, the conveyance body 1100 continues to rotate another 45 degrees clockwise around the central magnet.In the fourth phase, the first peripheral magnet pair 1114a, 1114b to the fourth peripheral magnet pair 1114g, 1114h receive repulsive forces from the first electromagnet 1501a, the third electromagnet 1501c, the seventh electromagnet 1501g, and the ninth electromagnet 1501i, and only the central magnet 1113 receives attractive force from the fifth electromagnet 1501e. As a result, the conveyance body 1100 stops in a state where it has rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the start (phase 1). Note that while Figure 15 shows a counterclockwise rotation, the principle is the same as that for the clockwise rotation described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0068] According to this modification, the movement of the conveyance body 1100 can be controlled in units of one row and one column of the plurality of electromagnets arranged in a matrix, that is, in units of 1 / 3 of the path formation 1500. Therefore, it becomes possible to finely adjust the conveyance control of the conveyance body 1100.

[0069] <Modification 2> In the above embodiment and Modification 1, yokes may be attached to the permanent magnets 1013, 1113, and 1114. The yokes restrict the magnetic field lines emanating from the permanent magnets 1013, 1113, and 1114 toward the path formations 1050 and 1500. Attaching the yokes to the permanent magnets strengthens the magnetic force of the permanent magnets and reduces the effect of the magnetic force on articles on the mounting section. FIG. 16 shows an aspect in which a yoke 1115 is attached to the permanent magnet 1114 of Modification 1. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the permanent magnets 1013, 1113, and 1114 may be replaced with multiple permanent magnets, and the multiple permanent magnets may be arranged in a Halbach array. These multiple permanent magnets arranged in a Halbach array restrict the magnetic field lines toward the path formations 1050 and 1500. Therefore, the magnetic force can be strengthened and the effect of the magnetic force on articles on the mounting section can be reduced.

[0070] <Modification 3> The above embodiment may be provided with a configuration for detecting the orientation of the conveying body 1200. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17 , a reflecting portion 1201 that reflects light is provided on the underside of the conveying body 1200. The reflecting portion 1201 is provided in a specific portion of the underside (part of the front periphery in the figure). Furthermore, the upper surface of the path forming body 1600 is provided with a plurality of light sources 1601 (four in the figure) that irradiate light upward, and optical sensors 1602 that are paired with the light sources 1601 and receive the light. When the optical sensors 1602 receive light (light reflected by the reflecting portions), they input a light reception signal to the microcomputer 1055. The light sources and optical sensors 1602 are provided at four locations (front center, rear center, left center, and right center) on the upper surface of the path forming body 1050. When the conveyance body 1010 is positioned on the path constructing body, the microcomputer 1055 of the path constructing body checks input signals from each optical sensor. The microcomputer 1055 of the path constructing body detects the orientation of the conveyance body based on a light-receiving signal input from one of the optical sensors. The path constructing body can then control the movement of the conveyance body by changing the control pattern of the electromagnet according to the orientation of the conveyance body. In this modified example, the reflecting portion of the conveyance body and the optical sensor of the path constructing body function as an orientation detection unit that detects the orientation of the conveyance body, but the orientation detection unit is not limited to this embodiment and may be, for example, a magnetic sensor provided at one of the corners of the path constructing body that detects the magnetic pole of the permanent magnet of the conveyance body.

[0071] <Modification 4> In the above embodiment, the food and beverage or article transport systems 1001, 1002 have been described using one transport body 1010 as an example, but the transport systems 1001, 1002 may include multiple transport bodies 1010. In this modification, an individual transport body ID is assigned to each transport body 1010, and the transport body ID is stored in an RF tag of each transport body 1010. The route configuration member 1050 in this modification identifies the transport body 1010 located on the route configuration member 1050 by reading the transport body ID with an RFID reader 1053. In addition, the control computer includes the transport body ID of one transport body 1010 selected from the multiple transport bodies 1010 in a control command and transmits the control command to the route configuration member 1050. As a result, the path constructing member 1050 identifies the control command to be executed by comparing the conveyance ID acquired from the conveyance member 1010 with the conveyance ID in the control command, and controls the electromagnet 1051 based on the control command. This makes it possible to individually control the movement of multiple conveyance members 1010. In this way, the RFID reader 1053 of the path constructing member 1050 functions as a conveyance identifying unit that identifies the conveyance member 1010.

[0072] <Modification 5> The RF tag of the above embodiment may be a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code in which the carrier ID is coded. In this modification, the path constructor 1050 is equipped with a code reader (reading device) that reads the carrier ID from the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code. The code reader may be, for example, equipped with a camera that captures the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code and a computer that analyzes the image generated by the camera. In this way, the carrier identification unit of the present invention may be a code reader.

[0073] <Variation 6> A beacon may be provided on the carrier 1010, and a receiver may be provided on the route constructing member 1050. The beacon on the carrier 1010 transmits a carrier ID at regular intervals. The route constructing member 1050 receives the radio waves from the beacon and acquires the carrier ID. This makes it possible to identify the carrier 1010 on the route constructing member 1050. In this way, the carrier identification unit may be a receiver that acquires the carrier ID of the carrier 1010 based on the radio waves from the beacon.

[0074] <Variation 7> In addition, in the above-described embodiments, a camera may be provided to capture images of the restaurant (first embodiment) or the transport area (second embodiment), and the control computer may identify the transport object 1010 on the transport route based on images generated by the camera. The route constructor 1050 of this variation includes a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the transport object 1010, and controls the electromagnet based on a control command when the transport object 1010 is detected. In this way, the transport object identification unit may be a control computer that identifies the transport object 1010 based on images acquired from the camera.

[0075] <Modification 8> In the above embodiment, the transport body 1010 is provided with permanent magnets 1013a and 1013b, and the path constituent 1050 is provided with a plurality of electromagnets 1051, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and a plurality of electromagnets may be provided on the transport body 1010, and a permanent magnet may be provided on the path constituent 1050. In this modification, the transport body 1010 includes a power supply that supplies current to the electromagnets, a communication module that communicates with a control computer, and a microcomputer that controls the electromagnets based on a control command received from the control computer.

[0076] <Modification 9> In the above embodiment, four support parts 1012 are provided on the conveying body 1010, but the number of support parts 1012 provided may be three or less, or five or more. Furthermore, the support parts 1012 may be provided not only on the peripheral portions of the conveying body 1010 but also in the center of the conveying body 1010. By providing the support parts 1012 in the center of the conveying body 1010 in this manner, the conveying body 1010 can be rotated around the support parts 1012 as an axis. The central support part 1012 may extend toward the path forming body 1050 only during rotation, and may be housed in the main body part 1011 during forward / backward / left / right movement. A configuration in which the central support part 1012 extends during rotation in this manner can be achieved, for example, by incorporating a magnet in the support part 1012, providing an electromagnet in the center of the path forming body 1050, and controlling the magnetic pole of the electromagnet.

[0077] <Modification 10> In the above embodiment, the conveying body 1010 is provided with a ball caster, but this is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a ball caster may be provided on the path forming body 1050. In this modified embodiment, the ball caster is attached to the upper surface of the path forming body 1050 with its rotating body facing upward. In order to achieve smooth ball rotation, the ball caster preferably has multiple balls housed inside a ball receiver. Furthermore, the support unit 1012 is not limited to a ball caster, and may be a caster (so-called a normal caster) that includes a rotating shaft extending vertically, a fork portion attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and a wheel journaled on the fork portion. As described above, a caster may be used as the support unit. Note that the caster may be made of a non-magnetic material that is not affected by the permanent magnet 1013 or the electromagnet 1051.

[0078] <Modification 11> In the above embodiment, a guide groove for guiding the ball caster, which is the support part 1012, may be provided on the upper surface of the path constituent body 1050. Furthermore, when the ball caster is provided on the path constituent body 1050 as described in Modification 11, a guide groove may be provided on the lower surface of the conveying body 1010.

[0079] <Variation 12> In the above embodiment, the method for determining the transport route may be based on the predetermined route as described above. Here, the predetermined route may be a method in which multiple transport route patterns are defined. The multiple transport route patterns are stored in a transport route pattern table. The transport route pattern table stores the coordinates (numbers) of the path components 1050 included in the transport route for each transport route pattern. Furthermore, the method for determining the transport route may be based on real-time calculations using an algorithm based on graph theory. Furthermore, the transport route may be determined using machine learning. Furthermore, the transport route pattern table may be updated based on the transport route determined by the algorithm or the transport route determined using machine learning.

[0080] <Modification 13> The plurality of path components 1050 may include a plurality of first path components arranged on a first plane, and a plurality of second path components arranged on a second plane that exists hierarchically above the first plane, and may include a first transport body that moves on a first transport path formed by the plurality of first path components, and a second transport body that moves on a second transport path formed by the plurality of second path components.

[0081] <Modification 14> In the above embodiment, the communication module 1054 possessed by the path constituent 1050 may be a communication module capable of daisy-chaining the path constituents 1050. A representative example of the communication module according to this modification is that EtherCAT described in the above embodiment can be used as the communication module.

[0082] <Modification 15> The conveying body 1010 of the above embodiment may be provided with a stopper that stops the movement of the conveying body 1010. The stopper keeps the conveying body 1010 in place even if an external force acts on the conveying body 1010 when the conveying body 1010 is stopped. For example, the stopper is provided on the underside of the main body 1011 of the conveying body and is a rod-shaped body that extends downward from the underside of the main body 1011 when the conveying body 1010 is stopped. Alternatively, the path constructing body 1050 may be provided with a stopper. The stopper of the path constructing body 1050 is provided in the passage of the ball casters of the conveying body 1010 and is a holder that holds the ball casters of the conveying body 1010 when the conveying body 1010 is stopped. By providing a stopper on either the conveying body 1010 or the path constructing body 1050 in this way, the movement of the conveying body 1010 when stopped can be stopped, thereby preventing the conveying body 1010 from tipping over or moving during an earthquake or power outage.

[0083] <Modification 16> In the above embodiment, a biasing unit may be provided that biases the conveying body 1010 vertically upward from below. The biasing unit may include, for example, a plurality of biasing magnets provided on the conveying body 1010 and a plurality of biasing magnets provided on the path constituent 1050, where the biasing magnets of the conveying body 1010 and the biasing magnets of the path constituent 1050 are arranged so that the same poles face each other, and are attached to a location that does not affect the movement control by the permanent magnet or the electromagnet. For example, the biasing magnets of the conveying body 1010 are provided around the support portion 1012, and the biasing magnets of the path constituent 1050 are provided in the passageway of the support portion 1012. Since the conveying body 1010 is biased vertically upward by the biasing unit, the frictional force between the support portion 1012 and the path constituent 1050 is reduced, enabling smooth movement.

[0084] Each of the biasing magnets of the path forming body 1050 may be realized by an electromagnet. When using such an electromagnet, a magnetic sensor may be provided near the electromagnet, and the electromagnet may be controlled based on the magnetic force output from the magnetic sensor.

[0085] Furthermore, the urging unit is not limited to the embodiment using the urging magnet, and may be an embodiment in which air is ejected from the path configuring body 1050 toward the conveying body 1010. In this embodiment, a plurality of air ejection ports are formed in the path configuring body 1050, and a supply path for supplying compressed air to the air ejection ports and a compressor for generating compressed air are provided. Furthermore, the urging unit may output ultrasonic waves from the path configuring body 1050 to the conveying body 1010. The urging unit applies an upward force to the conveying body 1010, but the urging force may cause the conveying body 1010 to be in a floating state.

[0086] <Variation 17> In the above embodiment, the upper surface of the main body 1011 of the conveying body functions as a placement section for placing food, drink, and other items, but the conveying body 1010 may have the main body 1011 and the placement section separate from each other, and the placement section may be attached so as to be movable vertically relative to the main body 1011.

[0087] For example, the conveyance may include a main body 1011 incorporating a permanent magnet and moving along a conveyance path, a placement unit disposed above the main body 1011, and an elevator provided on the main body 1011 for vertically raising and lowering the placement unit. In such a modified embodiment, the multiple path components 1050 forming the circulation path in the first embodiment may be disposed within the counter table T. In this case, the conveyance with food and drink placed on it moves within the counter table T, and when it arrives at a predetermined table position, the elevator raises the placement unit. This allows the food and drink to be supplied so that it rises from within the counter table T.

[0088] Alternatively, the conveyance may include a main body 1011 having a built-in permanent magnet and moving along a conveyance path, a placement unit disposed below the main body 1011, and an elevator provided on the main body 1011 for vertically raising and lowering the placement unit. The conveyance in this modified embodiment suspends the placement unit via the elevator unit and travels along a conveyance path disposed above the counter table T. That is, the path constructing member 1050 in this modified embodiment is provided above the counter table T. In this manner, the conveyance with the suspended food and beverage moves above the counter table T, and when it arrives at the predetermined table position, the elevator unit lowers the placement unit. This allows the food and beverage to be supplied by descending from the counter table T. Note that in this modified embodiment, guards may be provided on both sides of the path constructing member 1050, or the path constructing member 1050 may be installed above the ceiling to prevent the food and beverage from falling during conveyance.

[0089] <Modification 18> In the above embodiment, the upper surface of the main body 1011 of the conveying body 1010 functions as a mounting portion on which food, drink, or other items are placed, but the conveying body may have the main body 1011 and the mounting portion separated, and the mounting portion may be attached so as to be displaceable relative to the main body 1011. Also, a damping structure may be provided to damp the displacement of the mounting portion. This configuration can reduce the effect of force acting on the mounting portion when the conveying body is started, etc.

[0090] <Modification 18-1> For example, as shown in FIG. 18 , a carrier (carrier device) 1300 may include a rectangular main body 1311 and a hanging holder 1320. The holder 1320 has a circular tray 1321 that functions as a placement surface on which food and drink are placed. A non-slip mat (not shown) is laid on the top surface (placement surface) of the tray 1321. An arch-shaped arm 1322 extends from the outer periphery of the tray 1321. A ring-shaped attachment portion 1323 is provided at the upper end of the arm 1322. A hanging member 1324 made of a flexible material is attached to this attachment portion 1323. The hanging member 1324 is a ring cord made of synthetic fiber with the required tensile strength and thickness, and supports the weight of the arm 1322, the tray 1321, and the food and drink (the entire dish including the tableware) placed on the tray 1321. A support arm 1313 is provided on the main body 1311, extending upward from the rear thereof and bending forward. The tip of the support arm 1313 is a hook, and the upper part of the hanging member 1324 is hooked onto this hook. The holder 1320 hanging from the support arm 1313 in this manner can be displaced relative to the main body 1311 of the conveyor 1300.

[0091] When the carrier 1300 moves or rotates, a horizontal acceleration is applied to the support arm 1313. This horizontal acceleration is also applied to the upper part of the hanging member 1324 of the holder 1320 via the support arm 1313. However, because the hanging member 1324 is made of a flexible material, the holder 1320 with food placed on the tray 1321 behaves like a pendulum. In this case, the resultant force of gravity and normal force acting on the tray 1321 and the food (the bowl and the contents such as udon noodles and broth) is in the same direction as the force acting on the hanging member 1324 (the force pulling the hanging member 1324 by the tip of the support arm 1313), so the tray 1321 and the food (the bowl and the contents such as udon noodles and broth) are equally accelerated by this resultant force. Therefore, no horizontal acceleration that would cause the liquid broth to spill occurs in the coordinate system based on the food on tray 1321. As a result, the direction of the force acting on the entire food placed on tray 1321 is roughly perpendicular to the surface of tray 1321, making it possible to avoid, as much as possible, situations such as broth spilling from a dish or the contents being distorted.

[0092] In the above-mentioned variation 18-1, a hanging-type holder is used as the placement unit, but it is also possible to use a configuration similar to that of a known food delivery machine (delivery machine). This delivery machine also uses the same basic principle of reducing the effect of forces acting on the placement unit during operation as the holder described above, in that the frame supporting the food and drink carrier is suspended from the conveyance unit via an air spring.

[0093] <Variation 18-2> As shown in Figure 19, a conveying body (conveying device) 1400 includes a loading shelf 1420, which is a loading section on which food and beverages are placed, and a main body 1410 on which the loading shelf 1420 is provided. The loading shelf 1420 includes a pair of side panels and multiple shelf panels. The side panels are vertically extending plate-like bodies, and the two plate-like bodies are arranged parallel with their plate surfaces facing each other. The shelf panels are horizontally extending plate-like bodies, and multiple shelf panels are arranged above and below with their plate surfaces facing each other. Food and beverages can be placed on each shelf panel of the loading shelf 1420 configured in this manner.

[0094] A support frame 1411 that supports the above-mentioned storage shelf is provided on the main body 1410 of the transport body. The support frame 1411 is composed of a lower plate-like portion that extends horizontally along the upper surface of the main body 1410, a pair of vertical plate-like portions that stand upward from both ends of the lower plate-like portion, and an upper plate-like portion that spans horizontally between the upper ends of the vertical plate-like portions, and the storage shelf 1420 is arranged inside the support frame 1411.

[0095] Furthermore, ball rollers 1412 are disposed between the lower plate-shaped portion and the loading shelf, and ball rollers 1412 are disposed between the upper plate-shaped portion and the loading shelf. By disposing the ball rollers 1412 between the loading shelf 1420 and the support frame 1411 in this manner, the loading shelf 1420 can be displaced relative to the main body 1410. Furthermore, a buffer member 1413 is provided between the support frame 1411 and the loading shelf 1420. The buffer member 1413 is a member that absorbs impacts and accelerations caused by relative displacement of the loading shelf 1420, and may be, for example, a component such as a sponge material or a spring, or a mechanical component such as a damper. With this configuration, the loading shelf 1420 can be started and stopped slowly when the conveyor 1400 starts and stops, thereby maintaining the state in which food and drink are served.

[0096] <Modification 18-3> Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20 , a conveying body (conveying device) 1700 may include a movable platform 1720 (platform) on which a tray portion 1721 for placing food and drink can be displaced horizontally. This movable platform 1720 is attached to the upper surface of a main body 1710. The movable platform 1720 has a frame 1722 fixed to the main body 1710 along the periphery of the main body 1710. The frame 1722 extends upward from the upper surface of the main body 1710 and forms a wall surrounding the periphery of the upper surface. A cushioning material that elastically deforms when subjected to an external force is attached to the inner periphery of this frame 1722. Multiple (five in this example) ball rollers 1723 are fixed to the area surrounded by the cushioning material on the upper surface of the main body 1710. A tray 1721 is placed above the ball rollers 1723. Tray 1721 has approximately the same shape as the area surrounded by the buffer material in a plan view, and the tray's peripheral edge is in contact with (close to) the buffer material and is supported by each of ball rollers 1723. Tray 1721 supported by ball rollers 1723 in this way can be displaced relative to the main body of the conveyor within the range of elastic deformation of the buffer material inside frame 1722.

[0097] When the conveyor 1700 having the above configuration is in operation, horizontal acceleration is applied to the conveyor 1700 as it moves straight or changes direction. This horizontal acceleration is equally applied to the entire movable platform attached to the conveyor and to the food and drink placed on the tray 1721 (not shown). However, because the tray 1721 displaces relative to the main body 1710 of the conveyor 1710, the tray 1721 and the food and drink placed on the tray 1721 experience gradual acceleration. When the conveyor 1700 decelerates and the horizontal acceleration changes, an inertial force acts on the tray 1721 and the food and drink placed on the tray 1721. At this time, the tray 1721 receives a force from the buffer material in the opposite direction to the inertial force, so the effect of the inertial force is reduced compared to when the tray 1721 is fixed to the main body of the conveyor. This can be expected to have the same effect as when the conveyor is gradually decelerated and brought to a gentle stop.

[0098] Third Embodiment A transfer system 2000 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0099] The conveyance system 2000 according to this embodiment is a system for conveying articles. The articles to be conveyed vary depending on the type of facility into which the conveyance system 2000 is installed. As an example, if the conveyance system 2000 is installed in a restaurant, the articles to be conveyed are food and beverages, and the food and beverages are conveyed from the kitchen to customer tables. Furthermore, if the conveyance system 2000 is installed in a warehouse, the articles to be conveyed are pallets loaded with a plurality of articles stored in the warehouse, and the pallets are conveyed from the warehouse entrance to a predetermined storage position. In this way, the conveyance system 2000 of the present invention can be applied to the conveyance of a variety of articles in a variety of facilities. As shown in FIG. 21 , the conveyance system 2000 includes a conveyance body 2010 that conveys articles, a path component 2050 that constitutes a conveyance path for the articles, and a computer that controls the movement of the conveyance body 2010.

[0100] <Conveyor> As shown in Figures 21 and 22, the conveyor 2010 includes a housing 2011 made of a substantially rectangular plate and rolling members 2011 provided at each corner of the housing 2011. The housing 2011 is made of a non-magnetic material, and its upper surface functions as a placement section on which an article to be conveyed is placed. The rolling members 2011 are made of a non-magnetic material and may be, for example, ball casters, rollers, or casters, and are members that support the housing 2011 on which the article is placed and enable the housing 2011 to move along the path forming body 2050. The balls included in the rolling members 2011 are provided so as to protrude from the lower surface of the housing 2011.

[0101] The conveyance body 2010 of this embodiment does not incorporate a drive motor or the like, but moves by magnetic force generated by a coil (electromagnet) of the path constituent 2050. Therefore, a plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 that receive magnetic force are incorporated into the housing 2011, and the plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 move the conveyance body 2010 in a desired direction by interaction with the coil of the path constituent 2050. Each of the first permanent magnets 2013 is a columnar permanent magnet with magnetic poles formed on the top and bottom, and includes a first permanent magnet 2013 with its north pole disposed on the bottom (its north pole surface disposed facing the path constituent 2050) and a first permanent magnet 2013 with its south pole disposed on the bottom (its south pole surface disposed facing the path constituent 2050). Hereinafter, the former will be referred to as an north pole magnet, and the latter will be referred to as an south pole magnet. The conveyance body 2010 is held by such a plurality of permanent magnets 2014.

[0102] The magnet holder 2014 is a rectangular plate that holds a plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 arranged on a plane, and is housed in a horizontal position on the underside of the housing 2011. As shown in Fig. 23, the plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 are regularly arranged vertically and horizontally in regions Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 that are divided into four quadrants with the center of the magnet holder 2014 (the center of the conveyance body 2010) as the origin.

[0103] Specifically, in the upper right region Q1 (first quadrant), a magnet row is formed in which a plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 (three in this example) of the same polarity are arranged in a vertical row, and multiple rows (four in this example) of such magnet rows are provided horizontally. The first and third magnet rows are composed of first permanent magnets 2013 with their north poles positioned on the bottom, and the second and fourth magnet rows are composed of first permanent magnets 2013 with their south poles positioned on the bottom. In the upper left region Q2 (second quadrant), a magnet row is formed in which a plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 (three in this example) of the same polarity are arranged in a horizontal row, and multiple rows (four in this example) of such magnet rows are provided vertically. The first and third magnet rows are composed of first permanent magnets 2013 with their north poles positioned on the bottom, and the second and fourth magnet rows are composed of first permanent magnets 2013 with their south poles positioned on the bottom. That is, the arrangement of the first permanent magnets 2013 in the second quadrant is obtained by rotating the magnet arrangement in the first quadrant by 90 degrees, with the center of the magnet holder 2014 (the center of the conveying body 2010) as the origin. Similarly, the magnet arrangement in the lower left region Q3 (third quadrant) is obtained by rotating the magnet arrangement in the first quadrant by 180 degrees, with the center of the magnet holder 2014 (the center of the conveying body 2010) as the origin. Furthermore, the magnet arrangement in the lower right region Q4 (fourth quadrant) is obtained by rotating the magnet arrangement in the first quadrant by 270 degrees, with the center of the magnet holder 2014 (the center of the conveying body 2010) as the origin. In this way, while the arrangement of the north and south poles in each quadrant is configured in a different pattern, the arrangement is designed to maintain rotational symmetry with the center of the magnet holder 2014 (the center of the conveying body 2010) as the origin.

[0104] In this way, the regions Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 are configured with different patterns of N and S poles of the first permanent magnets 2013, while being designed to maintain rotational symmetry with the center of the magnet holder 2014 (the center of the conveyance body 2010) as the origin. As a result, the magnetic pole distribution formed on the lower surface of the conveyance body 2010 has little direction dependency and can respond uniformly to the magnetic field generated from the coil of the path formation body 2050, allowing the conveyance body 2010 to move smoothly in a desired direction.

[0105] The conveyance body 2010 also includes a plurality of second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b. The second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b are small permanent magnets that allow a sensor of the path formation body 2050, described later, to detect the position of the conveyance body 2010. Each of the second permanent magnets 2015a is held by the magnet holder 2014 and is arranged on the X-axis and the Y-axis when viewed from the bottom of the magnet holder 2014. That is, the plurality of second permanent magnets 2015a are linearly arranged in a cross shape extending vertically and horizontally with the center of the conveyance body 2010 as the base point. Specifically, four second permanent magnets 2015a are provided on the positive side of the X-axis, and the second permanent magnets 2015a are arranged in order from the origin side with their north pole, south pole, south pole, and north pole facing downward. Four second permanent magnets 2015a are provided on the positive side of the Y-axis. The second permanent magnets 2015a are arranged in the order of north, south, north, and south poles facing downward, starting from the origin. Four second permanent magnets 2015a are provided on the negative side of the X-axis. The second permanent magnets 2015a are arranged in the order of north, south, north, and south poles facing downward, starting from the origin. Four second permanent magnets 2015a are provided on the negative side of the Y-axis. The second permanent magnets 2015a are arranged in the order of south, north, south, and north poles facing downward, starting from the origin. This polarity arrangement allows a clear magnetic field change to be applied to the sensor, enabling stable and highly accurate detection of the position of the conveyed body 2010. Four second permanent magnets 2015b are provided diagonally from the origin. The four second permanent magnets 2015b are arranged concentrically with the innermost magnet of the permanent magnets 2015a arranged in the orthogonal direction. In other words, the four second permanent magnets 2015b are arranged at positions obtained by rotating the permanent magnet 2015a on the origin side by 45 degrees around the origin. The second permanent magnets 2015b are arranged with their south poles facing downward.

[0106] The carrier 2010 also includes an RF tag (not shown). The RF tag functions as an information carrier that stores identification information for identifying the carrier 2010. The identification information is information that is assigned to each carrier 2010 so as to be unique. The RF tag in this embodiment typically uses the LF (Low Frequency) band.

[0107] <Path Constituent> As shown in Fig. 21 , the path constituent 2050 constitutes a conveyance path for the conveyance body 2010, and is laid on a base B in the facility where the conveyance system 2000 is installed. In this embodiment, a plurality of path constituents 2050 are laid vertically and horizontally, thereby forming a conveyance area in which the conveyance body 2010 can move vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. The plurality of path constituents 2050 are supported by a plurality of support columns 2005 erected on the base B. The support columns 2005 are provided in positions such that when the plurality of path constituents 2050 are arranged, the support columns 2005 support the corners of the four path constituents 2050 from below. That is, each support column 2005 is installed so as to collectively support the corners of four adjacent path constituents 2050.

[0108] As shown in Figures 24 and 25, the path structure 2050 includes a small coil substrate 2051 which is a first coil substrate, a large coil substrate 2052 which is a second coil substrate, a driver substrate 2053, a control substrate 2054, and a housing that houses these substrates.

[0109] The housing is made of a non-magnetic material and includes a middle bottom plate 2055, an upper cover 2056 arranged above the middle bottom plate 2055, and a lower cover 2057 arranged below the middle bottom plate 2055. The middle bottom plate 2055 is a rectangular plate formed to be approximately the same size as the conveying body 2010 in a plan view. To ensure strength, the middle bottom plate 2055 uses a metal material such as aluminum or a glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin material such as FR4 as its base material.

[0110] The top cover 2056 is composed of a top plate portion 2056a having a rectangular shape in a plan view and a side wall portion 2056b extending downward from the outer periphery of the top plate portion 2056a. Multiple mounting holes are formed in the side wall portion 2056b, and screws are attached to the middle bottom plate 2055 through the mounting holes. The top cover 2056 is made of a metal material such as aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin material. In the upper space surrounded by the top cover 2056 and the middle bottom plate 2055, a small coil substrate 2051 and a large coil substrate 2052 are stacked from top to bottom. Multiple support posts 2058 extend between the middle bottom plate 2055 and the top plate portion 2056a. The support pillars 2058 are made of a non-magnetic material such as glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin material or carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and are interposed between the middle bottom plate 2055 and the top plate portion through through holes 2059 ( FIGS. 26 and 27 ) formed in the small coil substrate 2051 and the large coil substrate 2052. In this way, the multiple support pillars 2058 function as support members that receive loads applied from the outside to the top cover 2056, and increase the mechanical strength of the path formation 2050.

[0111] The lower cover 2057 is composed of a bottom plate portion 2057a having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a side wall portion 2057b extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom plate portion. The size of the lower cover 2057 is smaller than that of the upper cover 2056, and is attached to the center of the lower surface of the middle bottom plate 2055. In the lower space surrounded by the lower cover 2057 and the middle bottom plate 2055, a driver board 2053 and a control board 2054 are stacked in this order from top to bottom.

[0112] 24 and 26 , the small coil substrate 2051 is formed in a rectangular shape and is approximately the same size as the magnet holder 2014. The small coil substrate 2051 is attached to a support member (not shown), such as a standoff, extending from the middle bottom plate 2055, and is thereby provided in a horizontal position on the upper surface side of the path formation 2050. A plurality of small coils 2060 (first coils) and a plurality of magnetic sensors 2061 (sensors) are mounted on the small coil substrate 2051, and wiring patterns for each small coil 2060 and each magnetic sensor 2061 are formed on the substrate. In addition, the small coil substrate 2051 is provided with a plurality of square through holes 2059 through which the support posts 2058 are passed.

[0113] The small coils 2060 generate a magnetic field for the permanent magnet of the conveying body 2010, and are formed in a diamond shape in a plan view. On the small coil substrate 2051, the plurality of small coils 2060 are arranged in a staggered pattern, which is a first arrangement pattern. The arrangement pattern of the small coils 2060 is not limited to a staggered pattern, and may be a lattice pattern. In other words, the small coils 2060 may be arranged in a two-dimensional lattice pattern in which they are regularly arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. A small coil layer is formed by the plurality of small coils 2060 arranged on a plane in this manner.

[0114] The magnetic sensors 2061 are used to detect the position or posture of the conveyance body 2010, and typically use Hall sensors or MR sensors. The magnetic sensors 2061 detect magnetic fields generated by second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b provided on the conveyance body 2010. The multiple magnetic sensors 2061 are arranged in a cross shape extending vertically and horizontally on the small coil substrate 2051. Specifically, one magnetic sensor 2061 is provided at the center of the small coil substrate 2051, and two magnetic sensors 2061 are provided on each of the positive side and negative side of the X-axis, using this one magnetic sensor 2061 as a reference. Similarly, two magnetic sensors 2061 are provided on each of the positive side and negative side of the Y-axis, using this one magnetic sensor 2061 as a reference. Furthermore, in addition to the plurality of magnetic sensors 2061 arranged in the cross shape, a magnetic sensor 2061 is provided at each of the four corners of the small coil substrate 2051 .

[0115] 24 and 27 , the large coil substrate 2052 is formed in a rectangular shape of the same size as the small coil substrate 2051. This large coil substrate 2052 is attached to a support member (not shown), such as a standoff, extending from the middle bottom plate 2055, and is thereby provided in a horizontal position directly below the small coil substrate 2051 within the path configuration 2050. A plurality of large coils 2062, which are second coils, are mounted on the large coil substrate 2052, and a wiring pattern for each of the large coils 2062 is formed on the substrate.

[0116] Each large coil 2062 generates a magnetic field for the first permanent magnet 2013 of the carrier 2010 and is formed in a substantially square shape larger than the small coils 2060 in a plan view. Furthermore, it is preferable that the large coils 2062 have a greater number of turns than the small coils 2060. These multiple large coils 2062 are arranged in a lattice pattern, which is a second arrangement pattern. Specifically, the large coils 2062 are arranged so that the sides of adjacent large coils 2062 are parallel to each other, and multiple rows are aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions. The arrangement pattern of the large coils 2062 is not limited to a lattice pattern and may be a staggered pattern. In other words, the large coils 2062 may be arranged in a two-dimensional lattice pattern in which they are regularly arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. A large coil layer is formed by the multiple large coils 2062 arranged in a plane in this manner.

[0117] As shown in Fig. 24, small coil substrates 2051 and large coil substrates 2052 are stacked one on top of the other, so that the staggered small coil group is positioned above the lattice-arranged large coil group. In this arrangement, as shown in Fig. 28, a small coil 2060 is arranged in a position that straddles one large coil 2062 and the other large coils 2062 adjacent to it on the top, bottom, left, and right. The multiple small coils 2060 and the multiple large coils 2062 are connected to multiple drivers 2063 mounted on a driver substrate 2053, respectively, and generate a predetermined magnetic field based on a signal input from the driver 2063.

[0118] 29 , the plurality of drivers 2063 provided corresponding to each of the small coils 2060 are connected (daisy-chained) to be able to communicate in series, and the most upstream driver 2063 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 2064. Therefore, a control signal output from the microcomputer 2064 is transmitted sequentially to the downstream drivers 2063 via the most upstream driver 2063. Furthermore, the plurality of drivers 2063 provided corresponding to each of the large coils 2062 are connected (daisy-chained) to be able to communicate in series, and the most upstream driver 2063 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 2064. Therefore, a control signal output from the microcomputer 2064 is transmitted sequentially to the downstream drivers 2063 via the most upstream driver 2063.

[0119] Furthermore, the multiple magnetic sensors 2061 are electrically connected to a microcomputer 2064, and detection signals output from each magnetic sensor 2061 are input to the microcomputer 2064. The detection signals are analog signals, and the microcomputer 2064 can determine the polarity of the second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b located above it based on the input detection signals.

[0120] An RFID reader / writer 2065 is provided on the control board 2054. The RFID reader / writer 2065 functions as a reading unit that reads identification information from an RF tag of the conveyance body 2010. The RFID reader / writer 2065 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 2064, and inputs the identification information read from the conveyance body 2010 located directly above it to the microcomputer 2064.

[0121] In addition to the plurality of drivers 2063 and RFID reader / writer 2065, the control board 2054 is also equipped with two communication connectors 2066a, 2066b and a communication controller 2067. Here, the plurality of path constituents 2050 are connected (daisy chain connected) so as to be able to communicate in series, one of the communication connectors 2066a is a connector for communicating with the upstream path constituent 2050, and the other communication connector 2066b is a connector for communicating with the downstream path constituent 2050. These two communication connectors 2066a, 2066b are electrically connected to a communication controller 2067. The communication controller 2067 functions as a communication unit that receives information from the upstream path constituent 2050 and transmits the information to the downstream path constituent 2050, and a controller that communicates using the EtherCAT protocol is typically used. The communication controller 2067 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 2064 and inputs the received information to the microcomputer 2064 .

[0122] <Computer> A computer that performs overall control of the entire conveyance system 2000 is connected to the communication connector of the route constituent 2050 located most upstream. The computer includes an input unit, a display unit, a communication unit, a memory unit, and a processing unit. The input unit is composed of, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and accepts operation input from an operator. The display unit is composed of, for example, a display, and presents various information to the operator. The communication unit is a network module for sending and receiving information to and from the route constituent 2050. The memory unit is a memory that stores, for example, information related to the conveyance of items, such as information about items and information about the correspondence between items and conveyance bodies 2010, as well as programs for controlling the conveyance. The processing unit is a CPU that loads and executes the programs stored in the memory unit and performs various control processes.

[0123] The processing unit of the computer transmits control commands to the multiple path configurations 2050. For example, immediately after the transport system 2000 is started up, the processing unit transmits read commands to all path configurations 2050 and receives identification information of the transport bodies 2010 present on each path configuration 2050. This allows the processing unit to grasp the position of the transport bodies 2010 in the entire transport area. Thereafter, the processing unit calculates a route from the transport start position to the transport destination position, and transmits movement commands to the path configurations 2050 that constitute the calculated optimal route. The movement commands include a translation movement command for moving in a specific direction and / or a rotation movement command for controlling the attitude of the transport body 2010.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 30, the microcomputer 2064 of the path component 2050 determines the operation process based on a control command input from a computer via a communication controller 2067.

[0125] When a read command is input, the microcomputer 2064 executes a read process s100. This read command is transmitted to all the route constituents 2050 when the transport system 2000 is started or when the system is restored. This read process s100 is a process of reading identification information from the RF tag of the transport body 2010 on the route constituent 2050, and the microcomputer 2064 inputs a read command to the RFID reader / writer 2065. The RFID reader / writer 2065 reads the identification information from the RF tag of the transport body 2010 located directly above it and inputs the read identification information to the microcomputer 2064. The microcomputer 2064 transmits the identification information input from the RFID reader / writer 2065 to the computer. This enables the computer to identify the position of the transport body 2010 (the route constituent 2050 in which the transport body 2010 is located).

[0126] When a translational movement command is input, the microcomputer 2064 executes a translational movement process s110. The translational movement process s110 is a process of exciting the small coil 2060 and / or the large coil 2062 of the path configuration 2050 to translate the conveyance body 2010, and the microcomputer 2064 identifies the position of the conveyance body 2010 based on input from the magnetic sensor 2061 and inputs a predetermined excitation signal to a predetermined driver 2063 according to the position of the conveyance body 2010. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 31 to 44, an excitation mode when the conveyance body 2010 is moved in the positive direction of the X-axis (from one path configuration 2050 to another path configuration 2050) will be described. Here, when the conveyance body 2010 moves from one path configuration 2050 to another path configuration 2050, multiple control steps (12 in this example) are executed. Hereinafter, the excitation mode in the first control step will be referred to as the first phase, and similarly, the excitation mode in the nth (n≦12)th control step will be referred to as the nth phase.

[0127] First, when the carrier 2010 is stationary on one path constituent 2050 (stationary phase), as shown in Fig. 31, the magnetic sensors (2061e, 2061f, 2061g, 2061h, 2061i) of one path constituent 2050 detect [N, N, non-detection (hereinafter referred to as "OFF"), N, S], and the magnetic sensors (2061e, 2061f, 2061g, 2061h, 2061i) of the other path constituents 2050 detect [OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF]. At this time, the microcomputer 2064 of each path constituent 2050 inputs an excitation signal to the driver 2063 so that a predetermined small coil 2060 and large coil 2062 are in the excitation state shown in Fig. 31. As a result, in one path formation 2050 , each small coil 2060 located at a position corresponding to the first permanent magnet 2013 of the conveyance body 2010 is excited so as to attract the first permanent magnet 2013 .

[0128] Next, in the first phase, the microcomputer 2064 of each path formation 2050 inputs an excitation signal to the driver 2063 so that predetermined small coils 2060 and large coils 2062 are excited in the manner shown in Fig. 32. By exciting them in this manner, the first permanent magnet 2013 of the conveyance body 2010 is attracted to the excited small coils 2060 and large coils 2062 and moves to the position shown in the figure. When the carrier 2010 moves, the magnetic sensors (2061e, 2061f, 2061g, 2061h, 2061i) of one path constituent 2050 detect [S, S, OFF, OFF, S], and the magnetic sensors (2061e, 2061f, 2061g, 2061h, 2061i) of the other path constituents 2050 detect [OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF]. When the microcomputer 2064 of each path constituent 2050 confirms these detection signals, it moves to the next phase.

[0129] In the second to twelfth phases, the microcomputer 2064 of each path configuration 2050 sequentially inputs excitation signals to the driver 2063 so that predetermined small coils 2060 and large coils 2062 assume the excitation patterns shown in Figures 33 to 43. The first permanent magnet 2013 of the conveyance body 2010 is attracted to the excited small coils 2060 and large coils 2062, and as a result, the conveyance body 2010 moves to the position shown in each figure. Here, when transitioning between phases, the microcomputer 2064 of each path configuration 2050 checks the detection signals from the magnetic sensors (2061e, 2061f, 2061g, 2061h, 2061i). Specifically, the microcomputer 2064 checks whether or not the magnetic field patterns shown in the table below have been input in each phase. In the table, the magnetic sensors 2061e, 2061f, 2061g, 2061h, and 2061i are represented as "e", "f", "g", "h", and "i". When the microcomputer 2064 of each path formation 2050 confirms the input of the magnetic field pattern in each phase, it moves to the next phase.

[0130] When the steps up to the twelfth phase are executed in this manner, the coils are excited in the same manner as in the stationary phase described above, and the conveyance body 2010 is stationary. Note that, if the conveyance body 2010 is further moved in the positive direction of the X-axis without being stationary, the stationary phase is not executed, and another path formation 2050 and yet another path formation 2050 execute the first and second phases.

[0131] In the above-mentioned translational movement control, the microcomputer 2064 of the path formation body 2050 checks the magnetic field pattern detected by each magnetic sensor 2061 and moves to the next phase, but checking the magnetic field pattern is not essential, and it is also acceptable to excite each coil at a predetermined timing.

[0132] When a rotational movement command is input, the microcomputer 2064 executes a rotational movement process s120. The rotational movement command includes a rotation angle of the conveyance body 2010. The rotational movement process s120 is a process of exciting the small coil 2060 and / or the large coil 2062 of the path configuration 2050 to rotate the conveyance body 2010, and the microcomputer 2064 inputs an excitation signal to the driver 2063 according to the rotation angle. For example, when rotating the conveyance body 2010 by 90 degrees clockwise, an excitation signal is input to the driver 2063 at a predetermined timing so that the small coil 2060 and the large coil 2062 are excited as shown in FIGS. 45 to 50. In the rotational movement process, the microcomputer 2064 of the path configuration 2050 may move the face based on the detection result by the magnetic sensor 2061. In this case, it is preferable that the magnetic sensor 2061 detects the magnetism of not only the second permanent magnets 2015 a and 2015 b built into the conveying body 2010 but also the first permanent magnet 2013 .

[0133] In the transport system 2000 of this embodiment, a coil layer formed by a plurality of coils 2060, 2062 arranged two-dimensionally is formed in two layers, and the large coils 2062 are arranged so as to fill the spaces between the small coils 2060. This allows magnetic forces to act from various directions on the first permanent magnets 2013 provided on the transport body 2010, and allows the transport body 2010 to move in any direction.

[0134] Furthermore, the plurality of small coils 2060 that make up the small coil layer are arranged in a two-dimensional lattice pattern, and are arranged so that their spacing and positions correspond to the positions of the first permanent magnets 2013 provided on the conveying body 2010. This allows magnetic force to be efficiently applied to the first permanent magnets 2013, making it possible to stably propel the conveying body 2010. Furthermore, since the position at which the magnetic force is applied can be precisely controlled, the accuracy of movement control of the conveying body 2010 can be improved.

[0135] In this embodiment, the margin dimension between the small coils 2060 at the outer edge of the substrate and the substrate end is set to ½ or less of the spacing between the small coils 2060. As a result, even when multiple substrates are arranged adjacent to each other, the spacing between the small coils 2060 between the substrates is maintained at approximately equal intervals. Therefore, even when the path formations 2050 that house the small coil substrates 2051 are arranged side by side in a continuous manner, discontinuities are unlikely to occur in the arrangement of the small coils 2060, and the conveyor 2010 can move smoothly.

[0136] In the transport system 2000 according to this embodiment, the transport body 2010 does not need to be equipped with a power source such as a battery. That is, the transport body 2010 does not have built-in power for driving, but rather receives propulsion force through the interaction between the small coil 2060 and the large coil 2062 provided in the path formation body 2050. This allows the transport body 2010 to be lightweight. Furthermore, maintenance work such as battery replacement and charging is not required, and the transport body 2010 can be operated without interruption. Furthermore, since there is no performance degradation due to battery degradation, stable transport performance can be maintained for a long period of time. Furthermore, the transport body 2010 can be used at low temperatures, such as in a freezer.

[0137] In this embodiment, a plurality of support columns 2058 are provided between the top plate portion 2056a and the mid-bottom plate 2055 of the path configuring body 2050. This allows the support columns 2058 to distribute and support the load of the conveyance body 2010 and the object to be conveyed applied to the path configuring body 2050. As a result, the mechanical strength of the entire path configuring body 2050 is improved, and deformation and breakage of the path configuring body 2050 can be suppressed even when conveying heavy loads. Furthermore, since the top plate portion 2056a of the path configuring body 2050 can be formed thin, the distance between the small coil 2060 and the large coil 2062 and the conveyance body 2010 can be shortened, allowing magnetic force to be applied efficiently. Furthermore, since the mid-bottom plate 2055 that supports the load uses a base material such as high-strength carbon fiber reinforced plastic or glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin material, mechanical strength is further improved.

[0138] In this embodiment, a plurality of path constituents 2050 are daisy-chain connected to one another. This eliminates the need to individually wire each path constituent 2050, and allows a system to be constructed simply by connecting the entire system in series. This simplifies the wiring work required when laying the path constituents 2050 on the floor or other base surface, improving the efficiency of the installation work. Furthermore, since the wiring can be prevented from becoming complicated, maintainability is also improved.

[0139] In this embodiment, a magnetic sensor 2061 is provided in the small coil layer of the path formation 2050, and by detecting the pattern of the magnetic field generated by the plurality of second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b built into the conveyance body 2010, the position of the conveyance body 2010 on the path formation 2050 can be determined. Then, excitation control is performed on each coil after the position is determined, so it is possible to move the conveyance body 2010 along the desired path with high precision. This makes it possible to achieve stable movement of the conveyance body 2010 with little error in the stop position and movement direction. Note that, although the embodiment detects the magnetic fields of the second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b, multiple magnetic sensors 2061 may be arranged to detect the magnetic field of the first permanent magnet 2013. Furthermore, multiple magnetic sensors 2061 may be arranged to detect both the magnetic field of the first permanent magnet 2013 and the magnetic field of the second permanent magnets 2015a and 2015b. Furthermore, by using the magnetic sensor 2061, the position of the conveying body 2010 can be grasped even when the path configuring body 2050 is sealed. This makes it possible to prevent water and dust from entering the path configuring body 2050. Furthermore, in a cold place, it is possible to prevent condensation inside the path configuring body 2050.

[0140] In this embodiment, the plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 built into the conveying body 2010 are arranged rotationally symmetrically with the center of the conveying body 2010 as the origin. This makes the distribution of magnetic force acting on the conveying body 2010 uniform regardless of direction, making it possible to control movement of the conveying body 2010 without specifying the orientation thereof, thereby simplifying excitation control.

[0141] In this embodiment, the plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 built into the conveyance body 2010 are arranged rotationally symmetrically with the center of the conveyance body 2010 as the origin. Therefore, movement control using these first permanent magnets 2013 can control movement without depending on the orientation of the conveyance body 2010. On the other hand, the second permanent magnets 2015a provided on the conveyance body 2010 are arranged with their polarities non-rotationally symmetric. Therefore, the orientation of the conveyance body 2010 can be identified by detecting the magnetic field of the second permanent magnets 2015a with the magnetic force sensor 2061 provided on the path forming body 2050. With this configuration, the directionality of the conveyance body 2010 can be ignored in movement control of the conveyance body 2010, while the orientation (posture) of the conveyance body 2010 can be detected and understood as necessary.

[0142] The conveyance body 2010 of this embodiment is provided with ball casters (rolling members 2011) at each of its corners. This allows the conveyance body 2010 to stably support the load of the object to be conveyed and to move smoothly in any direction on the path forming body 2050. In particular, since the use of ball casters can reduce friction, the conveyance body 2010 can be reliably moved even with a relatively small propulsive force generated by the coil of the path forming body 2050.

[0143] In this embodiment, an RF tag is embedded in the conveyance body 2010, and identification information is stored in the RF tag. The route forming body 2050 is provided with an RFID reader / writer 2065 that reads the identification information from the RF tag. This makes it possible to uniquely identify the conveyance body 2010 present on the route forming body 2050. This makes it possible to accurately identify and control each conveyance body 2010 even when multiple conveyance bodies 2010 are traveling simultaneously. Furthermore, even if the system is temporarily stopped due to a power outage or the like, the current position of each conveyance body 2010 can be determined when the system is restored. Therefore, it becomes possible to quickly and reliably resume conveyance control after recovery. Furthermore, even if the conveyance body 2010 is moved manually during a power outage or the like, its position can be identified.

[0144] In this embodiment, the post 2005 is provided in a position where it collectively supports the corners of multiple path formations 2050. This allows one post 2005 to simultaneously support the corners of four path formations 2050, thereby reducing the number of support members required when laying the path formations 2050 over a wide area. As a result, the installation work of the path formations 2050 can be simplified and workability can be greatly improved.

[0145] In this embodiment, the LF band is used for the RF tag provided on the conveyance body 2010. As a result, due to the characteristics of the low frequency band, radio waves are less likely to attenuate even when there are obstructions such as the housing of the conveyance body 2010 or the housing of the path forming body 2050, and identification information can be read stably. Furthermore, since the communication distance of the LF band is relatively short, RFID reader / writers 2065 provided on adjacent path forming bodies 2050 will not erroneously read the same RF tag. As a result, erroneous recognition in identifying the conveyance body 2010 can be prevented, and the reliability of the entire system can be improved.

[0146] The transport system 2000 according to the third embodiment has been described above, but the transport system 2000 of the present invention may be modified as follows.

[0147] [Modification 1] In the embodiment, the small coil layer is disposed above the large coil layer, but the large coil layer may be disposed above the small coil layer.

[0148] [Variation 2] In the above-described embodiment, the path configuration 2050 is provided with two coil layers. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The path configuration may include three or more coil layers. For example, a third coil layer including a plurality of third coils each having a greater number of turns than the small coil 2060 and the large coil 2062 may be provided. By exciting such a third coil, a greater magnetic force can be exerted on the first permanent magnet 2013 built into the conveyance body 2010, thereby enabling the conveyance body 2010 to be levitated and moved from above the path configuration. As another example, a third coil layer including a third coil having a size spanning between the small coil 2060 and the large coil 2062 may be provided. This configuration allows a stronger and more stable propulsive force to be exerted on the conveyance body 2010. Furthermore, the control resolution for the movement of the conveyance body 2010 is improved, thereby increasing the movement accuracy of the conveyance body 2010.

[0149] [Variation 3] In the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the conveying body moves due to the interaction between the small coil and the large coil of the path formation, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a stronger magnetic force may be applied to the first permanent magnet built into the conveying body by increasing the current value supplied to the large coil or by increasing the number of turns of the large coil. By configuring in this way, it is possible to levitate the conveying body from above the path formation and move it, thereby reducing frictional resistance and further improving conveying efficiency.

[0150] [Variation 4] In the above-described embodiment, the conveying body 2010 is provided with the rolling members 2011, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the lower surface of the conveying body may be a smooth plate-like surface, and multiple rolling members (ball casters) may be provided on the top plate of the path constructing body. In this case, the conveying body is supported by multiple rolling members provided on the path constructing body, and can move smoothly in any direction by the rolling of the rolling members. Therefore, the configuration of the conveying body can be simplified, and the conveying body can be made lighter.

[0151] [Modification 5] In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of path formations 2050 are supported by the support columns 2005, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the path formations 2050 may be placed and supported on a plurality of beams arranged side by side on the base surface B.

[0152] [Variation 6] In the above embodiment, the movement command has been described as a translational movement command for moving the conveyance body 2010 in a predetermined direction and / or a rotational movement command for controlling the attitude of the conveyance body 2010, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the movement command is not limited to these, and may be, for example, a command for moving the conveyance body 2010 in a diagonal direction. In this case, the conveyance body 2010 can move in directions other than the orthogonal direction, further increasing the degree of freedom of the conveyance path.

[0153] [Variation 7] In the above-described embodiment, the conveyance body 2010 is moved (translationally and / or rotationally) while its position is detected using the magnetic sensor 2061, or the conveyance body 2010 is moved without using the magnetic sensor 2061. However, the present invention is not limited to these. That is, the position of the conveyance body 2010 may be detected by the magnetic sensor 2061 at the beginning of the movement of the conveyance body 2010, and the conveyance body 2010 may be moved (translationally and / or rotationally) in a predetermined direction based on the detection result, and thereafter the movement may be continued without using the magnetic sensor 2061.

[0154] [Variation 8] In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the position and rotation of the conveyance body 2010 are detected by the magnetic sensor 2061 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a ring-shaped permanent magnet may be provided in the center of the conveyance body, and a three-axis sensor that detects the magnetism of the ring magnet may be provided in the center of the path formation body. The ring magnet has half of its circumference formed as a north pole and the remaining half as a south pole. With this configuration, when executing the rotational movement process, the microcomputer 2064 of the path formation body can accurately grasp the rotation angle of the conveyance body. Therefore, the posture of the conveyance body can be precisely controlled.

[0155] [Modification 9] In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the conveying body 2010 is rotated to a desired angle has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the conveying body 2010 may be continuously rotated to stir the liquid placed on the conveying body 2010. With this configuration, it is possible to uniformly stir a liquid such as a beverage or a reagent during transportation, and the conveying body 2010 can have not only a transport function but also a stirring function.

[0156] [Modification 10] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a current is supplied to the small coil 2060 of the path formation 2050 in order to move the conveyance body 2010, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, when the conveyance body 2010 is stationary on the path formation 2050, the current supplied to the coil may be reduced. With this configuration, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced while the conveyance body 2010 is held in a stationary position.

[0157] [Modification 11] In the above-described embodiment, the conveying body 2010 has a plurality of first permanent magnets 2013 individually arranged thereon, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a yoke may be formed by connecting an N-pole first permanent magnet 2013 and an S-pole first permanent magnet 2013 with a metal plate. With this configuration, a magnetic circuit is formed between the N and S poles, and the magnetic flux generated from the first permanent magnet 2013 can be concentrated toward the path forming body 2050. This further enhances the interaction with the small coil 2060 and / or large coil 2062 of the path forming body 2050, making it possible to improve the propulsion efficiency of the conveying body.

[0158] [Modification 12] In the above embodiment, the multiple first permanent magnets 2013 built into the carrier 2010 have been described as columnar permanent magnets with north and south poles formed in the vertical direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the first permanent magnets built into the carrier may be arranged using a one-dimensional Halbach array or a two-dimensional Halbach array. The Halbach array allows the magnetic flux generated from the first permanent magnets to be concentrated on the path formation 2050 side, reducing magnetic flux leakage to the opposite side. This further enhances the interaction between the path formation 2050 and the small coil 2060 and / or the large coil 2062, making it possible to improve the propulsion efficiency of the carrier.

[0159] [Modification 13] In the above embodiment, the RF tag provided on the carrier 2010 uses the LF band, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the RF tag may use the HF (High Frequency) band or the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band.

[0160] [Variation 14] Power is supplied to the path configurations 2050 via a daisy chain connection. Here, multiple power sources may be provided to supply power to the multiple path configurations 2050. For example, in a case where four power sources are provided, a first power source is connected to the multiple path configurations 2050 connected via a first daisy chain. A second power source is connected to the multiple path configurations 2050 connected via a second daisy chain. Similarly, a third power source is connected to the multiple path configurations 2050 connected via a third daisy chain, and a fourth power source is connected to the multiple path configurations 2050 connected via a fourth daisy chain. This equalizes the power load on each power source, thereby achieving a stable power supply for the entire system. Here, as shown in FIG. 51 , the multiple path configurations 2050 connected to each power source are selected using a Latin square. By using a Latin square configuration, even when, for example, there are multiple conveyances 2010 on multiple path configurations 2050 arranged in a line and these need to be moved simultaneously, the load on the power source is appropriately distributed, making it possible to drive multiple conveyances 2010 at once. Note that power supply from multiple power sources is not limited to daisy-chain-connected path configurations 2050. Furthermore, the multiple path configurations 2050 connected to a power source may be determined randomly, in addition to being determined by a method other than a Latin square. In other words, it is sufficient that at least adjacent path configurations 2050 are selected to be connected to different power sources.

[0161] [Modification 15] In the above-described embodiment, the driver board 2053 and the control board 2054 are housed in the lower space surrounded by the lower cover 2057 and the middle bottom plate 2055, but this is not limiting. For example, one or both of the driver board and the control board may be housed in the upper space surrounded by the upper cover 2056 and the middle bottom plate 2055. Furthermore, the multiple drivers 2063 may be mounted on the coil boards of the corresponding coils.

[0162] [Modification 16] In the above embodiment, various magnets such as neodymium magnets, ferrite magnets, alnico magnets, samarium-cobalt magnets, and rare earth-free magnets can be used as the permanent magnets.

[0163] [Variation 17] In the above-described embodiment, the path constituent element is laid on a base surface B inside the building, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the base surface may be the floor of the lifting device. By configuring in this manner, the path constituent element is laid on the floor surface of the lifting device. As a result, the conveyance object can move from the path constituent element laid on the first floor of the building to the lifting device, move to the second floor by lifting operation, and then move onto the path constituent element laid on the second floor. Therefore, the conveyance system can be constructed across multiple floors in a building, and the conveyance range can be expanded in the vertical direction. In addition, a device for pushing the path constituent element into the lifting device and a device for pushing the path constituent element out of the lifting device may be provided.

[0164] [Variation 18] In the above-described embodiment, the size of the conveying body is formed to be approximately the same size as one of the path constituents, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the size of the conveying body may be twice or four times the size of the path constituent. Furthermore, the size of the conveying body may be 1 / 2 or 2 / 3 the size of the path constituent. Furthermore, the outer shape of the conveying body is not limited to a square, and may be a circle, another polygon, or the outer shape of a motif.

[0165] [Variation 19] In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which a predetermined number of first permanent magnets built into the conveying body were arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the arrangement and number of the first permanent magnets may be arbitrary, and various arrangements such as a staggered arrangement, a lattice arrangement, or a radial arrangement may be adopted. Furthermore, the number of first permanent magnets is not particularly limited and may be set appropriately depending on the size and application of the conveying body. In short, it is sufficient that the first permanent magnets are arranged in positions corresponding to the small coils on the small coil substrate, thereby imparting the desired propulsive force to the conveying body.

[0166] 1001 conveying system 1010 conveying body 1013 permanent magnet 1050 path forming body 1051 electromagnet 2000 conveying system 2010 conveying body 2013 first permanent magnet 2050 path forming body 2051 small coil substrate 2052 large coil substrate 2060 small coil 2061 magnetic force sensor 2062 large coil

Claims

1. A conveying system comprising: a path configuration that forms a conveying path for an article; and a conveying body that moves on the path configuration and conveys the article, wherein the conveying body has a plurality of first permanent magnets, the path configuration comprises: a first coil layer that includes a plurality of first coils arranged in a two-dimensional lattice; and a second coil layer that includes a plurality of second coils arranged between the first coils, wherein the plurality of first permanent magnets are arranged corresponding to any of the plurality of first coils, and a propulsive force is imparted to the first permanent magnet by passing current through the plurality of first coils and the second coil.

2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first permanent magnets are arranged in each quadrant of an orthogonal coordinate system with the center of the transport body as the origin in a plan view.

3. A conveying system as described in claim 2, characterized in that each of the quadrants is provided with a plurality of the first permanent magnets arranged with their north pole faces facing the path configuration, and a plurality of the first permanent magnets arranged with their south pole faces facing the path configuration, and the plurality of first permanent magnets in one quadrant and the plurality of first permanent magnets in the other quadrant are arranged symmetrically.

4. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the path structure includes a sensor for detecting the position or posture of the transport body.

5. A conveying system as described in claim 1, wherein the conveying body is provided with an information storage unit that stores unique information assigned to the conveying body, and the path structure is provided with a reading unit that reads the unique information from the information storage unit.

6. The transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of said path structures, and one or both of power supply and communication for each of said path structures is realized by a daisy chain connection.

7. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the path structure comprises: a coil layer including the first coil layer and the second coil layer; a top plate disposed above the coil layer; a bottom plate disposed below the coil layer; and a support extending between the bottom plate and the top plate and supporting the top plate.

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