Patent ID: 7257463

Claim:
A traveling body system comprising: an optical traveling-body distance-measuring unit having a traveling body measuring instrument provided at a traveling-body measuring position which is fixed, the optical traveling-body distance-measuring unit optically measuring a distance from the traveling body measuring position to the traveling body by the traveling body measuring instrument; a controller having a fixed position for calculating a position of the traveling body based on distance data obtained by the optical traveling-body distance-measuring unit; a control signal transmitter optically transmitting control signals to the traveling body that controls the movement of the traveling body; and an optical moving-body distance-measuring unit having a moving body measuring instrument provided at a moving-body measuring position which is fixed, and a reflecting member provided on the traveling body, the optical moving-body distance-measuring unit optically measuring a distance from the moving body measuring instrument to a moving body, which is movably provided on the traveling body, by the moving body measuring instrument via the reflecting member, wherein said transmitter generates said control signals based on the position of the traveling body, and wherein the controller calculates a position of the moving body, based on distance data obtained by the optical moving-body distance-measuring unit.