	US 7,577,517 B2
	Guided vehicle system and teaching method in the guided vehicle system
Atsuo Nagasawa, Gifu (Japan)
Assigned to Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha, Kyoto-shi (Japan)
Filed on Jul. 31, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/495,787.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-222864 (JP), filed on Aug. 01, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2007/0027615 A1, Feb. 01, 2007
Int. Cl. G01C 21/00 (2006.01); G06F 19/00 (2006.01); G06F 7/00 (2006.01); G01C 22/00 (2006.01); B25J 1/00 (2006.01); B65G 25/00 (2006.01); B65G 1/33 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 701—200 [701/11; 701/19; 701/23; 701/24; 701/25; 701/26; 701/30; 701/89; 701/109; 701/300; 700/254; 700/228; 700/229; 414/1; 414/147; 414/749.1; 414/785; 324/758; 324/754]

4 Claims

4. A teaching method in guided vehicle system having a master guided vehicle, one or more non-master guided vehicles, a master transfer position and one or more non-master transfer positions, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by said master guided vehicle, transfer data for transferring an article at said master transfer position and each of said non-master transfer positions,

obtaining, by each of said non-master guided vehicles, transfer data for transferring said article at said master transfer position,

determining, by each of said non-master guided vehicles, machine difference data based on a difference between said transfer data obtained by said master guided vehicle at said master transfer position and said transfer data obtained by each of said non-master guided vehicles at said master transfer position,

adding said machine difference data to said transfer data obtained by said master guided vehicle to obtain transfer data at each of said master and non-master transfer positions,

determining whether said machine difference data needs to be measured again based on conditions of each of said master and non-master guided vehicles; and

measuring said transfer data at said master transfer position again, for one of said non-master guided vehicles which needs measurement of said machine difference data again, to newly determine machine difference data to update said transfer data at each of said master and non-master transfer positions,

wherein each of said master guided vehicle and non-master guided vehicles has a travel unit supported by a travel rail in an overhead space for traveling along the travel rail, and an elevation unit supported by the travel unit for elevating/lowering the article;

wherein a mark indicating a stop position for stopping each of said master and non-master guided vehicles at said master and non-master transfer positions is provided along said travel rail, and said travel unit has a sensor for detecting said mark to determine an error at said stop position;

wherein said elevation unit has means for detecting a failure in transferring said article at said transfer position; and

wherein the determination means determines a value indicating the degree of the error at said stop position, and a value indicating the degree of the transfer failure.