JPS6373804A - Carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a main carrier passage to be efficiently used, by executing the running of a carrying unit on the main carrier passage and the carrying of a carried unit on a branch carrier passage, respectively and independently. CONSTITUTION:When a carried unit is transported from a station I to a station II, then the unit is carried to the end position of an acceptance-carrying section 43 via a delivery carrying section 44 after the unit is contained in a vacant case C1 in a case acceptance/delivery section 41. After that, when a vacant carrier 13 comes to the station I, then a case C4 is unloaded, and the case C1 is loaded. The carrier 13 is driven from the station I to the station II. The carrier 13 comes to the station II and the case 61 is unloaded there, and the unloaded case C1 is carried to a release mechanism section 52. After a cover is opened, the case is stopped at a specified acceptance section. After the case C1 is unloaded, a carried or vacant case C2 is loaded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is intended for use in transporting various articles such as medical records, slips, or medicines from a point to another in a general hospital, for example. The present invention relates to a transport device suitable for transporting a system to a target point.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in a general hospital, when medical records, slips, and other items are transferred between the medical affairs department and the examination room, for example, medical records are transferred to a case conveyor, slips are transferred to an air vent, or heavy objects are transferred. Transportation is carried out using various transportation means such as a vertical conveyor. In addition, as another transport method, a method is used in which the above-mentioned articles are transported by the same transport device using a track vehicle.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, if the former conveyance method is adopted, a plurality of different types of conveyance means are required, and in order to increase convenience, these multiple types of conveyance means must be installed at the same place. If you do not do so, there will be a problem that the staff will have to walk a long distance to pick up the required items. On the other hand, the latter method of transport depends on whether the model is capable of transporting all items, high speed for medical records and slips, etc.
There is a problem in that it is not suitable for conveyed objects that require mobility. In addition, although air shooters have high speed, they are sensitive to heavy loads, and on curved conveyance routes, space is required to install devices to prevent noise, air noise, exhaust noise, etc. generated during travel. It is difficult in terms of performance to run multiple vehicles in one running area.
Therefore, there are problems such as not being suitable for large-scale transportation.

In addition, as a system capable of mass transportation, a linear induction motor has recently been adopted for the main conveyance path, and multiple branch conveyance paths are provided on this main conveyance path. A system has been proposed for transporting goods, but in this system, when loading/unloading goods at a branch position, the waiting time of the carrier of the linear induction motor is long, and the high speed of the main conveyance path cannot be utilized. There were many unfinished parts.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyance device that can transport medical records, slips, other medicines, and other objects to be conveyed in large quantities at high speed, and that can efficiently use the conveyance path. It is something to do.

[Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving Problems) This invention provides a transport body that accommodates a transported object and travels;
A plurality of travel control means that accelerate and decelerate the carrier at a plurality of different positions on the main transport path on which the transporter travels and a second main transport path, and stop and start the transporter at each of the plurality of positions. and a transport mechanism for transporting the transported object, an official for the transported object, a transported object input/reception section for receiving the transported object, and a transport mechanism for transporting the transported object; A plurality of branch conveyance paths for conveying objects between the conveyed object input/reception section and the branch position, and these branch! 'W
At a branch position of the transport path, a conveyance object transfer means loads and stacks conveyed objects between the conveyance body stopped on the main conveyance path and the branch conveyance path; The plurality of travel control means, the conveyance mechanism of the branch conveyance path, and and a control means for controlling the conveyance object transfer means, and the control means independently performs traveling of the conveyance body on the main conveyance path and conveyance of the conveyance object on the branch conveyance path. do it like this.

(Function) According to the configuration of the present invention, when the beam of the transported object is beamed, at the branch position, the transported object that has been trimmed on the transport body is stacked on the branched transport path, and is also stacked on the branched transport path side. A conveyance object exchange operation in which a certain conveyance object is loaded onto a conveyance body is always performed, but the travel control of the conveyance bodies on the main conveyance path before and after this exchange operation, that is, the movement control of each conveyance body to the required branch point is controlled. Traveling, stopping, and starting and running of the transport body from the branch point, and transport control of the transported object on the branch transport path before and after the exchange operation, that is, from the transport object input/reception section to the branch before and after the exchange operation. The conveyance of the object to the position and the control of the conveyance of the object from the same branch position to, for example, the object receiving section after the exchange operation are performed independently. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of the conveyor when exchanging the conveyed object at the branch position, and it is possible to efficiently use the main conveyance path by taking advantage of its high speed.

(Example) The present invention will be described below based on an example shown in the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 2 and 3, objects A to be transported, such as medical charts, slips, ringers, etc. having different sizes and shapes, are stored and transported in a storage case 1 consisting of a main body 5 and a cover 6 that can be opened and closed. Ru. This storage case 1 is locked by closing the lid 6, and the stored items A can be freely taken out by opening this lock by hand. The outer shape of the case 1 is the same regardless of the type of the transported object A, but the interior thereof has a shape corresponding to the transported object A to be stored. For example, for an object to be transported A1 such as a medical record or a slip, a pair of spring plates 2 are disposed inside a case 1 facing each other, and the object to be transported A1 is held between them as shown in FIG. 2(a). This prevents shaking and allows for easy removal/insertion. In addition, in the case of the transported object A2 such as Ringer, please refer to Fig. 2 (
As shown in b), a separate inner case 3 is fitted between the case 1 and the transported object A2 to prevent rattling.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a transport system within a general hospital, for example, for transporting the storage case 1. As shown in FIG. In the figure, 11 is a main conveyance path for conveying the storage case 1, and this main conveyance path 11 runs above each floor, such as within the ceiling or under the ceiling. This main conveyance path 11 is provided with a plurality of branch conveyance paths 12 extending vertically along the inner wall surface of each department such as the medical affairs section, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and dentistry. The storage case 1 is transported to a position where it can be easily operated on the floor of each department.

In the main transport path 11, a large number of stators of linear induction motors are scattered at predetermined intervals, and these stators accelerate, decelerate, and accelerate several transport bodies provided with secondary conductors.
I try to stop and start. That is, these conveyance bodies (carriers) 13 have a mounting part 14 for the storage case 1 as shown in FIG. It is attached to the guide rail 17 of the main conveyance path 11 by these wheels 16 so as to be freely movable.

The carrier 13 is conveyed by linear induction, which consists of a secondary conductor 18 provided on the carrier 13 side and a plurality of stators 19, which are thrust applying means (minus-order conductors), provided at predetermined intervals on the main conveyance path 11 side. This is done using a motor 20. That is, the stator 19 is energized and driven by a power supply device (not shown), and the secondary conductor 18 is
A time-varying magnetic flux is applied to the carrier 13, and this change generates a constant (1) thrust or reverse propulsive force in the secondary conductor 18, thereby causing the carrier 13 to travel and stop.

Note that 21 is a casing that covers the main conveyance path 11, and this casing 21 consists of a lower case 21a and an upper case 21b that is detachable from the lower case 21a so that inspection and maintenance can be easily performed. .

In addition, a stator 19 of a linear motor 20 is disposed at each portion of the main conveyance path 11 where the branch conveyance paths 12 are provided, and the stators 19 of the linear motors 20 are arranged to stop and start the carriers 13 as necessary. (hereinafter referred to as "station") 7... (see Fig. 1), and each of these stations 7 has a main transport path 11, a branch transport path 12, and a branch transport path 12, respectively. A case transfer mechanism 23 is provided for transferring the storage case 1 between the storage cases 1 and 2.

The case transfer mechanism 23 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. That is, the carrier 13 indicated by arrow
A guide shaft 24 is installed perpendicular to the direction of movement in the main conveyance path 11, and a movable member 26 provided with a push-out plate 25 is slidably attached to the guide shaft 24. Further, a timing belt 28 is connected to the movable member 26 via a connecting member 27, and the timing belt 28 is stretched around a pair of pulleys 29 (only one shown) disposed near both ends of the guide shaft 24. It becomes. One of the pulleys 29 is driven by a pulse motor (not shown) via a reduction gear train (not shown) (1jΔ configuration, and as the pulse motor is driven, the movable part t to which the pushing plate 25 is attached, 1
26, it moves back and forth in the direction of arrow Y.

The extrusion plate 25 is located at a height that can suppress the side surface of the storage case 1, and its reciprocating movement causes the carrier 13 to
The storage case 1 held in the storage case 1 is pushed out to the loading/stacking section 30 of the branch conveyance path 12 (see FIG. 7), or the transportation case 1 in the loading/stacking section 30 is mounted on the carrier 13. I do things.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the carrier 13 has a holding frame portion 31a that is substantially inverted in the shape of the housing case 1.

31b, and the case 1 mounted on the mounting section 14 is restricted only in the front-rear direction along the moving direction of the carrier 13 and the up-down direction, and in the transfer direction (Y direction). can move freely (1).

For this reason, the (Nhi frame portion 31a of the carrier 13).

31b is provided with a pair of case fixing means 32 for fixing the transport case 1 accommodated in the storage section 14 so that it will not come out during transport.

The case fixing means 32 has a structure as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. That is, the holding frames 31a and 31b of the carrier 13 are provided with a fixing member 3 formed by bending both ends of a wire in the same direction and then bending the tip downward.
3 are rotatably attached via support shafts 34, respectively.

Springs 35 as biasing bodies are connected to both ends of the fixing member 33, respectively, and these springs 35 are placed in positions where they abut against the stoppers 36, that is, as shown by solid lines, the image front end 33a of the fixing member 33 is The holding members 33a, 33b are urged to protrude downward from the upper surfaces thereof. and,
These fixing members 33 hold the case 1 housed in the mounting section 14.
It is held by four tip portions 33a...

On the other hand, each station 7 is provided with a release means 37 for releasing the fixing operation by the case fixing means 32 as necessary. This release means 37 lowers a pair of push-down rods 38 via a cylinder (not shown), and releases the middle part of the fixing member 33 against the biasing force of the spring 35, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is configured to be pushed down and rotated.

Then, by the rotational displacement operation of the fixing member 33, the image leading edge 3
Case 1
It is designed so that it can be moved to a position where there is no problem in inserting and removing it.

Next, as shown in FIG.
0 and a stage section 40 capable of buffering two rows of three storage cases 1 transferred to the loading/stacking section 30.
This stage section 40 and case receiving/delivery section 41
The structure includes a reciprocally movable vertical conveyance section 42 that conveys the case 1 up and down between the two. Furthermore, in the stage section 40, 43 is a case l connected to the carrier 13.
44 is case 1, which is a receiving and transporting section that transports the
The lower end of the receiving and transporting section and the delivery and transporting section 44
A pushing mechanism 45 is arranged at the upper end of each case, and the housing case 1 is transported by this pushing mechanism 45.
The stage section 40 is rotatably movable as shown by the dashed line.

In the branch conveyance path 12, the mechanism for conveying the case 1 is, for example, as shown in FIG. The second
a conveyor belt 47 with a claw, and a conveyor belt 4 with a first claw
The horizontal conveyor belt 4 is stretched perpendicularly to the lower end of the belt 6.
8, and the case 1 is supported and transported by the claws 49 of each transport roller. Note that a back-up body 50 is attached to the horizontal conveyance belt 48.
... are installed at predetermined intervals, and case 1 is
When it receives one, it travels one pitch and transfers the case in a standing position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the branch conveyance path 12, that is, the shipping and arrival station, installed on the medical affairs section floor on the first floor, for example, and shows the main conveyance path 11 and the branch conveyance path 1.
The storage case 1 that has been transported is presented in the case receiving/delivering section 41 in the direction in which the lid 6 is opened.

Then, when Case 1 arrives, the operation panel 51
At the same time, the arrival is displayed and a chime (not shown) or the like is used to announce the arrival. Further, an opening/closing detection section (not shown) is provided to detect opening/closing of the lid 6 of the case 1 at the time of starting, and when a destination is specified on the operation panel 51, the opening/closing detection section closes the lid 6. When the lid body 6 is closed, the vertical conveyance section 42 is driven to convey the case 1 upward.

Incidentally, an infrared danger prevention means (not shown) is provided near where the case 1 is handled, and when this danger prevention means detects an object, shipping of the case 1 is stopped.

Figure 10 shows, for example, a shipping station installed on the medical record room floor.
This is an example of the arrival station, and when the case 1 arrives, the lid 6 is automatically opened by the built-in release mechanism 52, and it is also checked whether or not there is an object A in the case 1. or by a detection means (not shown). At this time, the case 1 that is not present among the objects to be transported is sterilized by an ultraviolet sterilizer (not shown). Incidentally, in case 1 where the object to be transported A is present, sterilization is not performed in order to avoid any influence on the object to be transported A.

Furthermore, when the case 1 arrives, it is displayed on the operation panel 53 and notified by a sound (for example, a chime), and the cases 1 whose lids 6 are opened are sequentially buffered. At this time, case 1 that arrived is 1
For example, if the case is stopped at the position indicated by Pl in FIG. I always try to warn you.

When the object A to be transported is taken out from the case 1, this is detected by the old object detection section, but if necessary at this time, the case 1 is postponed.

In addition, when shipping case 1 containing transported object A, after placing this case 1 in position P2 and pressing the destination setting and shipping button on the operation panel 53, the case 1 is Move to the closing mechanism section 54 side, this closing machine!
The lid body 6 is automatically closed by the 14 part 54 and is conveyed to the main conveyance path 11 side.

Further, the case 1 in the portion before the P2 position is in an open state, so that several destination settings and the storage of the transported object A can be performed following the P2 position.

Furthermore, a content detection unit (not shown) is installed at each position where the case 1 stops (position 6 in this case) to detect the presence or absence of the stored object A.
Alternatively, it may be used to distinguish between shipments or to confirm operations at the time of shipment.

Note that the branch conveyance path of the type shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is referred to as station I, and the branch conveyance path of the type shown in FIG. 10 is referred to as station (2).

FIG. 11 shows an example of the operation panels 51, 53 provided at each of these stations, and displays the time of shipping and arrival of the transport case 1, as well as the name of the destination and the name of the shipping station.

Further, destination input during operation is performed using the numeric keypad 55, and the destination name is displayed when a code number is input.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the control system. It should be noted that the control contents other than those within the scope of the claims of this patent in the configuration shown in FIG. Although it was made jointly, FIG. 12 is included in this patent application for the purpose of explaining the technical aspects of the present invention.

Each station 60-1, 60-2 of the linear induction motor provided for each branch conveyance path 12. ....

60-n includes CPUs 61-1, 61-2. ...6
1-n are provided respectively, and these CPUs 61-1゜61-
2. . . . , 61-n are a stator 62 for stopping the carrier and the stator 6 disposed at the branching conveyance path point, respectively.
Stators 63-1, 63-2, and 63-2 for carrier acceleration/deceleration provided in the main conveyance path 11 near 2. ..., 63-n are managed as a group. The stator 62 is powered and driven by an inverter 64, and the stators 63-1, 63-2. ..., 6
3-n is a solid state relay (Solid 5tate Con
65-1, 65-2. ...,
It is powered and driven by 65-n. The inverter 64 has C
A PU 66 is provided, and the carrier 13 can be stopped at a fixed position by frequency control by the CPU 66.

In addition, solid state relay 65-1.65-2. −． cpU67-1.65-n, respectively. 67-2. ---, 67-
n are provided, and these CPUs perform acceleration/deceleration control of the carrier 13 so as to stop the carrier 13 at a fixed position of the stator 62. CPU provided for each station
61-1. 61-2. --・-, 61-n are these CPs
U66. 67-1. 67-2. - and 67-n, while controlling the drive unit 68 of the branch conveyance path 12;
Loading/stacking of the transport cases 1, transport on a branch transport path, buffering, etc. are performed. These, each CPU61-1. 61-2. -, 61
-n is connected to the sub-CPU 72 of the central control room 71 via an R3232C69 and an optical fiber cable 70. Abnormalities such as failures and accidents on the branch conveyance path are reported to the CPU 61-1, 61-2. −． 61-n, and the abnormality signal is input to the sub-CPU 72 of the central control room 71 via the optical fiber cable 70. At this time, the sub-CPU 72 sends the accommodation case to the station where the abnormality has occurred. control such as stopping the delivery of In addition to the side CPU 72, the central control room 71 includes a monitoring board 73 that monitors abnormalities in the main transport path 11, branch transport path 12, etc., and these monitoring boards 73 and the sub CPU 7.
The main CPU 74 is connected to 2 and controls the entire system. In addition, the central control room 71, each station 60
-1.60-2. ..., central distribution board 7 for 60-n, etc.
Power is supplied via 5.

Next, the flow of the storage case 1 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. Figures 13(a) to (e) are, for example, station I installed in the medical affairs section shown in Figure 1 (see Figures 7 to 9, H<1).
Figure 14 (a) to (C) shows the flow of cases during shipping.
For example, Figure 15 (a) to (C) show the flow of receiving a case at station I (see Figure 10) installed in the medical record room shown in Figure 1, and Figures 15 (a) to (C) show the flow of receiving a case at station I. These flows are all controlled by the control system shown in FIG.

Now, when transporting object A from station I shown in Fig. 13 to station ■ shown in Fig. 14, station I has three empty cases CI, C2, and C3 in Fig. The initial state arranged as shown is taken in advance.

In this state, if the staff member stores the transported object A in the empty case C1 in the case receiving/transfer section 41, specifies the destination and departure source, and presses the dispatch button, this command will be sent to the station I. Central control room 71 via CPU etc.
The input is input to the sub CPU 72 of the station I, and under the overall control by the chain side CPU 72, the carrier 13 at the shortest position in the vacant state is controlled to travel to the station I and stop, and the CPU 6 of the station I
The transport control of the storage case 1 on the branch transport path is performed independently. First, at the station I, the empty cases C2 and c3 located on the side of the delivery/transport section 44 of the stage section 40 are sequentially moved to the side of the receiving/transport section 43, and then the shipping case C1 located on the case receiving/delivery section 41 is moved to the 13th stage section 40. The empty cases C2 and C3 are transported to the uppermost position of the delivery transport section 44 shown in FIG. 13(b), and the empty cases C2 and C3 are moved to the position shown in FIG. /Until delivery section 41, empty case C2
are sequentially transported to the end position of the receiving and transporting section 43, and wait in this state until the carrier 13 arrives. Said side CPU
72, case C4 (normally this case C
4 is an empty case)) is the 13th carrier.
When arriving at the station l as shown in Figure (b),
First, the case C4 on the carrier 13 is placed in the loading/stacking section 3.
0, and then this case C4 is shown in Figure 13 (C
), it is moved to the subsequent position of the empty case C2.

Next, shipping case C in the position shown in Figure 13(b)
1 is loaded onto the carrier 13 via the loading/stacking section 30, and the carrier 13 is immediately started by driving the stator, travels to station (2) where the desired medical record room is located, and then stops.

Note that after this, at station I, empty case C2
, C3, and C4 to the initial position shown in FIG. 13(a), and then prepare for the next operation.

Next, at station ■ on the arrival side, Fig. 14 (a)
As shown in (b), after the case C1 is accumulated with the arrival of the carrier 13, the accumulated case C1 is transferred to the 14th case C1.
As shown in Figure (C), it is sent to the release mechanism section 52, and after opening the lid 6, it is stopped at a predetermined receiving section. In addition, the case C
After one case is stacked, the next case C3 is loaded onto the carrier 13, which is a ready-to-ship or empty case C2 prepared nearby, and the next case C3 is transported to the position where the case C2 was. After that, when the carrier 13 is loaded with the case C2 to be shipped, it immediately departs toward the destination station, but when it is loaded with an empty case C2, unless it is needed at another station or the station, etc. It's stopped.

Next, FIG. 15 shows the flow when a case arrives at station I. When the carrier 13 carrying the case C1 containing the transported object A arrives at the station I from another station, the station I is
The empty cases C2, C3 and C4 are in an initial state arranged as shown in FIG. 15(a). After this state, first, the cases C1 are stacked from the carrier 13, and the cases C1 are conveyed to the end on the receiving conveyance section 43 side, as shown in FIG. 13(b), and then stopped. Next, the empty case C2 is loaded onto the carrier 13, and the empty case C3+C4
is conveyed to the upper end of the delivery conveyance section 44 and stopped as shown in FIG. 13(b). Thereafter, the case C1 is transported to the case receiving/delivering section 41 via the vertical transport section 42 and stopped.

The arrival of the case C1 is notified by a display, a chime, etc., and the stored item A is taken out from the case C1 by a staff member.

The flow of the storage cases has been explained above using FIGS. 13 to 15. At each station, the storage cases are stacked from the carrier 13, either when the transported object is shipped or when it arrives. Rather than performing only one of the stacking operation and the loading operation of loading the storage cases onto the carrier 13, both the loading and unloading operations, that is, the replacement operation of the storage cases are always performed. For example, when the carrier 13 loaded with the storage case 1 containing the transported object A is sent to each station, the storage cases are stacked on the branch transport path, and the storage case on the branch transport path side (usually empty) will be loaded onto the carrier 13. For this reason, the carrier 13 is always loaded with the storage case 1 that is empty or contains objects to be transported.
Thereby, the number of storage cases 1 at each station can be kept constant at all times, and a constant number of empty cases can always be supplied to each station.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, before replacing the housing case 1,
! 1'-The traveling 1t control of the carrier 13 on the main conveyance path and the conveyance control of the storage case on the branch conveyance path, which are necessary for preparation or post-processing, are performed independently.In other words, the main conveyance The running conditions of each carrier on the road were determined to most efficiently process input commands from all stations, independent of the transport of storage cases at individual stations. For this reason, even when the branch transport path is transporting the storage case as preparation for replacement or post-processing, the main transport path can carry out its own carrier travel that is not affected by the transport of the branch transport path. Therefore, the main conveyance path can be used efficiently and the l'' speed of the main conveyance path can be utilized.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained below, according to the present invention, a plurality of branch conveyance paths are provided in the main conveyance path along which the conveyance body carrying the storage case travels, and these main conveyance paths and branch conveyance paths are connected to each other. Since these can be controlled independently, it is possible to transport medical records, medicines, and other objects in large quantities at measured speeds, and to realize efficient transport operations that take advantage of the high speed of the main transport path. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 15 show an embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a transport system to which the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a storage case that stores objects to be transported, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the storage case, and Fig. 4 is a main transport path. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the vicinity of the transport body stop part, FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing the fixing means of the storage case, and FIG. 7 is a main transport path and FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing an example of the transport mechanism of the branch transport path; FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing an example of the branch station; Fig. 10 is an external perspective view showing an example of another station, Fig. 11 is a front view showing an example of an operation panel, Fig. 12 is a system block diagram showing main parts of the entire control system, and Fig. 13 (a )～(
C) is a perspective view showing the flow of storage cases during shipping at the station in Figure 9, and Figures 14 (a) to (c) are
15(a) to 15(c) are perspective views showing the flow of accommodation cases at the station shown in FIG. 9 at the time of arrival. A: Object to be transported, 1: Storage case, 6: Lid, 11: Main transport path, 12: Branch transport path, 13:
...Conveyor (carrier), 23...Case transfer means,
32... Case fixing means, 45... Pushing means, 6
1.66°67.72.74...CPU, 71...
Central control room. Figure 2 1' Procedure 7 City official document (method)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A conveyance body that travels while accommodating an object to be conveyed; A main conveyance path along which the conveyance body travels; Acceleration and deceleration control of the conveyance body is performed at a plurality of different positions on the main conveyance path; It has a plurality of travel control means for stopping and starting the conveyor at each of the plurality of positions, a conveyance object input/reception section for inputting and receiving the conveyance object, and a conveyance mechanism for conveying the conveyance object, a plurality of branch conveyance paths branching from the main conveyance path at a plurality of positions on the main conveyance path and conveying the conveyed object between the conveyed object input/receiving section and the branch position; and branches of these branch conveyance paths. a conveyance object transfer means for loading and unloading objects between the conveyance body stopped on the main conveyance path and the branch conveyance path; The plurality of travel control means, the transport mechanism of the branch transport path, and the object to be transported from the object input/receiver part of the first branch transport path to the object input/receive part of the second branch transport path. The apparatus further comprises a control means for controlling the transfer means, and the control means independently performs traveling of the conveying body on the main conveyance path and conveyance of the object to be conveyed on the branch conveyance path. conveyance device.