Patent ID: 7424339

Claim:
A delivery position data acquiring method by which a carrying apparatus acquires delivery position data on a predetermined delivery position, the carrying apparatus including a holding member for holding an object to be delivered, member position data detecting means for detecting member position data on a position of the holding member, driving means for driving the holding member for movement, a laser beam projector physically coupled to the holding member, such that the laser beam projector moves together with the holding member, and a laser beam receiver disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the holding member to receive a laser beam, comprising: a searching step of projecting a laser beam by the laser beam projector toward an object to be detected, which is previously disposed at a delivery position, while moving the holding member which is positioned apart from the object to be detected; and a delivery position data acquiring step of acquiring delivery position data by obtaining member position data provided by the member position data detecting means when a laser beam reflected by the object to be detected is received by the laser beam receiver and calculating the delivery position data based on the member position data obtained by the member position data detecting means, wherein the carrying apparatus is provided with first driving means for driving the holding member for angular displacement about a turning axis parallel to a carrying axis set at the delivery position and apart from the delivery position, and second driving means for driving the holding member for linear displacement along a direction parallel to the turning axis, and wherein the holding member is turned about the turning axis for angular displacement and is moved along the direction parallel to the turning axis for linear displacement in a noninterference space in which the holding member will not interfere with obstacles including other apparatus in the searching step.