JP7314966B2 - Goods transport equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article transport facility that includes a carriage that transports an article, a plurality of article support units that are provided on a transport path of the article and that temporarily place the articles transported by the carriage, and a carriage control unit that controls the travel of the carriage, wherein the transport carriage travels between the predetermined article support units to transport the articles.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a device as shown in Patent Document 1 as this type of article transport equipment. The article transport equipment of Patent Document 1 has two parallel running rails arranged in an L-shape on the inner side and the outer side, respectively, and two track-guided carriages (transporting carriages) reciprocate along the running rails. The two track-guided carriages transport articles between cradles (article support portions) provided near both ends of the L-shaped travel rail and cradles provided near the corner portions of the L-shaped travel rail. The cradles provided near both ends of the L-shaped running rail are used as stations between stacker cranes, other track-guided vehicles, automatic guided vehicles, and the like.
In the article transport equipment of Patent Document 1, one of the track-guided carriages transports and temporarily places an article temporarily placed on a cradle provided near one end of the L-shaped running rail to a cradle provided near a corner of the L-shaped running rail. Then, the other track-guided vehicle transports and temporarily places the article temporarily placed on the receiving stand near the corner to a receiving stand provided near the other end of the L-shaped running rail.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-202806

However, in a conventional article transportation facility such as the article transportation facility of Patent Document 1, when it is determined that there is no obstacle to temporarily placing an article on the article support section, such as when an article is not temporarily placed on the article support section where the article is to be temporarily placed and the other transportation carriage is not stopped at the article support section, the carriage control section that controls the travel of the transportation carriage travels without considering the inventory status of the downstream article support section located downstream from the article support section. Therefore, even if the succeeding article cannot be temporarily placed on the downstream article supporting section because the article is temporarily placed on the downstream article supporting section (when it takes time to transport the succeeding article to the downstream article supporting section), the carriage control section controls the traveling of the carriage with the same control as when the article is not temporarily placed on the downstream article supporting section. Therefore, there is a problem that the carriage is wasted and the carriage excessively consumes electric power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide an article transport facility capable of suppressing the power consumption of the transport vehicle by restricting the wasteful running of the transport vehicle.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the article transport equipment of the present invention comprises a transport carriage that transports an article, a plurality of article support units that are provided on a transport route of the article and temporarily place the articles transported by the transport trolley, and a carriage control unit that controls the travel of the transport trolley. The conveying instruction and the traveling speed are controlled according to the inventory status of the downstream article supporting section located downstream of the predetermined article supporting section with respect to the traveling direction of the carrier.
In the above configuration, the transport instruction and the running speed of the carriage are controlled according to the inventory status of the downstream article support section located downstream of the predetermined article support section with respect to the travel direction of the carriage.

In the article conveying equipment of the present invention, when the conveying cart travels in the downstream direction of the article conveying route toward the article supporting section on which the article is to be temporarily placed, if the article is temporarily placed on the downstream side article supporting section located downstream of the article supporting section on which the article is to be temporarily placed, the carriage control section sets the traveling of the conveying carriage to a low speed mode.
Here, the low-speed mode refers to a mode in which the carriage travels at a travel speed slower than the normal travel speed (travel speed during normal transport, hereinafter referred to as normal speed) when the carriage travels to the article support section where the article is to be temporarily placed (the same applies to the following description).
In the above configuration, when an article is temporarily placed on the downstream side article supporting section located downstream of the article supporting section where the article is to be temporarily placed, the carriage travels in the low speed mode.

The article conveying facility of the present invention includes a first transfer device that transfers articles to and from the downstream article support section according to a predetermined transfer instruction, and the carriage control section controls the conveying instruction to the conveying carriage and the traveling speed according to the inventory status of the downstream article supporting section and the presence or absence of the conveying instruction to the first transfer apparatus.
In the above configuration, the transport instruction to the carriage and the traveling speed are controlled according to the inventory status of the downstream article support section and the presence or absence of the transport instruction to the first transfer device.

In the article conveying equipment of the present invention, the carriage control section places the conveying carriage in a low speed mode when the article is temporarily placed on the downstream article support section and the first transfer device does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the article from the downstream article support section.
In the above configuration, when an article is temporarily placed on the downstream article support section and the first transfer device does not execute a transfer instruction to transfer the article from the downstream article support section, the carriage travels in the low speed mode.

In the article conveying equipment of the present invention, the carriage control section sets the traveling of the carriage to a low speed mode when the first transfer device cannot execute the conveying instruction.
In the above configuration, when the first transfer device cannot execute the transfer instruction, the carriage travels in the low speed mode.

In the article conveying equipment of the present invention, when the conveying carriage travels in the upstream direction of the article conveying route toward the article supporting section that is scheduled to receive the article, if no article is temporarily placed on the upstream side article supporting section that is located upstream from the article supporting section that is scheduled to receive the article, the carriage control section sets the traveling of the conveying carriage to a low speed mode.
In the above configuration, when the carriage travels toward the article support section intended to receive the article, if the article is not temporarily placed on the upstream article support section positioned upstream from the article support section intended to receive the article, the carriage travels in the low speed mode.

In the article conveying facility of the present invention, the conveying carriage is provided with a second transfer device for transferring the article to and from the article supporting section which is scheduled to receive the article, according to a predetermined conveying instruction, and the carriage control section sets the traveling of the conveying carriage to a low speed mode when the article is not temporarily placed on the article supporting section and the second transfer device does not execute the conveying instruction to transfer the article to the article supporting section.
In the above configuration, when the article is not temporarily placed on the article support section and the second transfer device does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the article to the article support section, the carriage travels in the low speed mode.

In the article conveying equipment of the present invention, the carriage control section sets the traveling of the carriage to a low speed mode when there is no conveying instruction to the second transfer device.
In the above configuration, when there is no transfer instruction to the second transfer device, the carriage travels in the low speed mode.

According to the article conveying equipment of the present invention, the conveying instruction to the conveying carriage traveling toward the predetermined article supporting section and the traveling speed are controlled according to the inventory status of the downstream article supporting section located downstream of the predetermined article supporting section with respect to the traveling direction of the conveying carriage. Therefore, it is possible to promote energy saving and life extension of the carriage. In addition, in equipment that requires a high level of cleanliness, it is possible to effectively improve the airflow (countermeasures against particles) by controlling the transport instructions to the carriage and the running speed, which can reduce the amount of particles, etc., thrown up by the carriage.

1 is a side view of an article conveying facility according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the article transport equipment when the carriage travels from the first receiving platform toward the second receiving platform; FIG. 10 is a plan view of the article transport facility when the carriage travels from the second receiving platform toward the first receiving platform; It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the goods conveying equipment. 4 is a flow chart showing the control of the carrier when the carrier travels from the first carrier to the second carrier in the same article carrier facility. 10 is a flow chart showing control of the carrier when the carrier travels from the second carrier to the third carrier in the same article carrier facility. 10 is a flow chart showing control of the carrier when the carrier travels from the third carrier to the second carrier in the article carrier equipment. 10 is a flow chart showing control of the carrier when the carrier travels from the second carrier toward the first carrier in the article carrier facility.

First, the article conveying equipment 10 according to the present invention will be explained.

The article transport facility 10 is provided between storage shelves 91 and 92 for storing cassettes 90 (an example of "articles") containing liquid crystal panels in, for example, a liquid crystal panel manufacturing factory, and is used to transport the cassettes 90 from the first storage shelf 91 (post-transport system) to the second storage shelf 92 (destination system).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the article transport facility 10 has a linear travel path 11 (an example of a “transport path”) for running a transport carriage 25 for transporting a cassette 90, and is provided between storage shelves 91 and 92. A first storage shelf 91 is provided at one end portion 11a of the travel path 11 (the transport start end portion of the cassette 90), and a second storage shelf 92 is provided at the other end portion 11b of the travel route 11 (the transport end portion of the cassette 90). A plurality of storage units 93 and 94 for storing the cassettes 90 are provided in the storage racks 91 and 92 provided with the article transport equipment 10 .

At one end 11a of the travel path 11, there are provided a first receiving table 12 (an example of an "article support section" and an "upstream article supporting section") for transferring the cassette 90 to and from the carriage 25, and a first stacker crane 23 (an example of a "second transfer device") for transferring the cassette 90 between the first storage section 93 of the first storage shelf 91 and the first receiving table 12.
At the other end 11b of the travel path 11, there are provided a fourth receiving table 15 (an example of an "article support section" and a "downstream article supporting section") for transferring the cassette 90 to and from the carrier 25, and a second stacker crane 24 (an example of a "first transfer device") for transferring the cassette 90 between each of the second storage sections 94 of the second storage shelf 92 and the fourth receiving table 15.

The receiving bases 12 and 15 are composed of four receiving portions 16 that support the four corners of the bottom of the cassette 90 . The receiving trays 12 and 15 receive the cassette 90 from below with four receiving portions 16 . The receiving portion 16 is formed at a height such that the placed cassette 90 does not come into contact with the carriage 25 passing below. Further, the four receiving portions 16 are arranged at positions that do not come into contact with the carriage 25 passing below the placed cassette 90 . A cassette 90 unloaded from the first storage section 93 by the first stacker crane 23 is placed on the first receiving table 12 . Cassettes 90 to be carried into the second storage section 94 by the second stacker crane 24 are placed on the fourth receiving table 15 .
Load sensors 17 and 20 for detecting the loading status of the cassettes 90 on the load receiving stands 12 and 15 are provided on the load receiving stands 12 and 15, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4 , the load sensors 17 and 20 are connected to a general controller 21 and a ground controller 22 that control the entire article transport facility 10 , and send detection signals to the general controller 21 and ground controller 22 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, at predetermined positions on the travel route 11, load receiving stands 13 and 14 (an example of an "article support section," an "upstream article support section," and a "downstream article support section") for temporarily placing a cassette 90 conveyed by the carriage 25 are provided. The load receiving bases 13 and 14 are composed of four receiving portions 16, similar to the load receiving bases 12 and 15. As shown in FIG. Cassettes 90 that are transported from the first storage shelf 91 toward the second storage shelf 92 by the transport carriage 25 are temporarily placed on the receiving trays 13 and 14 . Load sensors 18 and 19 for detecting the status of the cassettes 90 on the load receiving stands 13 and 14 are provided on the load receiving stands 13 and 14, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4 , the load sensors 18 and 19 are connected to the general controller 21 and the ground controller 22 and transmit detection signals to the general controller 21 and the ground controller 22 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the first stacker crane 23 transfers the cassettes 90 stored in the first storage sections 93 of the first storage racks 91 to the first receiving tray 12 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the first stacker crane 23 is connected to the overall controller 21, and unloads the cassette 90 from a predetermined first storage section 93 and transfers it to the first load receiving table 12 in accordance with a transport instruction from the overall controller 21. That is, the first stacker crane 23 is a transfer device that requires a transfer instruction from a higher-level controller (overall controller 21).
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the second stacker crane 24 transfers the cassettes 90 placed on the fourth receiving platform 15 to the second storage units 94 of the second storage shelf 92 . As shown in FIG. 4, the second stacker crane 24 is connected to the general controller 21, and carries the cassettes 90 placed on the fourth receiving tray 15 into a predetermined second storage section 94 in accordance with a transport instruction from the general controller 21. That is, the second stacker crane 24 is a transfer device that requires a transfer instruction from a higher-level controller (overall controller 21).

As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 25 that conveys the cassette 90 includes a vehicle body 25b having wheels 25a on the front and rear sides, and a lifter 25c that is provided on the vehicle body 25b and supports the cassette 90 so that the cassette 90 can be raised and lowered. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the carriage 25 travels back and forth between the first load receiving table 12 and the fourth load receiving table 15 along the travel rails 27 laid on the travel route 11 . The carriage 25 continuously conveys the cassette 90 from the first receiving table 12 to the fourth receiving table 15, or conveys the cassette 90 while temporarily placing it on each receiving table (the receiving tables 13, 14) between the first receiving table 12 and the fourth receiving table 15.例文帳に追加In addition, after the cassette 90 is temporarily placed on any one of the second receiving trays 13 to 4th receiving tray 15, the carriage 25 continuously travels from the fourth receiving tray 15 to the first receiving tray 12 in order to receive the cassette 90 temporarily placed on one of the first receiving trays 12 to the third receiving tray 14, or on each receiving tray between the first receiving tray 12 and the fourth receiving tray 15. It travels while passing through the cradles 13, 14). The transport carriage 25 unloads (temporarily places) and loads (receives) the cassettes 90 on the load receiving bases 12, 13, 14, and 15 by raising and lowering the lifter 25c. The carriage 25 is configured to be able to pass between the four receiving portions 16 of the receiving trays 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 . That is, when the transport carriage 25 is transporting the cassette 90, it travels with the lifter 25c raised so that the cassette 90 does not contact the receiving portion 16, and when it travels without transporting the cassette 90, it travels with the lifter 25c lowered so that the vehicle body 25b does not contact the receiving portion 16.
As shown in FIG. 4, the carriage 25 is controlled by a ground-side controller 22 (an example of a “carriage control unit”) provided on the ground side and a vehicle body-side controller 26 provided on the carriage 25.
The ground-side controller 22 is connected to the general controller 21 , controls the travel of the carriage 25 in accordance with instructions from the general controller 21 , and instructs the conveyance of the cassette 90 . The ground-side controller 22 exchanges signals with the vehicle body-side controller 26 by optical transmission, thereby performing travel control of the carriage 25 and instructions for transporting the cassette 90 .
The vehicle body side controller 26 is mounted on the carriage 25 and causes the carriage 25 to travel according to instructions from the ground side controller 22 to convey the cassette 90 .

Next, travel control of the carriage 25 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the traveling control of the carrier 25 when the carrier 25 receives the cassette 90 placed on the first carrier 12 and transports it to the second carrier 13 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the ground controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the third loading platform 14 (S1). Specifically, the ground controller 22 detects the presence or absence of a signal from the third load sensor 19 . When the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the third load receiving table 14 (S1-Yes), it then determines whether the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth load receiving table 15 (S2). Specifically, the ground controller 22 detects the presence or absence of a signal from the fourth load sensor 20 . When the ground-side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth load receiving tray 15 (S2-Yes), it instructs the vehicle-side controller 26 to decelerate and run the carriage 25 in the low-speed mode (S3). That is, when the cassettes 90 are placed on the third load receiving table 14 and the fourth load receiving table 15, the ground controller 22 causes the carrier 25 to travel at a speed lower than the normal speed.
On the other hand, when the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the third load receiving table 14 (S1-No), or determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the fourth load receiving table 15 (S2-No), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel, causing the carriage 25 to travel at a normal speed (S4).
When the carriage 25 reaches the second receiving tray 13, the ground controller 22 instructs the vehicle body controller 26 to transport the cassette 90 to the second receiving tray 13 (S5).
In this way, the ground-side controller 22 controls the conveying instruction and the traveling speed to the carriage 25 traveling in the downstream direction of the conveying route of the cassette 90 toward the second carriage 13 on which the cassette 90 is to be temporarily placed, according to the inventory status of the third carriage 14 and the fourth carriage 15 located downstream of the second carriage 13 with respect to the travel direction of the carriage 25.

Next, the traveling control of the carrier 25 when the carrier 25 receives the cassette 90 placed on the second receiving platform 13 and transports it to the third receiving platform 14 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the ground controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth receiving tray 15 (S11). When the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the fourth receiving tray 15 (S11-No), it then determines whether the second storage section 94 (port) of the second storage shelf 92 is ready for use (S12). That is, the ground-side controller 22 determines whether or not the second stacker crane 24 is in a state (Out Of Service state) in which it is not possible to carry the cassette 90 from the fourth loading platform 15 to the second storage unit 94 of the second storage rack 92 due to an error, inspection of the second stacker crane 24 itself, or the like. When the ground side controller 22 determines that the second storage section 94 (port) of the second storage shelf 92 is ready for use (S12-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel, causing the carriage 25 to travel at normal speed (S13).
On the other hand, when the ground controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth receiving platform 15 (S11-Yes), it then determines whether the second stacker crane 24 is instructing to transport the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving platform 15 to the second storage section 94 of the second storage shelf 92 (S14). When the ground side controller 22 determines that the second stacker crane 24 is executing the transport instruction (S14-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel, causing the carriage 25 to travel at a normal speed (S15). That is, when the second stacker crane 24 is about to transfer the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving platform 15 to the second storage unit 94 of the second storage shelf 92, the ground controller 22 causes the carriage 25 to run at normal speed.
On the other hand, when the ground side controller 22 determines that the second storage section 94 (port) of the second storage shelf 92 is not available (S12-No), or determines that the second stacker crane 24 has not executed the transport instruction (S14-No), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to decelerate and causes the carriage 25 to travel in low speed mode (S16). That is, when the second stacker crane 24 stops without completely transferring the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving platform 15 to the second storage unit 94 of the second storage shelf 92, or when the cassette 90 is being transferred to another second storage unit 94, the ground controller 22 causes the carriage 25 to run at a slower speed than the normal speed.
When the carriage 25 reaches the third receiving tray 14, the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to convey the cassette 90 to the third receiving tray 14 (S17).
In this manner, the ground-side controller 22 controls the transportation instruction to the carriage 25 and the traveling speed according to the status of the cargo on the fourth receiving tray 15 and the presence or absence of the transportation instruction to the second stacker crane 24 . That is, when the cassette 90 is temporarily placed on the fourth receiving tray 15 and the second stacker crane 24 does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving tray 15, or when the second stacker crane 24 cannot execute the above-described transfer instruction (when the second storage unit 94 (port) of the second storage shelf 92 is not available), the ground controller 22 causes the transport carriage 25 to travel at a slower speed than the normal speed.

Next, the traveling control of the carrier 25 when the carrier 25 unloads (places) the cassette 90 on the third carrier 14 and returns to the first carrier 12 or the second carrier 13 to receive the cassette 90 from the first carrier 12 or the second carrier 13 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, the ground controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the second receiving tray 13 (S21). Specifically, the ground controller 22 detects the presence or absence of a signal from the second load sensor 18 . When the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the second load receiving table 13 (S21-No), it then determines whether the cassette 90 is placed on the first load receiving table 12 (S22). Specifically, the ground controller 22 detects the presence or absence of a signal from the first load sensor 17 . When the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the first load receiving table 12 (S22-No), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to decelerate and run the carriage 25 in the low speed mode (S23). That is, when the cassette 90 is not placed on the first receiving table 12 and the second receiving table 13, the ground controller 22 causes the carriage 25 to travel at a speed lower than the normal speed. Further, when the carriage 25 reaches the first receiving tray 12, the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to receive (load) the cassette 90 on the first receiving tray 12 (S24).
On the other hand, when the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the second load receiving tray 13 (S21-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel, and the carriage 25 travels at normal speed (S25). Further, when the carriage 25 reaches the second receiving tray 13, the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to receive the cassette 90 on the second receiving tray 13 (S26).
On the other hand, the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the second receiving table 13 (S21-No), and subsequently determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the first receiving table 12 (S22-Yes). Further, when the carriage 25 reaches the first receiving tray 12, the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to receive the cassette 90 on the first receiving tray 12 (S24).
In this way, when the carriage 25 travels in the upstream direction of the conveyance route of the cassette 90 toward the second receiving tray 13 scheduled to receive the cassette 90, the controller 22 on the ground side causes the carriage 25 to travel at a slower speed than the normal speed if the cassette 90 is not temporarily placed on the first receiving tray 12 located upstream of the second receiving tray 13 scheduled to receive the cassette 90.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the travel control of the carrier 25 when the carrier 25 unloads (carries in) the cassette 90 onto the second carrier 13 and returns to the first carrier 12 to receive the cassette 90 from the first carrier 12 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, the ground controller 22 determines whether the cassette 90 is placed on the first receiving tray 12 (S31). When the ground-side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the first receiving tray 12 (S31-No), it then determines whether the first stacker crane 23 is executing an instruction to transport the cassette 90 from the first storage section 93 of the first storage shelf 91 to the first receiving tray 12 (S32). When the ground side controller 22 determines that the first stacker crane 23 is executing the transport instruction (S32-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel, causing the carriage 25 to travel at normal speed (S33). That is, when the first stacker crane 23 is about to transfer the cassette 90 from the first storage unit 93 of the first storage shelf 91 to the first receiving platform 12, the ground controller 22 causes the carrier 25 to travel at a normal speed.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the second stacker crane 24 has not executed the transport instruction (S32-No), it instructs the vehicle controller 26 to decelerate, causing the carriage 25 to run in low speed mode (S34). That is, when the first stacker crane 23 is stopped without executing any transfer of the cassette 90 from the first storage section 93 of the first storage shelf 91 to the first load receiving platform 12 despite receiving the above-mentioned transport instruction, or when the first stacker crane 23 is stopped because there is no above-mentioned transport instruction to the first stacker crane 23 in the first place, the ground side controller 22 causes the transport carriage 25 to travel at a slower speed than the normal speed.
On the other hand, when the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the first load receiving table 12 (S31-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel, causing the carriage 25 to travel at a normal speed (S33).
In this manner, the ground-side controller 22 controls the transport instruction to the carriage 25 and the traveling speed according to the status of the goods on the first receiving tray 12 and the presence or absence of the transport instruction to the first stacker crane 23 . That is, when the cassette 90 is not temporarily placed on the first load receiving table 12 and the first stacker crane 23 does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the cassette 90 to the first load receiving table 12, or when there is no transfer instruction to the first stacker crane 23, the ground side controller 22 causes the transport carriage 25 to travel at a reduced speed from the normal speed.

As described above, according to the article transport equipment 10, the transportation instruction to the carrier 25 traveling toward the second carrier 13 and the traveling speed are controlled according to the inventory status of the third carrier 14 and the fourth carrier 15 located downstream of the second carrier 13 with respect to the traveling direction of the carrier 25. Therefore, unnecessary travel of the carrier 25 can be suppressed, and the carrier 25 does not consume excessive power. Therefore, energy saving and life extension of the carriage 25 can be promoted. In addition, in equipment that requires a high level of cleanliness, it is possible to reduce the amount of particles and the like thrown up by the carriage 25 by controlling the transport instruction and the running speed to the carriage 25, so it is possible to effectively improve the airflow (countermeasures against particles).

In the present embodiment, the cassette 90 is used as the article to be conveyed by the carriage 25, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any article that can be conveyed by the carriage 25 may be used.
In the present embodiment, the article conveying facility 10 is provided with the four receiving trays 12, 13, 14, and 15, but the present invention is not limited to this, and three or five or more receiving trays may be provided as long as the carrier 25 is provided with a plurality of receiving trays capable of transporting the cassettes 90.
In the present embodiment, the travel route 11 of the carriage 25 is formed in a straight line, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the travel route may have a curved travel route or a merging or branching route.
In the present embodiment, the first transfer device is the second stacker crane 24, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first transfer device may be composed of, for example, an unmanned transport robot, an unmanned transport vehicle, or the like, as long as it is a transfer device capable of transferring the cassette 90 to and from the fourth load receiving platform 15 according to a predetermined transport instruction. Similarly, although the first stacker crane 23 is used as the second transfer device, the second transfer device may be configured by, for example, an unmanned transport robot, an unmanned transport vehicle, etc., as long as the transfer device is capable of transferring the cassette 90 to and from the first load receiving platform 12 according to a predetermined transport instruction.
In this embodiment, one carriage 25 travels on the travel route 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more carriages may travel.

10 article conveying equipment 11 traveling route (conveying route)
12 first loading platform (article support section, upstream article support section)
13 Second loading platform (article support section, upstream article support section)
14 third loading platform (article support section, downstream article support section)
15 fourth loading platform (article support section, downstream article support section)
22 ground side controller (truck control unit)
25 carrier 90 cassette (goods)

Claims (8)

An article transport facility comprising: a carriage for transporting an article; a plurality of article support units provided on a transport path of the article for temporarily placing the articles transported by the carriage;
The article conveying equipment, wherein the carriage control unit controls a conveying instruction and a traveling speed to the conveying carriage traveling toward a predetermined article supporting unit according to the inventory status of a downstream article supporting unit located downstream of the predetermined article supporting unit with respect to the traveling direction of the conveying carriage. 2. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein, when the transport vehicle travels toward the article support unit on which the article is to be temporarily placed in the downstream direction of the transport path of the article, the carriage control unit sets the traveling of the transport vehicle to a low speed mode when the article is temporarily placed in the downstream article support unit located downstream of the article support unit on which the article is to be temporarily placed. a first transfer device that transfers an article to and from the downstream article support section in accordance with a predetermined transfer instruction;
3. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein the carriage control unit controls the transport instruction to the transport carriage and the traveling speed according to the inventory status of the downstream article support unit and the presence or absence of the transport instruction to the first transfer device. 4. The article conveying facility according to claim 3, wherein the carriage control unit sets the travel of the carriage to a low speed mode when the article is temporarily placed on the downstream article support section and the first transfer device does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the article from the downstream article support section. 5. The article transport facility according to claim 3, wherein the carriage control unit sets the traveling of the carriage to a low speed mode when the first transfer device cannot execute the transport instruction. 2. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein, when the transport vehicle travels in the upstream direction of the transport path of the article toward the article support part scheduled to receive the article, if no article is temporarily placed on the upstream article support part located upstream from the article support part scheduled to receive the article, the carriage control unit sets the travel of the transport vehicle to a low speed mode. a second transfer device for transferring the article between the carriage and an article support section for receiving the article in accordance with a predetermined transfer instruction;
7. The article conveying equipment according to claim 6, wherein the carriage control unit sets the travel of the carriage to a low speed mode when the article is not temporarily placed on the article support section and the second transfer device does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the article to the article support section. 8. The article transport facility according to claim 7, wherein the carriage control unit sets the traveling of the carriage to a low speed mode when there is no transport instruction to the second transfer device.

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