Patent ID: 8753060

Claim:
An article transfer device for transferring an article to a transfer target location, the article transfer device comprising: a pair of article holders which can be moved along a projecting and retracting direction between a reference position and a projected position in which the pair of article holders are projected toward the transfer target location wherein the pair of article holders are configured to be projected toward the projected position to transfer an article to the transfer target location with the pair of article holders holding both ends of the article in a lateral direction which is defined to be a direction that perpendicularly intersects the projecting and retracting direction in plain view in which the article transfer device is seen from above; a pair of projecting and retracting motors which consist of a first projecting and retracting motor for projecting and retracting a first article holder of the pair of article holders, and a second projecting and retracting motor for projecting and retracting a second article holder of the pair of article holders; a transfer controller which controls operations of the pair of projecting and retracting motors; wherein the transfer controller is configured to control operations of the pair of projecting and retracting motors to stop operation of the first projecting and retracting motor when torque that is greater than or equal to a first preset value occurs in the first projecting and retracting motor due to the article coming into contact with a positioning contact member provided in association with the transfer target location when the first article holder is being projected toward the projected position by operation of the first projecting and retracting motor, and to stop operation of the second projecting and retracting motor when torque that is greater than or equal to a second preset value occurs in the second projecting and retracting motor due to the article coming into contact with the positioning contact member when the second article holder is being projected toward the projected position by operation of the second projecting and retracting motor.