Patent ID: 8862306

Claim:
A method for controlling movement of travelling carriers in conveying equipment where self-propelled travelling carriers move on their own at a fixed low operating speed while maintaining continuous motion in a moving direction in a work area within a moving path for the travelling carriers, the method comprising: providing each of the travelling carriers with a data communication means for performing data communication between front and rear adjacent travelling carriers within the work area and providing each travelling carrier with an on-board communication device operable to perform data communication with a ground-based communication device; the ground-based communication device being disposed at a first end of the work area, and the ground-based communication device sending a movement permission signal to the on-board communication device of a passing travelling carrier; transmitting, in first direction, the movement permission signal received by the passing travelling carrier from the ground-based communication device to all other travelling carriers moving within the work area via the data communication means provided to each of the travelling carriers; and each of the travelling carriers within the work area moving on its own at the operating speed based on the received movement permission signal.