WO2023079882A1

WO2023079882A1 - Overhead conveying vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023079882A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/036970
Authority: WO
Inventors: 誠小林
Original assignee: 村田機械株式会社
Priority date: 2021-11-05
Filing date: 2022-10-03
Publication date: 2023-05-11
Also published as: TW202329313A

Abstract

This overhead conveying vehicle comprises: a gripping part (12) that grips a container (200) so that the opening direction of an opening (200a) is directed horizontally; a lifting part (7) which is provided with the gripping part (12) and which is suspended from a traveling part (3) by a plurality of suspension members (B); a lifting drive part (63A) that raises or lowers the lifting part (7) with respect to the traveling part (3) by winding up and feeding out the plurality of suspension members (B); and a control part (8) that adjusts the inclination of the lifting part (7) relative to the horizontal plane by controlling the winding-up amount or the feeding-out amount of each of the plurality of suspension members (B) in the lifting drive part (63A). The control part (8) adjusts the inclination of the lifting part (7) to assume a falling prevention pose in which the height on the opening (200a) side of the container (200) gripped by the gripping part (12) is positioned higher relative to the rest of the container (200).

Description

overhead carrier

One aspect of the present invention relates to an overhead transport vehicle.

An overhead transport vehicle is known that is provided with a traveling section that travels on a track laid on a ceiling or the like, and an elevating section that has a gripping section that transfers an article to a placement section such as a shelf or a load port. The lifting section is suspended by a plurality of hanging members such as belts, and is raised and lowered by winding or unrolling the hanging members.

JP 2012-64799 A

Such an overhead transport vehicle may transport an article in a container that has an opening on the side (opens horizontally) for loading and unloading the article. However, in this case, there is a risk that the articles may jump out of the opening of the container due to, for example, acceleration and deceleration of the overhead transport vehicle, centrifugal force during travel on a curve, or the like. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a conveying device that prevents an article from jumping out by arranging a stopper (contact member) that prevents the article from jumping out in front of an opening in the direction in which the article jumps out when the article is conveyed. .

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an overhead transport vehicle capable of suppressing articles from jumping out of an opening during transport without arranging a stopper in front of the opening.

An overhead transport vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is an overhead transport vehicle that transports a container having an opening for loading and unloading of articles that opens in one direction, and the container is transported so that the opening direction of the opening faces the horizontal direction. A gripping part for gripping; and a control unit that controls the winding amount or the extension amount of each of the plurality of hanging members in the lifting drive unit, and adjusts the inclination of the lifting unit with respect to the horizontal plane. adjusts the inclination of the lifting section so that the height position of the container gripped by the gripping section on the side of the opening is relatively high in the container to prevent the container from popping out.

Here, “suspended from the running portion” means that the moving portion may be directly suspended or may be suspended from another object that moves integrally with the running portion. . In the ceiling transport vehicle with this configuration, the height position of the opening side of the container gripped by the gripping portion is relatively high in the container, in other words, the opening direction of the opening is in the horizontal direction. The tilt of the lifting section is adjusted by controlling the lifting drive section so that the lifting section is tilted obliquely upward. As a result, the possibility of the article jumping out of the opening of the container gripped by the gripping portion is reduced compared to the case where the opening direction of the opening of the container is horizontal. That is, it is possible to prevent the article from jumping out of the opening during transportation without arranging a stopper in front of the opening. As a result, higher speed transportation is also possible.

The overhead guided vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention further includes a pulley around which the suspension member is wound, and a position change mechanism that moves the position of the pulley, and the control unit controls the movement of the lift drive unit and the position change mechanism. By controlling both, the inclination of the lifting section may be adjusted so that the container gripped by the gripping section assumes the pop-out prevention posture. In this configuration, both the elevation drive section and the position change mechanism are controlled to adjust the inclination of the elevation section. is also possible.

An overhead guided vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with a gripping portion for gripping a container having an opening for loading and unloading of articles on the side thereof, and a gripping portion, and is suspended from a traveling portion by a plurality of suspension members. A lifting part to be lowered, a lifting drive part for lifting and lowering the lifting part with respect to the traveling part by winding and feeding a plurality of suspension members, a pulley around which the suspension member is wound, and moving the position of the pulley and a control unit that controls the position change mechanism to adjust the inclination of the elevating unit with respect to the horizontal plane. The tilt of the lifting section is adjusted so that the container is in a relatively high pop-out prevention posture.

In the ceiling transport vehicle with this configuration, the height position of the opening side of the container gripped by the gripping portion is relatively high in the container, in other words, the opening direction of the opening is in the horizontal direction. By controlling the position changing mechanism, the tilt of the lifting section is adjusted so that the jump-out prevention posture is tilted obliquely upward. As a result, the possibility of the article jumping out of the opening of the container gripped by the gripping portion is reduced compared to the case where the opening direction of the opening of the container is horizontal. That is, it is possible to prevent the article from jumping out of the opening during transportation without arranging a stopper in front of the opening.

In the ceiling guided vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention, the pulley is provided movably along the vertical direction, and the position changing mechanism may move the pulley along the vertical direction. With this configuration, the inclination of the lifting section can be adjusted with a simple configuration.

In the overhead guided vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may adjust the inclination of the elevation unit so that at least the traveling unit assumes the pop-out prevention posture during travel. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that an article will jump out of the opening during travel (during acceleration or deceleration or travel on a curve section).

In the overhead guided vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit changes the posture of the container from the pop-out prevention posture to the horizontal direction in the downward movement before placing the container on the placement unit. You may adjust the inclination of an raising/lowering part so that it may change into the normal attitude|position. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the impact applied to the container when the container is placed on the placement portion having the horizontal placement surface.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent articles from jumping out of the opening during transportation without arranging a stopper in front of the opening.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an overhead transport vehicle of one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the holding unit as seen from the front. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first cushioning mechanism and a second cushioning mechanism. FIG. 4 is a front view of the lift drive unit. FIG. 5 is a side view of the lift drive unit. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the operation of the lift drive unit. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the operation of the lift drive unit. FIG. 8(A) is a front view showing a holding unit that holds a container in a normal posture (horizontal), and FIG. 8(B) shows a holding unit that holds a container in a pop-out prevention posture. It is a front view showing. FIG. 9 is a front view showing the downward movement of the holding unit.

A preferred embodiment of one aspect of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ceiling transport vehicle 1 of one embodiment travels along a track 20 laid near the ceiling of a clean room where semiconductor devices are manufactured. The overhead transport vehicle 1 of one embodiment transports a container 200 containing a plurality of articles A such as semiconductor wafers (see FIGS. 8A and 8B) and performs various processes on the semiconductor wafers. The container 200 is transferred to a load port (placement section) 300 or the like provided in the processing apparatus to be processed.

The container 200 that is transported in this embodiment has an opening 200a that opens in one direction, as shown in FIG. The opening 200a is formed in a part of a side surface 200b that forms a plane orthogonal to the horizontal direction when the container 200 is placed on a horizontal placement surface such as the load port 300. As shown in FIG. That is, when the container 200 is placed on a horizontal placement surface such as the load port 300, the opening 200a opens horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 1, the overhead transport vehicle 1 includes a frame unit (running section) 2, a running unit (running section) 3, a lateral unit 4, a sheeter unit 5, an elevation drive unit 6, and a holding unit. (elevating unit) 7 and a transport vehicle controller (control unit) 8 are provided. The frame unit 2 has a center frame 15 , a front frame 16 and a rear frame 17 . The front frame 16 extends downward from the front end of the center frame 15 (the front side in the running direction of the overhead transport vehicle 1). The rear frame 17 extends downward from the rear end of the center frame 15 (the rear side in the running direction of the overhead transport vehicle 1).

The traveling unit 3 is arranged above the center frame 15 . The traveling unit 3 travels along the track 20 by being supplied with electric power in a non-contact manner from, for example, a high-frequency current line laid along the track 20 . The lateral unit 4 is arranged below the center frame 15 . The lateral unit 4 moves the sheeter unit 5, the lifting drive unit 6, and the holding unit 7 in the lateral direction (sideways in the traveling direction of the overhead transport vehicle 1). The theta unit 5 is arranged below the lateral unit 4 . The sheeter unit 5 rotates the elevation drive unit 6 and the holding unit 7 in the horizontal plane.

The elevation drive unit 6 is arranged below the sheeter unit 5 . The lifting drive unit 6 suspends the holding unit 7 with a plurality of belts B. As shown in FIG. The lifting drive unit 6 lifts and lowers the holding unit 7 with respect to the lifting drive unit 6 which moves integrally with the traveling unit 3 by winding and unwinding the plurality of belts B. As shown in FIG. The holding unit 7 is arranged below the elevation drive unit 6 . The holding unit 7 holds the flange 201 of the container 200 .

Next, the configuration of the holding unit 7 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the holding unit 7 has a base 11 , a pair of grippers (holding portions) 12 and 12 and a housing 13 . A pair of

grippers

12, 12 are supported by the base 11 so that they can be opened and closed along the horizontal direction. The pair of

grippers

12, 12 are opened and closed by a drive motor (not shown) and a link mechanism (not shown).

In this embodiment, the height position of the holding unit 7 is adjusted so that the holding surface of the gripper 12 is below the height of the lower surface of the flange 201 when the pair of

grippers

12, 12 are in the open state. By closing the pair of

grippers

12, 12 in this state, the holding surface of the gripper 12 advances below the lower surface of the flange 201, and by lifting the holding unit 7 in this state, the pair of grippers is closed. The flange 201 is held (gripped) by 12, 12 and the container 200 is supported. As shown in FIG. 8(A), the pair of

grippers

12, 12 are arranged so that the opening 200a faces the horizontal direction (the bottom 200c of the container 200 faces the horizontal direction when the holding unit 7 is not tilted with respect to the horizontal plane). The container 200 can be held (in a horizontal position).

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the belt B is connected to the holding unit 7 of this embodiment via the first buffer mechanism 50 and the second buffer mechanism 40 . Here, the first damping mechanism 50 and the second damping mechanism 40 will be described in detail. The first damping mechanism 50 and the second damping mechanism 40 are mechanisms that connect the belt B and the holding unit 7 (see FIG. 1). It is a mechanism for suppressing transmission to the container 200 .

The first cushioning mechanism 50 has an elastic member 58 that supports the base 11 vertically from below so as to be vertically movable. placed on one side. In this embodiment, the first buffer mechanism 50 is provided on the right side of the holding unit 7 in the left-right direction. The first buffer mechanism 50 has a connection member 51, a swing member 53, a first body member 54, a second body member 56, and a pair of

elastic members

58,58. The left-right direction in this embodiment means the left-right direction when the ceiling guided vehicle 1 is viewed from the front in the traveling direction.

The connection member 51 is a member attached to the belt B. The swinging member 53 is a member connected to the connecting member 51 . The swinging member 53 is connected to the connecting member 51 via the pin member 52 so as to be bidirectionally rotatable. The first body member 54 is a substantially L-shaped member, and the bottom portion thereof is formed to be flat. The first body member 54 is connected to the swing member 53 . The bottom of the first body member 54 is connected to the second body member 56 by bolts or the like. The second body member 56 supports the elastic member 58 from below and the bottom of the first body member 54 .

The pair of

elastic members

58, 58 are coil springs having a predetermined spring constant. A pair of

elastic members

58, 58 are supported by the second body member 56 and support the base 11 from below. A lower end of the elastic member 58 is fixed to the second body member 56 . The upper end of the elastic member 58 is not fixed to the base 11 and supports the base 11 by making contact. That is, when each of the pair of

elastic members

58 and 58 is in a contracted state in contact with both the second body member 56 and the base 11, each of the

elastic members

58 and 58 moves away from the second body member 56 and the base 11 from each other. energize. The elastic member 58 has a role of reducing vibration transmitted between members in contact with each other. In addition, the elastic member 58 may be fixed to the base 11 and provided to the second main body member 56 so as to be separable and contactable.

The second cushioning mechanism 40 has an elastic member 48 that supports the base 11 vertically from below so as to be vertically movable. It is arranged on the other side (the side opposite to the first buffer mechanism 50 in the width direction). In this embodiment, the second buffer mechanism 40 is provided on the left side of the holding unit 7 in the left-right direction. The second buffer mechanism 40 has

connection members

41, 41, a swing member 43, a third body member 45, a fourth body member 46, a regulation member 47, and a pair of

elastic members

48, 48. are doing.

The connecting

members

41, 41 are members to which the belts B, B are attached. The swinging member 43 is a member that connects the pair of

connection members

41 and 41 and the third main body member 45 . The pair of connecting

members

41 and 41 and the swinging member 43 are bidirectionally rotatably connected and connected via a pair of

pin members

42 and 42 . The rocking member 43 and the third main body member 45 are rotatably connected in both directions and connected via a pin member 44 . The fourth body member 46 supports the

elastic members

48, 48 from below.

The pair of

elastic members

48, 48 are coil springs having a predetermined spring constant. A pair of

elastic members

48, 48 are supported by the fourth body member 46 and support the base 11 from below. A lower end of the elastic member 48 is fixed to the fourth body member 46 . The restricting member 47 restricts the base 11 from being separated from the fourth body member 46 by a predetermined distance or more. More specifically, the restricting member 47 locks the upper surface of the base 11 that is about to leave the fourth body member 46 by a predetermined distance or more. The upper end of the elastic member 48 is not fixed to the base 11 and supports the base 11 by making contact. That is, each of the pair of

elastic members

48 , 48 urges the fourth body member 46 and the base 11 away from each other when in contact with both the fourth body member 46 and the base 11 . The elastic member 48 has a role of reducing vibration transmitted between members in contact with each other. In addition, the elastic member 48 may be fixed to the base 11 and provided to the fourth main body member 46 so as to be separable and contactable.

Although not shown, the holding unit 7 connects the first damping mechanism 50 and the second damping mechanism 40, and the distance between the first damping mechanism 50 and the base 11 in the vertical direction. A link mechanism may be provided that operates to reduce the distance between the second buffer mechanism 40 and the base 11 .

Next, the configuration of the elevation drive unit 6 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the elevation drive unit 6 includes a base 61, a support section 62, four (plural) winding drums 63, a drive motor (elevation drive section) 63A, and a first It has an idler pulley 65A, a second idler pulley (pulley) 65B, a third idler pulley 64, a direct acting mechanism (position changing mechanism) 67, and four (plural) belts B.

The base 61 supports the winding drum 63, the first idler pulley 65A and the third idler pulley 64 via the supporting portion 62. The support portion 62 rotatably supports the four winding drums 63 . The four winding drums 63 are arranged in the front-rear direction, and are driven by drive motors 63A to wind or unwind the four belts B, respectively. The drive by the drive motor 63A is controlled by a transport vehicle controller (control section) 8. FIG.

Each winding drum 63 is rotatably attached to the base 61 via the support portion 62 . The drive motor 63A is a drive source for rotating each winding drum 63 and is fixed to the base 61 . The four winding drums 63 are driven by one drive motor 63A by being attached to a common rotating shaft (not shown) or linked by an interlocking mechanism (not shown).

One end of each belt B is connected to the holding unit 7 and the other end of each belt B is connected to each winding drum 63 . In this embodiment, the four belts B are provided so as to suspend the holding unit 7 at three points. More specifically, the holding unit 7 is suspended by four belts B, and two of the four belts B are provided to swing with respect to the holding unit 7. Each of the remaining two of the four belts is connected to a member 43 (see FIG. 3) via a connecting member 41, and each of the two belts is provided to swing with respect to the holding unit 7. It is connected to each of the members 53 via the connection member 51 .

The belt B connected to the first buffer mechanism 50 is wound around the first idler pulley 65A and the second idler pulley 65B to guide the movement of the belt B. There are two belts B connected to the first buffer mechanism 50, and the first idler pulley 65A and the second idler pulley 65B are provided corresponding to each belt B. As shown in FIG. The first idler pulley 65A is provided on the support portion 62 and does not move relative to the base 61 . The second idler pulley 65B is provided movably relative to the base 61 . The belt B connected to the second buffer mechanism 40 is wound around the third idler pulley 64 and guides the movement of the belt B. As shown in FIG. There are two belts B connected to the second buffer mechanism 40, and the third idler pulley 64 is provided corresponding to each belt B. As shown in FIG.

The linear motion mechanism 67 mainly has a drive motor 67A, a screw shaft 67B, and a ball nut 67C, and is a mechanism that converts rotary motion of the drive motor 67A into linear motion. The direct acting mechanism 67 is fixed to the base 61 via a bracket 66 . A pulley support portion 68 that supports the second idler pulley 65B is attached to the ball nut 67C that moves along the screw shaft 67B by driving the drive motor 67A. The pulley support portion 68 is provided with a through hole 68A through which the bracket 66 can be passed in plan view. A linear guide 69 is provided between the bracket 66 passing through the pulley support portion 68 and the through hole 68A.

The linear guide 69 mainly has a guide rail 69A and a block portion 69B that can slide along the guide rail 69A. A first opposing surface facing the bracket 66 is formed in the through hole 68A. Also, the bracket 66 is formed with a second opposing surface that faces the first opposing surface. A guide rail 69A is arranged on one of the first opposing surface and the second opposing surface, and a block portion 69B is provided on the other of the first opposing surface and the second opposing surface. The second idler pulley 65B is moved vertically by the linear guide 69 smoothly and stably.

In this embodiment, the movement of the ball nut 67C along the screw shaft 67B causes the pulley support portion 68 to move. Moving. More specifically, the ball nut 67C and the pulley support portion 68 move vertically along the vertically extending screw shaft 67B, thereby moving the second idler pulley 65B vertically. In this manner, the linear motion mechanism 67 positions the second idler pulley 65B so that the connecting portion (one end of the belt B) of the belt B to the holding unit 7 (first buffer mechanism 50) moves in the vertical direction. move. By moving the second idler pulley 65B in the vertical direction (lifting direction) in this manner, the inclination of the holding unit 7 with respect to the horizontal plane can be adjusted.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, by operating both linear motion mechanisms 67 to move the second idler pulley 65B downward (away from the base 61), the left side of the holding unit 7 can be tilted upwards. Along with this, as shown in FIG. 8B, the jump-out preventing posture in which the height position of the opening 200a side of the container 200 gripped by the pair of grippers 12 is relatively high in the container 200. Become. That is, the inclination of the holding unit 7 with respect to the horizontal plane is adjusted so that the container 200 gripped by the pair of

grippers

12, 12 is in the pop-out prevention posture. The pop-out prevention posture of the container 200 refers to a posture in which the opening direction of the opening 200a is inclined upward by a predetermined angle α (for example, 2° to 30°) with respect to the horizontal plane.

The transport vehicle controller 8 is arranged on the center frame 15 . The transport vehicle controller 8 is an electronic control unit composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read only memory), a RAM (Random access memory), and the like. The transport vehicle controller 8 controls each part of the overhead transport vehicle 1 . The transport vehicle controller 8 of this embodiment controls the linear motion mechanism 67 to adjust the inclination of the holding unit 7 with respect to the horizontal plane. More specifically, the transport vehicle controller 8 controls the direct-acting mechanism 67 so that the container 200 gripped by the

grippers

12, 12 assumes the pop-out prevention posture (see FIG. 8B), and the holding unit Adjust the tilt of 7 with respect to the horizontal plane.

The transport vehicle controller 8 adjusts the inclination of the holding unit 7 so that at least the traveling unit 3 is in the pop-out prevention posture while traveling. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle controller 8 controls the holding unit 7 so as to assume the pop-out preventing posture not only when the traveling unit 3 is traveling, but also when the container 200 is lowered and when the container 200 is raised. adjust the tilt of the Specifically, in the lowering operation before placing the container 200 on the load port 300, the transport vehicle controller 8 changes the posture of the container 200 from the pop-out preventing posture to the normal posture in which the opening direction of the opening 200a is oriented horizontally. The inclination of the holding unit 7 is adjusted so as to change to . Further, the transport vehicle controller 8 tilts the holding unit 7 so that the attitude of the container 200 changes from the normal attitude to the pop-out prevention attitude in the rising operation after gripping the container 200 placed on the load port 300 . to adjust.

The effects of the overhead guided vehicle 1 of the above embodiment will be described. In the overhead transport vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, the container 200 gripped by the pair of

grippers

12, 12 has a height position on the side of the opening 200a of the container 200 that is relatively high in the jump-out prevention posture. The inclination of the holding unit 7 is adjusted by controlling the movement mechanism 67 . As a result, compared to the case where the opening direction of the opening 200a of the container 200 held by the holding unit 7 is oriented horizontally (normal posture), the possibility of the article A jumping out of the opening 200a is reduced. That is, it is possible to prevent the article A from jumping out of the opening 200a during transportation without arranging a stopper in front of the opening 200a.

In the ceiling guided vehicle 1 of the above embodiment, the second idler pulley 65B is provided movably along the vertical direction, and the linear motion mechanism 67 makes the second idler pulley 65B movable along the vertical direction. Configure. This makes it possible to adjust the tilt of the holding unit 7 with a simple configuration.

In the ceiling transport vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, in order to make the opening 200a side relatively high in the container 200, control is performed to relatively lower the side opposite to the opening 200a side, that is, the linear motion mechanism 67 is controlled. , one end of the belt B, which is the connecting portion with the first buffer mechanism 50, is lowered. In addition, in order to make the opening 200a relatively higher in the container 200, the drive motor 63A is controlled to let out the belt B so that the side opposite to the opening 200a is relatively lowered, and the linear motion mechanism 67 is moved. may be controlled to be relatively high on the side of the opening 200a. In this case, variations in the height position of the container 200 can be reduced.

In the ceiling transport vehicle 1 of the above embodiment, the transport vehicle controller 8 adjusts the inclination of the holding unit 7 so that the traveling unit 3 assumes the pop-out prevention posture while traveling. This can reduce the possibility that the article A will jump out of the opening 200a when the overhead transport vehicle 1 accelerates or decelerates or travels in a curve section.

In the ceiling guided vehicle 1 of the above embodiment, the inclination of the holding unit 7 is adjusted so that the posture of the container 200 changes from the pop-out prevention posture to the normal posture during the downward movement before placing the container 200 on the load port 300. adjusting. This reduces the impact applied to the container 200 when the container 200 is placed on the load port 300 having a horizontal placement surface.

Although one embodiment has been described above, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of one aspect of the invention.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the inclination of the holding unit 7 is adjusted by controlling the direct-acting mechanism 67 when the posture of the container 200 is changed to the pop-out prevention posture has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when setting the posture of the container 200 to the pop-out prevention posture, the inclination of the holding unit 7 may be adjusted by controlling the amount of winding or feeding out of the four belts B suspending the holding unit 7 . In this case, unlike the configuration in which the rotation of the four winding drums 63 is driven by one drive motor 63A as in the above embodiment, for example, each of the four winding drums 63 is rotated by the corresponding drive motor 63A. It may be configured to be Alternatively, the two winding drums 63 wound around the belt B connected to the left side of the holding unit 7 (second buffer mechanism 40) and the belt B connected to the right side of the holding unit 7 (first buffer mechanism 50) The two winding drums 63 to be wrapped around may be configured to be driven independently.

In the ceiling transport vehicle 1 having the configuration according to Modification 1, in order to change the posture of the container 200 to the pop-out prevention posture, the drive motor 63A is controlled to move the container 200 to the right side of the holding unit 7 (first buffer mechanism 50). The winding drum 63 around which the connected belt B is wound may be rotated in the feeding direction. Alternatively, the winding drum 63 around which the belt B connected to the left side of the holding unit 7 (the second buffer mechanism 40) is wound may be rotated in the winding direction. Further, the winding drum 63 around which the belt B is wound, which is connected to the right side of the holding unit 7 (first buffer mechanism 50), is rotated in the unwinding direction, and the left side of the holding unit 7 (second buffer mechanism 40) is rotated. The winding drum 63 around which the connected belt B is wound may be rotated in the winding direction.

(Modification 2)
In order to change the posture of the container 200 to the pop-out prevention posture, in the above-described embodiment, the inclination of the holding unit 7 is adjusted by controlling the linear motion mechanism 67, and in the above-described modified example 1, the drive motor 63A is controlled. Although an example of adjusting the inclination of the holding unit 7 is described above, the inclination of the holding unit 7 may be adjusted by controlling both the linear motion mechanism 67 and the drive motor 63A.

(Other modifications)
In some of the above-described embodiments and modifications, an example is given in which the linear motion mechanism 67 is employed as a position changing mechanism for moving the position of the second idler pulley 65B in order to move one end of the belt B in the vertical direction. Although described, a cam mechanism or an oscillating mechanism having similar functions may be employed instead.

In the overhead transport vehicle 1 of the above embodiment, an example has been described in which one end of the belt B is moved in the vertical direction by moving the position of the second idler pulley 65B in the vertical direction. By moving the second idler pulley 65B in a direction other than the vertical direction, the one end of the belt B may be moved in the vertical direction.

Although the holding unit 7 of the above-described embodiment and modifications has been described as being connected to one end of the belt B via the first buffer mechanism 50 and the second buffer mechanism 40, it is directly connected to the holding unit 7. may Alternatively, the four belts B may be directly connected to the holding unit 7 as they are. Also, it may be connected to the holding unit 7 by three belts B. FIG.

In the above embodiment and modified example, an example in which the container 200 is gripped so that the opening 200a of the container 200 faces left has been described, but the container 200 may be gripped so that it faces right. Even in this case, the container 200 can be brought into the pop-out prevention posture by appropriately combining the control of the linear motion mechanism 67 and the control of the drive motor 63A as described above.

The technical subject matter of one aspect of the present invention can be described as follows.
[1]
An overhead transport vehicle for transporting a container having an opening for loading and unloading of articles that opens in one direction,
a gripping part that grips the container so that the opening direction of the opening is horizontal;
an elevating unit provided with the gripping unit and suspended from the traveling unit by a plurality of suspension members;
an elevation drive unit that raises and lowers the elevation unit with respect to the traveling unit by winding and feeding each of the plurality of hanging members;
a control unit that controls the winding amount or the extension amount of each of the plurality of hanging members in the lifting drive unit to adjust the inclination of the lifting unit with respect to the horizontal plane;
The control unit adjusts the inclination of the elevating unit so that a height position of the opening side of the container gripped by the gripping unit is in a pop-out prevention posture in which the container is relatively high. , overhead carrier.
[2]
a pulley around which the suspension member is wound;
further comprising a position changing mechanism for moving the position of the pulley,
The control unit controls both the elevation driving unit and the position changing mechanism, and adjusts the inclination of the elevation unit so that the container gripped by the gripping unit assumes the pop-out prevention posture. The overhead transport vehicle according to [1].
[3]
a gripping portion for gripping a container having an opening on the side for taking in and out articles;
an elevating unit provided with the gripping unit and suspended from the traveling unit by a plurality of suspension members;
an elevation driving unit that raises and lowers the elevation unit with respect to the traveling unit by winding and unwinding the plurality of hanging members;
a pulley around which the suspension member is wound;
a position changing mechanism for moving the position of the pulley;
A control unit that controls the position changing mechanism to adjust the inclination of the lifting unit with respect to the horizontal plane,
The control unit adjusts the inclination of the elevating unit so that a height position of the opening side of the container gripped by the gripping unit is in a pop-out prevention posture in which the container is relatively high. , overhead carrier.
[4]
The pulley is provided movably along the vertical direction,
The overhead guided vehicle according to [2] or [3], wherein the position changing mechanism moves the pulley along the vertical direction.
[5]
The overhead guided vehicle according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the control unit adjusts the inclination of the lifting unit so that at least the traveling unit assumes the pop-out prevention posture during traveling.
[6]
The controller changes the posture of the container from the pop-out preventing posture to a normal posture in which the opening direction of the opening faces the horizontal direction in the lowering operation before placing the container on the placing portion. (2) the overhead transport vehicle according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the inclination of the lifting section is adjusted;

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Ceiling carrier, 3... Traveling unit (traveling part), 6... Elevating drive unit, 7... Holding unit (elevating part), 8... Transport vehicle controller (control part), 12... Gripper (gripping part), 40... Second cushioning mechanism 50 First cushioning mechanism 63 Winding drum 63A Drive motor (elevating drive unit) 65B Second idler pulley (pulley) 67 Linear motion mechanism (position changing mechanism) 200 Container 200a Opening 200b Side 200c Bottom 300 Load port (placement part) A Article B Belt

Claims

An overhead transport vehicle for transporting a container having an opening for loading and unloading of articles that opens in one direction,
a gripping part that grips the container so that the opening direction of the opening is horizontal;
an elevating unit provided with the gripping unit and suspended from the traveling unit by a plurality of suspension members;
an elevation drive unit that raises and lowers the elevation unit with respect to the traveling unit by winding and feeding the plurality of suspension members;
a control unit that controls the winding amount or the extension amount of each of the plurality of hanging members in the lifting drive unit to adjust the inclination of the lifting unit with respect to the horizontal plane;
The control unit adjusts the inclination of the elevating unit so that a height position of the opening side of the container gripped by the gripping unit is in a pop-out prevention posture in which the container is relatively high. , overhead carrier.
a pulley around which the suspension member is wound;
further comprising a position changing mechanism for moving the position of the pulley,
The control unit controls both the elevation driving unit and the position changing mechanism, and adjusts the inclination of the elevation unit so that the container gripped by the gripping unit assumes the pop-out prevention posture. 2. The overhead transport vehicle according to claim 1.
a gripping portion for gripping a container having an opening on the side for taking in and out articles;
an elevating unit provided with the gripping unit and suspended from the traveling unit by a plurality of suspension members;
an elevation driving unit that raises and lowers the elevation unit with respect to the traveling unit by winding and unwinding the plurality of hanging members;
a pulley around which the suspension member is wound;
a position changing mechanism for moving the position of the pulley;
A control unit that controls the position changing mechanism to adjust the inclination of the lifting unit with respect to the horizontal plane,
The control unit adjusts the inclination of the elevating unit so that a height position of the opening side of the container gripped by the gripping unit is in a pop-out prevention posture in which the container is relatively high. , overhead carrier.
The pulley is provided movably along the vertical direction,
4. The overhead transport vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said position changing mechanism moves said pulley along a vertical direction.
The overhead guided vehicle according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the control unit adjusts the inclination of the lifting unit so that at least the traveling unit assumes the jump-out prevention posture during travel.
The controller changes the posture of the container from the pop-out preventing posture to a normal posture in which the opening direction of the opening faces the horizontal direction in the lowering operation before placing the container on the placing portion. 4. The overhead transport vehicle according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the inclination of said lifting section is adjusted.