Patent ID: 8485343

Claim:
A transport system comprising: an endless driving medium configured to rotate in a circulating manner; a plurality of carriers attached to the endless driving medium and configured to hold articles for transportation; a plurality of stations provided along the endless driving medium; and a moving distance sensor configured to measure a moving distance of the endless driving medium; wherein each of the plurality of stations includes: a hand configured to load articles to and unload articles from the carriers; a driver configured to move the hand both in a rotation direction of the endless driving medium and in a vertical direction; a first carrier sensor configured to detect the carriers at a predetermined position upstream of the hand along the rotation direction of the endless driving medium; a second carrier sensor configured to detect the carriers at a position downstream of the first carrier sensor; and a signal processor configured to make the driver drive the hand based on the moving distance measured by the moving distance sensor, from detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor; wherein the signal processor evaluates a difference between the moving distance measured by the moving distance sensor from detection of the carriers by the first carrier sensor and a distance between the first carrier sensor and the second carrier sensor at the second carrier sensor detecting the carriers, and if the difference is greater than an allowable value, the signal processor stops movement of the hand by the driver.