Patent ID: 7578240

Claim:
An overhead traveling vehicle system, comprising: a travel rail in a normal lane provided along a processing equipment, the processing equipment having a load port; a travel rail in an overtaking lane; an overhead traveling vehicle for transferring an article to the load port, the overhead traveling vehicle having an elevation frame for support and transfer of the article and a lateral movement means for moving the elevation frame in a left-right direction of the travel rail in the normal lane and for moving the elevation frame in a left-right direction of the travel rail in the overtaking lane; and buffers for temporarily storing the article provided in spaces along side of the travel rail in the normal lane and along side of the travel rail in the overtaking lane, the buffers including a first buffer located along a first side of the travel rail in the normal lane and a second buffer located along a second side of the travel rail in the normal lane opposite the first side, wherein the travel rail in the normal lane is between the first and second buffers with the first and second buffers facing each other, and the second buffer is between the travel rail in the normal lane and the travel rail in the overtaking lane, wherein the article can be transferred directly to the first buffer and the second buffer from the overhead traveling vehicle positioned along the travel rail in the normal lane, and wherein the article can be transferred directly to the second buffer from the overhead traveling vehicle positioned along the travel rail in the overtaking lane.