Patent ID: 8348588

Claim:
An article transport facility comprising: an article transporting mobile body configured to move along a path and having an article holder; an article support for storing an article, the article support being configured to be moved between an article transfer position for receiving an article from and offering an article to the article holder of said mobile body that is at an article transfer location corresponding to said article support, and an article storage position; lock means provided to said article support to be switchable between a locking state for locking said article support in said article storage position, and an unlocking position for releasing the locking state; and operating means for moving said article support and switching said lock means such as to move said article support from said article storage position to said article transfer position after switching said lock means from said locking state to said unlocking state, and to switch the lock means from said unlocking state to said locking state after moving said article support from said article transfer position to said article storage position, wherein the operating means is provided on the mobile body wherein said operating means includes: an article support operating portion that moves said article support from said article storage position to said article transfer position by a movement of the article support operating portion away from said mobile body at said article transfer location, and that moves said article support from said article transfer position to said article storage position by a movement toward said mobile body at said article transfer location; a lock means operating portion that switches said lock means from said locking state to said unlocking state by a movement of the article support operating portion away from said mobile body at said article transfer location, and that switches said lock means from said unlocking state to said locking state by a movement toward said mobile body standing at said article transfer location; and a projecting and retracting member movable toward and away from said mobile body standing at said article transfer location, said projecting and retracting member having said article support operating portion and said lock means operating portion.