JP2000255706A - Carrier stocker and its exhaust air control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a down flow in a clean room from inhibited by an air exhausted from the inside by introducing the air from the outside to the inside held at a positive pressure and adjusting the air exhausted from an article carry-in/out port provided in a side from the top to the bottom vertically. SOLUTION: A top fan 106 and a bottom fan 107 are provided in the top/ bottom of an article carry-in/out port 102. The exhaust air flows from the upper part to the lower part. In a carrier stocker 100 storing articles in a clean room inside, an air is introduced from the outside to the inside held at a positive pressure and the air flow exhausted from the article carry-in/out port 102 provided in the side is adjusted vertically from the top part to the bottom part. This constitution dispenses with turbulence of the down flow in the clean room so as to improve the cleanliness in the clean room.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room has the same structure and operation as the clean room itself. In other words, in order to ensure the cleanliness of the articles stored inside, it is common to provide a fan with a filter that introduces air from the outside to the inside to make the inside a positive pressure and prevent dust from entering from the outside. It is a target.

The air introduced into the carrier stocker is spontaneously discharged or forcibly discharged from an opening provided for the purpose of exhausting. In order to efficiently introduce and discharge air, forced exhaust is performed by a fan or the like. It is more desirable to do so.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-323652, a positive pressure upper airtight chamber and a negative pressure lower airtight chamber are provided, and a fan with a filter provided in the upper airtight chamber and an exhaust fan provided in the lower airtight chamber are provided. Air is introduced and discharged to maintain the cleanliness of the upper airtight chamber.

[0005]

By the way, in a clean room, a down flow is generally formed at all times for the purpose of preventing contamination due to dust rising inside the clean room.

Since the carrier stocker is used in such a clean room, it is important to take care that the downflow is not found by the air discharged from the inside. Therefore, in a conventional carrier stocker such as the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-323652, an air discharge port is provided on the bottom surface, and air is discharged therefrom so as to be in the same direction as the downflow in the clean room (from top to bottom). Airflow was formed.

However, air is also discharged from this part due to the opening of the entry / exit port when articles are entered / exited. However, the article entrance / exit is generally provided on the upper surface or side surface of the carrier stocker for the purpose of ensuring workability. Therefore, there is a problem that the upward air or the horizontal air flowing out of this portion disturbs the down flow in the clean room and impairs its cleanliness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a carrier stocker and a method of controlling discharged air, in which air discharged from the inside does not impede downflow in a clean room and articles can be efficiently loaded and unloaded. That is.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room.
It has a means for introducing air from the outside to the inside maintained at a positive pressure, and a means for vertically adjusting the flow of the air discharged from the article inlet / outlet provided on the side from the upper part to the lower part. It is characterized by the following. Thereby, the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

Further, the carrier stocker of the present invention is characterized in that fans are provided above and below the article entrance and exit. As a result, the flow of the discharged air changes from the upper part to the lower part, so that the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

Further, in the carrier stocker of the present invention, the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are set to V with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker.
An upper fan and a lower fan whose rotation speeds are adjusted so that l> V0 + Vu are provided above and below the article entrance / exit. As a result, the flow of the discharged air changes from the upper part to the lower part, so that the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

Further, the carrier stocker of the present invention is characterized in that a filter is attached to the upper fan. This makes it possible to filter out dust.
The cleanliness of the air is improved, and the cleanliness inside the carrier stocker and inside the clean room is ensured.

Further, the carrier stocker of the present invention is characterized in that a fan with a filter is provided as a means for introducing air from outside to inside. This allows
The dust can be eliminated by the filter, the air cleanliness is improved, and the cleanliness inside the carrier stocker is ensured.

Further, according to the carrier stocker discharge air control method of the present invention, in a carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room, air is introduced from the outside into the interior maintained at a positive pressure, and articles are loaded and unloaded on a side surface. The flow of the air discharged from the mouth is vertically adjusted from an upper portion to a lower portion. This allows
The down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanness in the clean room is improved.

[0015] The carrier stocker discharge air control method according to the present invention is characterized in that fans are provided above and below the article entrance and exit. As a result, the flow of the discharged air changes from the upper part to the lower part, so that the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

Further, in the method of controlling the discharge air of the carrier stocker according to the present invention, the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are such that Vl> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker. It is characterized in that the number of rotations is adjusted. As a result, the flow of the discharged air changes from the upper part to the lower part, so that the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

Further, the method for controlling the air discharged from a carrier stocker according to the present invention is characterized in that a filter is attached to the upper fan. As a result, dust can be eliminated by the filter, the cleanliness of the air can be improved, and the cleanliness inside the carrier stocker and the clean room can be ensured.

Further, the method for controlling air discharged from a carrier stocker according to the present invention is characterized in that a fan with a filter is provided, and air is introduced from outside to inside of the carrier stocker through the filter. As a result, dust can be removed by the filter, the air cleanliness is improved, and the cleanliness inside the carrier stocker is ensured.

In the present invention, as in the prior art, a fan provided with a filter (hereinafter referred to as an air introduction fan)
To introduce air into the carrier stocker to make the inside of the carrier stocker a positive pressure. Also, in order to solve the problem of air discharge at the conventional article entrance / exit, the air flow is controlled in this portion. That is, the air flow from the upper part to the lower part is formed similarly to the down flow in the air discharge at the article entrance / exit port so as not to disturb the down flow in the clean room.

As described above, it is desirable and common to provide the article loading / unloading port on the upper surface or side surface of the carrier stocker from the viewpoint of workability. It is very difficult to adjust the airflow in the vertical direction while maintaining the performance. On the other hand, if the article entrance / exit opening is arranged on the side and the fans are installed above and below it, it is possible to control the air flow from the top to the bottom without hindering the article entrance / exit work at all. It becomes possible.

Either a structure in which the article inlet / outlet port is always opened and air is constantly discharged therefrom, or a structure in which a separate air outlet port is provided on the bottom of the carrier stocker and the article inlet / outlet port is opened and closed as necessary is adopted. Is also good. It goes without saying that both the upper and lower fans are installed so as to direct the upper air to the lower part. Needless to say, these fans are preferably installed in parallel in the vertical direction.

In addition, attaching a filter to the upper fan removes air dust sucked into the upper fan, improves the cleanliness of the air, and secures the cleanliness inside the carrier stocker and the clean room. Above.

In order to completely change the flow of air discharged from the article entrance / exit port in the horizontal direction to the vertical direction by the upper and lower fans, the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are changed. V1> V0 + with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker
Vu is desirable. The wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker depends on the rotation speed of the air introduction fan, the internal shape of the carrier stocker, the state of storing articles, and the like. Therefore, by adjusting these, it is possible to make Vl> V0 + Vu. Alternatively, it is possible to make Vl> V0 + Vu by adjusting the rotation speed of the upper and / or lower fans.

At this time, if the adjusted wind speed of the lower fan is too large compared to the downflow wind speed in the clean room, a new disturbance of the airflow occurs, which is not preferable. Therefore, it is desirable to make adjustments so that the wind speed of the lower fan does not become too high. If such adjustment is not possible and the wind speed of the lower fan is high, the exhaust air of the lower fan may be returned to the inside of the carrier stocker again to serve as the introduced air. In this case, it is desirable to introduce after passing through a filter.

[0025]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a carrier stocker according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The carrier stocker 100 includes an appropriate number of storage shelves 101 for storing articles 110 therein. Entry and exit of the articles 110 to and from the carrier stocker 100 is performed by a transfer device (not shown) or the like having human power or a control function through the entrance 102 that is always open.

Air is introduced from the outside to the inside of the carrier stocker 100 by the air introducing fan 104 having the filter 103, blows out to the storage shelf 101 and the articles 110 stored therein, and is discharged from the entrance 102. . An upper fan 106 and a lower fan 107 are disposed above and below the entrance / exit 102, and are always operating, so that the flow of air discharged from the entrance / exit 102 in a substantially horizontal direction is downflow from the upper direction to the lower direction. Convert to

At this time, it is desirable that the wind speed Vu of the upper fan 106 and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan 107 satisfy Vl> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the entrance 102. V0 depends on the rotation speed of the fan 104, the internal shape of the carrier stocker 100, the storage state of the article 110, and the like. Therefore, by adjusting these, it is possible to make Vl> V0 + Vu. Alternatively, by adjusting the rotation speed of the upper fan 106 and / or the lower fan 107, Vl> V0 +
Vu.

Since the entry / exit port 102 is a place where the articles 110 are transferred, high cleanliness is required here. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the upper fan 106 with the filter 105 to eliminate dust and increase air cleanliness.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to store and retrieve articles efficiently without the air discharged from the inside obstructing the downflow in the clean room.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a carrier stocker of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Carrier stocker 101 Storage shelf 102 Entry and exit port 103 Filter 104 Air introduction fan 105 Filter 106 Upper fan 107 Lower fan 110 Article

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 20, 1999 (1999.12.
20)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room.
Means for introducing air from the outside into the interior maintained at a positive pressure, and vertically adjusting the flow of the air discharged from the article entry / exit opening provided on the side from the upper part to the lower part
Upper and lower fans above and below the article entrance
And the upper fan and the lower fan
The wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are
For the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the rear stocker,
Then, the rotation speed is adjusted so that Vl> V0 + Vu.
It is characterized by becoming. As a result, the flow of the discharged air changes from the upper part to the lower part, so that the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The carrier stocker according to the present invention is characterized in that
The article entrance / exit is always open.
This facilitates the loading and unloading of articles. Moreover
May disturb the down flow in the clean room
Absent.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0011

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0014

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, according to the carrier stocker discharge air control method of the present invention, in a carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room, air is introduced from the outside into the interior maintained at a positive pressure, and articles are loaded and unloaded on a side surface. In order to vertically adjust the flow of the air discharged from the mouth from the top to the bottom, above and below the article entrance / exit
An upper fan and a lower fan, and the upper fan
And the lower fan, the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the lower fan
Wind speed Vl is discharged from inside the carrier stocker.
V1> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air
The number of revolutions is adjusted. As a result, the flow of the discharged air changes from the upper part to the lower part, so that the down flow in the clean room is not disturbed, and the cleanliness in the clean room is improved.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0015

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the carrier stocker of the present invention can be discharged.
The control method is to keep the article entrance and exit always open.
It is characterized by the following. This makes it easy to carry in and out goods.
It will be easier. In addition, at this time, the down
There is no risk of disturbing the row.

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0016

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0023

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In order to completely change the flow of air discharged from the article entrance and exit horizontally in the vertical direction by the upper and lower fans, the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are controlled by a carrier. Vl> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the stocker
I do. The wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker depends on the rotation speed of the air introduction fan, the internal shape of the carrier stocker, the state of storing articles, and the like.
Accordingly, the upper and / or lower fan may be rotated accordingly.
By adjusting the number of turns, Vl> V0 + Vu.
However, at this time, the adjusted wind speed of the lower fan is clean.
Too large compared to the downflow wind speed in the room
In this case, a new turbulence in the air flow occurs, which is not preferable. Obedience
Adjustment so that the wind speed of the lower fan does not become too high
It is desirable to carry out. When such adjustment is difficult
The exhaust of the lower fan into the carrier stocker again.
And return to the introduction air. In this case, fill
It is desirable to introduce after passing through the filter.

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0024

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0024] By adopting such a structure, article storage and retrieval can be performed.
Air flow inside the clean room even when the mouth is always open
The delivery and unloading of goods.
Becomes easier.

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0028

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

At this time, the wind speed Vu of the upper fan 106 and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan 107 are such that Vl> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inlet / outlet 102.
So that V0 depends on the rotation speed of the fan 104, the internal shape of the carrier stocker 100, and the storage state of the article 110. Therefore, depending on these, the top and / or
By adjusting the rotation speed of the lower fan, Vl> V0
+ Vu.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A carrier stocker for storing articles inside a clean room, wherein said carrier stocker has means for introducing air from the outside into the interior maintained at a positive pressure, and said air discharged from an article inlet / outlet provided on a side surface. A means for vertically adjusting the flow from above to below. 2. The carrier stocker according to claim 1, wherein fans are provided above and below the article entrance and exit. 3. An upper fan and a lower fan whose rotation speeds are adjusted so that the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are Vl> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker. 3. The carrier stocker according to claim 2, wherein the carrier stocker is provided above and below the article entrance. 4. The carrier stocker according to claim 2, wherein a filter is attached to the upper fan. 5. The carrier stocker according to claim 1, wherein a fan with a filter is provided as means for introducing air from outside to inside. 6. In a carrier stocker for storing articles in a clean room, air is introduced from the outside into the interior maintained at a positive pressure, and the flow of the air discharged from an article loading / unloading port provided on a side surface is increased. A method for controlling the discharge air of a carrier stocker, wherein the air is adjusted vertically from the bottom to the bottom. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein fans are provided above and below the article entrance and exit. 8. The rotation speed is adjusted so that the wind speed Vu of the upper fan and the wind speed Vl of the lower fan are Vl> V0 + Vu with respect to the wind speed V0 of the air discharged from the inside of the carrier stocker. Item 8. A method for controlling air discharged from a carrier stocker according to Item 7. 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein a filter is attached to the upper fan. 10. The carrier stocker discharge air control according to claim 6, wherein a fan with a filter is provided, and air is introduced from outside to inside of the carrier stocker through the filter. Method.