CN111170162A

CN111170162A - Crown block device and material conveying device

Info

Publication number: CN111170162A
Application number: CN201811334362.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卓飞
Original assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2018-11-09
Filing date: 2018-11-09
Publication date: 2020-05-19

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a crown block device and a material conveying device. The crown block device comprises a running assembly, a grabbing assembly, a lifting mechanism, a first detection device and a control device. The travel assembly is capable of moving along a suspended track. The grabbing component is used for grabbing or loosening the wafer box. The lifting mechanism is connected between the traveling assembly and the grabbing assembly and used for driving the grabbing assembly to move in the vertical direction. The first detection device is located on one side of the grabbing component in the horizontal direction, connected with the grabbing component and used for detecting whether an obstacle exists in a preset range under the first detection device or not, and sending a first signal when the obstacle exists in the preset range under the first detection device. The control device is used for controlling the grabbing component to keep a loose state when receiving the first signal. The wafer box can avoid safety accidents caused by the fact that the cover body of the wafer box is not closed.

Description

Crown block device and material conveying device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of automatic material handling technology in semiconductor integrated circuits, and in particular, to a crown block device and a material handling device.

Background

In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, a pod housing a wafer is often carried by an Overhead Hoist (OHT) apparatus.

The side wall of the wafer box is provided with a cover body which can open or close the wafer box, and the cover body can be separated from the wafer box. In the process of carrying, if the lid of the wafer cassette is inclined, that is, in an unclosed state, the lid is easily dropped, thereby causing a safety accident.

It is to be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and thus may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a crown block device and a material conveyance device, which can avoid a safety accident caused by the fact that a lid of a wafer cassette is not closed.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a crown block device including a travel component, a grab component, a lifting mechanism, a first detection device, and a control device. The traveling assembly can move along a track arranged in a suspended mode. The grabbing component can grab or release the wafer box. The lifting mechanism is connected between the traveling assembly and the grabbing assembly and used for driving the grabbing assembly to move in the vertical direction. The first detection device is located on one side of the grabbing component in the horizontal direction, is connected with the grabbing component, and is used for detecting whether an obstacle exists in a preset range under the first detection device or not, and sending a first signal when the obstacle exists in the preset range under the first detection device. The control device is used for controlling the grabbing component to keep a loose state when the first signal is received.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the overhead traveling crane further includes a second detection device. The second detection device is used for sending out a second signal when the grabbing component moves to the preset position. The control device is used for controlling the grabbing component to grab the wafer box when the second signal is received and the first signal is not received.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the overhead traveling crane apparatus further includes an alarm apparatus. The alarm device is connected with the control device, and the control device is used for controlling the alarm device to give an alarm when receiving the first signal.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the alarm device is a buzzer or a warning light.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the traveling assembly is formed with an accommodating space opened toward the grasping assembly, and the grasping assembly and the wafer cassette grasped by the grasping assembly can be accommodated in the accommodating space.

In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the driving assembly is formed with two extending portions extending in a direction away from the driving assembly, and an area between the two extending portions constitutes the accommodating space, wherein the direction away from the driving assembly is parallel to the vertical direction.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first detection device is a photosensor.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first detecting means is fixedly or detachably connected to the grasping assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second detection device is a position sensor.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the lifting mechanism includes a pull line and a retraction device. One end of the traction rope is connected to the grabbing component. The retraction device is fixed on the traveling assembly, connected with the other end of the traction rope and used for retracting or releasing the traction rope.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a material handling device including a rail and the overhead traveling crane device of any one of the above. The track is arranged in a suspension manner. The travel assembly is movable along the track.

This beneficial effect that prior art was compared to the disclosure lies in:

the overhead traveling crane device and the material conveying device are characterized in that the traveling assembly is connected to a track arranged in a suspension mode in the using process, a wafer box to be conveyed is located under the grabbing assembly, the first detection device and the side wall, provided with the cover body, of the wafer box are arranged in the vertical direction in a staggered mode, and the first detection device is located on the outer side, provided with the cover body, of the side wall of the wafer box in the horizontal direction. The grabbing component descends to grab the wafer box through the lifting mechanism, if the cover body of the side wall of the wafer box inclines in the vertical direction, namely when the cover body is in an unclosed state, the cover body can form a barrier capable of triggering the first detection device, the first detection device sends a first signal, the control device controls the grabbing component to keep a loosening state when receiving the first signal, and safety accidents caused by the fact that the cover body of the wafer box is not closed are avoided.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings in the following description are merely exemplary of the disclosure, and that other drawings may be derived from those drawings by one of ordinary skill in the art without the exercise of inventive faculty. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a wafer cassette according to the related art;

fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a crown block apparatus for transporting a wafer cassette when a lid of the wafer cassette is not closed in the related art;

fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a lid body falling during a process of transporting a wafer cassette by a crown block device in the related art;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an overhead traveling crane apparatus in an embodiment of the present disclosure:

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a grabbing component and a first detection device of a crown block device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 6 is a working block diagram of a crown block device in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the overhead traveling crane device carrying the wafer cassette when the lid of the wafer cassette is not closed according to the embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the overhead traveling crane device conveying the wafer cassette when the lid of the wafer cassette is closed according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the subject matter of the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, materials, devices, etc. In other instances, well-known technical solutions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and thus their detailed description will be omitted.

The terms "a," "an," "the," and "said" are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements/components/etc.; the terms "comprising," "having," and "providing" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements/components/etc. other than the listed elements/components/etc.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a wafer cassette in the related art.

As shown in fig. 1, in the related art, a wafer cassette 2 for accommodating wafers includes a bottom plate 203, a top plate 202, and sidewalls 201. The sidewall 201 has an opening and a cover 2011. The cover 2011 can be closed to close the opening. Of course, the lid 2011 can also be opened to allow the wafer to be received in the pod 2 through the opening in the sidewall 201.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing a crown block apparatus conveying a wafer cassette when a lid of the wafer cassette is not closed in the related art.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a lid body falling during the process of transporting a wafer cassette by a crown block device in the related art.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, when the wafer cassette 2 is transported by the overhead traveling crane apparatus 1, the wafer cassette 2 is placed on the loading table 3 below the overhead traveling crane apparatus 1. Here, the bottom plate 203 of the wafer cassette 2 faces the loading table 3, and the top plate 202 of the wafer cassette 2 faces the crown block device 1, and the wafer cassette 2 is transported by using the crown block device 1. However, if the lid 2011 of the sidewall 201 of the wafer cassette 2 is inclined, that is, in an unclosed state, the lid 2011 is likely to fall during transportation, which may cause a safety accident.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a crown block device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a grabbing component and a first detection device of a crown block device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 6 is an operation block diagram of the overhead traveling crane apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 4 to 6, the overhead traveling crane apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a traveling module 101, a gripping module 102, a lifting mechanism 6, a first detection device 4, and a control device 7, wherein:

the travel assembly 101 is capable of moving along a suspended track. The gripper assembly 102 is capable of gripping or releasing the wafer cassette 2. The lifting mechanism 6 is connected between the traveling assembly 101 and the grabbing assembly 102 for driving the grabbing assembly 102 to move in the vertical direction. The first detecting device 4 is located on one side of the grabbing component 102 in the horizontal direction, is connected to the grabbing component 102, and is configured to detect whether an obstacle exists in a preset range directly below the first detecting device 4, and send a first signal when an obstacle exists in the preset range directly below the first detecting device 4. The control device 7 is used for controlling the grabbing component 102 to keep a loose state when receiving the first signal.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overhead traveling crane apparatus conveying the wafer cassette when the lid of the wafer cassette is not closed according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in the use of the crown block device 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the traveling module 101 is connected to a rail that is suspended in the air, the wafer cassette 2 to be transported is positioned directly below the grasping module 102, the first detecting device 4 is vertically offset from the side wall 201 of the wafer cassette 2 provided with the cover 2011, and the first detecting device 4 is horizontally positioned outside the side wall 201 of the wafer cassette 2 provided with the cover 2011. The grabbing component 102 descends through the lifting mechanism 6 to grab the wafer cassette 2, if the cover 2011 of the side wall 201 of the wafer cassette 2 is inclined in the vertical direction, that is, in the state of not being closed, the cover 2011 can form an obstacle capable of triggering the first detection device 4, so that the first detection device 4 sends out a first signal, and when the control device 7 receives the first signal, the grabbing component 102 is controlled to be kept in a release state, so that safety accidents caused by the fact that the cover 2011 of the wafer cassette 2 is not closed are avoided.

The following describes each component of the crown block device 1 in the embodiment of the present disclosure in detail:

as shown in fig. 4, the traveling assembly 101 can move along a suspended track. Wherein the running assembly 101 may be provided with a roller capable of rolling along a rail. Of course, the running assembly 101 can also be moved along the rail by means of a slide. Wherein the sliding member may be a slider or the like. The traveling assembly 101 may also be formed with an accommodating space opened toward the grasping assembly 102. For example, the driving assembly 101 is formed with two extending portions 5 extending towards a direction away from the driving assembly 101, and an area between the two extending portions 5 forms the accommodating space, wherein the direction away from the driving assembly 101 is parallel to the vertical direction. In particular, both extensions 5 may be of plate-like structure. The travel unit 101 may be driven by a motor, or may be driven by an air cylinder.

As shown in fig. 7, the grasping assembly 102 may be used to grasp or release a wafer cassette 2 to be handled by the overhead traveling crane apparatus 1. The grabbing assembly 102 may be provided with a clamp, but the structure of the clamp is not limited by the present disclosure. In addition, the Pod 2 may be a Front Opening Unified Pod (Front Opening Unified Pod).

As shown in fig. 4 and 7, the lifting mechanism 6 may be connected between the traveling assembly 101 and the grasping assembly 102 for driving the grasping assembly 102 to move in the vertical direction. Wherein the gripper assembly 102 is capable of moving downward to grip the wafer cassette 2; the grasping assembly 102 can move upward so that the grasping assembly 102 and the wafer cassette 2 grasped by the grasping assembly 102 are accommodated in the accommodating space. The wafer cassette 2 is accommodated in the accommodating space, so that the pollution to the wafer cassette 2 in the carrying process can be reduced. In one embodiment, the lift mechanism 6 includes a pull cord and a retraction device. One end of the pull-cord may be attached to the grasping assembly 102. The retracting device is fixedly connected to the travelling assembly 101 and connected to the other end of the pull rope for retracting or releasing the pull rope so that the grabbing assembly 102 moves along with the pull rope. The lift mechanism 6 may also include a brake mechanism to stop movement of the gripper assembly 102. Wherein, the winding and unwinding device can be a winder and the like. The hauling rope can be a steel wire rope, so that the strength of the hauling rope is improved, and the safety problem caused by the disconnection of the hauling rope is avoided. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the pull cord may also be a high strength nylon cord or the like. In addition, the grabbing component 102 is connected with the traveling component 101 through the lifting mechanism 6, when the traveling component 101 moves along the track, the grabbing component 102 can move along with the traveling component 101, so that the wafer cassette 2 grabbed by the grabbing component 102 is driven to move along with the traveling component 101, and the carrying function of the crown block device 1 is realized.

It should be understood that the structure of the lifting mechanism 6 is only exemplary, and in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the lifting mechanism 6 may have other structures as long as they can perform the same function, and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted

As shown in fig. 4-7, the first sensing device 4 is attached to the grasping element 102 and is located on one side of the grasping element 102 in the horizontal direction. When an obstacle exists in a preset range right below the first detection device 4, the first detection device 4 can be triggered and sends out a first signal. The first detecting device 4 may be a photoelectric sensor to improve the detection accuracy and speed thereof. The photoelectric sensor may be a light reflecting plate type photoelectric switch, and certainly, may also be a diffusion reflection type photoelectric switch, but not limited thereto, and may also be other types of sensors, which are not listed here. The obstacle may be present within a preset range directly below the first detection device 4, for example, within 0.5m directly below the first detection device 4. In addition, the first detecting device 4 may be fixedly connected to the grabbing component 102, such as by welding or bonding, so as to improve the mounting stability of the first detecting device 4. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the first detecting device 4 may also be detachably connected to the grabbing assembly 102, which facilitates maintenance of the first detecting device 4. Wherein, the detachable connection can be a screw connection, a clamping connection and the like.

As shown in fig. 6, the control device 7 may be connected to the first detection device 4 for controlling the grasping assembly 102 to maintain the released state upon receiving the first signal. The connection between the control device 7 and the first detection device 4 may be a data line connection. Of course, wireless connection can be adopted to avoid wiring and simplify the structure of the device. The wireless connection may be a bluetooth connection, but is not limited thereto, and may also be a 3G connection or a 4G connection, but this is not particularly limited in this disclosure. The control device 7 may comprise a programmable logic controller, and in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the control device 7 may further comprise other devices, which are not listed here. The Control device 7 may be provided with a manufacturing execution System (manufacturing execution System), a Material handling Control System (Material Control System), a master Control System (MasterControl Panel), and the like. In addition, the control device 7 may be connected to the grabbing component 102 through a screw, but not limited thereto, and may also be connected to the grabbing component 102 through other methods such as a magnetic mounting seat.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overhead traveling crane apparatus conveying the wafer cassette when the lid of the wafer cassette is closed according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6 and 8, the overhead traveling crane apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a second detection device 8. The second detecting device 8 may be connected to the grabbing component 102, and is configured to detect the position of the grabbing component 102, and send a second signal when the grabbing component 102 moves to a predetermined position. The control device 7 may further be connected to the second detection device 8, and configured to control the grasping assembly 102 to grasp the wafer cassette 2 when the second signal is received and the first signal is not received. The second detection means 8 may be a position sensor or the like. When the distance between the grasping member 102 and the wafer cassette 2 is 5 to 10cm, the position of the grasping member 102 may be set as a predetermined position.

As shown in fig. 6, the crown block device 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include an alarm device 9. The alarm means 9 may be connected to the control means 7. The control means 7 can also be used to control the alarm means 9 to give an alarm when receiving the first signal. The alarm device 9 may be a buzzer, but not limited thereto, and may also be a warning light or the like. The alarm device 9 can give a prompt to the operator when the control device 7 receives the first signal.

The embodiment of the disclosure also provides a material handling device. The material handling device may include a suspended rail and the overhead traveling crane device according to any of the above embodiments. The rail may be supported by a support to enable it to be suspended. Of course, the track can be suspended in other ways. The number of the tracks may be one, but may be two or more. The running assembly in the overhead travelling crane arrangement is movable along the track. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the material handling device may also include other components, which are not described in detail herein. The crown block device adopted by the material conveying device in the embodiment of the disclosure is the same as the crown block device in the embodiment of the crown block device, so that the same beneficial effects are achieved, and the description is omitted.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. An overhead traveling crane apparatus, comprising:

the running assembly can move along a suspended track;

the grabbing component is used for grabbing or loosening the wafer box;

the lifting mechanism is connected between the traveling assembly and the grabbing assembly and used for driving the grabbing assembly to move in the vertical direction;

the first detection device is positioned on one side of the grabbing component in the horizontal direction, is connected with the grabbing component, and is used for detecting whether an obstacle exists in a preset range under the first detection device or not, and sending a first signal when the obstacle exists in the preset range under the first detection device;

a control device for controlling the grasping assembly to maintain a released state upon receiving the first signal.

2. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the second detection device is used for detecting the position of the grabbing component and sending out a second signal when the grabbing component moves to a preset position;

the control device is used for controlling the grabbing component to grab the wafer box when the second signal is received and the first signal is not received.

3. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

and the alarm device is connected with the control device, and the control device is used for controlling the alarm device to give an alarm when receiving the first signal.

4. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the alarm device is a buzzer or a warning lamp.

5. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traveling unit has an accommodating space opened toward the grasping unit, and the grasping unit and the wafer cassette grasped by the grasping unit are accommodated in the accommodating space.

6. The overhead traveling crane assembly according to claim 5, wherein the traveling assembly has two extending portions extending in a direction away from the traveling assembly, and a region between the two extending portions constitutes the accommodating space, wherein the direction away from the traveling assembly is parallel to the vertical direction.

7. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection device is a photoelectric sensor.

8. The overhead traveling crane assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first detecting means is fixedly or detachably connected to the grasping assembly.

9. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second detecting means is a position sensor.

10. The overhead traveling crane apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises:

one end of the traction rope is connected to the grabbing component;

and the retracting device is fixed on the traveling assembly, is connected with the other end of the traction rope and is used for retracting or releasing the traction rope.

11. A material handling device, comprising:

the rail is arranged in a suspension manner;

the overhead traveling carriage assembly of any of claims 1-10, wherein the traveling assembly is movable along the track.