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.

Abstract: A lifting facility for a workpiece is provided in a drying furnace for drying the workpiece, and comprises: a drop lift that conveys the workpiece so as to raise and lower the workpiece between one of a carrying-in position at which the workpiece is carried in the drying furnace and a carrying-out position at which the workpiece is carried out from the drying furnace and a high-temperature zone which is formed above the carrying-in position and the carrying-out position and in which the workpiece is dried; and a strut that supports the drop lift so as to raise and lower the first drop lift. The strut is extended to the high-temperature zone in the drying furnace.

Abstract: An automatic tire loader/unloader for stacking/unstacking tires in a trailer is disclosed. In one embodiment, a mobile base structure provides a support framework for a drive subassembly, conveyance subassembly, an industrial robot, a distance measurement subassembly, and a control subassembly. Under the operation of the control subassembly, tires advance through a powered transportation path to an industrial robot which places the tires within the trailer in a vertical stacking pattern or a rick-stacking pattern, for example. The control subassembly coordinates the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects, including tires, within a detection space, dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly, and dimensions of the tires provided to the control subassembly.

Abstract: A container raising/lowering conveyance apparatus is provided with: rod-shaped gripping raising/lowering bodies which are long in a raising/lowering direction, and which are supported so as to be capable of being horizontally fitted to and detached from corners of a container; and lifting raising/lowering bodies in which supporting implements protruding towards two parallel side surfaces of the container are provided to rod-shaped main bodies which are long in the raising/lowering direction and are capable of being moved closer to and away from the two parallel side surfaces of the container. When the supporting implements are moved closer to the two parallel side surfaces of the container, the supporting implements are inserted underneath a flange portion at the two parallel side surfaces of the container, and when the rod-shaped main bodies are raised, the supporting implements lift the container via the flange portion.

Abstract: A transport apparatus transports a container that includes a flow hole forming portion in which a flow hole through which gas can flow between the outside and the inside of the container is formed. A connecting portion that has a flow path through which gas can flow and a filling gas supply source that allows a filling gas to flow through the flow path are provided in the transport apparatus. The connecting portion is configured to be switchable between a non-connected state in which the connecting portion is retracted to the outside of a moving region of the container that moves along a transport path and a connected state in which the connecting portion enters the inside of the moving region and is connected to the flow hole forming portion of the container.

Abstract: A container raising/lowering conveyance apparatus has a supporting structure (a secondary traveling body) which supports four gripping raising/lowering bodies capable of being raised and lowered, and has an X-direction drive means by which the four gripping raising/lowering bodies are moved closer to and away from each other synchronously and symmetrically with respect to a Y-direction center line and a Y-direction drive means by which the four gripping raising/lowering bodies are moved closer to and away from each other synchronously and symmetrically with respect to an X-direction center line. Both the X-direction drive means and the Y-direction drive means are used to enlarge and shrink a right-angled parallelogram surrounded by the four gripping raising/lowering bodies, without changing the center position and the orientation of the right-angled parallelogram.

Abstract: A container raising/lowering conveyance apparatus including four gripping raising/lowering bodies capable of being respectively horizontally fitted to and detached from four corners of an article-conveyance container is configured such that, in a planar view, central raising/lowering link members capable of being raised and lowered are disposed at central positions of respective edges of a right-angled parallelogram surrounded by the four gripping raising/lowering bodies, and each of the central raising/lowering link members and the gripping raising/lowering bodies at both sides thereof are coupled to each other by at least one pair of upper and lower rocking parallel links capable of rocking in the vertical direction.

Abstract: An article transport device includes a transport mechanism which is configured to support, from below, a container being transported and to transport the container along a transporting path, and a housing which forms an accommodating space in which at least a part of the transport mechanism is housed. The housing has one or more support plates, a plurality of brackets, and a housing panel. Each of the one or more support plates is a plate-shaped member extending along the transporting path and is configured to support the transport mechanism from below. A lower end portion of each of the plurality of brackets is attached to a corresponding one of the one or more support plates such that the plurality of the brackets are spaced apart from one another along a direction along the transporting path, outside the accommodating space along the lateral width direction.

Abstract: A container raising/lowering conveyance apparatus has a pair of main movable bases relatively movable in the X direction, and on each main movable base, a pair of secondary movable bases relatively movable in the Y direction. Four gripping raising/lowering bodies are supported by the four secondary movable bases so as to be capable of being raised and lowered. Vertical rod-shaped main bodies supported by the main movable bases are raised and lowered by a raising/lowering drive and are disposed at intermediate positions between the Y-direction pairs of the gripping raising/lowering bodies. Upper end portions of the vertical rod-shaped main bodies and gripping raising/lowering bodies at both sides of the vertical rod-shaped main bodies in the Y direction are coupled, allowing the gripping raising/lowering bodies to be relatively movable in the Y direction.

Abstract: An automatic truck unloader for unloading/unpacking product, such as boxes or cases, from trailers and containers is disclosed. In one embodiment, a mobile base structure provides a support framework for a drive subassembly, conveyance subassembly, an industrial robot, a distance measurement subassembly, and a control subassembly. Under the operation of the control subassembly, an industrial robot having a suction cup-based gripper arm selectively removes boxes from the trailer and places the boxes on a powered transportation path. The control subassembly coordinates the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects, including boxes, within a detection space, and dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a luggage inspection area. The method includes providing an entrance mechanism wherein luggage items are received into the luggage inspection area. A primary inspection mechanism and a primary checked bag reconciliation area are provided that are configured to inspect a predetermined throughput of luggage items. A primary material handling device is provided that extends between the entrance mechanism, the primary inspection mechanism and the primary checked bag reconciliation area. The occurrence of an upcoming peak event is determined, and in response, a supplemental inspection mechanism, a supplemental checked bag reconciliation area and a first supplemental material handling device are provided. The supplemental components provide increased throughput of luggage items inspected during the occurrence of the peak event and are configured to be portable such that they may be quickly and easily be added and removed.

Abstract: First travel rail pair provided along a first path has a first discontinuous section. And second travel rail pair provided along a second path has a second discontinuous section. First guide members allow movement of guided members along a travel direction and restrict vertical movement of one or more of the guided member when the article transport vehicle travels through a crossing portion along the first path. Second guide members allow movement of the guided members along the travel direction and restrict vertical movement of one or more of the guided members when the article transport vehicle travels through a crossing portion along the second path.

Abstract: An article storage facility is provided in which a back side transport device can be installed while reducing any reduction in the storage efficiency of the article storage facility. A back side transport device (4) is provided which can support and transport an article (W) between an outside location (P1) located rearward of a back face of the article storage rack (2) and an inside location (P2) located forwardly of the back face of the article storage rack (2). The inside location (P2) is defined between storage sections (1) arranged along the rack vertical direction. And the back side transport device (4) includes a receiving support portion (20) for receiving and supporting an article (W), and an actuating operation portion (21) for actuating the receiving support portion (20) in order to move the article (W) to the inside location (P2) and to the outside location (P1).

Abstract: Conveying equipment with utilization of a conveying traveling body includes a conveying traveling body which includes a plurality of trolleys in a traveling direction and a load bar connecting these trolleys and a friction drive section which is provided in the traveling path of the conveying traveling body. The load bar is provided immediately below a pair of left and right guide rails for supporting and guiding the conveying traveling body, and a friction drive wheel which is pressure-contacted with a side surface of the load bar to propel the conveying traveling body in the friction drive section is arranged below the guide rails.

Abstract: A conveyance device utilizing coupled wagons includes front and rear adjacent wagons and a pair of left and right coupling units coupling left and right side portions of the adjacent wagons. The coupling units are switchable between a coupled state in which the left and right side portions of the adjacent wagons are respectively allowed for relative horizontal rotations about vertical shafts and an uncoupled state. A first coupling control mechanism operating at least one of the coupling units is provided at a horizontal turn path section in a travel path. By the operation of the first coupling control mechanism, the conveying traveling body can enter the horizontal turn path section while the coupling unit on the inner side of the horizontal turn path section is in the coupled state and the coupling unit on the outer side of the horizontal turn path section is in the uncoupled state.

Abstract: A flow measuring device includes an intake portion configured to be connected to an ejecting portion, one or more gas lines each of which is connected to the intake portion and in which gas ejected from the ejecting portion flows, one or more flow meters each of which is configured to measure a flow rate of gas that flows through corresponding one of the one or more gas lines, at least one resisting member configured to provide resistance to flow of gas in at least one of the one or more gas lines, a main body portion which includes one or more supported portions each configured to be supported by the support member, the main body portion being configured to support the intake portion, the one or more gas lines, the one or more flow meters, and the at least one resisting member. The magnitude of the resistance provided by the at least one resisting member is adjustable.

Abstract: An article transport facility in which the attitude of its support mechanism can be easily corrected to an appropriate attitude. The facility includes an angle sensor configured to detect an angle of a first reference surface of an article supported by a vertically movable member with respect to the horizontal plane, one or more winding mechanisms, one or more second actuators configured to actuate the one or more winding mechanisms, and a controller. Each winding mechanism is configured to selectively take up and feed out a target elongate flexible member. The controller controls one or more second actuators to adjust the angle of the first reference surface to a preset angle with respect to the horizontal plane based on the detected information from the angle sensor.

Abstract: An article transport device includes a vertically movable member which is movable along the vertical direction, and a transfer device which is supported by the vertically movable member and is configured to transfer an article to or from any one of transfer target locations. The transfer device includes a support body which receives and supports an article and is projected and retracted between a projected position and a retracted position. And the support body includes a support member which is elastically deformable in the vertical direction, wherein the support body is configured to receive and support an article with the support member. A cushion member is provided to the vertically movable member such that the cushion member is spaced apart upwardly by a set distance from the article which is received and supported by the support member.

Abstract: A cart-type transporting device has a first endless chain and a second endless chain that move in conjunction with and parallel to one another in a lifting/lowering pathway section, and the first and second endless chains have engaging parts. A transporting cart has engaged parts that engage with the engaging parts of the first endless chain in a horizontal pathway section In the first endless chain, the engaging parts are provided at regular intervals, and the engaging parts of the first endless chain and the engaged parts of the transporting cart are detachably fitted together such that the transporting cart can be attached/detached in the vertical direction in the horizontal pathway section.