Overhead Conveyance Vehicle with Swivelable Body and Offset Sensor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional overhead transport vehicles are limited in the degree of freedom of transfer position due to the presence of support members for obstacle sensors, restricting the direction in which articles can be transferred.
Innovation Solution
The overhead transport vehicle design includes a swivelable body part with a transfer device capable of horizontal feeding and an obstacle sensor positioned to avoid overlapping with the transfer direction, allowing the transfer device to operate in any direction, and incorporates a control system to align the obstacle sensor's detection area with the travel direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If support members are provided to attach obstacle sensors to the traveling cart, then obstacle detection is enabled, but the transfer device cannot feed articles in the direction of the support members, limiting transfer position freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The obstacle sensor is extracted from the support member structure and relocated to the body part. This removes the support member from the article feeding direction, eliminating the constraint it imposed on transfer device movement while preserving obstacle detection functionality through the body part's swiveling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The obstacle sensor is repositioned from a vertical attachment (support member extending downward) to a horizontal arrangement on the body part. This dimensional change allows the transfer device to operate freely in the horizontal feeding direction while the obstacle sensor maintains detection capability through the body part's rotation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the body part is made swivelable to increase transfer freedom, then transfer position freedom increases, but the obstacle sensor must be repositioned to avoid overlapping with the transfer direction
Solution Approach 1:
The obstacle sensor is integrated onto the body part structure itself, combining the sensor function with the swiveling mechanism. This unified structure allows both transfer freedom and obstacle detection without requiring separate support members or complex positioning systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the obstacle sensor is positioned in the body part away from the transfer direction, then transfer device can operate in any direction, but the sensor must be precisely positioned to maintain detection accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The body part's swiveling capability provides dynamic adjustment, allowing the obstacle sensor to be positioned optimally for detection while the transfer device gains freedom of movement. The swiveling motion compensates for precise positioning requirements by enabling adaptive orientation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The overhead transport vehicle includes: a traveling cart configured to travel on a track; a body part provided in a swivelable manner with respect to the traveling cart; a transfer device provided in the body part and provided to be capable of feeding an article in a horizontal direction; and an obstacle sensor provided in a manner of not overlapping a direction in which the transfer device feeds the article in the body part, and configured to detect an obstacle located ahead in a travel direction of the traveling cart.