US-20260125088-A1 - CEILING TRAVELING VEHICLE STOPPING DEVICE AND TRAVELING VEHICLE SYSTEM

US20260125088A1US 20260125088 A1US20260125088 A1US 20260125088A1US-20260125088-A1

Abstract

An overhead traveling vehicle stopping device is a stopping device attached to rails provided on a ceiling and configured to stop an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the travel route. The overhead traveling vehicle stopping device includes an engagement part that is engageable with the rail and a body that includes an elongated member that extends downward from the engagement part. The body includes a first detectable portion configured to be detected by an obstacle sensor of an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the first travel route and a second detectable portion configured to be detected by an obstacle sensor of an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the second travel route parallel to the first travel route in the travel route.

Inventors

Yasuhisa Ito

Assignees

MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230822
Priority Date: 20221005

Claims (13)

1 . An overhead traveling vehicle stopping device attached to rails provided on a ceiling and configured to stop an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a travel route constituted by the rails, the overhead traveling vehicle stopping device comprising: an engagement part that is engageable with the rail; and a body that includes an elongated member that extends downwardly from the engagement part, wherein the body includes a first detectable portion configured to be detected by an obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a first travel route in the travel route, and a second detectable portion configured to be detected by the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a second travel route parallel to the first travel route in the travel route.
2 . The overhead traveling vehicle stopping device according to claim 1 , wherein the elongated member has a bar shape, the first detectable portion has a plate shape with a thickness direction as a traveling direction of the first travel route, and the second detectable portion has a plate shape with a thickness direction as the traveling direction of the first travel route.
3 . The overhead traveling vehicle stopping device according to claim 1 , wherein the body includes a first arm member and a second arm member that extend from the elongated member along a direction intersecting the elongated member, the first detectable portion is provided in the first arm member, and the second detectable portion is provided in the second arm member.
4 . The overhead traveling vehicle stopping device according to claim 1 , wherein the body is deformable between a deployed state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the second travel route is capable of detecting the second detectable portion and a retracted state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the second travel route is unable to detect the second detectable portion.
5 . The overhead traveling vehicle stopping device according to claim 1 , wherein the body includes a push-down part that is configured to depress, when coming into contact with an overhead traveling vehicle, a power switch of the overhead traveling vehicle.
6 . The overhead traveling vehicle stopping device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first detectable portion and the second detectable portion is configured to be removable from the body.
7 . A traveling vehicle system comprising: rails that are provided on a ceiling and at least partly disposed in a grid; an overhead traveling vehicle that is configured to travel along the travel route configured by the rails; and the overhead traveling vehicle stopping device according to claim 1 that is configured to cause the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the travel route to stop.
8 . The traveling vehicle system according to claim 7 , wherein the rails include a plurality of first straight rails that extend in a first direction, the first direction being a horizontal direction, and a plurality of second straight rails that extend in a second direction, the second direction being a horizontal direction orthogonal to the first direction; when a rectangular area enclosed by a pair of the first straight rails and a pair of the second straight rails is considered as one cell in plan view, the first detectable portion is detected by the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a first travel route, the first travel route being the travel route passing through a first cell, the second detectable portion is detected by the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a second travel route, the second travel route being the travel route passing through a second cell adjacent to the first cell; and the body includes a third detectable portion configured to be detected by the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a third travel route, the third travel route being the travel route passing through a third cell adjacent to the first cell on an opposite side to the second cell side, and a fourth detectable portion configured to be detected by the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a fourth travel route, the fourth travel route being the travel route passing through a fourth cell adjacent to the second cell on an opposite side to the first cell side.
9 . The traveling vehicle system according to claim 8 , wherein the body is deformable between a first deployed state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the third travel route is capable of detecting the third detectable portion and the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the fourth travel route is capable of detecting the fourth detectable portion, a second deployed state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the third travel route is unable to detect the third detectable portion and the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the fourth travel route is capable of detecting the fourth detectable portion, and a retracted state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the third travel route is unable to detect the third detectable portion and the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the fourth travel route is unable to detect the fourth detectable portion.
10 . The traveling vehicle system according to claim 9 , wherein the body includes a first arm member and a second arm member that extend from the elongated member along a direction intersecting the elongated member, the first arm member includes a first fixed part and a first movable part that is foldably connected to a tip side of the first fixed part via a first hinge, the second arm member includes a second fixed part and a second movable part that is foldably connected to a tip side of the second fixed part via a second hinge, the first detectable portion is provided on the first fixed part, the second detectable portion is provided on the second fixed part, the third detectable portion is provided on the first movable part, and the fourth detectable portion is provided on the second movable part.
11 . The traveling vehicle system according to claim 10 , wherein the first movable part rotates about the first hinge in one rotation direction from between either clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view, the second movable part rotates about the second hinge in another rotation direction from between either clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view, and a connecting point of the first arm member at the elongated member is separated from a connecting point of the second arm member at the elongated member in a longitudinal direction of the elongated member.
12 . The traveling vehicle system according to claim 7 , wherein the rails include a plurality of straight rails and an intersecting rail that is disposed to be adjacent to each of ends of the straight rails in a horizontal direction with a gap, and the engagement part is engaged with a pair of the straight rails that extend in a same direction and are aligned to be close to or come into contact with each other, is passable through the gap in a vertical direction, has a C-shape open upwardly when viewed from a direction along the pair of straight rails, and includes a contact portion that is in contact with an upper surface of each of the pair of straight rails.
13 . The traveling vehicle system according to claim 7 , wherein the rails include a plurality of straight rails, and the engagement part is engaged with a pair of the straight rails that extend in a same direction and are aligned to be close to each other, and includes an insertion part that is inserted between the pair of straight rails and a contact portion that is connected to an upper side of the insertion part and in contact with an upper surface of each of the pair of straight rails.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a US national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/JP 2023/030203, filed Aug. 22, 2023, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-161075, filed Oct. 5, 2022, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to overhead traveling vehicle stopping devices and traveling vehicle systems. BACKGROUND An overhead traveling vehicle stopping device is known that is attached to rails provided on a ceiling and stops an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a travel route configured by the rails. As a technology of that kind, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-131502, for example, describes a stopping device that stops, when being detected by an obstacle sensor of an overhead traveling vehicle, the overhead traveling vehicle. The stopping device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-131502 includes an engagement part engageable with the rail, and an operating rod extending downward from the engagement part and setting the engagement part in either an engaged state or disengaged state with respect to the rail. In the technology described above, when there are a plurality of points at which passage of overhead traveling vehicles has to be prohibited on a travel route, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of stopping devices and to install the stopping devices at those points. Therefore, it is not easy to subject the overhead traveling vehicles to passage prohibition at a plurality of points on the travel route. It could therefore be helpful to provide an overhead traveling vehicle stopping device and a traveling vehicle system capable of easily subjecting overhead traveling vehicles to passage prohibition at a plurality of points on a travel route. SUMMARY Disclosed herein is: (1) An overhead traveling vehicle stopping device attached to rails provided on a ceiling and configured to stop an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a travel route constituted by the rails includes: an engagement part that is engageable with the rail; and a body that includes an elongated member that extends downwardly from the engagement part, in which the body includes a first detectable portion configured to be detected by an obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a first travel route in the travel route, and a second detectable portion configured to be detected by the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along a second travel route parallel to the first travel route in the travel route. In this overhead traveling vehicle stopping device, when the engagement part is engaged with the rail, in the state in which the overhead traveling vehicle travels along the first travel route, the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle detects the first detectable portion and stops the traveling, and in the state in which the overhead traveling vehicle travels along the second travel route, the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle detects the second detectable portion and stops the traveling. Therefore, it is possible to prohibit passage on the first travel route and the second travel route that are parallel to each other at points for prohibition thereon, without having to prepare and install the plurality of stopping devices. In other words, it is possible to easily subject the overhead traveling vehicles to passage prohibition at a plurality of points on the travel route. (2) In the overhead traveling vehicle stopping device described in (1) above, the elongated member may have a bar shape, and the first detectable portion and the second detectable portion may have a flat plate shape. In this case, the elongated member, the first detectable portion, and the second detectable portion can be configured in an uncomplicated manner.(3) In the overhead traveling vehicle stopping device described in (1) or (2) above, the body may include a first arm member and a second arm member that extend from the elongated member along a direction intersecting the elongated member, the first detectable portion may be provided in the first arm member, and the second detectable portion may be provided in the second arm member. In this case, the first detectable portion and the second detectable portion can be disposed using the first arm member and the second arm member.(4) In the overhead traveling vehicle stopping device described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the body may be deformable between a deployed state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the second travel route is capable of detecting the second detectable portion and a retracted state in which the obstacle sensor of the overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the second travel route is unable to detect the second detectable portion. In this case, it is possible to easily adjus