Abstract: Provided is a ceiling traveling vehicle that travels on a track including a pair of travel rails and including an upper guide rail in a branching portion, the traveling vehicle including: a body portion; a pair of travel wheels each configured to roll on a corresponding one of the travel rails; an upper guide roller configured to roll in contact with the upper guide rail; and a cam configured to adjust a position of the upper guide roller in a right-and-left direction in the body portion, depending on the branching portion.

Abstract: Correcting a deviation of the transfer position of an article is made possible. A control section includes: a position information acquiring section for acquiring, from an image taken by an image taking section, position information and a deviation of an identification code from a reference position; and an action control section for controlling the action of a transport device so as to correct the deviation of the transfer position of the article in accordance with the position information and the deviation of the identification code from the reference position.

Abstract: The article transport vehicle includes a travel section, a holding section, an elevating device, an inclination detection device, an inclination adjustment device, and an inclination control device for controlling the inclination adjustment device. The inclination adjustment device is configured to act on a target belt among a plurality of suspension belts to adjust an inclination of the holding section by adjusting a suspension height at which the holding section is held by the target belt. During the lowering of the holding section to the transfer position by the elevating device, the inclination control device executes an adjustment operation during lowering, in which the inclination of the holding section is detected by the inclination detection device, and based on the result of the detection performed by the inclination detection device, the inclination adjustment device is controlled to adjust the inclination of the holding section.

Abstract: Before a moving member that moves along a moving path stops, an article transport facility starts protrusion control by which a moving support portion that is provided on the moving member is moved so as to protrude toward a fixed support portion, and thereafter the article transport facility appropriately determines whether or not to continue the protrusion control. Upon the moving member reaching a protrusion start position, the protrusion control is started so that the moving support portion is moved to protrude, even if the moving member has not stopped. After the moving member has reached a position at which a detection unit that is fixed to the moving member can detect a detection target member that is provided on the fixed support portion, the execution of the protrusion control is continued as long as the detection unit is detecting the detection target member.

Abstract: An article transport facility in which the attitude of its support mechanism can be easily corrected to an appropriate attitude. The facility includes an angle sensor configured to detect an angle of a first reference surface of an article supported by a vertically movable member with respect to the horizontal plane, one or more winding mechanisms, one or more second actuators configured to actuate the one or more winding mechanisms, and a controller. Each winding mechanism is configured to selectively take up and feed out a target elongate flexible member. The controller controls one or more second actuators to adjust the angle of the first reference surface to a preset angle with respect to the horizontal plane based on the detected information from the angle sensor.

Abstract: Before a moving member that moves along a moving path stops, an article transport facility starts protrusion control by which a moving support portion that is provided on the moving member is moved so as to protrude toward a fixed support portion, and thereafter the article transport facility appropriately determines whether or not to continue the protrusion control. Upon the moving member reaching a protrusion start position, the protrusion control is started so that the moving support portion is moved to protrude, even if the moving member has not stopped. After the moving member has reached a position at which a detection unit that is fixed to the moving member can detect a detection target member that is provided on the fixed support portion, the execution of the protrusion control is continued as long as the detection unit is detecting the detection target member.

Abstract: When a transport start condition, which includes at least a condition that the controller is receiving a closed state signal, is satisfied, a controller allows a transport operation by an article transport device, and suspends the transport operation by the article transport device when the controller stops continually receiving the closed state signal after the transport operation by the article transport device is started, and further, allows the transport operation by the article transport device to continue while the controller is receiving the closed state signal after the transport operation by the article transport device is started, even if an object to be detected is detected by a monitoring detector.

Abstract: An article transport device and a work platform are movable along a travel path along a rack lateral direction. Article storage racks include a first storage rack installed on a first direction side along a rack fore and aft direction with respect to the travel path, and a second storage rack installed on a second direction side along the rack fore and aft direction with respect to the travel path. A platform storage section for storing the work platform is provided on the first direction side with respect to a trajectory of the article transport device. The platform storage section and the trajectory overlap with each other at least in part as seen along the rack fore and aft direction whereas the platform storage section and the second storage rack overlap with each other at least in part as seen along the rack fore and aft direction.

Abstract: A control portion is configured to execute a preliminary movement process of causing a movement mechanism to execute a preliminary movement operation of moving the movement support body with an imaging device attached thereto to a preliminary target stop position that is preset as a target stop position and stopping the movement support body at the preliminary target stop position; an imaging process of causing the imaging device to image an imaging target location in a state in which the movement support body is stopped at the preliminary target stop position; an offset amount calculation process of calculating, based on a captured image obtained by the imaging process, a positional offset amount of the movement support body in a front-rear direction and a lateral direction from a proper position of the movement support body; and a correction process of correcting the preliminary target stop position based on the positional offset amount calculated by the offset amount calculation process and setting the tar

Abstract: An article transport facility in which the attitude of its support mechanism can be easily corrected to an appropriate attitude. The facility includes an angle sensor configured to detect an angle of a first reference surface of an article supported by a vertically movable member with respect to the horizontal plane, one or more winding mechanisms, one or more second actuators configured to actuate the one or more winding mechanisms, and a controller. Each winding mechanism is configured to selectively take up and feed out a target elongate flexible member. The controller controls one or more second actuators to adjust the angle of the first reference surface to a preset angle with respect to the horizontal plane based on the detected information from the angle sensor.

Abstract: An article transport device and a work platform are movable along a travel path along a rack lateral direction. Article storage racks include a first storage rack installed on a first direction side along a rack fore and aft direction with respect to the travel path, and a second storage rack installed on a second direction side along the rack fore and aft direction with respect to the travel path. A platform storage section for storing the work platform is provided on the first direction side with respect to a trajectory of the article transport device. The platform storage section and the trajectory overlap with each other at least in part as seen along the rack fore and aft direction whereas the platform storage section and the second storage rack overlap with each other at least in part as seen along the rack fore and aft direction.

Abstract: When a transport start condition, which includes at least a condition that the controller is receiving a closed state signal, is satisfied, a controller allows a transport operation by an article transport device, and suspends the transport operation by the article transport device when the controller stops continually receiving the closed state signal after the transport operation by the article transport device is started, and further, allows the transport operation by the article transport device to continue while the controller is receiving the closed state signal after the transport operation by the article transport device is started, even if an object to be detected is detected by a monitoring detector.

Abstract: A control portion is configured to execute a preliminary movement process of causing a movement mechanism to execute a preliminary movement operation of moving the movement support body with an imaging device attached thereto to a preliminary target stop position that is preset as a target stop position and stopping the movement support body at the preliminary target stop position; an imaging process of causing the imaging device to image an imaging target location in a state in which the movement support body is stopped at the preliminary target stop position; an offset amount calculation process of calculating, based on a captured image obtained by the imaging process, a positional offset amount of the movement support body in a front-rear direction and a lateral direction from a proper position of the movement support body; and a correction process of correcting the preliminary target stop position based on the positional offset amount calculated by the offset amount calculation process and setting the tar

Abstract: A work platform on which a worker can ride includes a suspended portion supported above a floor surface, the suspended portion being movable by a movement rail provided upwardly of a movement path, and a platform portion provided in the form of a plate on which the worker can ride, the platform portion having a base end connected to a lower end portion of the suspended portion to be pivotable about an axis along the direction of lateral width of the movement path. With pivotal movements about the axis, the platform portion can selectively assume a riding posture wherein the platform portion extends along the movement path so that the worker riding on this platform portion can move along the longitudinal direction of the movement path and a folded posture wherein the platform portion is folded toward the suspended portion to extend along the vertical direction.

Abstract: A laser welding apparatus and method reduce the effect of the fume resulting from a weld. An air injecting nozzle is installed at a laser processing head. The injecting direction of air from the air injecting nozzle is set such that the air flows across a laser beam irradiated from the laser processing head while the air flow avoids direct contact with the laser irradiating point on the work piece.

Abstract: A work platform on which a worker can ride includes a suspended portion supported above a floor surface, the suspended portion being movable by a movement rail provided upwardly of a movement path, and a platform portion provided in the form of a plate on which the worker can ride, the platform portion having a base end connected to a lower end portion of the suspended portion to be pivotable about an axis along the direction of lateral width of the movement path. With pivotal movements about the axis, the platform portion can selectively assume a riding posture wherein the platform portion extends along the movement path so that the worker riding on this platform portion can move along the longitudinal direction of the movement path and a folded posture wherein the platform portion is folded toward the suspended portion to extend along the vertical direction.

Abstract: It is an objective of the present invention to develop a method of pretreating a waste mushroom bed so as to easily and efficiently obtain sugars and ethanol with the use of such waste mushroom bed. It is another objective of the present invention to develop a method of converting the pretreated waste mushroom bed to yield sugars and ethanol. According to the present invention, it has been found that the above objective can be achieved by maintaining a waste mushroom bed at 4° C. to 30° C. for 1 week or longer after harvesting of fruit bodies for conversion of the waste mushroom bed to yield sugars and ethanol.

Abstract: A laser welding apparatus and method reduce the effect of the fume resulting from a weld. An air injecting nozzle is installed at a laser processing head. The injecting direction of air from the air injecting nozzle is set such that the air flows across a laser beam irradiated from the laser processing head while the air flow avoids direct contact with the laser irradiating point on the work piece.

Abstract: There is disclosed an optically transparent pressure sensitive adhesive sheet for heat transfer image pattern formation comprising an optically transparent film which has a first side constituting a heat transfer image pattern-receiving side and a second side opposite to the first side, an antistatic release sheet provided on the second side of the optically transparent film, via a pressure sensitive adhesive layer. Also disclosed is a first embodiment of an optically transparent decorative pressure sensitive adhesive sheet comprising the optically transparent pressure sensitive adhesive sheet and an image pattern formed by heat transfer method on the first side of the optically transparent film.

Abstract: There is provided a wireless-type power supply method that is applied to the case where an object to which energy is to be transmitted is relatively small, such as a micromachine, and that allows high-voltage electrical energy to be transmitted without using a wire. In this method, the optical energy from an light source is converted into high-voltage electrical energy by means of an energy transducer formed of either a piezoelectric element or a photovoltaic element on the above-described object, and the high-voltage electrical energy is supplied to an actuator, whereby the construction of the receiving side of the energy transmission is simplified.