Patent ID: 8374420
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: B66C,H01L

Abstract:
1. A learning device for an article transport facility, the learning device comprising: a vehicle configured to move along a travel path, and having a grip portion for gripping an article with the article suspended therefrom, vertical movement means for raising and lowering the grip portion with respect to the vehicle, position adjustment means for adjusting a position of the grip portion horizontally with respect to the vehicle, wherein articles are transferred to and from a transfer support portion located below the travel path by raising and lowering the grip portion with the vehicle stopped at a target stop position in the travel path characterized by a first learn assist member configured to be attached to the transfer support portion and having a detection mark for indicating a position corresponding to a target transfer reference position in a horizontal direction for the transfer support portion with the first learn assist member attached to the transfer support portion; a second learn assist member configured to be gripped by the grip portion and having an imaging means for capturing an image of an area below the grip portion to capture an image of the detection mark with the grip portion gripping the second learn assist member; a learning control means for controlling a travel operation of the vehicle, a vertical movement operation of the vertical movement means, an adjusting operation of the position adjustment means, and an imaging operation of the imaging means, and for learning a position adjustment amount in the horizontal direction when raising and lowering the grip portion with respect to the transfer support portion with the vehicle stopped at the target stop position with respect to the transfer support portion; wherein the learning control means is configured to perform: a positioning process in which the grip portion is raised or lowered to position the second learn assist member gripped by the grip portion at the target height with respect to the first learn assist member attached to the transfer support portion, with the vehicle moved to the target stop position for the transfer support portion, and with the grip portion adjusted to a standard adjustment position by the position adjustment means; a first image capturing process in which the imaging means is caused to capture an image of the detection mark after performing the positioning process; a first deviation amount calculating process in which a reference position deviation amount in the horizontal direction between the imaging reference position defined in a center of field of view and the detection mark is derived based on image information captured in the first image capturing process to derive a position adjustment amount from the derived reference position deviation amount, and a positioning correcting process in which the position adjustment means is operated to adjust a position of the second learn assist member based on the movement adjustment amount derived based on the image information captured in the first image capturing process, if the reference position deviation amount derived in the first deviation amount calculating process falls outside a set tolerance range; a second image capturing process in which the imaging means is caused to capture an image of the detection mark after performing the positioning correcting process; and a second deviation amount calculating process in which a reference position deviation amount in the horizontal direction between the imaging reference position defined in the center of field of view and the detection mark is derived based on the image information captured in the second image capturing process to derive a position adjustment amount from the derived reference position deviation amount and the movement adjustment amount.