Abstract: A floor-to-floor transport system that transports an article between different floors by using an upward path and a downward path in a vertical transporter that revolves in one direction includes, on at least one floor: a loading transport line that transports to the vertical transporter an article to be transported to another floor; a first loading opening through which the article is loaded into the upward path in the vertical transporter; a second loading opening through which the article is loaded into the downward path in the vertical transporter; a transferor that selectively transfers to the first loading opening or the second loading opening an article transported by the loading transport line; and a controller that controls the transferor depending on a destination of the article.

Abstract: A communication method includes: switching an operation mode of a first station from a first operation mode to a second operation mode; transmitting a first signal from the first station to a second station; transmitting data from the second station to the first station in response to the first signal; storing the data received by the first station from the second station into a storage of the first station; switching the operation mode of the first station from the second operation mode to the first operation mode; transmitting a second signal from an access point to the first station; and transmitting the data stored into the storage from the first station operating in the first operation mode to the access point in response to the second signal.

Abstract: An article conveyance apparatus includes a carriage which travels along a predetermined travel path, and an on-ground facility including a pair of traveling rails which define the travel path. The carriage includes a first slider which operates according to magnetic action to drive a transfer mechanism, and a drive transmission mechanism which supports the first slider and transmits a driving force from the first slider to the transfer mechanism. The on-ground facility includes a first stator which applies magnetic action to the first slider in the carriage to operate the first slider. The first stator includes an opening through which the drive transmission mechanism of the carriage passes. The opening is disposed in a position such that the inside of the first stator is not seen from the opening in top view of the first stator.

Abstract: A deviation amount is a difference between a first error that occurs when an article is placed on a first transfer destination by a first transport vehicle and a second error that occurs when the article is placed on a second transfer destination by the first transport vehicle. An nth error that occurs when the article is placed on an nth transfer destination other than the first transfer destination and the second transfer destination is acquired. In an mth transport vehicle other than the first transport vehicle, a stop position of an mth traveling body is corrected by the nth error and an mth-1 error occurring when the article is placed on the first reference platform, or by the nth error and an mth-2 error as well as the deviation amount, the mth-2 error occurring when the article is placed on the second reference platform.

Abstract: An overhead transport vehicle includes a fall prevention mechanism including a first rotary member, a fall prevention member, and a second rotary member. The first rotary member includes a base end portion supported so as to be rotatable about a first rotation shaft extending along direction Y. The fall prevention member is provided in a tip end portion of the first rotary member and is movable to a space below a cassette. The second rotary member includes a base end portion supported so as to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft extending along direction Z, and a tip end portion to which the first rotary member is attached.

Abstract: A conveyance system includes a traveling area and a suspension traveling vehicle. The traveling area includes a grid area and a linear area. In the grid area, since first tracks are disposed side by side and second tracks are disposed side by side so that the first tracks and the second tracks intersect, the grid area includes unit blocks of the same shape or substantially the same shape surrounded by the first tracks and the second tracks. Both the first tracks and the second tracks surrounding the unit blocks are provided with an interstice that allows a supporting body to pass, and the interstice is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of each track. A traveling direction is the same or substantially the same as the first direction or the second direction in the linear area, and the interstice perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction is not provided in the linear area.

Abstract: A filament winding device includes a supporter configured to support a liner in a rotatable manner; a yarn supplying unit configured to support bobbins; a helical winding head configured to helical-wind a fiber bundles onto the liner; and a standard thread guiding mechanism configured to form a standard thread guide channel that guides a standard thread from the bobbins to the liner, the standard thread being different from the fiber bundles and being connected to leading ends of the fiber bundles, the standard thread guiding mechanism including nozzles configured to blow the standard thread with a compressed gas, and guide tubes configured to guide the standard thread blown by the nozzles, and the nozzles and the guide tubes being disposed along a fiber bundle guide channel, and capable of taking up the standard thread from the standard thread guide channel to the fiber bundle guide channel.

Abstract: A stocker is disposed above a processing device and includes: a plurality of shelves provided in multiple stages in an up-down direction, to place articles thereon; and a crane to place an article on the shelves or take out an article placed on the shelves. The shelves include: a carry-in/out port used for an overhead transport vehicle to place an article thereon; and storage shelves used for the crane to place an article thereon. The carry-in/out port has a vertical dimension that allows a grip of the overhead transport vehicle to place the article from above. More storage shelves are provided than the carry-in/out port and are provided to have a smaller vertical dimension than that of the carry-in/out port. The crane places an article on the carry-in/out port onto the storage shelves or place an article on the storage shelves onto the carry-in/out port by a transfer device.

Abstract: A traveling vehicle system includes a plurality of traveling vehicles; and a host controller in which: a first deriver derives a first traveling vehicle scheduled to pass through a branching part through which a priority traveling vehicle selected by a priority traveling vehicle selector is scheduled to pass; a merging part deriver derives a merging part through which the first traveling vehicle is scheduled to pass after the branching part; and passage permission for the merging part is transmitted to the first traveling vehicle in priority to a second traveling vehicle scheduled to pass through the merging part from a direction different from a direction from which the first traveling vehicle is scheduled to pass through the merging part.

Abstract: A time-space network including a set of state nodes and a set of state transition edges each of which connects between the state nodes, is generated. Each of the state nodes represents a state in which a vehicle is present at a certain point node at a certain time. State transition costs increasing according to a difference of time corresponding to before or after transition and arrival time are defined. In the time-space network, by using the Dijkstra algorithm, a minimum cost transition path in which a sum of the state transition costs is minimum among paths from a starting point state node to any of the state nodes indicating that the vehicle is present at an arrival point is obtained. The starting point state node represents a state that the vehicle is present at a departure point at a reference time. The route and the timing of the vehicle are determined based on the minimum cost transition path.

Abstract: A stocker includes a wall that separates an inside and an outside of the stocker, a storage area on an inner side of the wall and in which articles are stored, a fan on the wall to draw in outside air and introduce the outside air into the inside of the stocker, a control panel storage provided on the inner side of the wall and laterally to the storage area to store a control panel, a first thermal insulation layer on a wall side of the control panel storage, and a second thermal insulation layer on a storage area side of the control panel storage.

Abstract: A transport vehicle system includes a controller that controls multiple transport vehicles. The controller performs, push out control to, when a transport vehicle travelling on a main route approaches a push out target vehicle, transmit a travel command to the push out target vehicle, and travel stop control, when there is no transport vehicle to which a transport command is assigned on the main route, sequentially transmit a travel stop command to the multiple transport vehicles travelling on the main route. In push out control, when there is a transport vehicle to which a transport command is assigned on the main route, a first travel command for a first distance is transmitted, and when there is no transport vehicle to which a transport command is assigned on the main route, a second travel command for a second distance smaller than the first distance is transmitted.

Abstract: An automated storeroom system includes a plurality of automated storerooms including a rack extending in a first horizontal direction and having a plurality of shelves, and a stacker crane configured to travel on a crane passage along the rack, the automated storerooms disposed adjacent to each other in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction with back parts of the racks being close to each other; a transport vehicle configured to travel along a transport vehicle travelling passage provided in a lower portion of the rack and extending in the first horizontal direction; and a travelling restriction member disposed between the crane passage and a front part of the rack facing the crane passage, the travelling restriction member being movable between a travelling restriction position that restricts travelling of a worker and a travelling non-restriction position adapted to remove the restriction.

Abstract: A transport vehicle system includes transport vehicles each including a transport-vehicle-side communication unit, and a system controller including a controller-side communication unit to transmit a command in a predetermined order to any one of the transport vehicles as a destination and receiving a report from the transport vehicle being the destination. When receiving a command addressed to itself from the controller-side communication unit, the transport-vehicle-side communication unit transmits a report to the controller-side communication unit when a predetermined waiting time elapses after receiving the command. Meanwhile, the transport-vehicle-side communication unit transmits an interrupt request to the controller-side communication unit within a waiting time when intercepting a command addressed to another transport vehicle from the controller-side communication unit during a predetermined event in itself.

Abstract: A stacker crane that prevents an increase in facility cost while lightening a mast and transfers an article to a target position, includes a traveling carriage including a carriage driver and traveling on a track provided on a ceiling of a facility, a mast suspended from the traveling carriage, an elevating platform vertically movable and guided along the mast, a transfer conveyor to transfer an article, a stopper to fix the mast, a switch to switch a state of the mast between a fixed and released states by the stopper, in which the switch releases the fixing of the stopper to allow a lower portion of the mast to follow an upper portion of the mast in the traveling direction when the carriage driver drives the traveler, the stopper fixes the mast when the carriage driver stops the traveling carriage.

Abstract: A storing system includes: a traveling rail including a plurality of first rails extending in a first direction and a plurality of second rails extending in a second direction, the first rails and the second rails being disposed in a grid pattern on the same horizontal plane to form lengthwise and crosswise a plurality of opening areas each of which is surrounded by a pair of the first rails and a pair of the second rails; a vehicle including a traveling unit and a transfer unit; and a storage unit on which a FOUP is to be placed. The storage unit includes a plurality of rack units adjacent to each other. Each of the rack units includes a placement member on which the FOUP is to be placed, is provided such that the placement member is positioned directly below the corresponding opening area, and is detachable from the traveling rail.

Abstract: A stacker crane includes a transporter, a slide fork, first to third sensors, a counter, and a main controller. The transporter moves from a shelf on which an article is supported to an empty shelf. The slide fork is mounted on the lift stage and transfers the article to and from the shelf. The first, second and third sensors recognize an abnormality of the article moved by the movement of the transporter. The counter counts the number of event occurrences. When an abnormality is recognized by the sensor, the main controller reduces a moving speed of the transporter, and when no abnormality is recognized by the sensor upon reduction in the moving speed, the movement of the transporter is continued. When the number of event occurrences reaches a first threshold, the stacker crane is brought into an abnormal-stop state.

Abstract: A transfer device to transfer an article by moving the article in a front-rear direction includes a base portion, a support plate movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the base portion and able to support a bottom surface of the article, a front-rear actuator that actuates the support plate in the front-rear direction with respect to the base portion, a suction device that is provided on the base portion to be movable in a vertical direction to suction a side surface of the article, and a vertical actuator that actuates the suction device at least in an ascending direction with respect to the base portion and supports the suction device to be detachable from the suction device in a descending direction.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plurality of controlled devices each including communication IFs compliant with EtherCAT standards; network connected to communication IF of each of controlled devices, network connected to communication IF of each of controlled devices; control apparatus capable of sending out first control data for controlling controlled devices to network; control apparatus capable of sending out second control data for controlling controlled devices to network; and main control apparatus that performs first control that causes control apparatus to send out the first control data. Main control apparatus further performs second control that causes control apparatus to send out the second control data when the sent first control data fails to reach at least one of controlled devices.

Abstract: Overhead transport vehicles with a hoist travel on a traveling rail for the overhead transport vehicles including a straight segment and a curved segment. A traveling rail for a local vehicle is provided below the traveling rail for the overhead transport vehicles, allows articles passing upward and downward over the traveling rail, has one end below the straight segment, extends from the one end parallelly to an extended line of the straight segment to a transfer position at the ground side, and has the other end outside an area under the straight segment. A buffer for the articles is provided below the straight segment and also below the traveling rail for the local vehicle. The local vehicle with a hoist traveling on the traveling rail for the local vehicle transfers the articles between the transfer position at the ground side and the buffer.