Patents Assigned to Daifuku Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 10913577
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ueda, Noriyuki Wada, Masashige Iwata
  • Patent number: 10906750
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Mori
  • Patent number: 10875727
    Abstract: An automatic case loader for loading product in a trailer is disclosed. A mobile base structure provides a support framework for a drive subassembly, conveyance subassembly, an industrial robot, a distance measurement sensor, and a control subassembly. Under the operation of the control subassembly, product advances through a powered transportation path to an industrial robot which places the product within the trailer. The control subassembly coordinates the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement sensor detecting objects within a detection space, dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly, and dimensions of the product provided to the control subassembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignees: Wynright Corporation, Daifuku Co.. LTD.
    Inventor: Tim Criswell
  • Publication number: 20200368770
    Abstract: An application robot applies a primer to a car body. The application robot includes an applicator for the primer, a camera, a controller, a cap for preventing dripping of the primer, a cap attaching/detaching unit for collecting the cap, and an arm. The camera is moved with the applicator to which the cap is attached, and detects the position of a specific part on the body, the camera being moved by activating the arm. The applicator applies the primer to a position to apply the primer on the body after the cap is detached, the position being specified by the controller. The cap attaching/detaching unit moves the cap holding part toward the body and collects the cap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicant: DAIFUKU CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masahiro OOE
  • Patent number: 10843878
    Abstract: The transfer apparatus transfers an article, which is a package, to a container while holding an upper face of the package. A control apparatus performs both a transfer control to cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the article to the container and a first pressing control to cause the pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article that has been transferred to the container through the transfer control if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is a type 1 article, and performs only the transfer control, of the transfer control and the first pressing control, if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is a type 2 article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Patent number: 10836575
    Abstract: A storage rack includes a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a container. The container has a supported portion and an intake portion in a bottom surface of the container, the intake portion supplying gas into the container, wherein the center of gravity of the container is located between the supported portion and the intake portion as seen along a vertical direction. Provided to each of the storage portions are a container support in which a support surface is formed for supporting the supported portion from below, a nozzle configured to contact the intake portion from below to supply gas into the container through the intake portion, and a restriction member configured to contact a side surface of the container when stored on the storage portion to restrict movement of the container along a horizontal direction. The container is supported only by the support surface and the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Abe, Tadahiro Yoshimoto, Naoyuki Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 10815054
    Abstract: An article transport apparatus includes a mast provided upright on the traveling body, an upper frame (6) coupled to an upper end portion of the mast and an upper rail (R2) that guides movement of the upper frame (6). Separately from guide rollers disposed on lateral opposite sides of the upper rail (R2), a first roller (18A) and a second roller (18B) that are rotatable about vertical axes (P1, P2) are disposed on opposite sides of the upper rail (R2). A first supporting member (19) supporting the first roller (18A) is attached so as to be biased by a first biasing body (22) in a direction to push the first roller (18A) against the upper rail (R2), and a second supporting member (20) supporting the second roller (18B) is attached so as to be biased by a second biasing body (22) in a direction to push the second roller (18B) against the upper rail (R2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunihiro Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 10807844
    Abstract: A vertically movable workpiece support device has a ratchet wheel with a larger diameter than the outer diameter of a driving sprocket wheel and is concentrically attached to an end surface of a boss portion in the driving sprocket wheel. A pair of left and right bearing members are provided side by side, on a side on which the free end side of a drive chain is horizontally extended with respect to the driving sprocket wheel, so as to sandwich a horizontally extending path section of the drive chain. A movable pawl is pivotally supported between the pair of left and right bearing members and engages with the ratchet wheel to block the rotation of the ratchet wheel caused by the movement of the drive chain when the workpiece support base is lowered. An actuator switches the movable pawl to a non-action position with respect to the ratchet wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Ooe
  • Publication number: 20200324980
    Abstract: A transportation path diverter diverts the transportation path of a conveyed article. The transportation path diverter includes an upstream-side lower diverting conveyor, a downstream-side upper diverting conveyor, a downstream-side lower diverting conveyor, a height sensor, and an article sensor. The height sensor detects the article conveyed by the upstream-side lower diverting conveyor, the article having at least a predetermined height. The article sensor detects the article transferred from the upstream-side lower diverting conveyor to the downstream-side lower diverting conveyor. A swing of the downstream-side upper diverting conveyor by a first swinging device is controlled based on the detection of the article by the height sensor and the article sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Applicant: DAIFUKU CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshihiko FUJIO
  • Patent number: 10804128
    Abstract: A transport space Si is formed in front of an article storage rack 1, and a plurality of up-down partition bodies that partition storage sections 1a adjacent to each other in an up-down direction are provided in the article storage rack 1. A flow path space S2 extending in the up-down direction is formed between a wall portion 43 and the plurality of storage sections 1a, and each of the plurality of storage sections 1a is located between the flow path space S2 and the transport space S1, and is in communication with the flow path space S2 and the transport space S1. A gas supply portion 51 includes a flow inlet 53 into which a gas from the outside flows, and is in communication with an upper end portion of the transport space S1 and an upper end portion of the flow path space S2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Abe, Tadahiro Yoshimoto, Kazuya Omori, Shinsuke Kawamura
  • Patent number: 10800617
    Abstract: A transport vehicle (2) that travels along a container shelf (1) is provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions (11) arranged in a vertical direction (Z) and configured to support containers (W), thereby transporting the containers (W). The transport vehicle (2) is provided with a support region (22) where the containers (W) are supported in a stacked state, a transfer apparatus (24) that transfers the containers (W) supported by the shelf portions (11) to the support region (22) and transfers the containers (W) supported in the support region (22) to the shelf portions (11), and a lifting mechanism (25) that lifts a container (W) at any height among a container group (WG) stacked in the support region (22) with respect to a container (W) lower than the container (W) at that any height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ueda, Masashige Iwata, Akira Emoto
  • Patent number: 10793376
    Abstract: The presence of an article in a second container is recognized based on image capture information from an image capture apparatus, and the type of the article whose presence has been recognized is determined by a determining portion. A control apparatus performs a transfer control on an article that has been recognized and whose type has been determined by the determining portion, and a position correction control on an article that has been recognized but whose type has not been determined by the determining portion. During the transfer control, the transfer apparatus is controlled to hold a first position on an article contained in the second container to transfer this article W1 to a first container. During the position correction control, the transfer apparatus is controlled to determine a second holding position on an article contained in the second container, and to hold the second holding position to move the article within the second container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Patent number: 10773887
    Abstract: An article transport facility includes an article transport device capable of moving along a moving direction in movement sections. The movement sections include a transporting movement section and an out-of-the-way movement section. A work platform includes one or more out-of-trajectory portions located to at least one side along a lateral direction with respect to a mast trajectory, and one or more in-trajectory portions which are located in an area of the mast trajectory that excludes an area in which the mast is located when the article transport device is in the out-of-the-way stop position. Each of the one or more in-trajectory portions is configured to be capable of being moved to a support position located in the mast trajectory, and to an out-of-the-way position in which the in-trajectory portion is out of the mast trajectory along the lateral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuya Omori, Takeshi Abe
  • Patent number: 10766513
    Abstract: An article transport vehicle includes an obstacle sensor having a detection area that includes at least the width of the own vehicle and that expands in the advancing direction, controls the travel of the own vehicle, based on as front inter-object distance corresponding to own-vehicle position information indicating a position of the own vehicle and front object position information indicating a position on a track of a front object that is located in front of the own vehicle and whose position on the track is specified, and sets a length of the detection area E along the advancing direction of the obstacle sensor to be variable according to the front inter-object distance such that the length is less than the front inter-object distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Natsuo Takagawa, Kazuharu Yoshinaga, Toshikazu Kato, Yusuke Morimoto
  • Patent number: 10766697
    Abstract: A rack body includes a first supporting portion, a second supporting portion, and a third supporting portion, and is configured to be able to support a plurality of articles aligned in a depth direction from below. Assuming that, an article storage place on the backmost side of the rack body is a first storage place, and an article storage place on the frontmost side of the rack body is a second storage place, the first supporting portion, the second supporting portion, and the third supporting portion respectively include first engaging parts that engage with the recesses of the article that is stored at the first storage place, and the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion respectively include restricting parts that are arranged opposing side faces of the bottom of the article that is stored at the second storage place, and are configured to restrict horizontal movement of the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Abe, Tadahiro Yoshimoto
  • Patent number: 10766750
    Abstract: A vertically movable workpiece support device has a drive chain bendable to only one side which supports a workpiece support base in a vertically linear path section. The drive chain extends from one end portion coupled to the workpiece support base to an intermediate portion engaging with a driving sprocket wheel. A chain guide plate which sandwiches, with the driving sprocket wheel, a link-to-link roller of the drive chain is arranged on an outer side of the driving sprocket wheel. A mark is displayed, on the side surface of the chain guide plate, in a position separated a certain distance outward from a turning path of links in the drive chain, and an opening portion for visually checking the mark is provided in a side wall which pivotally supports the driving sprocket wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Ooe
  • Patent number: 10730697
    Abstract: Provided is an article transport apparatus which can transfer an article to a transfer target portion at a low height. A movable member having a support portion includes a transfer mechanism for moving an article between the support portion and a transfer target portion. The transfer mechanism includes an interlocking portion capable of being interlocked with an article along the front-and-back direction, a first guide portion for guiding the interlocking portion along the front-and-back direction, and a second actuator for moving the interlocking portion along the front-and-back direction. The transfer mechanism moves an article between the support portion and the transfer target portion by moving the interlocking portion along the front-and-back direction. The first guide portion and the second actuator are located higher than an article supported by the support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ueda, Masashige Iwata, Akira Emoto
  • Patent number: 10730702
    Abstract: A floor conveyor has a conveyed object support base portion supported on a conveying traveling body via a columnar support member that penetrates, in a vertical direction, a slit formed in a floor surface along a traveling path of the conveying traveling body. An auxiliary floor surface mechanism which narrows the width of the slit has protruding members protruding from the side of the slit to the center of the slit, where each of the protruding members includes a plate-shaped portion along a perpendicularly vertical direction and is held and biased by an elastic force in a protruding posture in which the protruding member protrudes to the center of the slit. When the protruding member contacts the columnar support member, the protruding member moves in the movement direction of the columnar support member against elasticity so as to allow the passage of the columnar support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Fukushima, Shotaro Kamiya, Yoshikazu Hirokari, Yoshitaka Ikeda
  • Patent number: 10724266
    Abstract: A storage facility for objects of paying of respects includes a plurality of storage locations each configured to store an object of paying of respects, a respects-paying area which includes an area for a person, visiting to pay respects, to pay respects in, a transport system configured to transport an object of paying of respects between the storage location and a support location provided in the respects-paying area, and an orientation changing device which is located on a transporting path of the transport system. The orientation changing device changes an orientation of an object of paying of respects so that the object is in a selected orientation at the support location, the selected orientation being selected from a plurality of different orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenobu Shinnaka, Kazuya Arima
  • Patent number: 10719226
    Abstract: A touch panel of a portable operation panel for manually operating machinery normally operated automatically, in particular, various types of material handling equipment operated in an emergency, machinery has an operation screen for making the machinery perform a specific operation. A swipe operation button image can be moved on to the operation screen by a swipe operation and a continuation operation button image is displayed in a place from which the swipe operation button image is moved. By performing a tap operation on the continuation operation button image, the machinery is made to perform the specific operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jun Hamaguchi