Abstract: A raising/lowering conveyance apparatus has at least two sets of container holders operable to be raised/lowered in conjunction with each other, and to be freely movable closer to or away from containers in the back-and-forth horizontal direction. A sensor operable to detect the upper end height of the transferred containers which have been transferred and raised is attached to a position near the lower end of each container holder, to determine abnormality in posture of the transferred containers through a comparison operation between the value of the upper end height of the transferred containers detected by the sensor and the normal value of the upper end height of the transferred containers calculated on the basis of the height of the container being handled.

Abstract: A bag capable of storing an article, the bag being conveyed while being suspended from a rail. The bag includes: a body that stores the article; a suspending member that suspends the body from the rail; and a reorienting member that reorients the body with respect to the suspending member. The body includes a bag having an internal storage space for the article, and the reorienting member is provided independently of the body, is supported pivotally with respect to the suspending member, has a free end in the body so as to pivot with respect to the suspending member, and pivots with respect to the suspending member so as to reorient the body.

Abstract: A conveyor system for conveying an article that is stored while being suspended from a rail, the conveyor system including a bag having a body and a suspending member that suspends the body, and reorienting devices that reorient the bag. The bag has an opening on the body such that the article is dropped into and discharged from the opening. The reorienting devices include engaging members that are engaged with the body. The engaging members are engaged with the interior of the body so as to reorient the body from at least one of an orientation for conveying the article to an orientation for dropping the article into the opening or from the orientation for conveying the article to an orientation for discharging the article from the opening.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus that conveys articles supported by a plurality of arranged article supports, the conveyor apparatus including infilling members, each being disposed between the article supports. In one embodiment, the infilling member includes a plate contact part in contact with the article support such that the upward curvature of the plate contact part is larger than that of the tray contact part of the article support corresponding to the plate contact part.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus that conveys articles supported by a plurality of arranged article supports. The conveyor apparatus including infilling members, being disposed between the article supports. In one embodiment, an infill plate serving as the infilling member is urged to a tray by springs, so that the infill plate is kept in contact with the tray.

Abstract: A conveyor device for conveying articles includes: travel units, trays provided for the respective travel units, and infill plates, each covering a clearance left between the trays. A swing bar supports the infill plate so as to vertically swing the infill plate and is provided at a position shifted by a predetermined distance L in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the travel unit from the position of a coupler connecting the travel unit supporting a plate-tilting shaft and the travel unit traveling ahead, the plate-tilting shaft supporting the infill plate so as to laterally tilt the infill plate.

Abstract: A conveyor device for conveying articles includes: travel units, trays provided for the respective travel units, and infill plates, each covering a clearance left between the trays. A swing bar supports the infill plate so as to vertically swing the infill plate and is provided at a position shifted by a predetermined distance L in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the travel unit from the position of a coupler connecting the travel unit supporting a plate-tilting shaft and the travel unit traveling ahead, the plate-tilting shaft supporting the infill plate so as to laterally tilt the infill plate.

Abstract: A ceiling guided vehicle includes a travel driving portion, an elevation driving portion, and a control portion that controls the operation of the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion. An auxiliary unit that supplies, to the ceiling guided vehicle, one or both of power for driving the travel driving portion and the elevation driving portion and a control signal is provided so as to be attachable to and removable from the ceiling guided vehicle. The auxiliary unit includes a supported portion configured to be supported in a suspended state on a supporting portion provided on the ceiling guided vehicle; and an abutment portion configured to abut against the ceiling guided vehicle in a plurality of abutment areas disposed at different positions in plan view, and the abutment areas are provided at positions lower than the supporting portion in a vertical direction.

Abstract: An article transport facility is provided in which, when a fire breaks out on a floor below, smoke etc. can be prevented from entering floors above through an opening. An opening, which a raised and lowered member can move through in a vertical direction, is formed in an intermediate floor portion located between the floor above and the floor below. A fire door for opening and closing the opening is provided. A gas ejection device having an ejecting portion for ejecting gas is provided at a lower position than the fire door. The ejecting portion ejects gas horizontally toward an area directly below a gap formed at an edge of the fire door when the opening is closed by the fire door.

Abstract: A plurality of transport controls selectively performed by a transport control device include a second transport control performed on a selected one of a first article transport device and a second article transport device as a target article transport device such that the target article transport device is moved only in a first path portion to transport articles when the target article transport device is the first article transport device, and that the target article transport device is moved only in a second path portion to transport the articles when the target article transport device is the second article transport device.

Abstract: An article transport facility includes an engaging member capable of being moved to an engaging position at which the engaging member is in engagement with a movable guide portion and with a fixed guide portion to hold the movable guide portion in the guiding position, and to a releasing position at which the engaging member is not in engagement with at least one of the movable guide portion and the fixed guide portion wherein the engaging member supports the movable guide portion from below when in the engaging position; an urging member for urging the engaging member; a holding device for generating an operating force with electric power supplied from an electric power supply to hold the engaging member in the engaging position against an urging force of the urging member; and a power-supply controller for controlling the operation of the electric power supply.

Abstract: Object is to provide a travel facility in which a travel member, that became incapable of traveling due to a cause other than a power supply failure, can be moved to another location on a travel path. A second travel member, provided separately from the first travel member, includes an external signal generating portion for generating an external travel control signal to be sent to a first travel actuator and a connecting portion which can transmit the external travel control signal. The first travel member includes a first connecting portion which can receive the external travel control signal and can transmit the external control signal to the first travel actuator. A connecting member for receiving and transmitting the external travel control signal is removably connected to, and between, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for storing and handling an article at a ceiling, including: an internal rail configured to hang on the ceiling; a storage system configured to hang on the ceiling and including a shelf of a first row and a shelf of a second row disposed on both sides of the internal rail to face each other and a transport in/out port connected to any one of the shelf of the first row and the shelf of the second row; and an internal transfer robot configured to be movably connected to the internal rail and convey the article between any one of the shelf of the first row and the shelf of the second row and the transport in/out port.

Abstract: A control unit performs a first loading control and a second loading control. The first loading control is performed to control a loading operation unit to load a plurality of target articles onto a first supporting member according to arrangement information. The second loading control is performed to execute a second determination process based on at least one of: the arrangement information; detection information obtained by the detection unit; and information regarding a loading area, to determine whether or not the remaining articles are loadable onto the first supporting member, and to control the loading operation unit to load the remaining articles onto the first supporting member if the remaining articles are determined as being loadable in the second determination process.

Abstract: A cart-type transporting device includes left and right auxiliary rotating bodies moving in conjunction with left and right turning-section toothed wheels that guide a first endless chain; and a turning pathway section that protrudes at a position between the auxiliary rotating bodies, and that is provided with a lower protruding cam over which a transporting cart can pass. Left and right front-side projection shafts of the transporting cart engage with an engagement section of the respective auxiliary rotating bodies. Left and right rear-side projection shafts engage with an engagement section of the first endless chain. When the projection shafts are picked up by the rotation of the turning-section toothed wheels and the auxiliary rotating bodies, the lower protruding cam supports and guides a cam-following roller at a bottom section of the transporting cart in accordance with the same rotating pathway as the engagement section.

Abstract: A storage structure is provided in which an outside surface panel can be attached and removed regardless of where the storage structure is installed. The storage structure has a plurality of columns, an outside surface panel configured to be located between two mutually adjacent columns to form a part of an outer wall, and an outward-side pressing member and an inward-side pressing member each of which can be removably attached to a column. The outside surface panel has a width which is less than a distance between the two mutually adjacent columns. The outward-side pressing member and the inward-side pressing member cooperate with each other to assist in holding the outside surface panel from both sides.

Abstract: In an article storage facility, a door pivotable about a door pivot axis extending in a second direction is provided in an opening which is formed in a path-dividing wall portion that divides a traveling path and through which a transport movable body can pass. The door is configured such that its position is switchable between a closed position in which the door extends along the path-dividing wall portion and blocks the opening and an open position in which the door is located on an internal space side and opens the opening so that the transport movable body can pass through the opening.

Abstract: An article storage rack is provided in which it is easy to form a downflow around an article being stored and which has shelf members each of which can properly support the weight of an article. An article storage facility that includes such an article storage rack is also provided. Each shelf member has a support plate portion which is generally plate-shaped and which extends along a horizontal plane, and support frame members which are located below the support plate portion to support the support plate portion from below, and is formed in a shape that tapers toward a distal end portion thereof such that the width of the support plate portion, along a rack lateral direction, is narrower toward the distal end portion. wherein each support frame member includes an elongate member located and arranged to extend along the support plate portion.

Abstract: A support member includes a first positioning portion for properly positioning a small container, and a second positioning portion for properly positioning a large container. The first positioning portion includes one or more first support members for supporting the small container, and first engaging members for engaging first engaged portions. The second positioning portion includes one or more second support members for supporting the large container at a height at which the bottom surface of the large container is located at a higher position than the upper ends of the first engaging members, a second engaging member provided outside the first supporting area for engaging a second engaged portion, and one or more contact members provided outside the first supporting area for contacting the large container from one or more sides.

Abstract: A ceiling transport vehicle includes an obstacle detecting portion fixed to a main body portion at a location that is above an article supported by a vertically movable member located at a transport purpose position. The obstacle detection portion is within an area in which the article exists in plan view such that a direction in which detection light, etc., is emitted is tilted outward of the article. When vertically moving the vertically movable member between the transport purpose position and the transfer purpose position, the controller is configured not to determine presence of an obstacle based on detected information from the obstacle detecting portion while the vertically movable member is located in a subject range, and is configured to determine presence of an obstacle while it is not located in the subject range.