US 12,378,084 B2
Tire transport apparatus
Hiroya Kitanishi, Tokyo (JP); Hidenori Yamagishi, Tokyo (JP); and Tomohiro Aoi, Inuyama (JP)
Assigned to Murata Machinery, Ltd., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 18/273,050
Filed by Murata Machinery, Ltd., Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Nov. 11, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/041586
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 19, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/158092, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 28, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-008143 (JP), filed on Jan. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0083695 A1, Mar. 14, 2024
Int. Cl. B29D 30/00 (2006.01); B65G 47/90 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 47/90 (2013.01) [B29D 30/00 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0273 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tire transport apparatus comprising:
at least three arms each having an arm main body and a protrusion disposed to protrude outward at a lower part of the arm main body to lift the tire;
an arm extension or retraction mechanism configured to move the at least three arms in a horizontal extension or retraction direction;
a lift mechanism configured to raise and lower the at least three arms;
at least three optical reflection sensors disposed on an outer side of a virtual circle including distal ends of the protrusions when the at least three arms are above the tire and in a retracted state to detect an object below; and
a controller configured to determine that one or more arms among the at least three arms are in an inappropriate position, when one or more optical reflection sensors among the at least three optical reflection sensors detect the tire.