Patent ID: 7137770

Claim:
A transporting apparatus comprising: a moving platform capable of moving vertically; an article loading platform supported on the moving platform for transporting article such that the article loading platform can be moved horizontally with respect to the moving platform; an article loading state detection sensor provided on the moving platform; a detected member provided on the article loading platform, the detected member capable of switching between an article present detection position and an article absent detection position that can be contactlessly detected by the article loading state detection sensor; and an operating member, provided on the article loading platform, that is operatively connected to the detected member so as to move the position of the detected member, wherein the operating member is configured to be urged such that the detected member is in turn urged toward the article absent detection position, and when the operating member comes into contact with an article on the article loading platform, the operating member is manipulated into a position where the detected member is in the article present detection position due to pressure from the article.