Abstract: The connection guide for a rail transport apparatus is provided with a first direction control guide and a second direction control guide such that when the transport vehicle travels in a forward direction, after the guiding operation of the first direction control guide is released the transport vehicle is guided by the second direction control guide, wherein a forward shift guide abuts a guide roller of the transport vehicle during the shift operation.

Abstract: The connection guide includes a first direction control guide which is provided on the other side of its width direction and extends in the extending direction; and a second direction control guide which is provided on one side of its width direction, apart from the first direction control guide by the interval area and extends in the extending direction. When the transport vehicle travels in a forward direction, after the guiding operation of the guide rollers of the traveling unit by the first direction control guide is released, by carrying out the shift operation, the traveling unit is shifted such that the guide roller of the traveling unit is guided by the second direction control guide. The forward shift guide having the abutting surface abutting on the guide roller during the shift operation is provided.

Abstract: An overhead traveling and transporting system includes a transporting carriage traveling along a track. The carriage has a gripping mechanism to grip an object, a hoisting mechanism to move down the gripping mechanism to a load port for the object, and a sensor emitting a light beam within a pseudo plane surface and receiving a reflection thereof. The system also has: a device for monitoring an obstacle existing in an emission direction of the emitted light beam, based on the reflected light; and a selecting device for establishing one condition that the obstacle existing forward in the traveling direction is monitored if the transporting carriage is traveling and establishing another condition that the obstacle existing downward from the transporting carriage is monitored if the gripping mechanism is moved down, by selecting the direction of emission and/or selecting an area of monitoring by the monitoring device.

Abstract: A turntable has a plurality of intra-table tracks, each of which includes inlet and outlet end portion that is capable of communicating with a carrying-in and carrying-out side of the transporting track, respectively, wherein an object is transported from the inlet end portion to the outlet end portion, a table member on which the intra-table tracks are provided, a table rotating mechanism that rotates the table member to be stopped at an arbitrary rotation angle and a table rotation controlling mechanism. The table rotation controlling mechanism controls the rotation of the table member so as to set the transport direction of the transporting object transported through the intra-table tracks. The intra-table tracks are disposed in the table member so that when a transport direction of one of the intra-table tracks is set, the inlet end portion of any other intra-table tracks communicates with the carrying-in side of the transporting track.

Abstract: A branch portion 2c is provided with a branch track 6 for guiding a carrier 8 having been guided in a straight line direction so as to change the traveling direction thereof, and a linear track 5 for guiding the carrier in the straight line direction. A switching unit switches between the branch track 6 and the linear track 5 so as to guide the carrier 8 by one of the branch track 6 and the linear track 5 in accordance with the traveling direction of the carrier 8.

Abstract: A direction change device includes first and second transport passage 3, 4, in which one of the transport passages is disposed at the same vertical position as that of the first transport rail 16, the other is disposed below the one, a rotating unit 22 rotating the transport passages 3, 4 about their central points, a lift unit 23 lifting the transport passages 3, 4 in a vertical direction and a control unit 21. The control unit 21 controls such that when the FOUP 5 is carried out from the transport rail 16 to the transport passage disposed at the same vertical position as that of the transport rail 16, rotating the transport passages 3, 4 by about 90°, carrying out the FOUP 5 from one of the transport passages, and exchanging the respective vertical positions of the first and second transport passages 3, 4.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve the transportation efficiency of an automatic transport system for transporting an article. In order to attain the above object, the automatic transport system of the present invention comprises a front detecting device which detects an obstruction in a non-contact state in an area through which an automatic transport vehicle passes and a projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and when said front detecting device detects the obstruction in said area, the running speed of said automatic transport vehicle is reduced or said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve the transportation efficiency of an automatic transport system for transporting an article. In order to attain the above object, the automatic transport system of the present invention comprises a front detecting device which detects an obstruction in a non-contact state in an area through which an automatic transport vehicle passes and a projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and when said front detecting device detects the obstruction in said area, the running speed of said automatic transport vehicle is reduced or said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

Abstract: The present invention improves the transportation efficiency of an automatic transport system for transporting and article to attain the above object, the automatic transport system includes a front detecting device which detects an obstruction in a non-contact state in an area through which an automatic transport vehicle passes and a projection surface of the automatic transport vehicle. When the front detecting device detects the obstruction in the area, the running speed of the automatic transport vehicle is reduced or the automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve the transportation efficiency of an automatic transport system for transporting an article. In order to attain the above object, the automatic transport system of the present invention comprises a front detecting device which detects an obstruction in a non-contact state in an area through which an automatic transport vehicle passes and a projection surface of said automatic transport vehicle, and when said front detecting device detects the obstruction in said area, the running speed of said automatic transport vehicle is reduced or said automatic transport vehicle is stopped.

Abstract: A system for driving a drum includes a pulse motor including an annular rotor fixedly mounted within the drum for rotation therewith and rotatable relative to a stator disposed within the rotor. The pitches of the rotor teeth and stator teeth are determined in such a manner that a magnetic flux linking each of the coils is changed in a sinusoidal fashion in synchronism with the rotation of the rotor. A pole position-detecting device produces a multi-phase sinusoidal pole position-detecting signal representative of the position of the magnetic poles relative to the rotor. A speed control device produces a current amplitude command signal representative of a desired torque of the rotor. A multiplier multiplies the pole-position detecting signal by the current amplitude command signal to produce a multiplication signal.