Abstract: In a floating unit, a floating mechanism is provided with: a rolling portion that includes a holding portion fixed to one of a first member and a second member, a sphere held by the holding portion so as to be rotatable in all directions; and an opposing portion that is fixed to the other one of the first member and the second member, and has an abutment surface that abuts against the sphere. The abutment surface includes an inclined surface that is formed, over the entire region of the abutment surface in a circumferential direction around a reference position, so as to come close to a side, in the vertical direction, on which the sphere is arranged, while extending outward in the horizontal direction from the reference position.

Abstract: An automated 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 a perception-based robotic manipulation system.

Abstract: An article transfer apparatus includes a holding portion, a driving portion that moves the holding portion, a control unit, and a reference detection portion that detects a reference position of a target article held by the holding portion. The control unit performs reference detection control to detect, by the reference detection portion, the reference position in a state in which the target article is lifted, determination control to determine a positional relationship between the holding portion and the reference position based on a result of detection by the reference detection control, and position calculation control to calculate, based on the positional relationship determined by the determination control, a movement destination position that is a position, of the holding portion at the movement destination, at which an outer edge of the target article held by the holding portion fits within a movement region.

Abstract: An article storage facility is disclosed which has a relatively high article storage efficiency and which can reduce the possibility of degradation, etc., of articles that may occur within a storage structure. The article storage facility includes: a storage structure; a first support station provided inside the storage structure and configured to support a storage container; a second support station configured to support a transporting container; and an article transfer device. A transporting container is a container that is used to transport articles outside the storage structure whereas a storage container is a container that is used to transport and store articles inside the storage structure, and is configured to hold a plurality of articles with greater holding efficiency than a transporting container.

Abstract: Diverting equipment that diverts and transports an article on a transporting route to a branching route. The diverting equipment includes: multiple transport rollers that are arranged in a branching section which is on the transporting route and which branches toward the branching route, and that are rotatable about vertical shafts; multiple diverting transport rollers that are arranged at an upstream side end of the branching route and that can rotate about vertical shafts; and a general controller that controls rotation of the transport rollers and of the diverting transport rollers. The transport rollers and the diverting transport rollers divert and transport the article from the transporting route to the branching route by rotating based on a rotational timing that the general controller controls according to a transport speed and an acceleration/deceleration state of the article that is transported toward the branching section.

Abstract: A transfer system includes a ceiling carrier, a ceiling storage shelf, and a purging device. The ceiling carrier transfers a foup along a running rail. The ceiling storage shelf is provided along the running rail. The ceiling storage shelf stores the foup transferred by the ceiling carrier. The purging device purges the foup stored in the ceiling storage shelf. The ceiling storage shelf includes placement portions and for placing the foup thereon. The placement portions and can be moved with respect to a storage shelf body of the ceiling storage shelf by a driving gas supplied to the purging device.

Abstract: An article sorting facility includes a plurality of storage members each configured to store one or more articles, a plurality of article transport vehicles each capable of traveling in at least a portion of a preset travel lane with one or more support members on board, each support member being configured to support one or more articles; a plurality of work areas each configured to allow work to be performed to transfer articles between one or more storage members and at least one of the one or more support members on board an article transport vehicle in the travel lane, wherein each of the work areas is located adjacent to one or more storage members and to the travel lane, wherein the plurality of work areas are arranged one adjacent to another along the travel lane, and wherein two or more article transport vehicles are in the travel lane simultaneously to travel in a line.

Abstract: A conveyor conveys a tray along a transportation path including a linear path and a curved path connected to the linear path. The conveyor includes an orientation assist member configured to assist a change of the conveyance orientation of the tray when the tray is conveyed from the linear path to the curved path. The orientation assist member is provided on the linear path on the upstream side of conveyance from a starting position S of the curved path on the transportation path.

Abstract: A control device executes retrieval control to, in response to a transport request in which a type and an order of each of a plurality of articles that are transported to a transport target location are specified, retrieve all the articles specified in the transport request from a target automatic warehouse, which is one automatic warehouse selected from among a plurality of automatic warehouses, to a retrieval transport device in a specified order that is specified in the transport request. The control device executes, before execution of the retrieval control, inter-warehouse movement control to, if at least one of the plurality of articles specified in the transport request is not stored in the target automatic warehouse, move the article that is not stored in the target automatic warehouse from another automatic warehouse to the target automatic warehouse by using an inter-warehouse transport device.

Abstract: An area is set as an interference area, in which a transport vehicle is located in a state in which a portion of the transport vehicle overlaps a door trajectory which is a movement trajectory of a fire protection door. A control portion that controls a subject vehicle, which is a transport vehicle to be controlled, prohibits the whole subject vehicle from entering the interference area if it is determined, based on another-vehicle information, which is information of a traveling state of another vehicle that is different from the subject vehicle, and information regarding the interference area, that the interference area is present between the another vehicle located forward of the subject vehicle and the subject vehicle, and that a stoppable area is not secured between a rear end position of the another vehicle and the fire protection door.

Abstract: A transfer system includes a carrier and a storage shelf. The carrier transfers an object along a transfer path on or suspended from a ceiling. The storage shelf is disposed along the transfer path and stores the object transferred by the carrier. The storage shelf includes a placement portion having the object placed thereon. The placement portion moves up and down with respect to a transfer position Tat which the object is transferred between the placement portion and the carrier.

Abstract: An object detection device includes: a scanning optical system configured to scan a space by measurement light and guide reflected light from an object; a distance calculation circuit configured to calculate a distance and a direction to the object based on physical relationship between the measurement light and the reflected light; an object determination circuit configured to determine whether the distance and the direction to the object are within a predetermined monitoring region; a signal output circuit configured to output an object detection signal upon determination that the object is within the monitoring region; and a mode switching circuit configured to switch to either a first mode in which it is determined whether the object is within the monitoring region regardless of an intensity of the reflected light and a second mode in which such determination is performed only when the intensity is at or above a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A first storage section includes a first support portion that supports an article and a movable support portion that movably supports the first support portion in the path width direction. A second storage section includes a second support portion whose position in a path width direction relative to a movement path is fixed, and supports the article. A space occupied by the article in a state of being supported by the second support portion is a target space, a position at which the first support portion overlaps the target space in an up-down view along an up-down direction is an overlapping position, and a position that is adjacent to a first side relative to the overlapping position and at which the first support portion does not overlap the target space in the up-down view is a non-overlapping position.

Abstract: A control unit that controls a transport apparatus executes selection control to select one accommodation portion as a selected accommodation portion, movement control to control the transport apparatus so as to move a transport support portion to a corresponding position, determination control to determine whether or not a detection target portion is detected by a detecting portion, transfer control to control the transport apparatus so as to transfer an article from the transport support portion to an accommodation support member, and update setting control to set the selected accommodation portion and related accommodation portions as prohibited accommodation portions if it is determined, in the determination control, that the detection target portion is not detected, and after the update setting control, the control unit again executes the selection control to newly select a selected accommodation portion, and executes the movement control so as to move the transport support portion to a corresponding pos

Abstract: An article conveyance apparatus couples a plurality of conveyor carriages for conveying articles and enables the coupled conveyor carriages to travel along a conveyance path K. The conveyor carriage is coupled by a coupling part to another conveyor carriage placed in the longitudinal direction with respect to a traveling direction H of the conveyor carriage. The conveyor carriage includes a load cell that is provided in the coupling part and measures a force applied between the conveyor carriages, and a controller that calculates a force F applied to wheels of the conveyor carriage, based on a tension T between the conveyor carriages calculated according to the force applied between the conveyor carriages and measured by the load cell.

Abstract: A transport vehicle (2) is provided with: a support region (22) where a container (W) is supported; a container transfer apparatus (24) that inserts/takes a container (W) into/out of a container shelf; a recognition apparatus (27) that recognizes at least one of an article stored in a container (W) in a first state in which the container (W) is supported in the support region (22) and an article stored in a container (W) in a second state in which the container (W) is supported by the container transfer apparatus (24); and an article transfer apparatus (26) that transfers an article recognized by the recognition apparatus (27) between a container (W) in the first state and a container (W) in the second state.

Abstract: A control device (10) of an article transfer facility (100) determines the size of a first dead space surrounded by a set article (Wd) and a target article (Wc) located at a first candidate position (P1). If the size of the first dead space is smaller than a first threshold (TH1), the control device (10) sets the first candidate position (P1) as the arrangement position of the target article (Wc). If the size of the first dead space is greater than or equal to the first threshold (TH1), the control device (10) determines the size of a second dead space surrounded by the set article (Wd) and the target article (Wc) located at a second candidate position (P2). If the size of the second dead space is smaller than a second threshold (TH2), the control device (10) sets the second candidate position (P2) as the arrangement position of the target article (Wc).

Abstract: An article conveying facility in which an article is conveyed by a conveyance carriage travelling on a pair of left and right rails provided along a conveyance path. The article conveying facility includes a carriage driving apparatus that drives the conveyance carriage by utilizing a frictional force generated by contact with the conveyance carriage, and sensors that detect floating of the conveyance carriage with respect to the rails. The conveyance carriage includes a fin that contacts the carriage driving apparatus. The fin is provided so as to extend along the travelling direction of the conveyance carriage, at a lower position than the position of an upper surface of the rails. The sensors detect floating of the conveyance carriage with respect to the rails by detecting the fin.

Abstract: A sorting facility for sorting articles by a plurality of connected conveyance carriages. The sorting facility includes a supervisory controller managing a position of each of the conveyance carriages, a trigger sensor detecting each of the conveyance carriages, and a belt conveyor provided on each of the conveyance carriages. The supervisory controller identifies each of the conveyance carriages that should deliver the articles to the chute based on the managed position of each of the conveyance carriages. The supervisory controller instructs the belt conveyor provided in each of the conveyance carriages identified to start a delivery operation of each of the articles at timing when each of the conveyance carriages identified is detected by the trigger sensor.

Abstract: An article transport facility includes article transport vehicles that travel along a specified travelable path, and a control device that controls the article transport vehicles. The travelable path includes nodes and links each connecting a pair of the nodes. The control device sets a setting path based on a link cost that is set for each of the links. The link cost includes a reference cost and a variable cost. The reference cost is a value that is set based on a reference passage time that is required for a target vehicle to pass through a target link in a state in which another vehicle is not present in the target link. The variable cost is a value that is set based on a vehicle count-related increased time by which an actual passage time is increased relative to the reference passage time according to the number of the other vehicles present in the target link, the actual passage time being a time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link.