JP2003243477A - Unmanned conveying cart - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the adhesion of dust from a drive part such as a lift up and down drive part of a single-transfer device to a wafer on an unmanned conveying cart. <P>SOLUTION: A single-transfer device 5 which comprises a base 21 disposed in a conveying card body, a lift up and down unit 15 for lifting up and down along the base 21, and robot hands 30M, 30S disposed on the lift up and down unit 15 is mounted on the conveying cart. A fan 54 for sucking air in a gap 100 between the lift up and down unit 15 and the base 21 is provided in the conveying cart body, and a cover 27 for covering a side of the lift up and down unit 15 is provided in a conveying cart body 3. A cylindrical body enclosing with lift up and down unit 15 is constituted with the cover 27 and the base part 21, and fans 54, 54 are provided. An opening 29 formed in the outer periphery of the cylindrical body is interconnected with the fan 54. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle equipped with a single wafer transfer device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an unmanned transport vehicle for transferring a cassette having a large number of shelves for storing wafers and a processing device such as an inspection device provided along a transport path of the unmanned transport vehicle. An automated guided vehicle system is known in which a wafer is transferred for each cassette using an automated guided vehicle. In this system, each processing apparatus is provided with a single-wafer transfer apparatus that takes out wafers one by one from a mounted cassette and transfers them one by one to a processing unit. For this reason, the larger the system is, the more processing devices are provided, so that there is a problem in that the number of single-wafer transfer devices is increased accordingly. In addition, when performing high-mix low-volume production, the number of wafers to be processed varies depending on the product type, but since an automated guided vehicle transfers wafers in cassette units, each processing device has only 1 to 2 wafers to process. However, for example, a cassette that can store 25 sheets is supplied. Therefore, a large number of cassettes are required in the system, and there is a problem that the stocker (cassette warehouse) for storing the cassettes must be large. Therefore, a buffer cassette having a large number of shelves for storing wafers and a single wafer transfer device are mounted on an automated guided vehicle. For example, a wafer single wafer transfer device is mounted on a cassette mounted at a stocker station. Then, it is considered that the wafers are sequentially stored in a buffer cassette, transported to a target processing apparatus, and the wafer is directly transferred to the processing apparatus.

[0003]

The single-wafer transfer device is
Since the wafer is configured to be picked up and transferred, the robot hand unit of the single-wafer transfer apparatus is provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the carrier body. For this reason, the robot hand unit is configured to move up and down with respect to the top plate of the automatic guided vehicle body. The top plate is provided with an opening through which the robot hand part can pass vertically, and in order to move the robot hand part up and down with respect to the top plate, between the top plate and the single wafer transfer device,
There is a gap. Air is blown upward through the gap as the robot hand unit descends. At this time, the dust generated in the raising / lowering drive part of the robot hand disposed inside the automatic guided vehicle body is also rolled up, and the rolled up dust adheres to the wafer supported by the robot hand. There was a problem of doing. In order to prevent the dust from adhering, a flexible, for example, bellows-shaped protective cover is provided between the top plate and the robot hand to cover the gap without depending on the raising and lowering drive of the robot hand. Although conceivable, in this configuration, the protective cover becomes a source of dust. Therefore, the present invention, dust generated in the drive unit such as the lifting drive unit of the single-wafer transfer device,
Provided is an automatic guided vehicle capable of suppressing adhesion to a wafer on the automatic guided vehicle.

[0004]

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, the means for solving the problems will be described. That is, according to the first aspect of the invention, the suction means for sucking and removing dust generated from the mounted drive section and its surroundings is provided near at least one drive section of the drive sections.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the single-wafer transfer device includes an elevating unit having a transfer means, and an elevating and lowering drive unit for elevating and lowering the elevating and lowering unit is provided on a base portion attached to the main body of the transport vehicle. The upper part of the base is covered with a top plate having an opening through which the elevating unit can pass, and suction means for sucking air around the gap between the elevating unit and the opening is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the aligner for adjusting the attitude of the wafer is mounted and the suction means for sucking the air around the driving portion provided on the aligner is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the air sucked by the suction means is discharged below the main body of the transport vehicle.

In the present invention, the traveling drive unit is arranged at the bottom of the transport vehicle main body, and the air outlet of the suction means is arranged above the traveling drive unit.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An automated guided vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 is a front view showing the carrier 1, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the carrier 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the carrier 1. The traveling unit 2 is provided with traveling wheels 9, 9 ... Which support the guided vehicle 1 and allow the guided vehicle 1 to travel on the left and right of the traveling direction of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as the guided vehicle 1). ing. A pair of traveling wheels 9, 9 are provided on the left and right of the transport vehicle 1 in total in front and rear, and the transport vehicle 1 is provided with four traveling wheels 9 as a whole. The traveling wheels 9, 9, ... Are all-wheel drive,
The driving force of the same drive motor (not shown) is branched to drive each. By driving this drive motor, the traveling wheels 9, 9 ... Rotate and the transport vehicle 1 can travel.

In this embodiment, the carrier vehicle 1 has traveling rails 12 and 13 laid along the traveling route of the carrier vehicle 1.
It is a tracked truck that travels above. Running rails 12 and 13
Is provided on the floor 11 and the traveling rails 12 and 13 have
The traveling surfaces 12a and 13a with which the traveling wheels 9 are in contact (see FIG. 7).
Are shown). In addition, the power supply lines 18 and 18 are laid along the traveling route, and the carrier 1
The power receiving unit 19 including the core 25 (shown in FIG. 7)
Is provided. Then, the carrier 1 is connected to the power supply line 18
Electric power can be taken out from 18 in a contactless manner by utilizing electromagnetic induction. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 1 is supplied with electric power from the power supply lines 18 and 18 provided along the traveling route and travels on the track formed by the traveling rails 12 and 13. As a means for supplying electric power to the carrier vehicle, a battery mounted on the carrier vehicle 1 may be used. When the battery is mounted on the transport vehicle, it is not necessary to provide a guide rail parallel to the power supply line, and the transport vehicle does not have to travel on the track formed by the traveling rails. For example, a guide line or a laser guide device may be used as means for guiding the transport vehicle to the travel route.

As a left and right positioning means for the traveling route of the carrier 1, as shown in FIG.
Guide rails 12b and 12b (shown in FIG. 7) extending upward are formed, and a guide portion 8 is provided on the traveling portion 2. The guide portion 8 is a guide rail 12b-1.
It is provided with guide wheels 17 that come into contact with 2b from the outside and a support member 16 that supports the guide wheels 17 and 17, and the support member 16 is fixed to the traveling portion 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the carrier body 3 is equipped with a single wafer transfer device 5 for transferring a wafer 10 (shown in FIG. 3) to the center of the main body. . Further, an aligner 4 and a buffer cassette 6 are arranged on both front and rear sides of the single-wafer transfer device 5. The transport vehicle 1 can run on both front and rear sides, and particularly the aligner 4 side is the front side of the transport vehicle 1.

The structure of the single-wafer transfer device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the single-wafer transfer apparatus 5, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a dust suction mechanism in the base portion 21 and the elevation drive portion.

The single-wafer transfer device 5 has a structure shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the carrier body 3 (the carrier body 3)
The base unit 21 provided on the base unit 21 and the lifting unit 15 that moves up and down along the base unit 21 are provided. The elevating unit 15 includes an elevating base frame 45 and a turntable 46 that turns with respect to the elevating base frame 45. The turntable 46 is provided with two sets of robot hands 30M and 30S. The robot hands 30 </ b> M and 30 </ b> S are articles (the wafer 1 in this embodiment).
0) transfer means. Then, when the elevating unit 15 is moved up and down with respect to the base portion 21, the robot hands 30M and 30S that are transfer means are moved up and down. In addition, by the turning drive of the turntable 46 with respect to the elevating base frame 45, the robot hands 30M and 30 which are transfer means.
S turns.

The robot hands 30M and 30S are respectively provided with a transfer hand 31 capable of supporting the wafer 10 and a horizontal arm having a first arm 32 and a second arm 33 connecting the transfer hand 31 and the turntable 46. It is an articulated SCARA robot hand. Robot hand 30M
30S can linearly move the transfer hand 31 to and from the turntable 46.

The transfer hand 31 is constructed so as to support the wafer 10 by vacuum suction. A suction port is formed on the upper surface of the transfer hand 31, and a suction device (not shown) such as an air pump is provided in the single-wafer transfer device 5. The single-wafer transfer device 5 picks up the wafer 10 from below with the transfer hand 31 and adsorbs it, and the robot hands 30M and 30S.
The wafer 10 can be transferred by expanding / contracting, moving the lifting unit 15, and rotating the turntable 46. When mounting the wafer 10, the suction of the wafer 10 by the transfer hand 31 is released.

A lifting unit 15 provided in the single-wafer transfer device 5.
The ascending / descending driving unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
The base portion 21 includes a base frame 47 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the base frame 47 is fixed to the transport vehicle main body 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the base frame 47 is formed in a substantially U shape in a plan view, and the elevating unit 15 is arranged inside the base frame 47. A screw shaft 48 is vertically arranged inside the base frame 47,
It is rotatably supported. A nut 49 is engaged with the screw shaft 48, and the nut 49 is fixed to the elevating base frame 45 of the elevating unit 15. An elevating drive motor 50 as a driving means for the screw shaft 48 is provided outside the lower part of the base frame 47. A pulley 50a fixed to the motor shaft of the lifting drive motor 50 and the screw shaft 4
A belt 51 is wound around a pulley 48a provided at the lower end of the screw shaft 8 and is driven by a lifting drive motor 50.
Is driven. The base frame 47 also includes a screw shaft 48.
Guide rails 52 are provided in parallel with
The elevating base frame 45 is provided with sliding contact members 53 that are in sliding contact with the guide rails. With the above configuration, the lifting drive unit of the lifting unit 15 is configured.

The lifting drive section of the lifting unit 15 is a source of dust. In particular, dust is generated when the elevating unit 15 is driven up and down from the meshing portion of the screw shaft 48 and the nut 49 and the sliding contact portion of the guide rail 52 and the sliding contact member 53. In addition, the contact portion between the pulleys 48a and 50a and the belt 51 around the pulleys 48a and 50a is also a source of dust.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the top plate 14 forming the cover of the upper surface of the carrier body 3 is provided with a circular opening 14a at the center of the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle body in plan view. ing. Lifting base frame 45 provided on the lifting unit 15
The turntable 46 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and its outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening 14a. Therefore, the elevating base frame 45 and the turntable 46 can move up and down through the opening 14a.

A gap 100 is formed between the inner diameter of the opening 14a of the top plate 14 and the outer diameter of the turntable 46, as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the gap 100
There is a possibility that the air in the carrier body 3 may leak above the top plate 14 via the. In particular, when the elevating unit 15 descends, the elevating unit 15 attempts to leak the air inside the carrier body 3 upward through the gap 100 between the opening 14 a and the turntable 46. At this time, dust generated between the screw shaft 48 and the nut 49 of the elevating and lowering drive unit is wound up by the leaking flow of the compressed air, and the top plate 14 is passed through the gap 100 of the opening 14a.
Leaks above. The robot hands 30M and 30S, which are transfer means, are located above the opening 14a, and when the transfer hand 31 has the wafer 10, dust is generated on the wafer 1.
Problems such as sticking to 0 occur. Therefore, in the present invention, a suction unit (fan 54) for sucking dust generated in the lifting drive unit of the single-wafer transfer device 5 is provided to prevent the occurrence of this problem.

Next, the suction means will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5. First, the cylindrical body 28 for improving the suction effect of the fans 54, 54, which are suction means, will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a cover 27 that covers the lifting unit 15 is provided on the side of the lifting unit 15. The cover 27 is the carrier body 3
It is attached to a support column 64 that is erected on a support frame 63 that extends in the front-rear direction. The support frame is fixed to the carrier body 3. The cover 27 is substantially U-shaped in a plan view. A base frame 47 of the base portion 21 is also located on the side of the elevating unit 15. Then, the cover 27 and the base frame 47 are combined to form a tubular body 28 that surrounds the elevating unit 15. Tubular body 2
Reference numeral 8 is a hexagonal shape in a plan view. Each of the cover 27 and the base frame 47 has a shape in which a hexagon formed by the tubular body 28 is divided into two substantially equal parts, and as described above, each has a substantially U shape.

Openings 29, 29 are formed in the upper portion of the cover 27 constituting the tubular body 28. Opening 29.
Fans 54, 54, which are suction means, are connected to 29 via ducts 55, 55, respectively. The fans 54, 54 are fixed to the cover 27. Then, the air around the gap 100 and the elevation drive unit of the single-wafer transfer apparatus 5 is sucked by the fans 54, 54 that are suction means.

The fans 54, 54 are formed so that the discharge port for discharging the air faces downward. Regardless of the direction of the outlet of the fan 54 itself,
The exhaust from the fan 54 may be discharged downward by connecting a duct having a discharge port that opens downward. Further, the lower part of the carrier body 3 is in an open state. Therefore, the dust sucked by the fans 54, 54 rides on the downward exhaust air and is discharged from below the transport vehicle main body 3 to the floor surface.

Therefore, the dust-containing air is discharged downward, and the wafer 1 above the top plate 14 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is discharged.
It is possible to effectively prevent dust from rolling up to the 0 position.

In this embodiment, the cover 27 is provided to form the cylindrical body 28 that covers the elevating unit 15, and the space communicating with the gap 100 is defined between the elevating unit 15 and the cylindrical body 28. You can Then, by sucking the air in the divided space with the fans 54, 54, the air around the gap 100 can be sucked more efficiently. In addition, a fan 54 is provided on the side of the lifting unit 15.
By providing 54, the dust generated in the lifting drive section of the lifting unit 15 is immediately absorbed by the fan 54, which is a suction unit.
Inhaled by 54 and removed. Further, dust that has not been sucked at the time of occurrence and has fallen once on the bottom surface of the transport vehicle 1 is also sucked by the suction means when being wound up by the elevating unit 15. Furthermore, the carrier body 3
It is possible to prevent air containing dust from leaking above the top plate 14 of the above.

Further, the outer circumference of the lifting unit 15 is provided with the cylindrical body 2
While enclosing with 8 and the air inside the tubular body 28,
Suction is performed by the fans 54, 54 that are suction means.

For this reason, the fan 54.5 serving as suction means
4 is driven, from above and below the tubular body 28,
An airflow is generated toward the openings 29, 29 provided in the tubular body 28, and the air inside the tubular body 28 is reliably sucked. Especially, when the lifting unit 15 is moved up and down, the gap 1
Even if an air flow that leaks upward from 00 is generated, it is canceled by the intake air flow toward the openings 29. Therefore, the dust-containing air is blown by the fan 5
It is prevented that the liquid is sucked by 4.55 and leaks above the carrier body 3. The sucked dust rides on the discharged air flow and is discharged to the outside from below the carrier body 3.
The automated guided vehicle of this embodiment is used in a clean room provided with a semiconductor wafer manufacturing line and an inspection line. In a clean room, since clean air is flowing from the ceiling toward the floor with ventilation holes, the clean air flows, and dust is contained under the floor from the ventilation holes. Air will be exhausted.

Further, the fans 54, 54 are the top plate 14
It is arranged below and above the traveling drive unit located below the traveling unit 2. A drive motor and traveling wheels 9, 9, 9, 9 are provided in the traveling drive unit.

Therefore, the dust generated in the traveling drive unit is also
The air flows downward from the outlets of the fans 54, 54 and is discharged downward.
As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the dust generated in the traveling drive unit from being wound up at a certain position of the wafer 10 above the top plate 14 without providing a special suction means for sucking the dust in the traveling drive unit. Can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the formation position of the opening provided in the tubular body 28 is the upper part of the cover 27. The position of the suction port (the opening of the tubular body 28) when sucking by the suction means is not limited to the cover 27, and an opening may be formed in the base frame 47 of the base 21. When the suction port of the suction means (the opening of the cylindrical body 28) is formed in the base portion 21, it is closer to the dust generation source (screw shaft 48 or the like) than when it is formed in the cover 27. , More effective by removing dust.

Next, the aligner 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the aligner 4. The aligner 4 is a device for adjusting the posture of the wafer 10 so that the wafer 10 can be transferred to a processing device such as an inspection device by a single wafer transfer device 5 in a designated posture. The support position and direction of the wafer 10 with respect to the transfer hand 31 of the apparatus 5 are adjusted.

An aligner 4 is provided in front of the single-wafer transfer device 5, and the aligner 4 is covered with a casing 40. Inside the casing 40, the carrier body 3
Above the top plate 14, a support plate 55 supported by a pillar (not shown) standing on the top plate 14 is provided.
Various devices provided for the aligner 4 are provided above the support plate 55. On the other hand, below the support plate 55, the drive unit of the aligner 4 is provided.

On the support plate 55, the mounting table 4 for the wafer 10 is mounted.
1 is provided. The mounting table 41 is capable of sucking and holding the wafer 10 and is rotatable. Further, an opening 40a is formed on the rear surface of the casing 40, and the transfer hand 31 included in the single wafer transfer device 5 is moved forward so that the wafer 10 can be mounted on the mounting table 41. .

Below the support plate 55, the turning drive section of the mounting table 41 is arranged. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, below the support plate 55, to the side of the mounting table 41 (upper side in FIG. 3).
A motor 57 is arranged as a turning means of the mounting table 41. A pulley 57 provided on the motor shaft of the motor 57
A belt 59 (shown in FIG. 3) is wound around a (shown in FIG. 3) and a pulley 58 provided at the lower end of a shaft 56 fixed to the mounting table 41. The turning drive unit of the mounting table 41 is configured as described above, and the mounting table 41 is rotated when the motor 57 is driven.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the aligner 4 detects the position of the wafer 10, that is, the mounting table 41.
Peripheral position detection sensors 42 and 43 are provided as means for detecting whether or not the wafer 10 is placed concentrically with. In this embodiment, the outer peripheral position detection sensors 42 and 43 are
The optical sensor includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The outer peripheral position detection sensor 42 is for an 8-inch wafer, the outer peripheral position detection sensor 43 is for a 12-inch wafer, and the outer peripheral position is outside the outer peripheral position detection sensor 42 with respect to the center of the mounting table 41 in plan view. The detection sensor 43 is arranged. Wafer 1
The material 0 is a silicon single crystal and is formed in a substantially disc shape. This wafer 10 has orientation, and an orientation flat (orientation flat) or notch that is a notch for determining the orientation is formed at one location on the outer peripheral edge portion. Further, an ID mark indicating the number given to the wafer 10 and its manufacturing history is engraved on the upper surface or the lower surface. The ID mark is engraved with the notch position as a reference. Then, the wafer 10 is rotated together with the mounting table 41 so that the outer peripheral position of the wafer 10 is detected by the outer peripheral position detection sensor 42.
By detecting by 43, the shift amount of the wafer 10 with respect to the mounting table 41 is calculated, and the position of the orientation flat or notch is recognized. When the wafer 10 is concentric with the mounting table 41, the wafer 1 by the outer peripheral position detection sensors 42 and 43
The detection result of the outer peripheral position detection of 0 is a constant amount regardless of the rotation angle of the wafer 10. In addition, the wafer 10 and the mounting table 41
When the center of is off
The detection result of the outer peripheral position detection of the wafer 10 by 43 becomes a sine (cosine) curve with respect to the rotation angle of the wafer 10. In addition, at the notch position, the outer peripheral position is discontinuous or becomes a value lower (shorter) than other portions and detected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the aligner 4 has an ID sensor 44 as means for specifying the wafer 10.
Is provided in front of the mounting table 41 (back side with respect to the single-wafer transfer apparatus 5). Outer peripheral position detection sensor 42 (43)
The detection is performed by detecting the ID mark by the ID sensor 44 and reading the data. In order to read the ID mark on the ID sensor 44, the wafer 10 is transferred from the mounting table 41 to the ID sensor 4 by the single-wafer transfer device 5.
Try to move it just above 4. At that time, I
Since the D mark is very small, it is preferable that the ID mark is located right above the ID sensor 44. Therefore, based on the detection result by the outer peripheral position detection sensor 42 (43), the ID mark is detected by the single-wafer transfer device 5 by the ID sensor 4
4, so that the transfer table 41 can be transferred directly above,
While stopping, the transfer hand 3 of the single-wafer transfer device 5
At 1, the wafer 10 on the mounting table 41 is scooped up, and the transfer hand 31 is extended to move the wafer 10 right above the ID sensor 44. And the ID sensor 44
Is operated, the ID mark is detected and read by the ID sensor 44, information such as a number and a manufacturing history is stored in the control device of the carrier 1, and the wafer 10 is transferred to a processing device such as a manufacturing device or an inspection device. In doing so, information is passed with the wafer 10. Since the ID sensor 44 is not a transmissive sensor like the outer peripheral position detection sensor 42 (43), it is not always necessary to provide a pair of upper and lower ID sensors 44, and the wafer 1
It may be provided so that the surface with the ID mark of 0 can be detected. If the side with the ID mark is one side,
One ID sensor 44 may be provided at a position where it can be detected, and if it is attached on both sides, a pair of ID sensors 44 may be provided above and below.

In the above, the drive unit provided on the aligner 4 corresponds to the turning drive unit of the mounting table 41. The turning drive is a source of dust. Especially, the pulley 57
A contact portion between the a 58 and the belt 59 around the pulleys 57a 58 is a source of dust. Table 4
In order to prevent the problem that dust generated in the drive unit of the aligner 4 adheres to the wafer 10 sucked and held on
The carrier 1 is provided with a second dust suction means. Here, the suction means of the dust (fans 54, 54) generated from the lifting drive part of the single-wafer transfer device 5 is used as the first suction means, and the suction means of the dust generated by the drive part of the aligner 4 is used as the first suction means. It is used as a second suction means.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the casing 40
A gap is formed between the support plate 55 and the support plate 55. A skirt member 60 is provided in order to prevent dust generated in the turning drive portion of the mounting table 41 from leaking upward from the gap. The skirt member 60 is made of a soft resin having elasticity in this embodiment, and is fixed to the lower surface of the support plate 55. While the end of the skirt member hangs downward,
Due to its own elasticity, it is in a state of being stretched to the side and comes into contact with the casing 40. Then, the gap between the support plate 55 and the casing 40 is sealed to prevent the air containing dust from leaking from the gap.

The support plate 55 is formed with an insertion hole (not shown) through which the shaft 56 for supporting the mounting table 41 and transmitting the rotational driving force can be inserted. The inner diameter of the insertion hole formed in the support plate 55 is formed wider than the outer diameter of the shaft 56 so as not to hinder the drive rotation of the shaft 56.
Therefore, air containing dust may leak above the support plate 55 from the gap between the insertion hole and the shaft 56.

The second suction means (fan 62) is provided below the top plate 14 of the carrier body 3 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6. The top plate 14 has an opening 14 b below the aligner 4. In the opening 14b,
A fan 62, which is a suction unit, is communicatively connected via a duct 61. Then, the fan 62 that is the suction means
The casing 40, the support plate 55, the skirt member 60,
The air in the space surrounded by the top plate 14 is sucked.
A swivel drive unit of the mounting table 41 that is a drive unit of the aligner 4 is arranged in the space, and air around the swivel drive unit is sucked into the fan 62 to remove dust. Further, the space around the swivel drive unit is substantially sealed except for the gap between the insertion hole and the shaft 56, but the skirt member 62, which is a soft material, flexes in response to a decrease in air pressure due to air intake by the fan 62. Then, the outside air flows in. Specifically, air flows from the opening 40a of the casing 40. The air pressure inside the space is kept constant regardless of the drive of the fan 62.

Therefore, the fan 62, which is the second suction means, is used.
Is driven, the air around the drive unit of the aligner 4 (the rotation drive unit of the mounting table 41) is sucked into the fan 62.
At the same time, an air flow is generated from the upper mounting table 41 side toward the lower fan 62 side. Then, the dust generated in the drive unit is removed. Here, since the skirt member 62 is formed of a soft material, the skirt member 62 bends in response to a decrease in air pressure due to air intake by the fan 62, and the outside air (above the support plate 55) is enclosed in a substantially closed space around the drive unit. Inflow. The insertion hole provided in the support plate 55 and the shaft 56 of the mounting table 41.
Since the downward airflow also flows in the gap between and, air containing dust does not leak to the mounting table 41 side through the gap. Therefore, the aligner 4 allows the wafer 1
When aligning the position of 0, the wafer 10 is moved by the aligner 4
Dust will not adhere to.

The buffer cassette 6 is a device for storing a plurality of wafers 10 on the transport vehicle 1 side. As shown in FIG. 2, the buffer cassette 6 is supported by a support base 35 provided on the upper surface of the transport vehicle main body 3. The front side of the buffer cassette 6 (the side facing the single-wafer transfer device 5) is open, and the transfer hand 31 of the single-wafer transfer device 5 can be inserted into the buffer cassette 6 to store the wafer 10 therein. is there. Inside the buffer cassette 6, ribs 36, which can horizontally support the side edge of the wafer 10, are provided on the left and right with respect to the opening direction, and a multistage shelf is configured.
Then, a large number of wafers 10 are placed inside the buffer cassette 6.
Can be stored horizontally.

Therefore, a large number of wafers 10 can be stored in the transport vehicle 1 when the wafer 10 is transported by the transport vehicle 1 and transferred to a processing apparatus or the like.

Regarding the configuration of non-contact power feeding to the carrier 1,
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view of the main part of the carrier 1 showing the configuration of non-contact power feeding. Power supply lines 18, 18 are laid along the traveling rail 12. On the other hand, the carrier 1 is provided with a power receiving unit 19, and the power receiving unit 19 is provided with a core 25 that amplifies a magnetic field generated from the power supply line 18. The core 25 has a pickup coil 26 for extracting electric power from the magnetic field generated in the core 25.
Is wound around, and the pickup coil 26 is connected to a power source section in the transport vehicle 1. With this configuration, the transport vehicle 1 can extract electric power from the power supply line 18 in a non-contact manner. The power supply lines 18, 18 are arranged along the traveling rail 12 so that a pair of the forward path and the return path are provided. That is, the currents flow in the two power supply lines 18 and 18 in opposite directions, and the directions of the magnetic fields generated outside the power supply lines 18 are also opposite. And between the power supply lines 18 and 18, both power supply lines 18
・ The magnetic fields generated from 18 are superposed in the direction of strengthening. The power supply line 18, 18 is the traveling rail 1
It is supported by the feeder holder 7 provided on the upper part 2.

[0045]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the suction means for sucking and removing the dust generated from the drive section to be mounted and its surroundings is provided in the vicinity of at least one of the drive sections, For example, the dust generated in the drive unit such as the lifting drive unit of the single-wafer transfer apparatus can be sucked by the suction unit, and the dust generated in the drive unit can be prevented from leaking out from the inside of the transport vehicle. it can.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the single-wafer transfer device includes an elevating unit provided with a transfer means, and an elevating and lowering drive unit for elevating and lowering the elevating and lowering unit is provided in a base part attached to the main body of the transport vehicle. Since the upper part of the base portion is covered with a top plate having an opening through which the elevating unit can pass, and suction means for sucking air around the gap between the elevating unit and the opening is provided, the suction means By sucking the air around the gap between the lifting unit and the opening of the top plate,
The dust generated in the lifting drive can be sucked in, and the dust that is about to go out of the top plate due to the air flow accompanying the lifting of the lifting unit can be sucked in. The dust can be sucked in more reliably.

Since the aligner for adjusting the attitude of the wafer is mounted and the suction means for sucking the air around the driving portion provided on the aligner is provided as described in claim 3,
The air around the drive part of the aligner is sucked into the second suction means. Then, the dust generated in the drive unit is removed.
The wafer can be handed to the processing apparatus after adjusting the posture by the aligner, and the aligner of the processing apparatus can be eliminated. Further, the dust generated in the drive portion of the aligner can be sucked by the suction means, and the dust can be prevented from adhering to the wafer being aligned by the aligner.

Since the air sucked by the suction means is discharged to the lower side of the carrier body as described in claim 4, the air containing dust is discharged to the lower side of the unmanned carrier vehicle. It is possible to effectively prevent dust from being rolled up to the position of the wafer above the plate.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, since the traveling drive unit is arranged at the bottom of the carrier body and the air outlet of the suction means is arranged above the traveling drive unit, the automatic guided vehicle is caused to travel. The dust generated in the traveling drive unit including the traveling wheels and the drive motor for driving the traveling wheels can be placed on the air flow from the discharge port and discharged to the lower side of the transport vehicle main body. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a special suction means for dust generated in the traveling drive unit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a carrier 1.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a carrier 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a carrier 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the single wafer transfer device 5.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a dust suction mechanism in a base portion 21 and an elevation drive portion.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the aligner 4.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the main part of the carrier vehicle 1 showing the configuration of non-contact power feeding.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 carrier 3 carrier body 4 aligner 5 single wafer transfer device 6 buffer cassettes 10 wafers 15 Lifting unit 21 Base 27 cover 28 Cylindrical body 29 opening 30M ・ 30S robot hand (transfer device) 54 fan (suction means) 62 fan (suction means) 100 gap

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takashi Nakao             Murata Machine, 136 Takeda Mukoyo-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto             Machine Co., Ltd. Headquarters factory F term (reference) 5F031 CA02 DA01 DA17 FA01 FA03                       FA07 FA09 FA11 FA12 GA08                       GA24 GA35 GA36 GA43 GA47                       GA49 GA50 GA58 HA13 HA59                       JA02 JA05 JA14 JA15 JA17                       JA28 JA29 JA34 JA35 JA36                       JA50 KA10 KA13 KA14 KA15                       LA12 LA13 NA02 NA14 NA18                       PA16

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A suction means for sucking and removing dust generated from a mounted drive part and its surroundings,
An automatic guided vehicle, characterized in that it is provided in the vicinity of at least one drive unit. 2. A single-wafer transfer apparatus includes an elevating unit provided with a transfer unit, and an elevating drive unit for elevating and lowering the elevating unit is provided on a base unit attached to a main body of a transport vehicle, and above the base unit. And a suction means for sucking air around the gap between the elevating unit and the opening while covering the elevating unit with a top plate having an opening through which the elevating unit can pass.
The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic guided vehicle is a vehicle. 3. An aligner for adjusting the attitude of a wafer is mounted, and a suction means for sucking air around a drive unit provided on the aligner is provided, according to claim 1 or 2. Automated guided vehicle. 4. The automatic guided vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air sucked by the suction means is discharged to the lower side of the guided vehicle body. 5. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a traveling drive unit is arranged at the bottom of the carrier body, and an air outlet of the suction means is arranged above the traveling drive unit. Carrier.