Article Transfer Verification Before Transport Vehicle Departure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing article transport facilities face challenges in managing article transportation due to erroneous transfers and mismatched operations between transport vehicles and operators, leading to inefficiencies and difficulty in managing the entire transportation process.

Innovation Solution

An article transport facility with a managing device that includes a reader to read identification information and an identifier to confirm the holding state of articles on transport vehicles, ensuring proper transfer operations by satisfying reading and loaded conditions before allowing vehicles to depart from stop positions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual transfer operation is performed by operator, then flexibility in article transfer is maintained, but erroneous transfer and operational mismatch occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanual transfer operationVSAvoidtransfer accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the reader reads identification information of articles and the identifier detects the holding state of articles on transport vehicles. The managing device uses this feedback information to verify transfer accuracy and control vehicle departure, preventing erroneous transfers while maintaining operational flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical transfer operations with an automated system comprising a reader, identifier, and managing device. This substitution eliminates human error in transfer operations while maintaining the flexibility to handle various article types through automated identification and verification processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If automated transfer operation is implemented, then transfer accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransfer accuracyVSAvoidmanaging device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The managing device performs multiple functions including reading identification information, detecting holding states, controlling vehicle departure, and managing transfer operations. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional device, the system achieves high transfer accuracy without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediary components (reader and identifier) that mediate between the manual transfer operation and the automated control system. These intermediaries simplify the interaction between human operators and automated systems, enabling accurate transfers while reducing the complexity burden on the managing device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If condition verification is performed before departure, then operational errors are prevented, but transfer time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational correctnessVSAvoidtransfer cycle time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs reading and identification operations in advance before the actual transfer completion. By conducting verification actions preliminarily, the system ensures operational correctness is established before departure while minimizing the time added to the transfer cycle through efficient sequencing of verification steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The managing device continuously monitors and verifies transfer conditions without interrupting the overall transfer process. The reader and identifier operate continuously to detect when articles are properly loaded, allowing condition verification to proceed in parallel with transfer operations rather than as a sequential bottleneck.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentEP4678566A1Article transport facility
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 DAIFUKU CO LTD
  • EP4678566A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4678566A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4678566A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

An article transport facility includes a work area in which a transfer operation is performed to transfer an article (G) supplied from an article supplier to a transport vehicle (1) and a managing device (5) that manages the transfer operation. A travel path (R) includes a stop position (P) at which the transport vehicle (1) stops to receive the article (G) in the transfer operation. The stop position (P) is adjacent to the work area. The managing device (5) causes the transport vehicle (1) to depart from the stop position (P) in response to a reading completion condition and a loaded condition being satisfied. The reading completion condition is satisfied when identification information of a transport target article (G) is read by a reader (51). The loaded condition is satisfied when an identifier (52) determines that the transport vehicle (1) holds the transport target article (G) based on an identification result.