IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,434,747
Granted Patent B2
US 12,434,747 · App. 17/704,516 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

Rail-guided vehicle

Inventor: Hidekazu Atake (Ise, JP)
Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
B61K9/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,434,747
App. No.
17/704,516
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A rail-guided vehicle is capable of accurately determining an abnormality of a position of rail peripheral equipment. The rail-guided vehicle travels along a rail. The rail-guided vehicle is provided with: a vehicle body including a body part and a traveling part; a light projecting/receiving sensor and contact type sensors provided in the vehicle body that each detect a position of rail peripheral equipment; and a length measuring sensor that measures behavior of the vehicle body at the time of detection of the rail peripheral equipment by the light projecting/receiving sensor and the contact type sensors.

Claims (19)

1. A rail-guided vehicle that travels along a rail, comprising:

a vehicle body;

a detection device provided in the vehicle body that detects a position of rail peripheral equipment, wherein the detection device comprises a light projecting/receiving sensor and a contact-type sensor, each configured to detect a position of the same rail peripheral equipment;

a measurement device that measures behavior of the vehicle body at a time of detection of the rail peripheral equipment by the detection device; and

an evaluator that evaluates a detection result of the detection device on a basis of a measurement result of the measurement device, and wherein the evaluator confirms an abnormality of the rail peripheral equipment only when both the light projecting/receiving sensor and the contact-type sensor indicate an abnormality.

2. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement device includes a length measuring sensor provided in the vehicle body that measures a distance to the rail.

3. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the length measuring sensor is disposed on at least one of a front side in a traveling direction and a rear side in the traveling direction of the vehicle body.

4. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the rail peripheral equipment includes a feeder laid along the rail.

5. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the rail peripheral equipment includes a magnetic plate disposed in an upper portion of the rail.

6. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the rail peripheral equipment includes an induction line plate disposed in a lower portion of the rail.

7. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein, upon confirmation of a position abnormality, the vehicle automatically generates a real-time alert and initiates a predefined response selected from the group consisting of reducing speed, stopping, or notifying a remote system.

8. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rail peripheral equipment includes a feeder laid along the rail.

9. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rail peripheral equipment includes a magnetic plate disposed in an upper portion of the rail.

10. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rail peripheral equipment includes an induction line plate disposed in a lower portion of the rail.

11. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the detection device includes a light projecting/receiving sensor.

12. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the detection device includes a contact type sensor.

13. The rail-guided vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the evaluator takes a factor of the detection result of the detection device as a first factor when a variation in the measurement result of the measurement device is larger than a threshold, and

the evaluator takes the factor of the detection result of the detection device as a second factor when the variation in the measurement result of the measurement device is equal to or smaller than the threshold.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 25, 2022
From: ATAKE, HIDEKAZU
To: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059402/0563 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-067596 · Apr 13, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220324494A1 · Oct 13, 2022
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