Article transport facility

1. An article transport facility comprising:

at least two travel paths including a first travel path and a second travel path which straddles the first travel path from one side to the other side in a lateral direction of the first travel path;

an article transport vehicle capable of traveling along the travel paths;

wherein

in a straddling portion, which is a part of the second travel path that straddles the first travel path, the second travel path is provided at a different height from the first travel path in a vertical direction and is configured such that travel of the article transport vehicle along the first travel path and travel of the article transport vehicle along the second travel path are mutually allowed, wherein the article transport vehicle is configured to be able to travel along the second travel path sequentially from one side in the lateral direction of the first travel path, through the straddling portion, and to an other side in the lateral direction of the first travel path, and

wherein

a first travel rail which defines the first travel path and a second travel rail which defines the second travel path are provided,

wherein the second travel rail includes a first height rail portion provided on the one side and the other side in the lateral direction of the first travel path and at a same height as the first travel rail in the vertical direction, a second height rail portion provided in the straddling portion at a different height from the first travel rail in the vertical direction, and a vertically movable rail portion which can be vertically moved by a vertical mover between a first height at which the vertically movable rail portion is in series with the first height rail portion and a second height at which the vertically movable rail portion is in series with the second height rail portion,

wherein the vertically movable rail portion is provided between the straddling portion and the one side in the lateral direction of the first travel path and between the straddling portion and the other side in the lateral direction of the first travel path.

2. The article transport facility as defined in claim 1 ,

wherein the at least two travel paths further include a third travel path provided on the one side of the first travel path and a third travel path provided on the other side of the first travel path, in the lateral direction, and

wherein the second travel path has one end portion thereof connected to the third travel path that is provided on the one side in the lateral direction of the first travel path, and the other end thereof connected to the third travel path that is provided on the other side in the lateral direction of the first travel path so as to allow the article transport vehicle to travel between the third travel path that is provided on the one side and the third travel path that is provided on the other side in the lateral direction of the first travel path.

3. The article transport facility as defined in claim 1 ,

wherein the first travel rail and the second travel rail are provided as a pair of right and left first travel rails and a pair of right and left second travel rails respectively,

wherein the vertical mover is configured to be able to vertically move the vertically movable rail portion between the first height and the second height using driving force of an actuator, and

wherein the actuator is accommodated in space on a side in which the first height rail portion is provided with respect to the vertically movable rail portion in the lateral direction of the first travel path, and within the range of vertical movement in which the vertically movable rail portion is vertically moved between the first height and the second height in the vertical direction, and between the pair of right and left second travel rails in the lateral direction of the second travel path.

4. The article transport facility as defined in claim 1 ,

wherein a stopper for restricting movement of the article transport vehicle is provided at least in the vertically movable rail portion,

wherein the stopper can be moved between a contact position for restricting passage of the article transport vehicle and a retracted position for allowing passage of the article transport vehicle, and

wherein the stopper is configured to be moved from the contact position to the retracted position by contacting a position changing operating portion supported on a ceiling side when the vertically movable rail portion reaches the second height.

5. The article transport facility as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first travel path is a looped path.

6. The article transport facility as defined in claim 2 , wherein each of the third travel path on the one side and the third travel path on the other side include a looped path.

7. The article transport facility as defined in claim 2 , wherein for each of the third travel path provided on the one side of the first travel path and the third travel path provided on the other side of the first travel path, there are provided:

a diverging path connecting the first travel path with one of the second travel path and the third travel path for allowing the article transport vehicle to diverge from the first travel path to the third travel path; and

a merging path connecting the first travel path with one of the second travel path and the third travel path for allowing the article transport vehicle to merge from the third travel path to the first travel path.