US 11,733,711 B2
Traveling vehicle system and traveling vehicle control method
Kazumi Harasaki, Inuyama (JP)
Assigned to MURATA MACHINERY, LTD., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/622,947
Filed by MURATA MACHINERY, LTD., Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed May 8, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/018613
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 27, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/261772, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-120058 (JP), filed on Jun. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0229447 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01)
CPC G05D 1/0297 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/0289 (2013.01); G05D 1/0293 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0216 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A traveling vehicle system comprising:
a track including a plurality of areas;
a plurality of traveling vehicles to travel on the track; and
a controller to control, in each of the plurality of areas, the traveling vehicles within the area; wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to include:
a determiner to determine, upon receiving from one of the plurality of traveling vehicles an entry permission request for an area under control, whether or not a remaining number of vehicles to a maximum number of vehicles allowed to enter the area is equal to or less than a predetermined number; and
an entry permitter to temporarily hold the entry permission request from the traveling vehicle if the determiner determines that the remaining number of vehicles to the maximum number of vehicles allowed to enter the area has not exceeded the predetermined number, and upon arrival of the traveling vehicle of a transmission origin of the entry permission request at an entry region for the area, grant the traveling vehicle permission to enter the area if a sum of a number of traveling vehicles present within an area of an entry target and a number of traveling vehicles already permitted to enter the area is less than the maximum number of vehicles, but does not grant entry permission if the sum has reached the maximum number of vehicles.