TWI900688B - Transport vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The holding portion 20 includes: a first portion 21 connected to the lifting device; a second portion 22 connected to the lifting device through the first portion 21 and in contact with the object; and an angle adjustment mechanism 40 disposed between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22 for changing the tilt angle A of the second portion 22 relative to the first portion 21.

Description

moving vehicle

The present invention relates to a transport vehicle for transporting articles.

An example of a transport vehicle as described above is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-64799 (Patent Document 1). In the following description of the prior art, the symbols shown in parentheses are the symbols of Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, a ceiling transport vehicle (A) for transporting a storage container (4) is disclosed as a transport vehicle for transporting articles. This ceiling transport vehicle (A) includes: a traveling portion (11) that travels along a traveling path (3); a holding portion (10) that holds the storage container (4); and a lifting device that causes the holding portion (10) to be raised and lowered relative to the traveling portion (11).

In patent document 1, the storage container (4) is an open cassette having an opening (6) formed on the side for allowing substrates (5) to enter and exit. In order to prevent the substrates (5) from flying out of the opening (6) of the storage container (4) held by the holding portion (10), a fly-out prevention mechanism (9) is provided on the ceiling transport vehicle (A) of patent document 1. The fly-out prevention mechanism (9) has a contact body (26) that can be moved to a contact position for contacting the side of the substrate (5) and a separation position for separating from the side of the substrate (5).

When the transport vehicle is moving, vibrations are easily transmitted to the items held by the holding portion. Therefore, it is desirable to hold the items in the holding portion in a posture that easily ensures a high degree of tolerance to vibrations, regardless of whether a mechanism such as the anti-flying mechanism of Patent Document 1 is provided. Thus, it is desirable to hold the items in the holding portion in a posture suitable for the transport vehicle when the transport vehicle is moving. However, there are cases where the posture of the items suitable for the transport vehicle when the transport vehicle is moving is different from the posture of the items required at the transfer target location (the location where the items are transferred between the holding portion and the storage container). For example, in Patent Document 1, the item is a storage container having an opening formed on the side, and the transfer target location is a loading port of a processing device that processes substrates removed from the storage container. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5 of Patent Document 1, the posture of the storage container required at the transfer target location is a posture that allows the substrates to enter and exit the storage container more easily (specifically, a horizontal posture with the opening facing the horizontal direction). In contrast, the posture of the storage container suitable for the movement of the transport vehicle is a posture that makes it difficult for the substrates to move from the opening to the outside of the storage container (for example, a tilted posture with the opening facing diagonally upward).

If the posture of the items suitable for transport vehicle travel differs from the posture required at the transfer destination, and the structure is such that the items are simply held in the holding unit in the posture suitable for transport vehicle travel, the posture of the items at the transfer destination will also be suitable for transport vehicle travel when the items are transferred between the holding unit and the transfer destination. Therefore, a mechanism must be provided at the transfer destination to change the posture of the items between the posture suitable for transport vehicle travel and the posture required at the transfer destination. In addition to the transfer operation between the holding unit and the transfer destination, the posture change of the items must also be performed at the transfer destination, which may reduce the efficiency of item handling.

Therefore, what is desired is the realization of the following technology: when the posture of the article suitable for the movement of the transport vehicle is different from the posture of the article required at the transfer target location, the article can be held by the holding unit in a posture suitable for the movement of the transport vehicle when the transport vehicle is moving, and when the article is transferred between the holding unit and the transfer target location, the posture of the article arranged at the transfer target location can be set to the posture required at the transfer target location.

The transport vehicle disclosed herein is a transport vehicle for transporting articles, and comprises: a main body that moves along a moving path; a holding portion that holds the aforementioned articles; and a lifting device that enables the aforementioned holding portion to rise and fall in a lifting direction relative to the aforementioned main body, and the aforementioned holding portion comprises: a first part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device; a second part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device through the aforementioned first part and is in contact with the aforementioned articles; and an angle adjustment mechanism that is arranged between the aforementioned first part and the aforementioned second part and changes the tilt angle of the aforementioned second part relative to the aforementioned first part.

According to this configuration, since the holding portion includes an angle adjustment mechanism, even without providing a mechanism for changing the position of the holding portion in the lifting device, the angle adjustment mechanism can be used to change the tilt angle of the second portion relative to the first portion, thereby adjusting the position of the article contacted by the second portion (i.e., the article held by the holding portion) to a desired position. Consequently, the position of the article during transportation can be adjusted to a position suitable for the transportation vehicle's travel, and the position of the article during transfer between the holding portion and the transfer destination can be adjusted to a position desired at the transfer destination. Thus, while the transport vehicle is traveling, the holding portion can hold the article in a posture appropriate for the vehicle's travel. Furthermore, when transferring the article between the holding portion and the destination, the article positioned at the destination can be positioned in the posture required at the destination. Furthermore, this configuration eliminates the need for a mechanism in the lifting device for changing the holding portion's posture, thereby minimizing the complexity of the lifting device and achieving the transport vehicle of the present disclosure.

Further features and advantages of the transport vehicle will become clear through the description of the embodiment described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiments of the Invention The following describes the embodiment of the transport vehicle with reference to the drawings.

In the article transport equipment 100 illustrated in FIG3 , a transport vehicle 1 moves along a travel path 2 to transport an article 90. As shown in FIG1-3 , the transport vehicle 1 includes a body 10 that moves along the travel path 2; a holder 20 that holds the article 90; and a lifting device 50 that raises and lowers the holder 20 relative to the body 10 in a vertical direction V. The length direction of the travel path 2 (the direction in which the travel path 2 extends) is referred to as the path length direction L, and the width direction of the travel path 2 is referred to as the path width direction W. The path width direction W is a direction perpendicular to both the path length direction L and the vertical direction V. Furthermore, the direction defined with respect to the transport vehicle 1 (i.e., the direction that changes depending on the posture of the transport vehicle 1) and along the path length direction L when the transport vehicle is positioned on the travel path 2 is referred to as the vehicle body front-back direction X, and the direction defined with respect to the transport vehicle 1 and along the path width direction W when the transport vehicle is positioned on the travel path 2 is referred to as the vehicle body left-right direction Y. In this embodiment, the vertical direction V corresponds to the "lifting direction."

The moving path 2 can be formed physically or set virtually. In the present embodiment, the moving path 2 is physically formed using rails 3. Specifically, the article transporting equipment 100 has rails 3 arranged along the moving path 2 (here, a pair of rails 3 arranged at intervals in the path width direction W), and the main body 10 moves along the rails 3. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the rails 3 are suspended and supported from the ceiling 4, and the moving path 2 is formed along the ceiling 4. That is, in the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 is a ceiling transport vehicle that travels along the moving path 2 formed along the ceiling 4. In addition, the transport vehicle 1 may also be a transport vehicle other than a ceiling transport vehicle.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the main body 10 comprises a running section 11 equipped with wheels 12 that roll on the running surface of a track 3 (here, a pair of track 3) and a cover 14 connected to the running section 11. The running surface of the track 3 faces upward (V1) in the vertical direction V, and the wheels 12 rotate about an axis perpendicular to the vertical direction V. The running section 11 comprises a running drive section 70 (e.g., an electric motor such as a servo motor; see Figure 14) that rotates the wheels 12. The running drive section 70 rotates and drives the wheels 12, causing the running section 11 to travel along the track 3. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the running section 11 includes guide wheels 13 that roll on the guide surfaces of the rails 3. The running section 11 travels along the rails 3 with the guide wheels 13 in contact with and guided by the guide surfaces. The guide surfaces of the rails 3 face inward in the path width direction W (the side facing the center of the pair of rails 3 in the path width direction W). The guide wheels 13 rotate (in this example, idling) about an axis along the vertical direction V. In the example shown in Figure 1, the main body 10 is equipped with a pair of running sections 11 arranged in the vehicle body front-rear direction X.

As shown in Figure 1 , in this embodiment, the cover 14 is positioned below the traveling section 11 at a position V2 in the vertical direction V and supported by the traveling section 11. While the transport vehicle 1 is traveling, articles 90 held by the retaining portions 20 are placed within the interior space of the cover 14. As shown in Figure 1 , in this embodiment, the interior space of the cover 14 is closed on both sides in the vehicle's front-to-back direction X and open on at least one side in the vehicle's left-to-right direction Y. Therefore, the articles 90 placed within the interior space of the cover 14 are covered by the walls of the cover 14 from at least both sides in the vehicle's front-to-back direction X.

As shown in FIG4 , the holding portion 20 includes a supporting portion 23 that supports a held portion 91 (see FIG2 ) formed on the article 90, and uses the supporting portion 23 to hold the article 90. In the example shown in FIG2 , the holding portion 20 holds the article 90 from above V1. Specifically, the held portion 91 is a flange formed on the upper surface portion (e.g., a plate-like top plate portion) that constitutes the upper surface 90a of the article 90. The supporting portion 23 supports the held portion 91 from below V2 with the supporting portion of the supporting portion 23 inserted into the space between the held portion 91 and the upper surface portion (hereinafter referred to as the "supporting space"). The supporting portion 23 has a supporting surface 23a facing upward V1 (see FIG. 4 ), and the supporting surface 23a contacts the lower surface of the retained portion 91, thereby supporting the retained portion 91 from the lower side V2. Furthermore, the retained portion 91 is not limited to a flange formed on the upper portion of the article 90. For example, the retained portion 91 may be configured such that the upper surface of the article 90 (specifically, the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface) serves as the retained portion 91, the retained portion 91 is formed on a side surface forming the side surface 90b of the article 90, or the retained portion 91 is used as the bottom surface (e.g., a plate-like bottom plate) forming the bottom surface 90c of the article 90.

The holding portion 20 includes a holding actuator 72 (e.g., a solenoid or electric motor; see FIG14 ) for holding and releasing the object 90 held by the holding portion 20. The holding actuator 72 is driven to hold and release the object 90 held by the holding portion 20. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , the holding portion 20 includes a pair of supporting portions 23. The holding actuator 72 is configured to move the pair of supporting portions 23 (specifically, one supporting portion and the other supporting portion of the pair of supporting portions 23) toward and away from each other. The supporting portions are formed with supporting surfaces 23a.

When the direction in which a pair of supporting parts 23 approach and separate from each other (in other words, the arrangement direction of a pair of supporting parts 23) is set as the target direction, when the article 90 is held by the holding part 20, the holding drive part 72 makes the pair of supporting parts 23 approach each other and switches the posture of the pair of supporting parts 23 to a holding posture. The aforementioned holding posture is a posture in which the interval between the pair of supporting parts 23 becomes smaller than the width of the held part 91 in the target direction. Furthermore, when releasing the article 90 held by the holding portion 20, the holding actuator 72 separates the pair of supporting portions 23 from each other, switching the position of the pair of supporting portions 23 to a release position. In this release position, the distance between the pair of supporting portions 23 becomes larger than the width of the held portion 91 in the target direction. Here, the term "position" is used as a concept encompassing at least one of position and direction. In the examples shown in Figures 4 and 5, the vehicle body front-rear direction X is the target direction.

With the holding portion 20 in the second position P2 (see Figures 3, 6, and 11), described later, the position of the pair of supporting portions 23 is switched from the hold release position to the hold position, thereby inserting the supporting portions of the pair of supporting portions 23 into the support space for the article 90 located at the transfer target location 6. In this position, the holding portion 20 is raised, and the article 90 is raised along with the holding portion 20. Furthermore, with the holding portion 20 in the second position P2, the position of the pair of supporting portions 23 is switched from the hold position to the hold release position, thereby removing the supporting portions of the pair of supporting portions 23 from the support space for the article 90 held by the holding portion 20. If the holding portion 20 is raised in this state, only the holding portion 20 is raised while the article 90 is left at the transfer target location 6 .

The type of article 90 is not limited thereto, but as shown in FIG2 , in this embodiment, the article 90 is a container having an opening 92 on a side surface 90 b. The opening 92 is provided for the entry and exit of contents into and out of the article 90, and the contents can be entered and exited through the opening 92. An opening different from the opening 92 (for example, an opening for lightweighting or cleaning, or an opening formed in the structure of the article 90) may also be formed on the side surface 90 b of the article 90, but the article 90 is configured so that the contents contained therein cannot be moved to the outside of the article 90 without passing through the opening 92. In this embodiment, a substrate 93 (an example of a content) such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer is contained in the article 90. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the article 90 is configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates 93 arranged in the vertical direction (along the vertical direction V when the bottom surface 90 c is horizontally arranged).

In this embodiment, object 90 does not include a lid to close opening 92. For example, an open wafer cassette can be used as object 90. Alternatively, object 90 can be configured with a lid to close opening 92. In this case, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) can be used as object 90, for example.

Although Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the holding portion 20 as being positioned such that the pair of supporting portions 23 approach and separate from each other in the vehicle body front-rear direction X, the holding portion 20 may also be positioned such that the pair of supporting portions 23 approach and separate from each other in the vehicle body left-right direction Y. Furthermore, although Figures 1 to 3 illustrate the article 90 being held by the holding portion 20 with the opening 92 facing one side of the vehicle body left-right direction Y, the article 90 may also be held by the holding portion 20 with the opening 92 facing one side of the vehicle body front-rear direction X. Furthermore, the transport vehicle 1 may also be configured to include a mechanism for rotating the holding portion 20 relative to the main body 10 about an axis along the longitudinal direction V. From the perspective of more reliably preventing the substrate 93 containing the article 90 from moving from the opening 92 to the outside of the article 90 when the transport vehicle 1 moves, it is more ideal to make the article 90 be held in the holding portion 20 in the direction of the opening 92 toward the wall of the cover 14.

The lifting device 50 has a lifting drive unit 71 (for example, an electric motor such as a servo motor, see Figure 14) for lifting and lowering the holding portion 20, and the holding portion 20 is lifted and lowered by the driving of the lifting drive unit 71. The lifting device 50 lifts and lowers the holding portion 20 between a first position P1 (see Figures 2 and 3) and a second position P2 (see Figure 3) that is lower than the first position P1 by V2. The first position P1 is the position of the upper end in the lifting direction (vertical direction V). The first position P1 is the position of the holding portion 20 in the vertical direction V when the main body 10 moves. That is, the first position P1 is the position of the holding portion 20 when the conveyor 1 is moving. In this embodiment, the first position P1 is the position of the holding portion 20 as follows: the article 90 held in the holding portion 20 is arranged in the internal space of the cover 14. Furthermore, the second position P2 is the position of the holding portion 20 in the vertical direction V when the holding portion 20 holds and releases the article 90. That is, the second position P2 is the position at which the holding portion 20 holds and releases the article 90, in other words, the position of the holding portion 20 when the article 90 is transferred between the holding portion 20 and the transfer target location 6. The second position P2 is set in accordance with the height (position in the vertical direction V) of each transfer target location 6. In this embodiment, the second position P2 is set to a height at which the supporting portions of the pair of supporting portions 23 can be inserted and removed from the space for supporting the article 90 arranged at the transfer target location 6 by switching the posture of the pair of supporting portions 23 between the holding posture and the holding release posture.

FIG3 shows a loading port located adjacent to a processing device 5 as an example of a transfer target location 6. The processing device 5 processes an object 90 and, in this embodiment, processes a substrate 93 removed from the object 90. As shown in FIG3 , the object 90 is positioned at the transfer target location 6 with its opening 92 facing the processing device 5.

As shown schematically in FIG2 , the lifting device 50 includes a rotating body 51 that is driven for rotation and a transmission member 52 that is wound around the rotating body 51 so that the rotating body 51 can be freely reeled in and delivered. The lifting device 50 further includes the aforementioned lifting drive unit 71 (see FIG14 ) that rotationally drives the rotating body 51. The rotating body 51 and the lifting drive unit 71 are supported by the main body 10 and, in this embodiment, are located in the upper portion V1 of the interior space of the cover 14. For example, the transmission member 52 may be a belt and the rotating body 51 may be a take-up pulley for taking up the belt, or the transmission member 52 may be a rope and the rotating body 51 may be a drum for taking up the rope. The transmission member 52 is connected to the holding portion 20. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the connection portion 52a is connected to the holding portion 20. This connection portion 52a is located on the front end of the transmission member 52 that extends from the rotating body 51. The lifting device 50 rotates the rotating body 51 by driving the lifting drive 71, thereby reeling in or delivering the transmission member 52, thereby raising or lowering (i.e., raising or lowering) the holding portion 20. In this manner, the lifting device 50 raises or lowers the holding portion 20 while supporting it in a suspended manner.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the lifting device 50 has a plurality of rotating bodies 51, and a transmission member 52 is wound around each of the plurality of rotating bodies 51. In the example shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lifting device 50 has three rotating bodies 51. Furthermore, the connection portion 52a of each of the plurality of transmission members 52 (three transmission members 52 in this example) is connected to the holding portion 20. As shown in Figure 4, the plurality of connection portions 52a are connected to different portions of the holding portion 20. In addition, in Figures 2 and 3, in order to show that the lifting device 50 has a plurality of rotating bodies 51, the plurality of rotating bodies 51 are respectively arranged on different axes, but the plurality of rotating bodies 51 may also be arranged coaxially. 3 , the connecting portion 52a of the transmission member 52 is disposed directly below the rotating body 51 around which the transmission member 52 is wound. However, the transmission member 52 may also be configured such that the portion of the transmission member 52 that is delivered from the rotating body 51 is wound around a guiding rotating body (a guiding pulley, etc.), and the connecting portion 52a of the transmission member 52 is disposed directly below the guiding rotating body.

In this embodiment, the article 90 is a container for a substrate 93 that enters and exits through an opening 92 formed in a side surface 90b. Therefore, as shown in FIG2 , while the transport vehicle 1 is traveling, the article 90 can be positioned in a tilted position S1 with the opening 92 facing diagonally upward, making it difficult for the substrate 93 contained in the article 90 to move outside the article 90 from the opening 92. On the other hand, as shown in FIG3 , when the substrate 93 is being moved into and out of the article 90 at the transfer location 6, the article 90 can be positioned in a horizontal position S2 with the opening 92 facing horizontally, making it easier for the substrate 93 to enter and exit the article 90 through the opening 92. That is, in the example shown in FIG3 , the desired position of the article 90 at the transfer target location 6 is a horizontal position S2. In this embodiment, the holding unit 20 is equipped with an angle adjustment mechanism 40, described below. This allows the position of the article 90 at the transfer target location 6 to be adjusted to a horizontal position S2 while the holding unit 20 holds the article 90 in an inclined position S1 while the transport vehicle 1 is traveling.

As shown in Figures 2-5 , the holding portion 20 comprises a first portion 21 connected to the lifting device 50, a second portion 22 connected to the lifting device 50 via the first portion 21 and in contact with the object 90, and an angle adjustment mechanism 40. The holding portion 20 further comprises a swing drive unit 73 (e.g., an electric motor or solenoid, see Figure 14 ) that drives the angle adjustment mechanism 40. In this embodiment, the swing drive unit 73 serves as the "drive unit."

In this embodiment, the first portion 21 is connected to the transmission member 52. The first portion 21 is connected to each of the plurality of transmission members 52 (specifically, the connection portions 52a of each of the plurality of transmission members 52). Therefore, the posture of the first portion 21 is determined by the height difference between the plurality of connection portions 52a (here, three connection portions 52a). In this embodiment, a common lifting drive 71 is provided to rotationally drive the plurality of rotating bodies 51, and the first portion 21 is raised and lowered by the lifting device 50 so that its posture is maintained at a specific posture (here, a posture in which all connection portions 52a are arranged at the same height). Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, in any of the states where the retaining portion 20 is at the first position P1, the retaining portion 20 is at the second position P2, and the retaining portion 20 is at the third position P3 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the first portion 21 is configured in the above-mentioned specific posture.

The second portion 22 is the portion of the holding portion 20 that contacts the article 90. Therefore, the position of the article 90 held by the holding portion 20 is determined by the position of the second portion 22. The second portion 22 includes supporting portions 23 (a pair of supporting portions 23 in this embodiment), and the supporting portions 23 constituting the second portion 22 contact the article 90 (specifically, the held portion 91).

The angle adjustment mechanism 40 is disposed between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22 and adjusts the tilt angle A of the second portion 22 relative to the first portion 21 (see Figures 2 and 5). As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the angle adjustment mechanism 40 adjusts the tilt angle A by swinging the second portion 22 about a horizontal axis R (swinging it relative to the first portion 21). The tilt angle A is defined as 0 degrees when the object 90 held by the holding portion 20 (specifically, the second portion 22) is arranged in a horizontal position S2. Figure 4 shows the holding portion 20 with the tilt angle A at 0 degrees. Furthermore, the tilt angle A is defined as follows: when the article 90 held by the holding portion 20 is arranged in a tilted position S1 with the opening 92 facing diagonally upward (see FIG2 ), it becomes a positive angle. Here, along the direction of movement of the contained object (in this embodiment, the substrate 93) when it enters and exits the opening 92, the direction toward the exterior of the article 90 is defined as the direction of the opening 92. In this embodiment, the position in which the bottom surface 90c of the article 90 is aligned with the horizontal plane is defined as the horizontal position S2 with the opening 92 facing the horizontal direction.

In this embodiment, the axis R is positioned along the vehicle body front-rear direction X. As shown in FIG5 , when the second portion 22 is tilted relative to the first portion 21 (specifically, when the tilt angle A is a positive acute angle), the second portion 22 is higher on one side in the vehicle body left-right direction Y than on the other side. Therefore, in this embodiment, the article 90 is held in the holding portion 20 with the opening 92 oriented toward the side in the vehicle body left-right direction Y when viewed from a plan view (viewed along the vertical direction V).

As shown in an example in Figures 4 and 5 , in this embodiment, the angle adjustment mechanism 40 includes a swing member 41 fixed to the second portion 22 and a support member 42 fixed to the first portion 21. The support member 42 supports the swing member 41 so that it can rotate about the axis R. Furthermore, the swing drive 73 is configured to swing the swing member 41 about the axis R. Since the swing member 41 is fixed to the second portion 22, swinging the swing member 41 about the axis R in this manner allows the second portion 22 to swing about the axis R, thereby changing the tilt angle A. Furthermore, the swing drive 73 is fixed to the first portion 21.

In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5 , the swing member 41 is a shaft member disposed on the axis R and secured to the second portion 22 via fixing members 43. In this example, the swing member 41 is secured to the second portion 22 (specifically, the main body of the second portion 22) via fixing members 43 at two locations along the axis R (here, the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction X). The pair of support portions 23 are guided by a guide mechanism 46 in their movement toward and away from each other (here, along the axis R). In this example, the guide mechanism 46 is a linear motion mechanism having a guide rail extending in a direction along the axis R and a guide block engaged with the guide rail. The guide rail is fixed to the above-mentioned main body of the second part 22, and the guide block is fixed to each support part 23 in a pair of support parts 23.

The retaining drive unit 72, which drives the pair of support portions 23, is fixed to the main body of the second portion 22. In this example, the retaining drive unit 72 drives the pair of support portions 23 via a motion conversion mechanism 45. The motion conversion mechanism 45 is a ball screw mechanism that converts the rotational motion of a rotary shaft driven by the electric motor serving as the retaining drive unit 72 into linear motion of each of the pair of support portions 23. Alternatively, rather than having the pair of support portions 23 approach and separate in a direction along the axis R, the pair of support portions 23 may approach and separate in a direction perpendicular to the axis R when viewed from a two-dimensional perspective (in this example, the vehicle body left-right direction Y).

In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5 , the swing member 41 is supported by support members 42 at two locations along the axis R so as to be rotatable about the axis R. Specifically, a support member 42 is provided on each side of a pair of fixed members 43 along the axis R, and each support member 42 supports the swing member 41 so as to be rotatable relative to the first portion 21. Furthermore, in this example, the swing drive unit 73 fixed to the first portion 21 is connected to the swing member 41 via a gear mechanism 44 (e.g., a reduction mechanism), and the rotation of the electric motor serving as the swing drive unit 73 is transmitted to the swing member 41 via the gear mechanism 44, causing the swing member 41 to swing. The dimensions and shapes of the various components shown in Figures 4 and 5 are conceptual and are not intended to be limiting.

As shown in FIG14 , the article transporting equipment 100 includes a control unit 80 for controlling the movement of the transport vehicle 1. The control unit 80 includes a processing unit such as a CPU and peripheral circuits such as a memory. The various functions of the control unit 80 are realized through the cooperation between this hardware and the programs executed on the hardware such as the processing unit. The control unit 80 can be installed on the transport vehicle 1 or independently of the transport vehicle 1. Furthermore, if the control unit 80 includes multiple separate hardware components that can communicate with each other, some of the hardware components can be installed on the transport vehicle 1, while the remaining hardware components can be installed independently of the transport vehicle 1.

The control unit 80 controls the driving of the travel drive unit 70 to cause the main body 10 to perform a movement action of moving along the movement path 2. Specifically, the control unit 80 controls the driving of the travel drive unit 70 to cause the travel unit 11 to perform a walking action of walking along the track 3. In this embodiment, the movement action of the main body 10 is achieved by the walking action of the travel unit 11. When the control unit 80 transports the article 90 held by the holding unit 20 to the transfer target location 6, the control unit 80 causes the travel unit 11 to perform a walking action while the holding unit 20 is already holding the article 90. Furthermore, the control unit 80 controls the driving of the lifting drive unit 71 to cause the lifting device 50 to perform a lifting action of lifting the holding unit 20. Furthermore, the control unit 80 controls the driving of the holding drive unit 72 to cause the holding unit 20 to perform a holding operation for holding the article 90 or a holding release operation for releasing the holding of the article 90. In this embodiment, the holding operation for the article 90 is an operation for bringing the pair of supporting portions 23 closer together (in other words, switching the posture of the pair of supporting portions 23 to a holding posture), and the holding release operation for the article 90 is an operation for separating the pair of supporting portions 23 from each other (in other words, switching the posture of the pair of supporting portions 23 to a holding release posture). Furthermore, the control unit 80 controls the driving of the swing driving unit 73 to cause the holding unit 20 to perform a tilt angle changing operation to change the tilt angle A of the second portion 22 relative to the first portion 21 .

When transferring an article 90 from the transfer destination 6 to the holding portion 20 (i.e., when removing the article 90 from the transfer destination 6), the control unit 80 causes the traveling unit 11 to perform a traveling motion and then causes the lifting device 50 to perform a lifting motion (see FIG. 6 ). The traveling motion causes the transport vehicle 1 to travel to a position corresponding to the transfer destination 6 (here, a position V1 above the transfer destination 6 and overlapping with the transfer destination 6 in plan view). The lifting motion lowers the holding portion 20, which is not holding an article 90, from the first position P1 to the second position P2. In this embodiment, the swing drive unit 73 sets the tilt angle A to a second angle, described below, while the holding portion 20, which is not holding an article 90, is lowered toward the second position P2. Specifically, the holding portion 20, not holding an article 90, is positioned at the first position P1 with its tilt angle A set to the second angle. During the period in which the holding portion 20 descends from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the tilt angle A is maintained at the second angle. After the holding portion 20 reaches the second position P2, the control unit 80 causes the holding portion 20 to hold the article 90 and then causes the lifting device 50 to perform a lifting operation (see Figures 7 and 8). This lifting operation raises the holding portion 20 from the second position P2 to the first position P1. Consequently, the holding portion 20, holding the article 90, is raised to the first position P1.

On the other hand, when transferring the article 90 from the holding unit 20 to the transfer destination 6 (i.e., when the article 90 is brought into the transfer destination 6), the control unit 80 causes the traveling unit 11 to perform a traveling motion, and then causes the lifting device 50 to perform a lifting motion (see Figures 9-11). The traveling motion causes the transport vehicle 1 to travel to a position corresponding to the transfer destination 6, and the lifting motion causes the holding unit 20, which is holding the article 90, to descend from the first position P1 to the second position P2. When the holding unit 20 reaches the second position P2, the control unit 80 causes the holding unit 20 to release the article 90, and then causes the lifting device 50 to perform a lifting motion (see Figure 11). The lifting motion causes the holding unit 20 to ascend from the second position P2 to the first position P1. Thus, the holding portion 20 without holding an article 90 is raised to the first position P1 while leaving the article 90 at the transfer target location 6. In this embodiment, the swing drive portion 73 sets the tilt angle A to the second angle while the holding portion 20 without holding an article 90 is raised from the second position P2.

In this embodiment, the swing drive unit 73 is configured to perform tilt angle adjustment control when the holding unit 20 holds an article 90. The swing drive unit 73 performs tilt angle adjustment control under control of the control unit 80. The area including the second position P2 in the vertical direction V is defined as a predetermined area ΔV2 (see Figures 6 and 11). The tilt angle adjustment control is performed as follows: when the holding unit 20 is positioned outside the predetermined area ΔV2, the tilt angle A is set to a first angle; when the holding unit 20 is positioned at the second position P2, the tilt angle A is set to a second angle. Here, the first angle is the angle at which the article 90 (the article 90 held by the holding portion 20, the same applies hereinafter) assumes an inclined position S1 (the position of the article 90 with the opening 92 facing diagonally upward) and is set to, for example, 5 degrees. Furthermore, the second angle is the angle at which the article 90 assumes a horizontal position S2 (the position of the article 90 with the opening 92 facing horizontally) and is set to 0 degrees in this embodiment. Furthermore, in Figures 6 to 13 , the area outside the predetermined area ΔV2 in the vertical direction V is referred to as the outer area ΔV1.

The prescribed area ΔV2 is configured to exclude the first position P1. That is, the first position P1 is located V1 above the upper limit of the prescribed area ΔV2 and is included in the outer area ΔV1. Therefore, by performing tilt angle adjustment control via the swing drive unit 73, when the transport vehicle 1 is traveling with the holding portion 20 located at the first position P1, or when the holding portion 20 is raised or lowered while the holding portion 20 is located in the outer area ΔV1, the position of the article 90 can be set to a tilted position S1. This tilted position S1 is a position in which the container (in this embodiment, the substrate 93) containing the article 90 is difficult to move from the opening 92 to the exterior of the article 90. Furthermore, when the article 90 placed at the second position P2 by the holding unit 20 is transferred, the posture of the article 90 can be set to the horizontal posture S2 required at the transfer target location 6.

Since the swing drive unit 73 performs tilt angle adjustment control while the holding unit 20 is holding the article 90, when the article 90 is transferred from the transfer target location 6 to the holding unit 20, the tilt angle A is set to the second angle, as shown in FIG6 , with the holding unit 20 positioned at the second position P2 after the holding operation of the article 90, thereby setting the position of the article 90 to the horizontal position S2. Subsequently, after the lifting operation of the holding unit 20 from the second position P2 to the first position P1 begins, the tilt angle A is changed from the second angle to the first angle until the holding unit 20 enters the outer area ΔV1. As a result, while the holding portion 20 is rising in the outer region ΔV1, as shown in FIG. 8 , the tilt angle A is set to the first angle, thereby setting the posture of the article 90 to the tilt posture S1.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a case where the tilt angle is changed in response to the holding unit 20 reaching the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2 (the boundary between the outer area ΔV1, which is V1 above the predetermined area ΔV2, and the predetermined area ΔV2), thereby changing the position of the object 90 from the horizontal position S2 shown in Figure 7 to the tilted position S1 shown by the two-point chain in Figure 8. In this case, a configuration may be employed in which the ascending speed of the holding unit 20 is reduced from its previous speed to zero or a value greater than zero at the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2. When performing a posture change operation while raising the holding portion 20, the tilt angle change operation is performed, for example, in the following manner: the tilt angle change operation is initiated before the holding portion 20 reaches the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2, and the tilt angle change operation is terminated when the holding portion 20 reaches the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2. In order to ensure the widest possible range for raising and lowering the article 90 in the tilted posture S1, the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2 is preferably set at a position as close to the second position P2 as possible within a range where the article 90 does not contact the transfer target location 6 due to the posture change of the article 90 accompanying the tilt angle change operation.

Furthermore, when transferring an article 90 from the holding unit 20 to the transfer destination 6, after the lifting operation of lowering the holding unit 20 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 begins, the holding unit 20 sets the tilt angle A to the first angle while descending within the outer area ΔV1, as shown in FIG9 , thereby setting the position of the article 90 to the tilted position S1. After the holding unit 20 enters the predetermined area ΔV2, the tilt angle A is changed from the first angle to the second angle until the holding unit 20 reaches the second position P2. As a result, as shown in FIG11 , when the position of the holding unit 20 changes from the tilted position S1 to the horizontal position S2, the holding unit 20 reaches the second position P2.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a case where a tilt angle change operation is performed in conjunction with the holding unit 20 reaching the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2, changing the position of the object 90 from the tilted position S1 (shown by the solid line in Figure 9) to the horizontal position S2 shown in Figure 10. Alternatively, a configuration may be employed in which the lowering speed of the holding unit 20 is reduced from its previous speed to zero or a value greater than zero at the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2. When the position change operation is performed while the holding unit 20 is lowered, the tilt angle change operation is performed, for example, as follows: the tilt angle change operation is initiated when the holding unit 20 reaches the upper limit of the predetermined area ΔV2 and is terminated before the holding unit 20 reaches the second position P2.

However, as shown in the example of Figures 12 and 13 , the transfer target location 6 may be arranged at multiple heights. In this case, since the second position P2 is set according to each of the multiple heights at which the transfer target location 6 is arranged, the second position P2 includes multiple positions that are V2 below the first position P1. In the example shown in Figures 12 and 13 , the second position P2 includes the second position P2 corresponding to the transfer target location 6 indicated by the solid line and the second position P2 corresponding to the transfer target location 6 indicated by the two-point chain line (not shown in Figures 12 and 13 ).

When the second position P2 includes multiple positions, the second position P2 that serves as the starting point or end point of the lifting and lowering movement of the holding unit 20 among the multiple second positions P2 is set as the target second position P2a (see Figure 13). In this embodiment, the swing drive unit 73 is configured to set the area including the target second position P2a as the specified area ΔV2 to perform tilt angle adjustment control. In addition, although the specified area ΔV2 is basically set to include only the target second position P2a, other second positions P2 located at a height close to the target second position P2a may also be included in the specified area ΔV2. In the examples shown in Figures 12 and 13, it is assumed that an article 90 is being moved to a transfer target location 6, indicated by a solid line. The second position P2 corresponding to the transfer target location 6, indicated by a solid line, is set as the target second position P2a. Furthermore, in this example, the predetermined area ΔV2 is set to include only the target second position P2a (i.e., not the second position P2 corresponding to the transfer target location 6, indicated by the two-point chain line). Furthermore, the second position P2 corresponding to the transfer target location 6, indicated by the two-point chain line, is included in the outer area ΔV1. This allows the article 90 to be held in a tilted position S1 within a relatively wide lifting range that includes the second position P2 corresponding to the transfer target location 6, indicated by the two-point chain line.

[Other Implementations] Next, we will explain other implementations of the transport vehicle.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example: the drive portion (swing drive portion 73) of the drive angle adjustment mechanism 40 swings the swing member 41 fixed to the second portion 22 about the axis R, thereby changing the tilt angle A of the second portion 22 relative to the first portion 21. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration may be provided, for example, in which the second portion 22 is connected to the first portion 21 via a link mechanism, and the drive portion of the drive angle adjustment mechanism 40 drives the link mechanism to change the tilt angle A. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the driving part of the driving angle adjustment mechanism 40 is fixed to the first part 21 as an example, depending on the structure of the angle adjustment mechanism 40, the driving part of the driving angle adjustment mechanism 40 can also be fixed to the second part 22.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example: the axis R is arranged along the vehicle body front-rear direction X. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and the following configuration may be adopted: the axis R is arranged along the vehicle body left-right direction Y. In this case, when the second portion 22 is tilted relative to the first portion 21 (specifically, when the tilt angle A is a positive sharp angle), the second portion 22 is higher on one side of the vehicle body front-rear direction X than on the other side, and the article 90 is held in the holding portion 20 with the opening 92 facing the side of the vehicle body front-rear direction X in a plan view.

(3) In the above embodiment, the following configuration is used as an example for explanation: when the second position P2 includes a plurality of positions, the swing drive unit 73 sets the area including the target second position P2a as the predetermined area ΔV2 to perform tilt angle adjustment control. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration may be made such that, for example, when the height difference between the plurality of positions included in the second position P2 is small, the area including all the second positions P2 is set as the predetermined area ΔV2.

(4) In the above embodiment, the following configuration is used as an example for explanation: the second angle is set to an angle at which the posture of the article 90 is in a horizontal posture S2. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. The second angle may be set to an angle at which the posture of the article 90 is in a tilted posture S1 and is different from the first angle (for example, an angle smaller than the first angle).

(5) In addition, the configurations disclosed in each of the above-mentioned embodiments may also be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments (including combinations of the embodiments described in other embodiments) as long as no contradiction occurs. With respect to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all respects. Therefore, various modifications may be appropriately made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[Overview of the Aforesaid Implementation] The following is an overview of the transport vehicle described above.

A transport vehicle for transporting articles comprises: a main body that moves along a moving path; a holding portion that holds the article; and a lifting device that causes the holding portion to rise and fall relative to the main body in a lifting direction, the holding portion comprising: a first portion connected to the lifting device; a second portion that is connected to the lifting device through the first portion and contacts the article; and an angle adjustment mechanism disposed between the first portion and the second portion for changing the tilt angle of the second portion relative to the first portion.

According to this configuration, since the holding portion includes an angle adjustment mechanism, even without providing a mechanism for changing the position of the holding portion in the lifting device, the angle adjustment mechanism can be used to change the tilt angle of the second portion relative to the first portion, thereby adjusting the position of the article contacted by the second portion (i.e., the article held by the holding portion) to a desired position. Consequently, the position of the article during transportation can be adjusted to a position suitable for the transportation vehicle's travel, and the position of the article during transfer between the holding portion and the transfer destination can be adjusted to a position desired at the transfer destination. Thus, while the transport vehicle is traveling, the holding portion can hold the article in a posture appropriate for the vehicle's travel. Furthermore, when transferring the article between the holding portion and the destination, the article positioned at the destination can be positioned in the posture required at the destination. Furthermore, this configuration eliminates the need for a mechanism in the lifting device for changing the holding portion's posture, thereby minimizing the complexity of the lifting device and achieving the transport vehicle of the present disclosure.

Here, it is preferable that the lifting device comprises: a plurality of rotating bodies that are driven to rotate; and a transmission member that is wound around each of the plurality of rotating bodies in a manner that allows the rotating body to be freely wound up and delivered, and the first part is connected to the transmission member.

According to this configuration, the plurality of rotating bodies are rotated to reel in or deliver the transmission member, thereby enabling the holding portion to be raised or lowered while the holding portion is suspended and supported. In the transport vehicle disclosed herein, as described above, there is no need to provide a mechanism for changing the posture of the holding portion in the lifting device. Therefore, when the lifting device is constructed as described in this configuration, it is not necessary to configure each component (rotating body, transmission member, drive unit that rotates and drives the rotating body, etc.) so that the posture of the suspended and supported holding portion can be changed, and the lifting device can be simplified.

Furthermore, it is more ideal that the angle adjustment mechanism comprises: a swinging member fixed to the aforementioned second part; and a supporting member fixed to the aforementioned first part, and supporting the aforementioned swinging member so as to be rotatable around an axis in the horizontal direction, and the driving part that drives the aforementioned angle adjustment mechanism is configured to swing the aforementioned swinging member around the aforementioned axis.

According to this configuration, the driving portion can be used to swing the swing member around the axis, thereby increasing or decreasing the tilt angle of the second portion relative to the first portion, and an angle adjustment mechanism for changing the tilt angle can be appropriately provided.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the aforementioned article is a container having an opening on the side, the aforementioned lifting device lifts the aforementioned holding portion between a first position and a second position, the aforementioned second position is a position for holding and releasing the aforementioned article by the aforementioned holding portion, and is a position lower than the aforementioned first position, an area including the aforementioned second position in the aforementioned lifting direction is set as a prescribed area, the posture of the aforementioned article with the aforementioned opening facing obliquely upward is set to a tilted posture, and the posture of the aforementioned article with the aforementioned opening facing horizontally is set to a horizontal posture. The driving portion of the angle adjustment mechanism is set to a horizontal posture, and when the holding portion holds the article, the driving portion performs tilt angle adjustment control. The tilt angle adjustment control is as follows: when the holding portion is arranged outside the specified area, the tilt angle is set to an angle at which the posture of the article becomes the tilted posture, i.e., a first angle; when the holding portion is arranged at the second position, the tilt angle is set to an angle at which the posture of the article becomes the horizontal posture, i.e., a second angle.

As described in this configuration, when the article is a container having an opening on the side, the article is tilted, thereby making it more difficult for the contents contained in the article to move from the opening to the outside of the article, compared to a horizontal position. Furthermore, by setting the article in a horizontal position, it becomes easier to insert and remove the contents through the opening. According to this configuration, since the tilt angle adjustment control is performed when the holding portion holds an article, by setting the position of the holding portion when the transport vehicle is moving to a position outside the specified area (for example, the first position), the posture of the article can be set to a tilted posture when the transport vehicle is moving or when the holding portion is raised or lowered outside the specified area, and the posture of the article can be set to a horizontal posture when the article is held or released by the holding portion and transferred.

As described above, it is ideal that, in the structure in which the driving portion performs the tilt angle adjustment control, the second position includes a plurality of positions below the first position, and the second position among the plurality of second positions that serves as the starting point or end point of the lifting and lowering action of the holding portion is set as the target second position, and the driving portion sets the area including the target second position as the specified area to perform the tilt angle adjustment control.

According to this configuration, when the second position includes multiple positions, the boundary between the area above the predetermined area and the predetermined area can be set at a proximity position that is relatively close to the second position, which is the starting point or end point of the lifting operation at that time. This allows the article to be held in a tilted position while the holding portion is positioned within the relatively large lifting range between the first position and the proximity position, making it easier to properly lift and lower the article held by the holding portion.

Furthermore, preferably, the driving portion sets the tilt angle to the second angle while the holding portion, which does not hold the article, is descending toward the second position.

According to this configuration, when the holding portion that does not hold an item is lowered toward the second position, the same as when the holding portion that holds an item is lowered toward the second position. Compared with the case where the tilt angle is set to the first angle when the holding portion is arranged outside the prescribed area, there is no need to control the tilt angle to change from the first angle to the second angle after the holding portion enters the prescribed area. Therefore, simplification of control or speed-up of processing can be achieved.

The transport vehicle disclosed herein only needs to be able to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned effects.

1: Transport vehicle 2: Travel path 3: Track 4: Ceiling 5: Handling device 6: Transfer location 10: Main body 11: Traveling unit 12: Wheels 13: Guide wheels 14: Cover 20: Holding unit 21: Section 1 22: Section 2 23: Supporting unit 23a: Supporting surface 40: Angle adjustment mechanism 41: Swinging member 42: Supporting member 43: Fixing member 44: Gear mechanism 45: Motion conversion mechanism 46: Guide mechanism 50: Lifting device 51: Rotating unit 52: Transmission member 52a: Connecting unit 70: Travel drive unit 71: Lift drive unit 72: Holding drive unit 73: Swing drive unit 80: Control unit 90: Object 90a: Top surface 90b: Side surface 90c: Bottom surface 91: Held object 92: Opening 93: Base plate 100: Object handling equipment A: Tilt angle L: Path length P1: First position P2: Second position P2a: Second position of the object P3: Third position R: Axis S1: Tilt position S2: Horizontal position V: Vertical direction V2: Downward X: Fore-aft direction Y: Left-right direction ΔV1: External area ΔV2: Specified area

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a transport vehicle. Figure 2 is a front view of the transport vehicle. Figure 3 shows the transfer of items between a holding unit and a transfer destination. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the holding unit with its tilt angle adjusted to a second angle. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the holding unit with its tilt angle adjusted to a first angle. Figure 6 illustrates the unloading operation of items from a transfer destination. Figure 7 illustrates the unloading operation of items from a transfer destination. Figure 8 illustrates the unloading operation of items from a transfer destination. Figure 9 illustrates the unloading operation of items into a transfer destination. Figure 10 illustrates the unloading operation of items into a transfer destination. Figure 11 is an illustration of the loading operation for moving items into a transfer destination. Figure 12 is an illustration of the loading operation for moving items into a transfer destination. Figure 13 is an illustration of the loading operation for moving items into a transfer destination. Figure 14 is a control block diagram.

20: Holding portion 21: Section 1 22: Section 2 23: Supporting portion 23a: Supporting surface 40: Angle adjustment mechanism 41: Swinging member 42: Supporting member 43: Fixing member 44: Gear mechanism 45: Motion conversion mechanism 46: Guide mechanism 52: Transmission member 52a: Connecting portion 72: Holding drive unit 73: Swinging drive unit A: Tilt angle R: Axis V: Vertical direction V1: Upward V2: Downward X: Fore-aft direction Y: Left-right direction

Claims (4)

A transport vehicle is a transport vehicle for transporting articles, which has the following characteristics: It is equipped with: a main body that moves along a moving path; a holding part that holds the aforementioned article; and a lifting device that causes the aforementioned holding part to rise and fall in a lifting direction relative to the aforementioned main body. The aforementioned holding part is equipped with: a first part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device; a second part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device through the aforementioned first part and is in contact with the aforementioned article; and an angle adjustment mechanism that is arranged between the aforementioned first part and the aforementioned second part and changes the inclination angle of the aforementioned second part relative to the aforementioned first part. The aforementioned lifting device is equipped with: a plurality of rotating bodies that are driven to rotate; and a transmission member that is wound around each of the plurality of aforementioned rotating bodies in a manner that allows it to be freely wound up and delivered. The aforementioned first part is connected to the aforementioned transmission member. A transport vehicle is a transport vehicle for transporting articles, and has the following characteristics: it is equipped with: a main body that moves along a moving path; a holding part that holds the aforementioned article; and a lifting device that causes the aforementioned holding part to rise and fall in a lifting direction relative to the aforementioned main body, the aforementioned holding part is equipped with: a first part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device; a second part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device through the aforementioned first part and is in contact with the aforementioned article; and an angle adjustment mechanism that is arranged between the aforementioned first part and the aforementioned second part and changes the tilt angle of the aforementioned second part relative to the aforementioned first part, the aforementioned angle adjustment mechanism is equipped with: a swing member that is fixed to the aforementioned second part; and a supporting member that is fixed to the aforementioned first part and supports the aforementioned swing member so that it can rotate around an axis in the horizontal direction. The driving portion for driving the angle adjustment mechanism is configured to cause the swing member to swing around the axis. A transport vehicle is a transport vehicle for transporting articles, which has the following characteristics: it is equipped with: a main body that moves along a moving path; a holding part that holds the aforementioned article; and a lifting device that causes the aforementioned holding part to rise and fall in a lifting direction relative to the aforementioned main body, the aforementioned holding part is equipped with: a first part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device; a second part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device through the aforementioned first part and is in contact with the aforementioned article; and an angle adjustment mechanism that is arranged between the aforementioned first part and the aforementioned second part and changes the tilt angle of the aforementioned second part relative to the aforementioned first part, the aforementioned article is a container with an opening on the side, the aforementioned lifting device causes the aforementioned holding part to rise and fall between a first position and a second position, the aforementioned second position is a position for holding and releasing the aforementioned article by the aforementioned holding part, and is a position lower than the aforementioned first position, The area including the second position in the lifting direction is set as a prescribed area, the posture of the article with the opening facing obliquely upward is set as a tilted posture, and the posture of the article with the opening facing horizontally is set as a horizontal posture. The driving part that drives the angle adjustment mechanism performs tilt angle adjustment control when the holding part holds the article. The tilt angle adjustment control is the following control: when the holding part is arranged outside the prescribed area, the tilt angle is set to the first angle at which the posture of the article becomes the tilted posture; when the holding part is arranged at the second position, the tilt angle is set to the second angle at which the posture of the article becomes the horizontal posture. The aforementioned second position includes a plurality of positions below the aforementioned first position, and the aforementioned second position among the plurality of aforementioned second positions, which serves as the starting point or end point of the lifting and lowering action of the aforementioned holding portion, is set as the target second position. The aforementioned driving portion sets the area including the aforementioned target second position as the aforementioned specified area to perform the aforementioned tilt angle adjustment control. A transport vehicle is a transport vehicle for transporting articles, which has the following characteristics: it is equipped with: a main body that moves along a moving path; a holding part that holds the aforementioned article; and a lifting device that causes the aforementioned holding part to rise and fall in a lifting direction relative to the aforementioned main body, the aforementioned holding part is equipped with: a first part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device; a second part that is connected to the aforementioned lifting device through the aforementioned first part and is in contact with the aforementioned article; and an angle adjustment mechanism that is arranged between the aforementioned first part and the aforementioned second part and changes the tilt angle of the aforementioned second part relative to the aforementioned first part, the aforementioned article is a container with an opening on the side, the aforementioned lifting device causes the aforementioned holding part to rise and fall between a first position and a second position, the aforementioned second position is a position for holding and releasing the aforementioned article by the aforementioned holding part, and is a position lower than the aforementioned first position, The area including the second position in the lifting direction is set as a prescribed area, the posture of the article with the opening facing obliquely upward is set as a tilted posture, and the posture of the article with the opening facing horizontally is set as a horizontal posture. The driving part that drives the angle adjustment mechanism performs tilt angle adjustment control when the holding part holds the article. The tilt angle adjustment control is the following control: when the holding part is arranged outside the prescribed area, the tilt angle is set to the first angle at which the posture of the article becomes the tilted posture; when the holding part is arranged at the second position, the tilt angle is set to the second angle at which the posture of the article becomes the horizontal posture. The driving portion sets the tilt angle to the second angle during a period in which the holding portion, which does not hold the article, descends toward the second position.