Abstract: A controller determines, when a traveling vehicle to proceed in a first direction from a predetermined cell toward a destination is present, whether or not to grant the traveling vehicle occupation permission for a cell adjacent to the predetermined cell in the first direction. The traveling vehicle proceeds in the first direction if occupation permission for the adjacent cell has been granted from the controller, whereas the traveling vehicle stops at the predetermined cell if occupation permission has not been granted. The controller assigns to the traveling vehicle a traveling instruction in which a cell situated at a plurality of cells ahead of the predetermined cell in the second direction is designated as a waypoint to the destination if the traveling vehicle has not obtained occupation permission for the adjacent cell and has continuously been in a stop state at the predetermined cell for a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A transport system includes a plurality of transport vehicles and a controller. The transport vehicle includes a travel unit and transfer unit. The controller performs a blocking control to prohibit transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle from entering a blocking zone corresponding to the area occupied by the transport vehicle when transferring an article in a plan view. To transfer an article from/to a placement table, the transport vehicle travels along the route to the placement table in a first direction. An area of the blocking zone when the transport vehicle accesses to the placement table in the first direction is equal to or less than an area of the blocking zone identified when the transport vehicle accesses to the placement table in the second direction different from the first direction.

Abstract: A traveling vehicle system includes a plurality of traveling vehicles, a controller that controls the plurality of transport vehicles, a traveling region of the traveling vehicles having a plurality of blocking sections each of which undergoes exclusive control to prohibit another traveling vehicle from moving thereinto. The traveling vehicle makes a request to the controller for occupation permissions regarding a plurality of blocking sections to be occupied by the traveling vehicle and are designated by instructions. The controller then determines, among the plurality of blocking sections for which the traveling vehicle makes a request for occupation permissions, one or more of the blocking sections that are able to allow permissions consecutively from an end thereof to be primarily occupied, based on the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle, and the controller grants the traveling vehicle the permissions for one or more blocking sections determined to allow the permissions.

Abstract: A traveling vehicle system includes: a plurality of traveling vehicles; and a controller that is capable of communicating with the plurality of traveling vehicles and that controls the plurality of traveling vehicles, a traveling region of the traveling vehicles having designated therein a plurality of blocking sections each of which undergoes, when occupied by one of the plurality of traveling vehicles, exclusive control to prohibit another traveling vehicle from moving thereinto. The controller determines, where in a series of operations to be executed by the traveling vehicle, the operation of the traveling vehicle from the start of traveling to stopping before executing a predetermined operation included in the series of operations is demarcated, whether or not to grant the traveling vehicle an occupation permission for the blocking sections to be occupied for the traveling vehicle to execute operations.

Abstract: A controller determines, when a traveling vehicle to proceed in a first direction from a predetermined cell toward a destination is present, whether or not to grant the traveling vehicle occupation permission for a cell adjacent to the predetermined cell in the first direction. The traveling vehicle proceeds in the first direction if occupation permission for the adjacent cell has been granted from the controller, whereas the traveling vehicle stops at the predetermined cell if occupation permission has not been granted. The controller assigns to the traveling vehicle a traveling instruction in which a cell situated at a plurality of cells ahead of the predetermined cell in the second direction is designated as a waypoint to the destination if the traveling vehicle has not obtained occupation permission for the adjacent cell and has continuously been in a stop state at the predetermined cell for a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: An interrupt load distribution system for a shared bus type multiprocessor system includes a processor statistical information table for storing processor statistical information consisting of processor activity ratios under the use by the operating system, processor activity ratios under the use by processes executing under a processor bind, and number of processes requesting a bind from each processor, an interrupt schedule information table for storing interrupt schedule information, an interrupt scheduler for referring to said two tables at fixed time intervals and re-scheduling interrupt load distribution as necessary to achieve appropriate distribution, and an I/O control part for notifying the designated processor of an interrupt request by reflecting a re-schedule created by the interrupt scheduler.

Abstract: A metallic honeycomb body for supporting a catalyst comprises a flat plate and a corrugated plate; these plates are formed by a foil of stainless steel in which the steel contains more than 1% of Si and the surface of the steel is covered by a film which is mainly formed by an oxide chrome at a high temperature, and are mutually bonded by diffusion bonding.The chemical composition of the foil material is comprised of up to 0.2% of C, more than 1 to 5% of Si, 9 to 22% of Cr, up to 0.8% of Al, and as necessary, at least one member selected from the group of Nb, V, Mo W and REM (rare earth member) including Y.The metallic honeycomb body is formed by which said body is annealed at a vacuum degree of 10.sup.-2 to 10.sup.-4 Torr and in a temperature range of 1200.degree. to 1300.degree. C. for 1 to 30 minutes in a vacuum annealing furnace.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a process for producing a honeycomb body for a metallic carrier from a flat foil and a corrugated foil, which comprises supplying a joining agent comprising a mixture of an adhesive with a carbon powder into abutted portions between the flat foil and the corrugated foil, depositing the joining agent onto the abutted portions to form a honeycomb body and heat-treating the honeycomb body only or an outer cylinder with the honeycomb body being inserted thereinto in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to mutually join the abutted portions in a liquid phase.

Abstract: A method of diametrically contracting a cylindrical body, includes the steps of grasping the cylindrical body with a plurality of elongated grasping members, preparing a cylindrical drawing die having an opening at one end and a tapered inside peripheral surface, drawing the grasping members together with the cylindrical body into the drawing die, through the opening, and applying a compression force to the cylindrical body through the grasping members due to the passage along through the tapered inside peripheral surface, to thereby cause the cylindrical body to be diametrically contracted. During the drawing process, since the cylindrical body does not come into direct contact with the drawing die, neither scratches nor baking cracks are produced on the outside surface of the cylindrical body.