JP2009057117A - Carrying control system, carrying control method, and carrying control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying control system, a carrying control method, and a carrying control program for carrying treated products from a treatment device in a previous process to a treatment device in the next process so as to efficiently use a plurality of half-treated product shelves which store the treated products before treated by the treatment devices in a production line. <P>SOLUTION: The carrying control system comprises a plurality of carrying means 2 for carrying treated products, a half-treated product shelf managing means 6 for managing the plurality of half-treated product shelves 4, a carrying destination determining means 10 for determining a carrying destination, a relay shelf managing means 7 for managing one or more relay shelves 5 storing the treated products to be relayed between the plurality of carrying means 2, a half-treated product shelf reserving means 8 for reserving the half-treated product shelves 4, a relay shelf reserving means 9 for reserving the relay shelves 5, and a carrying control means 11 for controlling the treated products to be carried to the carrying destination while repeating such treatment that the reserving means 8 or 9 reserves one half-treated product shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 selected as a go-through point to the carrying destination and the carrying means 2 carries the treated products to the reserved half-treated product shelf 4 or relay shelf 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport control system that controls transport of workpieces processed by a plurality of various processing apparatuses arranged along a production line.

  In a production line such as a liquid crystal display panel or a semiconductor device, an object to be processed is sequentially conveyed to each processing apparatus according to a process flow. Usually, a plurality of objects to be processed are stored in a cassette as a set, and the cassettes in which the objects to be processed are stored are sequentially conveyed to each processing apparatus according to a process flow. At this time, the objects to be processed are extracted from the cassettes and processed in the respective processing apparatuses, are stored again in the cassettes after the processing is completed, and are transported to a shelf near the processing apparatus of the next process. And the to-be-processed object conveyed is stored in the shelf in the vicinity of a processing apparatus until a process is started with the processing apparatus of the next process.

  Note that a processing apparatus in a liquid crystal display panel or a semiconductor device production line generally has a period of downtime due to failure or maintenance, and has a low operating rate. In order to cope with the fluctuation of the processing capacity due to such a stop of the processing apparatus, as a buffer as described above, the workpiece can be temporarily stored until the processing is started in the processing apparatus. Shelf is required.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transport control method for controlling transport between manufacturing lines in manufacturing semiconductor devices processed and manufactured in a plurality of manufacturing lines. In this transport control method, when processing is completed on one manufacturing line including a plurality of processing apparatuses, the next manufacturing line that takes over the processing object, that is, the transport destination line is processed before processing in the manufacturing line. The empty state of the pre-processing buffer in which the product is stored, the operating states of a plurality of processing devices in the production line, and the pre-processing buffer for each device in which the processing object before processing in each processing device is stored are confirmed. The workpiece is conveyed to the determined production line.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a cassette that can be transported to a nearby stocker in an appropriate amount in advance in an automated production line such as a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, or a semiconductor manufacturing device. A storage system is disclosed. In the storage system described in Patent Literature 2, when processing on a processing object is completed by one processing apparatus, the cassette storing the processing object is transported to the warehousing shelf and further processed to the warehousing shelf. An object is transported to a prior shelf if the prior shelf in the vicinity of the processing apparatus of the next process that takes over the object to be processed is empty, and is transported to the immediately preceding shelf if not empty.

Since the number of shelves as such buffers is enormous when trying to secure the required number for each processing device in each process, the required number averaged in all processes is allocated to the processing devices in each process, When there were not enough shelves in the process, it was necessary to minimize the total number of shelves using shelves from other processes. In particular, in recent years, with an increase in the size of the liquid crystal panel, the equipment cost of the shelf in the production line has increased remarkably, and a transport control system that can efficiently use the shelf has been desired.
JP-A-1-40376 JP 2002-255314 A

  However, in the transport control method described in Patent Document 1, the transport is performed after confirming that the buffer before processing of the next manufacturing line is empty, so that the shelf of this buffer is in an empty state during transport. Similarly, also in the storage system of Patent Document 2, since the conveyance is performed after confirming the availability of the advance shelf, the advance shelf is in an empty state during the transportation. For this reason, the distance from the previous production line to the shelf of the pre-processing buffer of the next manufacturing line, or the distance from the processing device of the previous process to the shelf (pre-shelf) in the vicinity of the processing device of the next process is long, so When time was required, the shelf was empty for a long time. That is, the shelf could not be used efficiently.

  Moreover, in order to reduce the loss due to the cassette waiting for the processing apparatus, it is necessary to secure many cassettes in the vicinity of the processing apparatus. However, as described above, the shelf can be used efficiently. In addition, since many cassettes that are almost full can not always be secured on one shelf, instead of providing a plurality of shelves (usually about three) in the vicinity of the processing device, Many cassettes had to be secured in the vicinity. That is, it is necessary to install many shelves in the vicinity of the processing apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and in the transfer of an object to be processed from a processing device of a previous process to a processing device in the vicinity of a processing device of the next process in a production line, the work shelf is efficiently used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport control system, a transport control method, and a transport control program that can transport a workpiece so that it can be used well.

  A transport control system according to the present invention is a transport control system that controls transport of processing objects processed by a plurality of various processing apparatuses arranged along a production line. A plurality of transfer means arranged along a production line for transferring from a processing apparatus of a process to a processing apparatus of the next process, and one or more processing apparatuses selected from the plurality of various processing apparatuses. In-process shelf management means for managing a plurality of in-process shelves, each of which is arranged in the vicinity of a plurality of processing apparatus groups and stores an object to be processed in the processing apparatus, and a processing apparatus that has completed processing on the object to be processed When a processing completion signal is transmitted from, the processing device of the next process to be processed by taking over the object processed by the processing device of the transmission source is determined, and the processing in the processing device of the determined next process is determined Previous treatment Selecting a work-in-progress shelf for the next process in which goods are stored from among the plurality of work-in-progress shelves managed by the work-in-progress shelf management means, One or more relay shelves that store the workpieces that are arranged between the plurality of transporting units arranged between the transporting-destination determining unit and the adjacent work-in-progress shelves that are relayed between the transporting units. A relay shelf management unit that manages the storage shelf, a work shelf reservation unit that reserves the storage of the work to be processed in the work shelf managed by the work shelf management unit, and the relay that is managed by the relay shelf management unit A relay shelf reservation unit that reserves storage of an object to be processed on a shelf, and a work-in-place shelf management unit that receives a transfer instruction transmitted from the transfer destination determination unit to the work-in-progress shelf in the next step as a transfer destination; The duplicate managed by the relay shelf management means From one of the work-in-progress shelves and one or more of the relay shelves, via one work-in-progress shelf or relay shelf at a position along the transport path from the current position of the workpiece to the work-in-progress shelf in the next process After confirming that there is enough space to store the work in the work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf at the selected waypoint, select it as the waypoint in the work-in-place shelf reservation means or the relay shelf reservation means The work-in-progress shelf in the next step is selected as a waypoint for the process to make the work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf reserved and to make the transport means carry the processed material to the reserved work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf. And a conveyance control means that repeats until the workpiece is conveyed to the work-in-progress shelf in the next process.

  With this configuration, transport from the processing device of the previous process to the work-in-progress shelf in the vicinity of the processing device of the next process can be performed via a relay shelf or other work-in-progress shelf at a position along the transport path, When there is a work to be processed in the relay shelf or work in progress shelf closest to the work in progress shelf in the next process, make a reservation for the work in progress shelf by looking at the empty state of the work in progress destination shelf and Since the transfer can be performed, the time when the work-in-progress shelf is reserved, that is, the time when the work-in-progress shelf is in the empty state, the work in progress of the next process is confirmed from the processing device of the previous process after confirming the availability of the work in progress shelf. Compared to a conventional transport system that transports to a shelf, the work shelf can be used efficiently. For this reason, after the processing device has pulled out the workpiece from the work in progress shelf, the next processing object can be quickly replenished to the work in progress shelf, and other processing devices can also immediately pull out the workpiece. Processing object waiting time of the processing apparatus is reduced, and production loss due to waiting for the processing object can be reduced. In addition, since the use efficiency of the work shelf is improved, the number of work shelf can be reduced, and the investment cost can be reduced.

  In the transport control system according to the present invention, the transport control means stores a waypoint table indicating a waypoint according to the current position of the workpiece and the position of the work-in-progress shelf in the next process. A transit point is selected based on the location table.

  With this configuration, the workpiece can be efficiently and reliably transported to the transport destination, so that the transport capability is further improved.

  In the transport control system according to the present invention, the transport control means stores an alternative waypoint table indicating a substitute of the waypoint according to the current position of the object to be processed and the position of the work-in-progress shelf in the next process. When there is not enough space to store the work in the work-in-process shelf or relay shelf at the transit point selected based on the route table, the route goes through another work-in shelf or relay shelf based on the alternate route table It is characterized by selecting to the ground.

  With this configuration, since the vacant work shelf or relay shelf can be efficiently used and the object to be processed can be transported to the transport destination more efficiently and reliably, the transport capability is further improved.

  In the transport control system according to the present invention, the in-process shelf management means processes the space of each in-process shelf in which workpieces are stored by a processing device that constitutes the processing device group in the vicinity of the in-process shelf. A dedicated space in which only processed objects are stored and a common space in which all processed objects are stored, and the transfer control means is used as a transit point in the next process. When the work-in-progress shelf is selected, the unoccupied space or the common space in the selected work-in-progress shelf is reserved by the work-in-progress shelf reservation unit, and then the workpiece is transported by the transport unit. When the work-in-progress shelf other than the work-in-progress shelf in the next step is selected as a transit point, the work-in-place shelf reservation unit reserves the common space that is free of the selected work in progress shelf, and then the object to be processed Characterized in that to implement conveyed to the conveying means.

  With this configuration, the common space of the work shelf can be shared among the processing device groups, and the work shelf can be used effectively according to the operating rate of each processing device.

In the transport control system according to the present invention, the relay shelf managing means manages the space of each of the relay shelves in which the workpieces are stored by dividing each space in the transport direction in which the workpieces are transported,
In the case where the selected waypoint is the relay shelf, the transfer control means has a space for storing the object to be processed according to the transfer direction of the object to be processed in the relay shelf at the selected waypoint. After confirming that the space has been confirmed, the relay shelf reservation unit reserves the space of the relay shelf and causes the transfer unit to carry the object to be processed.

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a deadlock that may occur due to a storage space waiting state between relay shelves.

  In the transport control system according to the present invention, the transport destination determination means determines that the processing device as the transmission source is the transport destination when a signal indicating completion of transport is transmitted from the processing device from which the processed workpiece has been transported. When the conveyance control unit receives the conveyance instruction with the processing device transmitted from the conveyance destination determination unit as the conveyance destination, the processing target processed by the processing device as the conveyance destination It is characterized in that the transfer means carries out the transfer of the object to be processed from the work shelf where the object is stored to the processing apparatus.

  With this configuration, the objects to be processed can be sequentially supplied to the processing apparatus.

  The conveyance control method according to the present invention is provided along a production line for conveying an object to be processed by a plurality of various processing apparatuses arranged along a production line from a processing apparatus of a previous process to a processing apparatus of a next process. A transfer control method for controlling transfer between the processing devices of the object to be processed by the plurality of transfer means arranged when the processing completion signal is transmitted from the processing device that has processed the object to be processed. The next processing apparatus that takes over the processing object processed by the processing apparatus of the transmission source is determined, and the processed object before the processing in the processing apparatus of the determined next process is stored. A work-in-process shelf is arranged in the vicinity of a plurality of processing device groups each made up of one or more processing devices selected from among the various processing devices, and an object to be processed before processing in the processing devices is provided. Multiple stored items Select from among shelves, transport destination determination step using the selected work in progress shelf as the transport destination, a plurality of the work in progress shelves, and transport between the adjacent work in progress shelves to the transport destination Among the one or more relay shelves for storing the workpieces to be relayed between the transport means on the way, from the current position of the workpieces to the transport destination in the transport destination determination step A transit point selection step for selecting one work in progress shelf or relay shelf at a position along the conveyance path to the work in progress shelf as a transit location, and the work in progress shelf or the relay shelf at the transit location selected in the transit location selection step A reservation step for reserving the work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf selected as a transit point after confirming that the space for storing the workpieces is vacant, and the work-in-process reserved in the reservation step in the transport means Shelf or A shelf transport step for transporting the workpiece to the relay shelf, and the work-in-progress shelf in the next step when the work-in-progress shelf in the next step is selected as a transit location in the route selection step Until the route is selected, the route selection step, the reservation step, and the shelf transport step are repeatedly executed.

  With this configuration, transport from the processing device of the previous process to the work-in-progress shelf in the vicinity of the processing device of the next process can be performed via a relay shelf or other work-in-progress shelf at a position along the transport path, When there is a work to be processed in the relay shelf or work in progress shelf closest to the work in progress shelf in the next process, make a reservation for the work in progress shelf by looking at the empty state of the work in progress destination shelf and Since the transfer can be performed, the time when the work-in-progress shelf is reserved, that is, the time when the work-in-progress shelf is in the empty state, the work in progress of the next process is confirmed from the processing device of the previous process after confirming the availability of the work in progress shelf. Compared to a conventional transport system that transports to a shelf, the work shelf can be used efficiently. For this reason, after the processing device has pulled out the workpiece from the work in progress shelf, the next processing object can be quickly replenished to the work in progress shelf, and other processing devices can also immediately pull out the workpiece. Processing object waiting time of the processing apparatus is reduced, and production loss due to waiting for the processing object can be reduced. In addition, since the use efficiency of the work shelf is improved, the number of work shelf can be reduced, and the investment cost can be reduced.

  The transfer control program according to the present invention is produced in order to transfer an object to be processed, which is processed by a plurality of various processing apparatuses arranged along a production line, from a processing apparatus in the previous process to a processing apparatus in the next process. A transfer control program for controlling transfer of workpieces between processing devices by a plurality of transfer means arranged along a line, wherein the computer signals processing completion signals from the processing devices that have completed processing of the workpieces Is transmitted, the processing device of the next process to be processed by taking over the processing object processed by the processing apparatus of the transmission source is determined, and the processing before the processing in the processing apparatus of the determined next process is determined The work-in-progress shelf for the next process in which goods are stored is arranged in the vicinity of a plurality of processing device groups each including one or more processing devices selected from the plurality of processing devices. A plurality of in-process shelves in which workpieces to be processed before processing in the processing apparatus are stored, a destination determination step in which the in-process shelf in the selected next process is set as a destination, and the computer From among the one or more relay shelves that store the work-in-process shelves and the workpieces that are arranged between the adjacent work-in-progress shelves and relayed between the transport means in the middle of the transport to the transport destination. Via-point selection that selects one in-process shelf or relay shelf at the position along the conveyance path from the current position of the processed material to the in-process shelf in the next process, which is the conveyance destination in the conveyance destination determination step. And the computer confirming that there is a space for storing the workpieces in the work-in-place shelf or the relay shelf at the route point selected in the route point selection step, and then selecting the device in progress as the route point Shelf or A reservation step for reserving the relay shelf, a transfer step for a shelf for causing the computer to instruct the transfer means to transfer the work piece to the work shelf or the relay shelf reserved in the reservation step, and a computer The intermediate point selection step, the reservation step, and until the work-in-progress shelf in the next process is selected as a stop-point in the route point selection step and the workpiece is transported to the work-in-progress shelf in the next process, And a repeating step for repeatedly executing the shelf transporting step.

  With this configuration, transport from the processing device of the previous process to the work-in-progress shelf in the vicinity of the processing device of the next process can be performed via a relay shelf or other work-in-progress shelf at a position along the transport path, When there is a work to be processed in the relay shelf or work in progress shelf closest to the work in progress shelf in the next process, make a reservation for the work in progress shelf by looking at the empty state of the work in progress destination shelf and Since the transfer can be performed, the time when the work-in-progress shelf is reserved, that is, the time when the work-in-progress shelf is in the empty state, the work in progress of the next process is confirmed from the processing device of the previous process after confirming the availability of the work in progress shelf. Compared to a conventional transport system that transports to a shelf, the work shelf can be used efficiently. For this reason, after the processing device has pulled out the workpiece from the work in progress shelf, the next processing object can be quickly replenished to the work in progress shelf, and other processing devices can also immediately pull out the workpiece. Processing object waiting time of the processing apparatus is reduced, and production loss due to waiting for the processing object can be reduced. In addition, since the use efficiency of the work shelf is improved, the number of work shelf can be reduced, and the investment cost can be reduced.

  According to the transport control system, the transport control method, or the transport control program of the present invention, the transport from the processing device of the previous process to the work shelf in the vicinity of the processing device of the next process is relayed at a position along the transport path. This can be done via a shelf or other work-in-progress shelf, and when there is a work in the relay shelf or work-in-progress shelf closest to the work-in-process shelf in the next process, look at the empty state of the work-in-process shelf at the destination. The work in progress can be reserved and the workpieces can be transported to the work in progress shelf, so the time that the work in progress shelf is reserved, that is, the time in which the work in progress shelf is empty, Compared to a conventional transport system that transports from the processing device of the previous process to the work-in-process shelf of the next process after confirming the above, the work-in-progress shelf can be used efficiently.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport mechanism in a transport control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The transport mechanism of the transport control system according to the present embodiment is represented as a processing device (noted as 1E1 to 1E7. If there is no need to distinguish the processing device 1, the transport mechanism (2V1). It is expressed as ˜2V3, etc. In addition, when it is not necessary to distinguish, it is described as a transport vehicle 2, a traveling rail 3, and a work shelf (4W1 to 4W3). In this case, it is configured as an in-process shelf 4) and a relay shelf (denoted as 5R1 to 5R2. If it is not necessary to distinguish, it is referred to as a relay shelf 5).

<Processing device>
The processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for performing some kind of processing on an object to be processed. In the present embodiment, seven processing apparatuses 1E1 to 1E7 are provided. That is, in the present embodiment, the object to be processed is conveyed and processed by each of the seven processing apparatuses 1 along the production line. In the present embodiment, a plurality of objects to be processed are collected together and stored in a cassette and transported to each processing apparatus 1, but the objects to be processed are not stored in the cassette. However, one or a plurality may be conveyed together.

  In addition, the processing apparatus 1 includes a processing unit 11 that performs processing on an object to be processed and a port unit 12 that stores a cassette for performing processing in the processing unit 11. Is stored in the port unit 12 of the processing apparatus 1. The processing apparatus 1 extracts an object to be processed from a cassette stored in the port unit 12, performs processing in the processing unit 11, and then stores the processed object to be processed in the port unit 12. It is configured to return to the cassette. At this time, the cassette for storing the object to be processed may be the same before or after the process, or may be different.

  In addition, the to-be-processed object processed by the process part 11 and returned to the cassette of the port part 12 is carried out from the port part 12 to the conveyance vehicle 2, and is conveyed to the processing apparatus 1 of the next process. Then, another processing object is newly transported to the port unit 12 by the transporting vehicle 2 in the processing apparatus 1 in which the processing target is transported from the port unit 12 to the transporting vehicle 2.

<Conveying means>
The transport vehicle 2 functions as a transport means for transporting the object to be processed from the processing apparatus 1 in the previous process to the processing apparatus 1 in the next process. , Simply to be processed) via a work-in shelf 4 and a relay shelf 5, a transport means for transporting from the port section 12 of the processing apparatus 1 in the previous process to the port section 12 of the processing apparatus 1 in the next process Function as. In addition, a plurality of transport vehicles 2 are arranged along the production line. For example, three transport vehicles 2V1 to 2V3 are arranged along the production line.

  The traveling rail 3 is a rail on which the transport vehicle 2 travels, and is configured along the production line so that the transport vehicle 2 can travel along the production line, and the processing device 1 (port portion 12). And the work-in-place shelf 4 are arranged at positions where the workpieces can be delivered.

  Moreover, such traveling rails 3 are configured such that the traveling ranges L1 to L3 of the respective transport vehicles 2 arranged along the production line are limited. For example, the traveling range L1 of the transport vehicle 2V1 is limited to a range along the installation range of the work-in-progress shelf 4W1 and the relay shelf 5R1, and each of the transport vehicle 2V1, the processing devices 1E1 to 1E3, the work-in shelf 4W1, and the relay shelf 5R1 It is limited to the range which can deliver a to-be-processed object between.

  Similarly, the travel range L2 of the transport vehicle 2V2 is limited to a range along the installation range of the relay shelf 5R1, the work shelf 4W2, and the relay shelf 5R2, and the transport vehicle 2V2, the processing devices 1E3 to 1E5, the work shelf 4W2, And it is limited to the range which can deliver a to-be-processed object between each of relay shelf 5R1-5R2.

  Similarly, the travel range L3 of the transport vehicle 2V3 is limited to a range along the installation range of the relay shelf 5R2 and the work-in-progress shelf 4W3, and the transport vehicle 2V3, the processing devices 1E5 to 1E7, the work-in shelf 4W3, and the relay shelf 5R2 It is limited to the range in which the workpieces can be delivered between them.

<In-process shelf>
The work-in-progress shelves 4W1 to 4W3 are shelves for storing workpieces before processing in the processing apparatus 1, and a plurality of processes each composed of one or more processing apparatuses 1 selected from a plurality of various processing apparatuses 1E1 to 1E7. Arranged in the vicinity of the device groups G1 to G3, respectively. That is, in-process shelf 4W1 is arranged in the vicinity of the processing device group G1 including the processing devices 1E1 and 1E2, and in the vicinity of the processing device group G2 including the processing devices 1E3, 1E4, and 1E5. An in-process shelf 4W2 is arranged, and an in-process shelf 4W3 is arranged in the vicinity of the processing device group G3 including the processing devices 1E6 and 1E7.

  Here, the in-process shelf 4W1 can be delivered to and from the transport vehicle 2V1, the in-process shelf 4W2 can be delivered to the transport vehicle 2V2, and the in-process shelf 4W3 can be delivered to the transport vehicle 2V3. ing. That is, it is set as the structure which can store the to-be-processed object before the process in the processing apparatus 1 conveyed by the conveyance vehicle 2 to the work-in-process shelf 4. FIG.

<Relay shelf>
The relay shelf 5 is arranged between adjacent work-in-progress shelves 4, and a plurality of relay shelves 5 are transported to the work-in-progress shelf 4 in the next process, which is selected as a transport destination by a transport destination determining means 10 (see FIG. 2) described later. A workpiece to be relayed between the transport vehicles 2 is stored. That is, the relay shelf 5R1 is arranged between the work-in-place shelf 4W1 and the work-in-progress shelf 4W2, and the workpieces to be relayed between the transport vehicle 2V1 and the transport vehicle 2V2 are stored. Similarly, the relay shelf 5R2 is arranged between the work-in-place shelf 4W2 and the work-in-progress shelf 4W3, and stores objects to be relayed between the transport vehicle 2V2 and the transport vehicle 2V3.

  Therefore, the relay shelf 5R1 is configured to be able to deliver to each of the transport vehicle 2V1 and the transport vehicle 2V2, and the relay shelf 5R2 is configured to be able to deliver to each of the transport vehicle 2V2 and the transport vehicle 2V3. Yes.

  With the above-described transport mechanism, it is possible to perform transport from one processing apparatus 1 that has completed processing on the workpiece to the processing apparatus 1 of the next process that takes over the workpiece and processes it. For example, when the processing in the processing apparatus 1E1 is completed and the object to be processed is transported to the work-in-progress shelf 4W3 of the processing apparatus 1E7 in the next process, it is first confirmed that there is an empty space in the relay shelf 5R1. The processing object is unloaded from the processing apparatus 1E1 to the transport vehicle 2V1, and the processing object is transported to the relay shelf 5R1 by the transport vehicle 2V1 and stored in the relay shelf 5R1.

  Next, after confirming that there is a vacancy in the relay shelf 5R2, the workpiece is unloaded from the relay shelf 5R1 to the transport vehicle 2V2, and the processed material is transported to the relay shelf 5R2 by the transport vehicle 2V2 and is transferred to the relay shelf 5R2. store.

  Finally, after confirming that there is an empty space in the work-in-progress shelf 4W3 of the processing apparatus 1E7, the work piece is unloaded from the relay shelf 5R2 to the transport vehicle 2V3, and is transported to the work-in shelf 4W3 by the transport vehicle 2V3. And stored in the work-in-progress shelf 4W3.

  As described above, the conveyance is basically performed while passing through the relay shelves 5R1 to 5R2 arranged along the conveyance path. However, when the relay shelves 5R1 to 5R2 are not vacant, the conveyance is arranged along the conveyance path. You may carry out via the other work-in-progress shelves 4, for example, the work-in-progress shelf 4W1 and the work-in-progress shelf 4W2.

  Then, the object to be processed conveyed to the work shelf 4W3 is at the timing when the processed object to be processed is carried out from the processing device 1E7, that is, at the timing when the port portion 12 of the processing device 1E7 is empty. It is unloaded from the work shelf 4W3 to the transport vehicle 2V3, transported to the processing device 1E7 by the transport vehicle 2V3, and stored in the port section 12 of the processing device 1E7.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a functional configuration of the transport control system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The functional configuration of the transport control system according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: a transport vehicle 2 as a transport means, a work shelf management means 6, a relay shelf management means 7, and a work shelf reservation means. 8, a relay shelf reservation unit 9, a transfer destination determination unit 10, and a transfer control unit 11.

<In-process shelf management means>
The in-process shelf management means 6 is configured to manage the in-process shelf 4. For example, for each work-in-progress shelf 4, the storable amount of the objects to be processed (or cassettes storing a plurality of objects to be processed together) that can be stored in the storage space of the work-in-progress shelf 4 is managed. It is configured.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the work-in-progress shelf management means 6 processes the space in the vicinity of the work-in-progress shelf 4 with respect to the space of each work-in-progress shelf 4 in which work pieces are stored for some or all work-in-progress shelves 4. Manage by dividing into a dedicated space where only the objects to be processed that are processed by the processing devices 1 constituting the apparatus group G1 to G3 are stored and a common space where all the objects to be processed are stored. Yes.

  For example, the storable amount of the workpieces in each work-in-place shelf 4 is the storable amount of the workpieces that can be stored in the dedicated space and the storable amount of the workpieces that can be stored in the common space. It is configured to be divided and managed. Note that the positions of the dedicated space and the common space in the storage space may or may not be designated.

  In the present embodiment, the storage space of the work shelf 4 is divided into a common space and a dedicated space for the purpose of limiting the amount of work pieces temporarily retracted because the relay shelf 5 is not empty. The positions of the dedicated space and the common space in the storage space are not specified, and the object to be processed is not moved from the common space to the dedicated space.

<Relay shelf management means>
The relay shelf management means 7 is configured to manage the relay shelf 5. For example, for each relay shelf 5, a configuration for managing the amount of objects to be processed (or cassettes storing a plurality of objects to be processed together) that can be stored in the storage space of the relay shelf 5. Has been.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the relay shelf management means 7 uses the space of each relay shelf 5 where the workpieces are stored in the transport direction in which the workpieces are transported (directions X1 and X2 in FIG. 1). ) Are managed separately. For example, the relay shelf 5R1 has a space for storing a workpiece to be relayed from the transport vehicle 2V1 to the transport vehicle 2V2 (a workpiece to be transported in the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 1) and a transport from the transport vehicle 2V2. The space in which the object to be processed is stored is managed by dividing it into a space in which the object to be processed relayed to the vehicle 2V1 (the object to be processed conveyed in the direction of the arrow X2 in the figure) is stored.

  Thereby, for example, the amount of the object to be processed that can be stored in the relay shelf 5R1 is to be processed (the object to be processed that is conveyed in the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 1) from the conveyance vehicle 2V1 to the conveyance vehicle 2V2. And the amount of the object to be processed relayed from the transport vehicle 2V2 to the transport vehicle 2V1 (the target object to be transported in the direction of the arrow X2 in FIG. 1). In addition, the amount of objects to be processed that can be stored in the relay shelf 5R2 is equal to the number of objects to be processed that are relayed from the transport vehicle 2V2 to the transport vehicle 2V3 (processed materials transported in the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 1). It is possible to classify and manage the amount and the amount of the object to be processed (the object to be processed conveyed in the direction of arrow X2 in FIG. 1) relayed from the conveyance vehicle 2V3 to the conveyance vehicle 2V2. Wait for the storage space between the 5R1 and the relay shelf 5R2 to become empty. It is possible to prevent a deadlock that may be generated by.

  In addition, the space divided for every conveyance direction in the relay shelf 5 may be a space divided by specifying a position for each, or may be a space divided without specifying a position.

<In-process shelf reservation method>
The in-process shelf reservation unit 8 is configured to reserve the storage of the object to be processed in the in-process shelf 4 managed by the in-process shelf management unit 6. In the present embodiment, the in-process shelf reservation unit 8 is configured to be able to make a reservation for each in-process shelf 4 by designating a dedicated space or a common space.

<Relay shelf reservation means>
The relay shelf reservation means 9 is configured to reserve the storage of the object to be processed in the relay shelf 5 managed by the relay shelf management means 7. Further, in this embodiment, the relay shelf reservation means 9 can make a reservation for each relay shelf 5 by designating each space divided for each transport direction (directions of arrows X1 and X2 in FIG. 1). Has been.

<Transport destination determination means>
The transport destination determining means 10 is configured to be able to receive a signal transmitted from each processing apparatus 1, determines a transport destination according to the signal transmitted from each processing apparatus 1, and transport control means 11 is configured to transmit a conveyance instruction to the printer 11. In addition, the signal transmitted from each processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment includes a process completion signal notifying that the process on the object to be processed has been completed and that the object to be processed having been processed has been carried out. There are two types of unloading completion signals.

  When a processing completion signal is transmitted from the processing device 1 that has completed processing on the workpiece, the transport destination determination means 10 takes over the workpiece processed by the processing device 1 that is the transmission source and performs the next process. A plurality of in-process shelves 4 that are managed by the in-process shelf management means 6 for the in-process shelf 4 in which the processing object before processing in the determined next-step processing apparatus 1 is stored. The transport instruction is transmitted to the transport control means 11 using the selected work-in-process shelf 4 as the transport destination.

  In addition, when the unloading completion signal is transmitted from the processing apparatus 1 from which the processed object has been unloaded, the transfer destination determining means 10 controls the transfer of the transfer instruction with the processing apparatus 1 that is the transmission source as the transfer destination. The transmission is made to the means 11.

<Transport control means>
When the transport control unit 11 receives the transport instruction transmitted from the transport destination determination unit 10 and uses the in-process shelf 4 in the next process as the transport destination, the transport control unit 11 manages the plurality of in-process shelf management units 6 and the relay shelf management unit 7. From the work-in-progress shelf 4 and one or more relay shelves 5, via one work-in-progress shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 located along the transport path from the current position of the workpiece to the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process After confirming that there is enough space to store the work in the work-in-place shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 at the selected waypoint, select it as a waypoint in the work-in-place shelf reservation means 8 or the relay shelf reservation means 9 The work-in-progress shelf 4 of the next process is selected as a waypoint for making the transport vehicle 2 carry out the process of making the work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 reserved and transporting the workpiece to the reserved work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 Until the workpiece is transported to the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process. There is a configure.

  Further, the transport control means 11 stores a waypoint table indicating a waypoint according to the current position of the object to be processed and the position of the work-in-process shelf 4 that is the next process, and based on this waypoint table. Thus, the in-process shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 serving as a transit point is selected.

  FIG. 3 is a chart showing an example of the contents of the waypoint table stored in the transport control means in the transport control system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The leftmost column indicates the current position of the workpiece, the uppermost row indicates the position of the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the transfer destination, and the current position of the workpiece to be processed in the leftmost column and the conveyance of the uppermost row. A crossing shelf 4 or a relay shelf 5 serving as a transit point is shown at the previous crossing place. For example, it is shown that the waypoint when the object to be processed is at the position of the processing apparatus 1E1 and the transport destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3 is the relay shelf 5R1.

  Similarly, it is shown that the waypoint when the object to be processed is at the position of the relay shelf 5R1 and the transport destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3 is the relay shelf 5R2. Similarly, it is shown that the waypoint when the object to be processed is at the position of the relay shelf 5R2 and the transport destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3 is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3. That is, it is shown that the transfer from the processing device 1E1 to the work-in-progress shelf 4W3 that is the transfer destination is performed via the relay shelf 5R1 and the relay shelf 5R2.

  In the waypoint table in the present embodiment, the work-in-process shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 located from the current position along the transport path of the work-in-process shelf 4 is set as the waypoint. . A relay shelf 5 is set as a transit point when the current position is the work-in-progress shelf 4.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the transfer control unit 11 stores an alternative waypoint table indicating the substitute of the route point according to the current position of the workpiece and the position of the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the transfer destination. If there is no space for storing the workpieces in the intermediate work place shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 selected based on the intermediate place table, the other in-process shelf 4 or The relay shelf 5 is selected as a transit point.

  FIG. 4 is a chart showing an example of the contents of the alternative waypoint table stored in the transport control means in the transport control system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The leftmost column indicates the current position of the workpiece, the uppermost row indicates the position of the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the transfer destination, and the current position of the workpiece to be processed in the leftmost column and the conveyance of the uppermost row. A crossing shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 serving as an alternative waypoint is shown at the previous crossing place. For example, it is shown that the substitute for the waypoint when the object to be processed is at the position of the processing apparatus 1E1 and the transport destination is the in-process shelf 4W3 is the in-process shelf 4W1.

  Therefore, when there is no vacancy in the transit place when the processing device 1E1 selected by the transit place table of FIG. 3 is transported to the work-in-place shelf 4W3, that is, in the space for storing the processing object on the relay shelf 5R1, there is no alternative transit place. Based on the table, the in-process shelf 4W1 is selected as an alternative waypoint. Note that “−” in the figure means that there is no relay shelf 5 or work-in-progress shelf 4 that can be selected as an alternative waypoint.

  In addition, when the waypoint set in the waypoint table is the work-in-process shelf 4 at the transport destination, the alternate route table has a relay next to the work-in-process shelf 4 at the transport destination (for example, the side closer to the current position). The shelf 5 is set as an alternative waypoint. In addition, when the transit point set in the transit point table is the relay shelf 5 located along the transport path of the work-in-progress shelf 4 from the current position, the alternate transit point table is set in the transit point table. The in-process shelf 4 adjacent to the relay shelf 5 being set is set, or “-” is set, which means that there is no relay shelf 5 or in-process shelf 4 that can be selected as an alternative waypoint.

  The alternative waypoint means that the work piece does not remain at the current position when there is no space in the relay shelf 5 or the work shelf 4 at the way point selected by the route point table. Therefore, there may be a further alternative waypoint when this alternative waypoint is not available, and the transport control means 11 of the transport control system according to the present invention A plurality of alternative waypoint tables may be stored, and a vacant waypoint may be selected based on these alternative waypoint tables.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the transport control unit 11 receives a transport instruction transmitted from the transport destination determination unit 10 and using the processing device 1 as a transport destination, the transport control unit 11 is processed by the processing device 1 that is the transport destination. The conveyance vehicle 2 is made to carry the to-be-processed object to the processing apparatus 1 from the work-in-place shelf 4 where the processed goods are stored. That is, for example, when the conveyance control unit 11 receives a conveyance instruction with the processing apparatus 1E7 as a conveyance destination, the conveyance control unit 11 performs conveyance from the work shelf 4W3 in which the workpiece to be processed by the processing apparatus 1E7 is stored to the processing apparatus 1E7. It is carried out by the transport vehicle 2V3.

  Further, when the next process in-process shelf 4 is selected as the transit point, the transfer control unit 11 reserves an empty dedicated space or common space in the in-process shelf 4 in the in-process shelf reservation unit 8, and then the processed object is processed. When the transport vehicle 2 is used to transport the goods and a work-in-progress shelf 4 other than the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process is selected as a transit point, the work-in-room reservation means 8 reserves a free common space in the work in progress shelf 4. After that, the conveyance vehicle 2 is configured to convey the workpiece.

  The method for checking the vacant storage space in each work-in-progress shelf 4 is not particularly limited. For example, for each work-in-progress shelf 4, an object to be processed (or a plurality of objects to be processed) that is reserved for storage by the work-in-progress shelf reservation unit 8. Reservation amount of cassettes that store products together) and storage of processed objects (or cassettes that store a plurality of processed objects collectively) managed by the in-process shelf management means 6 The available storage space can be confirmed by comparing with the possible amount.

  Similarly, the method for checking the vacancy of the storage space in each relay shelf 5 is not particularly limited. For example, for each relay shelf 5, an object to be processed (or a plurality of objects to be processed) reserved by the relay shelf reservation unit 9. (A cassette storing a plurality of objects to be processed) managed by the relay shelf management means 7 and a storable amount of the object to be processed. It is possible to check the free space in the storage space.

  In addition, when the relay shelf 5 is selected as a transit point, the transport control unit 11 has a space for storing the workpiece in accordance with the transport direction of the workpiece in the relay shelf 5 at the selected transit point. After confirming that the space of the relay shelf 5 is reserved, the relay shelf reservation unit 9 reserves the space, and the transport vehicle 2 carries the workpiece.

  Next, referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 9, the processing operation for controlling the transport between the processing apparatuses of the workpieces processed by the various processing apparatuses 1 by the transport control system according to the present embodiment. explain.

  The transport control system according to the present embodiment includes a transport control method including a transport destination determination step, a waypoint selection step, a reservation step, a transport step for shelves, a repetition step, and a transport step for unloading completion. It is configured to be executed by a transfer destination determination unit 10 and a transfer control unit 11 that are configured by a CPU (not shown).

  In the transport destination determination step, when a processing completion signal is transmitted from the processing apparatus 1 that has completed processing on the workpiece, the transport destination determination means 10 determines the in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the transport destination, When the unloading completion signal is transmitted from the processing device 1 from which the completed workpiece has been unloaded, the transfer destination determination unit 10 determines the transmission source processing device 1 as the transfer destination (steps S101 to S104).

  In the transit point selection step, the transport control unit 11 selects one work shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 as a transit point (steps S202, S210, S304, S405, and S501).

  The reservation step is selected as a waypoint after confirming that the work storage shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 of the waypoint selected by the transfer control means 11 has an empty space for storing the workpieces. In-process shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 is reserved (steps S204 to S205, S207 to S208, S211 to S212, S301 to S302, S305 to S306, S406 to S407, S503 to S504, and S506 to S507).

  In the transfer step for shelves, the transfer control unit 11 causes the transfer vehicle 2 (transfer unit) to transfer the object to be processed to the work shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 reserved in the reservation step (steps S206, S209, S213, and S303). , S307, S408, S505, and S508).

  The repetitive step is a transit point selection step, a reservation until the work process shelf 4 is selected as a transit point in the transit point selection step and the workpiece is transported to the work step shelf 4 in the next process. A step and a shelf transport step are executed (steps S203 and S502).

  The unloading completion transfer step is a process object from the work shelf 4 storing the process object to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 set as the transfer destination in the transfer destination determination steps (steps S101 to S104) to the processing apparatus 1. Is conveyed to the conveyance vehicle 2 (conveyance means) (step S215).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the transport destination determination step starting from when a signal is transmitted from the processing device in the transport control method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Specifically, the transfer destination determination means 10 starts from when the processing completion signal is transmitted from the processing apparatus 1 that has completed processing on the processing object or from the processing apparatus from which the processed processing object has been unloaded. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the process started from the time of the signal of completion of carrying out being transmitted.

Step S101:
First, the transport destination determining means 10 determines whether or not the signal transmitted from the processing device 1 is a processing completion signal. If the transmitted signal is a signal indicating completion of processing, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S103. If the transmitted signal is not a signal indicating completion of processing, specifically, completion of unloading is performed. If it is a signal, it is determined as “NO” and the process proceeds to step S102.

Step S102:
The transport destination determining means 10 determines the processing apparatus 1 as the transmission source as the transport destination, and shifts the processing to step S105.

Step S103:
The transport destination determining means 10 determines the processing device 1 for the next process, and shifts the processing to step S104. That is, the transport destination determination unit 10 determines the next processing apparatus 1 that takes over and processes the workpiece processed by the processing apparatus 1 that is the transmission source, and shifts the processing to step S104.

Step S104:
The transport destination determination means 10 determines the in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the transport destination, and shifts the processing to step S105. In other words, the in-process shelf 4 for managing the next process in which the unprocessed material in the processing apparatus 1 for the next process determined in step S103 is stored is managed by the in-process shelf managing unit 6. A plurality of work-in-progress shelves 4 are selected, the selected work-in-progress shelf 4 in the next process is determined as a transport destination, and the process proceeds to step S105. Here, for the in-process shelf 4 in the next process, for example, the in-process shelf 4 arranged in the vicinity of the processing apparatus 1 in the next process is selected.

Step S105:
The transport destination determination unit 10 transmits a transport instruction to the transport control unit 11 and ends the process. That is, the transport destination determination unit 10 transmits a transport instruction of the object to be transported to the transport destination determined in step S102 or step S104 to the transport control unit 11, and completes the entire process including steps S101 to S105. To do.

  FIGS. 6 to 9 show the transfer destination in the transfer control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, through the route selection step, the reservation step, the transfer step for the shelf, the repetition step, and the transfer step for unloading. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the process conveyed to.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of processing that starts when the transport destination is determined in the transport destination determination step in the transport control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows the implementation of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of processing that is started when the waypoint selected in the waypoint selection step is not a destination in the route control method according to the embodiment, and FIG. 8 relates to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of processing that starts when a workpiece is transported to the common space of the work-in-process shelf 4 in the transport control method, and FIG. 9 is a transport control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the process started from when a to-be-processed object is conveyed to the relay shelf.

  In the figure, terminal A means a transition to step S301 in FIG. 7, terminal B means a transition to step S401 in FIG. 8, and terminal C does a transition to step S501 in FIG. means.

Step S201:
First, the conveyance control unit 11 determines whether or not the conveyance destination of the received conveyance instruction is the processing apparatus 1, and when the conveyance destination is not the processing apparatus 1, that is, when the conveyance destination is the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process. , “NO” is determined and the process proceeds to step S202. If the processing apparatus 1 is determined, “YES” is determined and the process proceeds to step S215.

Step S202:
The transport control unit 11 selects one work-in-progress shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 as a transit point, and shifts the processing to step S203. In other words, the transport control unit 11 can transport from the current position of the workpiece to the transport destination from the plurality of in-process shelves 4 and one or more relay shelves 5 managed by the in-process shelf management unit 6 and the relay shelf management unit 7. One in-process shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 in the position along the conveyance path to the in-process shelf 4 in the next process is selected as a transit point, and the process proceeds to step S203. This waypoint selection is performed based on the waypoint selection table of FIG. For example, when the current position of the workpiece is the processing apparatus 1E1 and the transport destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3, the transport control unit 11 selects the relay shelf 5R1 as a transit point based on the transit point table.

Step S203:
The conveyance control unit 11 determines whether the waypoint selected in step S202 is a conveyance destination. That is, the transfer control means 11 determines whether or not the next process work shelf 4 is selected as a transit point, and when the next process work shelf 4 is selected as a transit point, "YES" is determined. If the determination is made and the process proceeds to step S204, and the work-in-progress shelf 4 of the next process is not selected as a waypoint, the determination is “NO” and the process proceeds to step S301.

Step S204:
The conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy in the dedicated space for the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the conveyance destination. If there is a vacancy, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S205. If there is no vacancy, the determination is “NO” and the process proceeds to step S207.

Step S205:
The conveyance control means 11 reserves a dedicated space for the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process, which is the conveyance destination, and shifts the processing to step S206. That is, the conveyance control unit 11 causes the in-process shelf reservation unit 8 to reserve a dedicated space for the in-process shelf 4 in the next process, which is a conveyance destination.

Step S206:
The transport control means 11 causes the transport vehicle 2 to transport the object to be processed to the dedicated space of the work-in-process shelf 4 reserved in step S205. As a result, the object to be processed is transported to the dedicated space of the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process, which is the transport destination, and the processing of the transport control method ends.

Step S207:
The conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is an empty space in the common space of the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process that is the conveyance destination. If there is a vacancy, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S208. If there is no vacancy, the determination is “NO” and the process proceeds to step S210.

Step S208:
The conveyance control means 11 reserves a common space for the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process, which is the conveyance destination, and shifts the processing to step S209. That is, the transfer control unit 11 causes the in-process shelf reservation unit 8 to reserve a common space for the next-process in-process shelf 4 as a transfer destination.

Step S209:
The conveyance control means 11 causes the conveyance vehicle 2 to convey the workpiece to the common space of the work-in-process shelf 4 reserved in step S208, and shifts the processing to step S401.

Step S210:
The transport control unit 11 selects an alternative waypoint and shifts the process to step S211. That is, the transport control unit 11 selects one work-in-progress shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 other than the work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 selected in Step S202 based on the alternative waypoint table in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S211.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, when the waypoint set in the route point table is the work-in-process shelf 4 in the transfer destination, the alternative route point table is adjacent to the work-in-progress shelf 4 in the transfer destination. Since a certain relay shelf 5 is set as an alternative waypoint, the transport control means 11 always selects one relay shelf 5 as an alternative waypoint in step S210.

  For example, the current position of the object to be processed is the processing device 1E1, the transport destination is the work-in-place shelf 4W1, and the transport control unit 11 selects the work-in-progress shelf 4W1 as the transport destination in step S202 based on the route table in FIG. However, when the processing is shifted to this step through step S203, step S204, and step S207, that is, when the transfer control unit 11 transfers the processing device 1E1 to the work in progress shelf 4W1, the work in progress shelf If it is determined that neither the 4W1 dedicated space nor the common space is free, the transport control means 11 selects the relay shelf 5R1 as an alternative waypoint based on the waypoint table in FIG.

  Note that, as described above, an alternative waypoint means that the work piece does not remain at the current position when there is no space in the relay shelf 5 or the work shelf 4 at the waypoint selected by the route point table. Therefore, there may be a further alternative waypoint when this alternative waypoint is not available, and the transport control method according to the present invention is Based on a plurality of alternative waypoint tables, a vacant waypoint may be selected.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when it is not possible to select an alternative waypoint based on the substitute waypoint table, that is, when there is no relay shelf 5 or work-in-place shelf 4 serving as an alternative waypoint, the process of step S211 Is skipped, and the process proceeds to step S214 (not shown).

Step S211:
The transport control unit 11 confirms whether there is a vacancy in the alternative waypoint selected in step S210. That is, the transfer control means 11 uses the relay shelf in which the empty space for storing the object to be processed corresponding to the object to be processed (arrow X1 or X2 in FIG. 1) is selected as an alternative waypoint in step S210. 5 is confirmed. If there is a vacancy, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S212. If there is no vacancy, the determination is “NO” and the process proceeds to step S214.

Step S212:
The transport control unit 11 reserves the relay shelf 5 selected in step S210, and shifts the processing to step S213. That is, the conveyance control unit 11 causes the relay shelf reservation unit 9 to reserve the relay shelf 5 selected in step S210. At this time, the conveyance control unit 11 causes the relay shelf reservation unit 9 to reserve the space of the relay shelf 5 according to the conveyance direction of the workpiece (arrow X1 or X2 in FIG. 1).

Step S213:
The conveyance control unit 11 causes the conveyance vehicle 2 to convey the object to be processed to the relay shelf 5 reserved in step S212, and shifts the process to step S501.

Step S214:
The conveyance control unit 11 shifts the process to step S204 after waiting for a predetermined time.

Step S215:
The conveyance control means 11 causes the conveyance vehicle 2 to convey the workpieces from the work shelf 4 storing the workpieces to be processed by the processing device 1 as the conveyance destination to the processing device 1.

  Next, the operation of the process consisting of steps S301 to S308 will be described. The process consisting of step S301 to step S308 starts when the conveyance control unit 11 determines that the transit point selected based on the transit point table is not the conveyance destination.

Step S301:
The conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy at the selected waypoint. As described above, in the waypoint table according to the present embodiment, the in-process shelf 4 at the transport destination or the relay shelf 5 at the position along the transport path of the in-process shelf 4 from the current position is set as the transit point. Therefore, in this step, the transit place where the transport control means 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy is always the relay shelf 5, and the transport control means 11 The vacancy is determined by the same process as in step S211, and if there is a vacancy, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S302. If there is no vacancy, the determination is “NO” and the step is performed. The process proceeds to S304.

Step S302:
The transport control means 11 reserves the selected relay shelf 5 and shifts the processing to step S303. That is, the conveyance control means 11 makes the relay shelf reservation means 9 reserve the relay shelf 5 selected in step S202 or step S501 described later by the same processing as in step S212.

Step S303:
The conveyance control means 11 causes the conveyance vehicle 2 to convey the object to be processed to the relay shelf 5 reserved in step S302, and shifts the process to step S501. In addition, when the current position of the workpiece is the work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5, the workpiece was stored at the timing when the workpiece was carried out to the transport vehicle 2 by carrying out the conveyance in this step. The reservation for storage of the processing object in the work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 is canceled.

Step S304:
The transport control unit 11 selects an alternative waypoint, and shifts the processing to step S305. That is, based on the alternative waypoint table in FIG. 4, one in-process shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 is selected as an alternative waypoint, and the process proceeds to step S305.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, when the transit point set in the transit point table is the relay shelf 5 located along the transport path of the work-in-progress shelf 4 from the current position, Since the work-in-progress shelf 4 adjacent to the relay shelf 5 set in the route-by table is set in the waypoint table, in this step, the transport control means 11 has one work-in-progress shelf as an alternative waypoint. 4 will be selected.

  For example, the current position of the workpiece is the processing device 1E1, the transport destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3, and the transport control unit 11 selects the relay shelf 5R1 based on the route table in FIG. When the process proceeds to step S301 through step S301, the transport control unit 11 selects the work-in-place shelf 4W1 as an alternative waypoint based on the waypoint table in FIG.

  Further, for example, the current position of the object to be processed is the relay shelf 5R1, the transfer destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3, and in step S501 described later, the transfer control unit 11 sets the relay shelf 5R2 based on the route table in FIG. When the selection is made and the process proceeds to step S501 and step S301, the transport control unit 11 selects the work-in-progress shelf 4W2 as an alternative waypoint based on the waypoint table in FIG.

Step S305:
The transport control unit 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy at the alternative waypoint selected in step S304. Specifically, the conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy in the common space of the work shelf 4 selected as an alternative waypoint in step S304 by the same processing as in step S207. Is determined as “YES” and the process proceeds to step S306. If there is no space, “NO” is determined and the process proceeds to step S308.

Step S306:
The transport controller 11 reserves a common space for the work-in-place shelf 4 that is the alternative waypoint selected in step S304, and shifts the processing to step S307. That is, the conveyance control unit 11 causes the work-in-place shelf reservation unit 8 to reserve the common space of the work-in-place shelf 4 as an alternative waypoint by the same process as in step S208.

Step S307:
The transport control means 11 causes the transport vehicle 2 to transport the object to be processed to the common space of the work shelf 4 reserved in step S306 by the same process as step S209, and shifts the process to step S401. In addition, when the current position of the workpiece is the work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5, the workpiece was stored at the timing when the workpiece was carried out to the transport vehicle 2 by carrying out the conveyance in this step. The reservation for storage of the processing object in the work-in-progress shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 is canceled.

Step S308:
The conveyance control unit 11 shifts the process to step S301 after waiting for a predetermined time.

  Next, the operation of the process consisting of steps S401 to S409 will be described. The process consisting of step S401 to step S409 starts when the object to be processed is transported to the common space of the work-in-place shelf 4.

Step S401:
The conveyance control unit 11 determines whether or not the current position of the object to be processed is the conveyance destination. If the conveyance destination is the conveyance destination, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S402. , "NO" is determined, and the process proceeds to step S405.

Step S402:
The transport control unit 11 determines whether or not the dedicated space of the work-in-progress shelf 4 that is the transport destination is vacant by the same process as in step S204. If it is vacant, it is determined as “YES” and the process proceeds to step S404. If it is not vacant, it is determined as “NO” and the process proceeds to step S403.

Step S403:
The conveyance control unit 11 shifts the process to step S402 after waiting for a predetermined time.

Step S404:
The conveyance control unit 11 changes the current position of the workpiece from the common space of the work shelf 4 to the dedicated space of the work shelf 4. Thereby, since it can be considered that the to-be-processed object was conveyed to the exclusive space of the work-in-progress shelf 4 of the next process, the conveyance control method is complete | finished.

  Since the common space and the dedicated space are in the same work-in-place shelf 4, it is not necessary to actually move the object to be processed from the common space to the dedicated space, and simply set the current position of the object to be processed for management. The common space may be changed to a dedicated space, and the reservation for storing the workpieces in the common space of the work-in-progress shelf 4 may be changed to reservation for storage in the dedicated space of the work-in-progress shelf 4.

Step S405:
The transport control means 11 selects one work-in-progress shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 as a transit point, and shifts the processing to step S406. That is, the conveyance control means 11 selects a waypoint based on the waypoint selection table of FIG. 3 by the process similar to step S202.

  As described above, when the current position is the work-in-progress shelf 4, since the relay shelf 5 is set as the relay point in the way-point table, in this step where the current position is a common space of the work-in-progress shelf 4, The transport control means 11 always selects one relay shelf 5.

Step S406:
The conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy in the relay shelf 5 at the waypoint selected in step S405. That is, the conveyance control means 11 carries out the processing object according to the conveyance direction (arrow X1 or X2 in FIG. 1) of the to-be-processed object to the relay shelf 5 of the selected waypoint by the process similar to step S211 and step S301. It is determined whether there is a free space for storage. If there is a vacancy, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S407. If there is no vacancy, the determination is “NO” and the process proceeds to step S409.

Step S407:
The conveyance control means 11 reserves the relay shelf 5 selected in step S405, and shifts the processing to step S408. That is, the transport control unit 11 causes the relay shelf reservation unit 9 to reserve the relay shelf 5 selected in step S405 by the same processing as in steps S212 and S302.

Step S408:
The conveyance control means 11 causes the conveyance vehicle 2 to convey the object to be processed to the relay shelf 5 reserved in step S407, and shifts the processing to step S501. By carrying out the transfer in this step, the reservation for the storage of the processed object in the common space of the work shelf 4 where the processed object is stored is canceled at the timing when the processed object is carried out to the transport vehicle 2. .

Step S409:
The conveyance control unit 11 shifts the process to step S406 after waiting for a predetermined time.

  Next, the operation of the process consisting of steps S501 to S509 will be described. The process consisting of step S501 to step S509 starts when the workpiece is transported to the relay shelf 5.

Step S501:
The transport control means 11 selects one work-in-progress shelf 4 or relay shelf 5 as a transit point, and shifts the processing to step S502. That is, the conveyance control means 11 selects a waypoint by the same process as step S202 and step S405. For example, when the current position of the object to be processed is the relay shelf 5R1 and the transport destination is the work-in-progress shelf 4W3, the transport control unit 11 selects the relay shelf 5R2 as a transit point based on the transit point table.

Step S502:
The conveyance control unit 11 determines whether the waypoint selected in step S501 is a conveyance destination. That is, the conveyance control means 11 determines whether the work-in-progress shelf 4 for the next process is selected as a waypoint through the same process as in step S203. When the next process work shelf 4 is selected as a transit point, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S503. When the next process work shelf 4 is not selected as a transit point, , "NO" is determined, and the process proceeds to step S301.

Step S503:
The conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is a vacancy in the dedicated space for the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process as the conveyance destination. In other words, the transfer control unit 11 determines whether or not there is a space in the dedicated space of the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process by the same processing as Step S204 and Step S402. If there is a space, "YES" is determined. Determination is made and the process proceeds to step S504. If there is no space, “NO” is determined and the process proceeds to step S506.

Step S504:
The conveyance control unit 11 reserves a dedicated space for the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process, which is the conveyance destination, and shifts the processing to step S505. That is, the transfer control unit 11 causes the in-process shelf reservation unit 8 to reserve a dedicated space for the next-process in-process shelf 4 as a transfer destination by the same processing as step S205.

Step S505:
The conveyance control unit 11 causes the conveyance vehicle 2 to carry the workpiece to the dedicated space of the work-in-process shelf 4 reserved in step S504 in the same process as in step S206. Thereby, a to-be-processed object is conveyed to the exclusive space of the work-in-progress shelf 4 of the next process, and a conveyance control method is complete | finished. By carrying out the transfer in this step, the reservation for the storage of the processed object in the relay shelf 5 storing the processed object is canceled at the timing when the processed object is carried out to the transport vehicle 2.

Step S506:
The conveyance control means 11 determines whether or not there is an empty space in the common space of the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process that is the conveyance destination. That is, it is determined whether or not there is a vacancy in the common space of the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process by the same processing as in steps S207 and S305. If there is a vacancy, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S507. If the process is shifted and there is no free space, “NO” is determined, and the process shifts to step S509.

Step S507:
The conveyance control means 11 reserves a common space for the work-in-process shelf 4 of the next process, which is the conveyance destination, and shifts the processing to step S508. In other words, the conveyance control unit 11 causes the in-process shelf reservation unit 8 to reserve a common space for the next-in-process in-process shelf 4 as a transfer destination by the same processing as in steps S208 and S306.

Step S508:
The transport control means 11 causes the transport vehicle 2 to transport the object to be processed to the common space of the work-in-process shelf 4 reserved in step S507 in the same process as in steps S209 and S307, and then proceeds to step S401. Shift processing.

Step S509:
The conveyance control unit 11 shifts the process to step S503 after waiting for a predetermined time.

  As described above, the transport control method according to the present invention includes the steps according to the present embodiment in the transport destination determination unit 10 (computer) and the transport control unit 11 (computer) configured by a CPU or the like (not shown). It is realized by a computer program that executes

  The computer program for executing each step (transport control method) described above can be stored in an appropriate storage medium via an appropriate storage device (for example, a storage device built in the computer or an external storage device connected to the computer). Is possible. By storing the data in the storage medium, the computer program can be easily applied to the transport control systems at different locations.

  As the storage medium, semiconductor devices such as mask ROM and flash ROM, hard disks, flexible disks, MO disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, BD-ROMs, magneto-optical disks, IC cards, magnetic tapes, etc. should be applied. Any other storage medium may be used as long as the computer program can be recorded. It is also possible to transmit the computer program itself by communication and record it in a destination storage medium.

  As described above, in the transfer control method according to the present embodiment, the waypoint selection step (steps S202, S210, S304, S405, and S501) includes the current position of the workpiece and the position of the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process. The transit point is selected based on the transit point table indicating the transit point according to the feature.

  Further, in the transport control method according to the present embodiment, the waypoint selection step (steps S202, S210, S304, S405, and S501) includes the waypoint shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 at the waypoint selected based on the waypoint table. If there is not enough space to store the workpieces, other work in progress based on the alternative waypoint table showing the alternatives of the waypoints according to the current position of the work piece and the position of the work in process shelf 4 in the next process The shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 is selected as a transit point.

  Further, in the transport control method according to the present embodiment, the space of each work-in-place shelf 4 in which the workpieces are stored is processed by the processing devices 1 constituting the processing device groups G1 to G3 in the vicinity of the work-in-place shelf 4. Are managed by being divided into a dedicated space in which only processed objects are stored and a common space in which all processed objects are stored, and reservation steps (steps S204 to S205, S207 to S208). , S211 to S212, S301 to S302, S305 to S306, S406 to S407, S503 to S504, and S506 to S507), when the next process in-process shelf 4 is selected, the in-process shelf 4 is empty. When a reserved space or common space is reserved and a work-in-progress shelf 4 other than the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process is selected as a transit point, the selected work-in-progress shelf 4 is empty. Characterized by a common space that are reserved.

  Further, in the transport control method according to the present embodiment, the space of each relay shelf 5 in which the workpieces are stored is managed separately for each transport direction in which the workpieces are transported. (Steps S204 to S205, S207 to S208, S211 to S212, S301 to S302, S305 to S306, S406 to S407, S503 to S504, and S506 to S507) are used when the selected waypoint is the relay shelf 5. Confirm that there is free space in the relay shelf 5 at the selected waypoint to store the object to be processed according to the conveyance direction of the object to be processed (the direction of the arrow X1 or X2 in FIG. 1). From the above, a space for the relay shelf 5 is reserved.

  Further, in the transport control method according to the present embodiment, the transport destination determination steps (steps S101 to S104) are performed when a signal indicating completion of transport is transmitted from the processing apparatus 1 from which the processed workpiece has been transported. The processing apparatus 1 as the transmission source is the transfer destination, and the processing device 1 is transferred from the work-in-place shelf 4 in which the workpieces processed by the processing apparatus 1 set as the transfer destination in the transfer destination determination steps (steps S101 to S104) are stored. The unloading completion conveyance step (step S215) for causing the conveyance vehicle 2 (conveyance means) to convey the object to be processed is provided.

  Further, as described above, in the transfer control program according to the present embodiment, the waypoint selection steps (steps S202, S210, S304, S405, and S501) are performed by the computer on the current position of the workpiece and the next process. A waypoint is selected based on a waypoint table indicating a waypoint according to the position of the shelf 4.

  Further, in the transfer control program according to the present embodiment, the waypoint selection step (steps S202, S210, S304, S405, and S501) is performed at the waypoint in-process shelf 4 that is selected by the computer based on the waypoint table. Alternatively, when there is no space for storing the workpieces in the relay shelf 5, based on the alternative waypoint table indicating the substitution of the route points according to the current position of the workpiece and the position of the work-in-progress shelf 4 in the next process The other in-process shelf 4 or the relay shelf 5 is selected as a transit point.

  Further, in the transfer control program according to the present embodiment, the space of each work-in-place shelf 4 in which the workpieces are stored is processed by the processing devices 1 constituting the processing device groups G1 to G3 in the vicinity of the work-in-place shelf 4. Are managed by being divided into a dedicated space in which only processed objects are stored and a common space in which all processed objects are stored, and reservation steps (steps S204 to S205, S207 to S208). , S211 to S212, S301 to S302, S305 to S306, S406 to S407, S503 to S504, and S506 to S507) are selected when the computer selects the in-process shelf 4 for the next process as a transit point. Reserves a vacant dedicated space or common space, and selects a work-in-progress shelf 4 other than the work-in-process shelf 4 in the next process as a transit point When allowed is characterized thereby reserve a common vacant space widget rack 4 is selected.

  In the transfer control program according to the present embodiment, the space of each relay shelf 5 in which the workpieces are stored is managed separately for each transfer direction in which the workpieces are transferred. (Steps S204 to S205, S207 to S208, S211 to S212, S301 to S302, S305 to S306, S406 to S407, S503 to S504, and S506 to S507), the transit point selected by the computer is the relay shelf 5. In some cases, a space for storing the object to be processed according to the conveyance direction of the object to be processed (the direction of the arrow X1 or X2 in FIG. 1) is vacant in the selected relay shelf 5 at the waypoint. After confirming this, the space of the relay shelf 5 is reserved.

  In the transfer control program according to the present embodiment, the transfer destination determination steps (steps S101 to S104) are transmitted to the computer from the processing apparatus 1 from which the processed workpiece has been transferred to the computer. Then, the processing apparatus 1 of the transmission source is set as the transport destination, and the computer stores the workpiece to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 set as the transport destination in the transport destination determination steps (steps S101 to S104). An unloading completion transporting step (step S215) for instructing the transporting vehicle 2 (transporting means) for transporting the object to be processed from the shelf 4 to the processing apparatus 1 is provided.

  The conveyance control system, the conveyance control method, or the conveyance control program of the present invention conveys between processing apparatuses such as semiconductor manufacturing, flat panel manufacturing of liquid crystal televisions, plasma televisions, etc. while performing delivery between a plurality of conveyance systems. Can be applied in production lines that require

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the conveyance mechanism in the conveyance control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the outline of a function structure of the conveyance control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. In the conveyance control system concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is a chart showing an example of the contents of a waypoint table memorized by conveyance control means. In the conveyance control system concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is a chart showing an example of the contents of an alternative waypoint table memorized by conveyance control means. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the process of the conveyance destination determination step started from the time the signal was transmitted from the processing apparatus in the conveyance control method which concerns on embodiment of this invention. In the conveyance control method concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is a flow figure showing operation of processing which starts when a conveyance destination is determined in a conveyance destination determination step. In the conveyance control method concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is a flow figure showing operation of processing which starts when the waypoint selected at the waypoint selection step is not a conveyance place. In the conveyance control method which concerns on embodiment of this invention, it is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the process started when a to-be-processed object is conveyed to the common space of a work-in-progress shelf. In the conveyance control method concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is a flow figure showing operation of processing which starts when a processed material is conveyed to a relay shelf.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing apparatus 11 Processing part 12 Port part 2 Conveyance vehicle (conveyance means)
3 Traveling rail 4 Work in progress shelf 5 Relay shelf 6 Work in progress shelf management means 7 Relay shelf management means 8 Work in progress shelf reservation means 9 Relay shelf reservation means 10 Transport destination determination means 11 Transport control means G1-G3 Processing unit group L1 Travel range L2 V2 travel range of the transport vehicle L3 V3 travel range of the transport vehicle

Claims (8)

A transport control system for controlling transport between processing devices to be processed by a plurality of various processing devices arranged along a production line,
A plurality of transfer means arranged along the production line for transferring the object to be processed from the processing apparatus of the previous process to the processing apparatus of the next process;
A plurality of devices that are arranged in the vicinity of a plurality of processing device groups each made up of one or more processing devices selected from among the various processing devices and that store workpieces before processing in the processing devices. In-process shelf management means for managing shelves,
When a processing completion signal is transmitted from a processing device that has completed processing on the workpiece, the processing device of the next process that takes over and processes the workpiece processed by the processing device of the transmission source is determined and determined. The work-in-process shelf for the next process in which workpieces before processing in the processing apparatus in the next process are stored is selected from the plurality of work-in-progress shelves managed by the work-in-process shelf managing means, and selected. A transport destination determining means for transmitting a transport instruction with the work-in-progress shelf in the next process as a transport destination;
A relay shelf management means for managing one or more relay shelves that are arranged between adjacent work-in-progress shelves and store workpieces that are relayed between the plurality of transport means in the middle of transport to the transport destination; ,
In-process shelf reservation means for reserving the storage of the processed material in the in-process shelf managed by the in-process shelf management means;
Relay shelf reservation means for reserving the storage of objects to be processed in the relay shelf managed by the relay shelf management means;
When receiving a transport instruction transmitted from the transport destination determination unit and using the work-in-progress shelf in the next step as a transport destination, the plurality of work-in-progress shelves managed by the work-in-progress shelf management unit and the relay shelf management unit and 1 From one or more relay shelves, one work shelf or relay shelf at a position along the transport path from the current position of the workpiece to the work-in-process shelf in the next process is selected as a transit point and selected. The in-process shelf selected as the in-process shelf reservation unit or the relay shelf reservation unit after confirming that a space for storing the workpieces in the in-process shelf or the relay shelf is available The relay shelf is reserved, and the process of causing the transport means to transport the work in progress to the reserved work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf is selected as the transit point, and the work-in-process shelf is selected. Said next step Transport control system, characterized in that it comprises a conveyance control means for repeating until conveyed to Kaketana.   The transfer control means stores a waypoint table indicating a waypoint according to the current position of the object to be processed and the position of the work-in-progress shelf in the next process, and the waypoint is determined based on the waypoint table. The transport control system according to claim 1, wherein the transport control system is selected.   The transport control means stores an alternative waypoint table indicating a substitute for a waypoint according to the current position of the workpiece and the position of the work-in-progress shelf in the next process, and is selected based on the route point table. In the case where there is no space for storing the processing object in the work-in-progress shelves or relay shelves, the other work-in-progress shelves or relay shelves are selected as the relay points based on the alternative way-by table. The conveyance control system according to claim 2. The work-in-progress shelf management means can store the space of each work-in-process shelf in which work pieces are stored, and only the work to be processed by the processing devices constituting the processing device group in the vicinity of the work-in-progress shelves is stored. And manage it by dividing it into a dedicated space and a common space where all objects to be processed are stored,
The transport control means, when selecting the work-in-progress shelf in the next process as a waypoint, causes the work-in-place reservation means to reserve the dedicated space or the common space that is free of the selected work in progress shelf. In the case where the transport means is transported by the transport means and the work-in-progress shelf other than the work-in-process shelf in the next process is selected as a transit point, the empty common space in the selected work-in-progress shelf is The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conveyance unit is made to carry out the conveyance of the object to be processed after the work-in-progress reservation unit is reserved. The relay shelf management means manages the space of each of the relay shelves in which the workpieces are stored by dividing the space for each conveyance direction in which the workpieces are conveyed,
In the case where the selected waypoint is the relay shelf, the transfer control means has a space for storing the object to be processed according to the transfer direction of the object to be processed in the relay shelf at the selected waypoint. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after confirming that the space has been confirmed, the relay shelf reservation unit reserves the space of the relay shelf and causes the transfer unit to carry the object to be processed. The conveyance control system as described in any one. When the unloading completion signal is transmitted from the processing apparatus from which the processed object to be processed has been unloaded, the transfer destination determining means transmits a transfer instruction with the processing apparatus as the transmission source as a transfer destination,
When the transport control means receives a transport instruction transmitted from the transport destination determination means to the processing apparatus as a transport destination, a work in which an object to be processed to be processed by the processing apparatus as the transport destination is stored The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conveyance unit is configured to convey an object to be processed from a shelf to the processing apparatus. By a plurality of conveying means arranged along the production line in order to convey the object to be processed by a plurality of various processing apparatuses arranged along the production line from the processing apparatus of the previous process to the processing apparatus of the next process A transport control method for controlling transport of workpieces between processing devices,
When a processing completion signal is transmitted from a processing device that has completed processing on the workpiece, the processing device of the next process that takes over and processes the workpiece processed by the processing device of the transmission source is determined and determined. A plurality of in-process shelves in which the workpieces before processing in the processing apparatus of the next process are stored are each composed of one or more processing apparatuses selected from the plurality of processing apparatuses. Selected from a plurality of work-in-place shelves that are respectively arranged in the vicinity of the processing device group and store the object to be processed in the processing device, and transported to the selected work-in-process shelf in the next process A pre-decision step;
Among the plurality of work-in-progress shelves and one or more relay shelves in which workpieces that are arranged between adjacent work-in-progress shelves and are relayed between the transport means in the middle of transport to the transport destination are stored Selecting one work-in-progress shelf or relay shelf at the position along the transport path from the current position of the workpiece to the work-in-progress shelf in the next process as the transport destination in the transport destination determination step A site selection step;
After confirming that a space for storing the processing object is vacant in the work-in-place shelf or the relay shelf at the way-point selected in the way-point selection step, the work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf selected as the route point A reservation step to make a reservation;
A transporting step for shelves that causes the transporting means to transport the workpiece to the work shelf or the relay shelf reserved in the reservation step;
Until the work-in-progress shelf in the next process is selected as a waypoint in the route-selection step, and the workpiece is transported to the work-in-progress shelf in the next process, the waypoint selection step, the reservation step, and the And a repetitive step of repeatedly executing the shelf transport step. A plurality of processing units arranged along a production line for conveying a workpiece to be processed by a plurality of various processing units arranged along a production line to a computer from a processing unit of a previous process to a processing unit of a next process. A transfer control program for controlling transfer between workpiece processing apparatuses by a transfer means,
When a processing completion signal is transmitted from a processing device that has completed processing on the processing object to the computer, a processing device for the next process for processing the processing object processed by the processing device at the transmission source is determined. One or more processes each selected from among the various processing devices, the work-in-progress shelves for the next process in which the unprocessed objects to be processed in the processing apparatus for the next process are stored. A plurality of in-process shelves arranged in the vicinity of a plurality of processing apparatus groups each configured to store a workpiece to be processed in the processing apparatus, and the selected in-process shelf in the next process is selected A transport destination determination step to be a transport destination;
One or more relay shelves in which a plurality of work-in-progress shelves and a workpiece to be relayed between the transfer means in the middle of the transfer to the transfer destination are stored in the computer. From the current position of the object to be processed to one intermediate shelf or relay shelf at a position along the conveyance path from the current position of the workpiece to the in-process shelf in the next process, which is the conveyance destination in the conveyance destination determination step Transit point selection step to be selected,
The computer confirms that there is a space for storing the workpieces in the work-in-progress shelf or the relay shelf at the waypoint selected in the waypoint selection step, and then the work-in-progress shelf selected as the waypoint or the A reservation step for reserving a relay shelf;
A shelf transport step for causing the computer to instruct the transport means to transport the workpiece to the work shelf or the relay shelf reserved in the reservation step;
Until the work-in-progress shelf in the next process is selected as a waypoint in the route-selection step in the computer and the workpiece is transported to the work-in-process shelf in the next process, the route selection step, the reservation step And a repetitive step for repeatedly executing the shelf transporting step.

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