JP2009173396A - Storage, and depositing and delivering method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storage capable of continuously depositing and delivering a cargo to store various substrates for manufacturing semiconductor devices between itself and a carrier vehicle such as, for example, a vehicle, etc. and capable of efficiently depositing and delivering the cargo in simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This storage 10 is furnished with a case body 10a, (i) a first shelf part arranged in the case body, free to place the first cargo and the other cargo 3 on it, constituted free to horizontally move between the inside and the outside of the case body through a first entrance provided on an outside wall of the case body and to function as a depositing port on which the first cargo is placed by vertically placing from the carrier vehicle 2 when it is moved to the outside, (ii) a plurality of shelf parts 15 positioned upward above the first shelf part and arranged in the vertical direction including the other shelf part to function as a delivering port from which the other cargo is fetched out by lateral transferring and placing to the carrier vehicle through the other entrance provided on the outside wall of the case body and an outside inside moving means 21 to selectively and horizontally move the first shelf part to the outside and the inside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a storage in which loading and unloading of a load such as FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that accommodates various substrates for manufacturing semiconductor elements is continuously performed with a transport vehicle such as a vehicle, and the storage The present invention relates to the technical field of warehouse loading and unloading methods.

  As this type of storage, for example, at least one slide plate capable of temporarily storing two loads above a port for loading / unloading such as a loading / unloading port and below a track of a transport vehicle, Some include a slide mechanism capable of advancing and retracting at least one slide plate. In such a storage, goods are transferred to and from the transport vehicle using the slide plate advance / retreat function and the load lifting / lowering function of the transport vehicle. Specifically, for the transfer operation, first, the load to be stored that is being held by the transporter is placed on the slide plate, and then the load that is to be unloaded placed on the port is placed on the slide plate. Placed. Thereafter, the load to be stored on the slide plate is transferred (i.e., received) to the port, and subsequently the load to be output on the slide plate is transferred (i.e., output) to the transport vehicle. In this way, loading and unloading is performed continuously between the port in the storage and one transport vehicle (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2007-096140 A JP 2007-096145 A

  However, according to the storages described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the load to be received and the load to be discharged are temporarily stored on the slide plate, so that the transfer is directly from the transport vehicle to the transport vehicle. It takes more time to move in and out. In order to shorten the operation time required for such storage, the slide plate can be advanced and retracted at a high speed and the lifting / lowering function can be driven at a high speed. However, it depends on the load to be loaded and unloaded. There is a technical problem that vibration increases. Moreover, the installation of the slide plate and the slide mechanism used for continuous loading and unloading invites an increase in the cost of the entire transport system.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, for example, and provides a storage that enables efficient loading and unloading with a simple configuration, and a method for loading and unloading such a storage. Is an issue.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the first storage of the present invention can receive and load one load and another load, and can move up and down the one load and the other load, respectively, and can transfer the load. A storage that is continuously performed with a transport vehicle, and is arranged in the casing or the frame, the casing or the frame, and can accommodate or place the one load and the other load. And (i) horizontal in a state in which the one load is placed between the inside and outside of the casing or the frame through one doorway provided on the outer wall of the casing or the outer frame of the frame. A shelf part configured to be movable and functioning as a warehousing port on which the one load is placed vertically by the carrier when moved to the outside; and (ii) the one shelf Located above the part, and other entrances and exits provided on the outer wall or the outer frame A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including other shelf parts that function as unloading ports from which the other loads are taken out by lateral transfer to the transport vehicle, and the one shelf part is And an outer / inner moving means for selectively horizontally moving to the outer side and the inner side.

  According to the first storage of the present invention, at the time of warehousing, for example, one load such as FOUP to be garnished is transported to the warehousing port by a transport vehicle that travels along a track laid on the ceiling, for example. Here, the “transport vehicle” is, for example, an overhead traveling vehicle, a gripper mechanism that holds a load, a hoist mechanism that lifts and lowers the load together with the gripper mechanism, and a load function that accommodates the gripper mechanism and the hoist mechanism and has a traveling function. It has a body part. Further, the transport vehicle is configured to be able to be moved laterally for unloading, and further includes, for example, a hoist mechanism and a slider mechanism for projecting the gripper from the main body in the lateral direction.

  One shelf part that functions as a warehousing port before or after the conveyance of such a conveyance vehicle is, for example, by an outer / inner movement means having a slider mechanism, a conveyor mechanism, etc. It is moved to the outside of the housing or the frame through one doorway provided in the outer frame. That is, one shelf portion is in a state of protruding out of the housing or frame. In this state, one load is typically transferred vertically or placed from the stopped transport vehicle to the warehousing port, which is one shelf portion moved to the outside of the housing or frame. . Specifically, for example, one load is lowered from the upper position of the warehousing port to the warehousing port by the lifting / lowering operation of the hoist mechanism or the like while being held by the gripper mechanism or the like in the transport vehicle. Furthermore, it is transferred to the warehousing port by the releasing operation of the gripper mechanism or the like.

  When the transfer to the warehousing port is completed in this manner, this time, the one shelf portion that functions as the warehousing port is moved to the inside of the housing or the frame by the outer / inner moving means. Subsequently, one load is moved from one shelf portion to a desired shelf portion among a plurality or a plurality of shelf portions by, for example, driving means including a vertical drive unit and a horizontal drive unit. That is, it is conveyed in the storage following the warehousing operation. Such in-storage conveyance may be performed in parallel with or in parallel with the operation relating to the delivery described below.

  On the other hand, at the time of delivery, other loads to be delivered are synchronized with or in parallel with the operation related to the above-mentioned entry from the desired shelf part among a plurality of or many shelf parts by the driving means in the storage. It is transported in the storage to the delivery port. Subsequently, another load is laterally transferred from the delivery port to the transport vehicle that has finished the storage in the stopped state via another entrance provided in the housing or the frame. Specifically, the hoist mechanism and the gripper mechanism, in which other loads are ejected laterally by the slide mechanism, for example, up to the delivery port, by the transport vehicle having the lateral transfer function that has been transferred to the entry port. By this, it is horizontally transferred from the delivery port to the transport vehicle. Thereafter, for example, the delivered cargo is accommodated in the main body together with the gripper mechanism, the hoist mechanism, and the slider mechanism in the transport vehicle and transported.

  For the combination of the warehousing port and one shelf part, and the combination of the evacuating port and other shelf part, the port and the shelf part are not handled separately, and one of the warehousing port and the shelf part, and the exit port and the shelf part. One may be used for both.

  As a result of the above, it is possible to continuously execute warehousing and unloading by a series of transfer operations by the transport vehicle stopped on the warehousing port. In addition, on the storage side, the operation related to warehousing and the operation related to warehousing can be executed in advance at least partially in parallel and before the arrival of the transport vehicle. At this time, it is not necessary to temporarily store the load to be stored or unloaded as in the background art described above, and can be directly transferred from the transport vehicle to the storage port and subsequently transferred from the output port to the transport vehicle. . Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit with a relatively simple configuration.

  In one aspect of the first storage of the present invention, when the one load is to be received, the outer / inner moving means is controlled so as to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the outer side, The apparatus further includes control means for controlling the outer / inner movement means to horizontally move the one shelf portion inward after the load is placed on the one shelf portion.

  According to this aspect, when one load is to be received, the one shelf portion is placed outside the housing or the frame by the outer / inner moving means under the control of the control means having a controller, a processor, a memory, and the like. It can be moved horizontally to function as a warehousing port that can be placed immediately. That is, one load can be stored in the storage through the storage port protruding outward from the housing or frame. Further, under the control of the control means, the one shelf portion on which one load is transferred is horizontally moved to the inside of the housing or the frame by the outer / inner movement means. Therefore, it is possible to carry in the storage of the one load that has been received without delay from the transfer to the storage port.

  In this way, with a relatively simple configuration in which one shelf portion is horizontally moved to the inside and outside of the housing or frame, it is possible to quickly and efficiently enter the warehouse and carry in the storage following the entry. .

  In this aspect, the mounting portion having a first mounting surface capable of supporting the one load and the other load from the bottom side, and the mounting portion is moved between the plurality of shelf portions. And a driving means that is capable of, when the one load is to be received, after the one shelf portion has been horizontally moved to the inside, the one load by the placement unit. When the other load is to be delivered by controlling the driving means to move the one shelf part to a shelf part other than the one shelf part among the plurality of shelf parts, Thus, the driving means may be controlled so as to move the other load from a shelf portion other than the other shelf portion to the other shelf portion among the plurality of shelf portions.

  If comprised in this way, the mounting part which supports one load and another load on the 1st mounting surface from the bottom side, respectively, will be several by the drive means which has an actuator, a slider, a motor, a robot arm etc., for example. Moved between each other's shelf parts. By this movement, it is possible to carry in the storage at the time of entering and exiting as described above.

  In this case, in particular, the control means, after the one shelf portion is horizontally moved to the inside of the housing or the frame, removes one load placed on the one shelf portion by the placement portion other than the one shelf portion. The driving means is controlled so as to move to the shelf portion. Here, the “shelf part other than one shelf part” is, for example, a storage shelf part or another shelf part that functions as a delivery port, and when moved to the storage shelf part, Is at least temporarily accommodated in the storage. In addition, when the other load is to be delivered, the control means drives the loading unit to move the other load from the shelf portion other than the other shelf portion to the other shelf portion among the plurality of shelf portions. To control. Here, the “shelf part other than the other shelf part” is, for example, a storage shelf part or one shelf part that functions as a warehousing port.

  When such preparation for unloading is performed prior to warehousing, other cargo can be unloaded by the transporting vehicle immediately after the warehousing is completed. Thereby, the delivery operation can be made more efficient.

  In this aspect, the drive means further includes a horizontal drive unit that can reciprocate the placement unit in one horizontal direction, and a vertical drive unit that can reciprocate the placement unit in the vertical direction, One or a plurality of shelf portions are provided at a horizontal position that can be reached by the horizontal driving unit for each step over a plurality of steps in the vertical direction, and the load is exchanged with the first mounting surface. Each of the plurality of shelf parts has a second placement surface configured to be transferable, and one of the plurality of shelf parts functions as the delivery port, and the delivery port of the plurality of shelf parts The second placement surface of the shelf portion located in the lower stage may function as the warehousing port.

  If constituted in this way, in the case of transport in the storage, for example, a horizontal actuator, The placement unit is reciprocated in one horizontal direction by a horizontal drive unit such as a horizontal slider or a robot arm horizontal movement mechanism. Before and after the movement in one horizontal direction, the mounting portion is moved in the vertical direction by a vertical drive unit such as a vertical elevator, a vertical actuator, a robot arm vertical movement mechanism, etc. It is reciprocated. Thereafter, the load is transferred from the second placement surface to the first placement surface in the shelf portion of the transfer source. Further, the placement unit is reciprocated in one horizontal direction by the horizontal driving unit toward the “conveying destination” shelf part among the plurality of shelf parts. Before and after the movement in one horizontal direction, the placement unit is reciprocated in the vertical direction by the vertical drive unit toward the shelf portion of the transport destination. Thereafter, the load is transferred from the first placement surface to the second placement surface in the shelf portion of the transport destination. The delivery of the load between the mounting surfaces here is performed as follows.

  That is, the plurality of shelf portions have a plurality of placement surfaces (that is, second placement surfaces) arranged in a single row or a plurality of rows in the vertical direction. For example, m (where m is a natural number of 2 or more) in the vertical direction, n (where n is a natural number of 1 or more) columns in one horizontal direction, and the remaining horizontal direction (hereinafter simply “ The skeleton of the entire shelf is configured so as to be a thin and vertically elongated flat plate shape, such as only one row in the “thickness direction”. For example, in a state where a load is placed on the first placement surface, the placement unit is configured so that the inside of such a storage is two directions or two axes of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction by a vertical drive unit and a horizontal drive unit. It is configured to be movable in the direction.

  The first and second placement surfaces can transfer one load and the other load to each other. At the time of warehousing, for example, one shelf portion that functions as a warehousing port is moved to the outside of the housing or the frame, and one load is vertically transferred from the transport vehicle to the second placement surface of the one shelf portion. By this vertical transfer, one load is received in the storage. Subsequently, when the one shelf portion is moved to the inside of the housing or the frame, one load can be transported in the storage. Subsequently, one load on the second placement surface of the one shelf portion is transferred to the first placement surface of the placement portion movable in the biaxial direction. For example, the first and second mounting surfaces are configured to support different portions (typically, a portion closer to the center and a portion closer to the periphery) on the bottom surface of the load (one load or the other load). It is possible to support a load (one load or another load) on either side. Specifically, when the placement unit is moved to a vertical position and a horizontal position where the second placement surface exists, the first placement surface supports one load instead of the second placement surface. Thus, transfer from the second placement surface to the first placement surface is performed. Typically, the first load is supported by the first placement surface by being moved by the vertical drive unit until the first placement surface becomes higher than the second placement surface. Thereby, the conveyance in the storage at the time of warehousing is started. Here, by a simple two-axis operation by the vertical drive unit and the horizontal drive unit, it is possible to quickly carry in the storage to any second mounting surface in the shelf portion.

  Subsequently, when the placement unit is moved to the vertical position and the horizontal position where the second placement surface to be used for storage exists, the second placement surface is replaced with the first placement surface. By supporting one load, transfer from the first placement surface to the second placement surface is performed. Typically, one load is supported by the second placement surface by being moved by the vertical drive unit until the first placement surface becomes lower than the second placement surface. Thereby, the conveyance in the storage at the time of goods receipt is complete | finished, and the storage in a shelf part is started.

  On the other hand, at the time of delivery, the placement unit is moved to a vertical position and a horizontal position where a second placement surface on which another load to be delivered is placed is present. Subsequently, instead of the second placement surface, the first placement surface is used to support the transfer from the second placement surface to the first placement surface. Typically, the other load is supported by the first placement surface by being moved by the vertical drive unit until the first placement surface becomes higher than the second placement surface. Thereby, the conveyance in the storage at the time of delivery is started. Subsequently, the placement unit is moved to a vertical position and a horizontal position where the second placement surface that functions as an exit port is present. Here, the conveyance in the storage can be quickly performed from any second mounting surface by a simple two-axis operation by the vertical driving unit and the horizontal driving unit.

  Subsequently, transfer from the first placement surface to the second placement surface functioning as the exit port is performed by supporting the second placement surface functioning as the exit port instead of the first placement surface. . Typically, the load is supported by the second placement surface by being moved by the vertical drive unit until the first placement surface becomes lower than the second placement surface. As a result, the transport in the storage at the time of delivery is completed, and the transfer from the delivery port to the transport vehicle is possible.

  Thereafter, the other vehicles are transferred from the delivery port to the transport vehicle by the transport vehicle that has finished entering the storage and has been waiting at the same position on the track. As a result of this horizontal transfer, other cargo is delivered from the storage.

  Especially in this aspect, the shelf part (in other words, the 2nd mounting surface of this shelf part) which functions as a warehousing port among several shelf parts is located in the lower stage of the delivery port. Specifically, when one shelf part at the uppermost stage is set as the exit port, the shelf part at the lower stage of the exit port at the second stage from the top is set as the entry port. However, in order to make the shelf part function as a warehousing port, the shelf part is moved outside the housing or the frame. In this setting, when the transport vehicle is stopped at the stop position with respect to the storage, for example, a storage port is disposed below the transport vehicle, and a delivery port is disposed on the side of the transport vehicle. In this arrangement, the stop position of the transport vehicle (that is, the transfer position for transfer to and from the storage) is not changed, and the vertical movement distance and the horizontal transfer during the vertical transfer by the transport vehicle. The horizontal movement distance at the time is the shortest. Thereby, since the transfer time of the load (one load and the other load) by the transport vehicle can be shortened, the loading / unloading operation performed continuously with the transport vehicle can be made more efficient. . The outer / inner moving means and the horizontal driving unit may share or share a mechanism or function at least partially.

  In another aspect of the first storage of the present invention, the delivery port has a relatively short time for the transfer vehicle to transfer from the delivery port at a stop position for delivering the other load. Set as a thing.

  According to this aspect, since another load is moved from the delivery port to the transport vehicle in a short time, the delivery operation can be made faster and more efficient. For example, the exit port may be on the same vertical as the one shelf portion set as the entrance port.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the second storage of the present invention can receive and load one load and another load, and can move up and down the one load and the other load, respectively. A storage that is continuously performed with a transport vehicle, and is arranged in the casing or the frame, the casing or the frame, and can accommodate or place the one load and the other load. Yes, (i) horizontal with the other load placed between the inside and outside of the casing or the frame through one doorway provided in the outer wall of the casing or the outer frame of the frame A shelf part that is configured to be movable and functions as a delivery port when the other load is picked up by the vertical placement when moved to the transport vehicle; and (ii) from the one shelf part Are also located above and other outputs provided on the outer wall or the outer frame. A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including another shelf part functioning as a warehousing port in which the one load is placed from the transport vehicle by lateral transfer through the mouth; and the one shelf part And an outer / inner moving means for selectively horizontally moving the outer side and the inner side.

  According to the second storage of the present invention, at the time of warehousing, one load to be warehousing is conveyed to the warehousing port by the conveyance vehicle. The transport vehicle is configured to be capable of lateral transfer for warehousing. One load is laterally transferred or placed from the stopped transport vehicle to the warehousing port via another doorway provided in the housing or the frame.

  When the transfer to the warehousing port is completed in this way, one load is transported from the warehousing port to a desired shelf portion among a plurality or a plurality of shelf portions by the driving means. Such in-storage conveyance may be performed in parallel with or in parallel with the operation relating to the delivery described below.

  On the other hand, at the time of delivery, for example, one shelf part that functions as a delivery port is provided on the outer wall of the housing or the outer frame of the frame by the outer / inner moving means, in parallel with or in parallel with the operation related to the above-described warehousing. It is moved to the inside of the housing or the frame through the one entrance. Subsequently, another load to be delivered is transported from the desired shelf part among the plurality or a plurality of shelf parts to one shelf part by the driving means, and placed on the one shelf part. Subsequently, the one shelf portion is moved to the outside of the casing or the frame through the one entrance by the outer / inner moving means, and is brought out of the casing or the frame. In this state, other loads are typically longitudinally routed from the exit port, which is the one shelf part moved to the outside of the housing or frame, to the transported vehicle that has finished entering the stopped state. Reprinted. Thereafter, for example, the delivered cargo is accommodated in the main body of the transport vehicle and transported.

  Note that for the combination of the warehousing port and other shelf parts, and the combination of the evacuation port and one shelf part, the port and the shelf part are not handled separately, and one of the warehousing port and the shelf part, and the delivery port and the shelf part. One may be used for both.

  As a result of the above, it is possible to continuously execute warehousing and unloading by a series of transfer operations by the transporting vehicle stopped on the unloading port. In addition, on the storage side, the operation related to warehousing and the operation related to warehousing can be executed in advance at least partially in parallel and before the arrival of the transport vehicle. At this time, it is not necessary to temporarily store the load to be stored or unloaded as in the background art described above, and can be directly transferred from the transport vehicle to the storage port and subsequently transferred from the output port to the transport vehicle. . Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit with a relatively simple configuration.

  In one aspect of the second storage of the present invention, when the other load is to be unloaded, the one shelf portion is horizontally moved to the outside in a state where the other load is placed. The apparatus further comprises control means for controlling the outer / inner movement means to control the outer / inner movement means so as to horizontally move the one shelf portion inward after the other load is taken up.

  According to this aspect, when another load is to be delivered, the one shelf portion is moved horizontally to the outside of the housing or the frame by the outer / inner moving means under the control of the control means, and immediately It can function as a shipping port that can be picked up. That is, another load can be delivered from the storage through the delivery port protruding outward from the housing or frame. Furthermore, under the control of the control means, the one shelf portion in which another load is taken up is moved horizontally by the outer / inner movement means to the inside of the housing or the frame. Therefore, it is possible to carry in the storage of other loads to be delivered next time after picking up from the delivery port.

  In this way, with a relatively simple configuration in which one shelf part is horizontally moved to the inside and outside of the housing or frame, the goods can be quickly and efficiently delivered and the other goods to be delivered next time can be transported in the storage. It can be performed.

In order to solve the above problems, the first loading / unloading direction of the present invention includes (I) a housing or a frame, (II
) Arranged in the casing or frame and capable of accommodating or placing one load and another load, and (i) via one doorway provided on the outer wall of the casing or the outer frame of the frame The one load is configured to be horizontally movable in a state where the one load is placed between the inside and the outside of the casing or the frame, and the one load is transferred from the transport vehicle when moved to the outside. One shelf part that functions as a storage port placed by vertical placement, and (ii) located above the one shelf part, and through another doorway provided in the outer wall or the outer frame A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including other shelf parts that function as unloading ports from which the other loads are taken out by lateral transfer to the transport vehicle, and (III) the one shelf part Outward / inward movement that selectively moves horizontally to the outside and the inside The storage of the one load and the unloading of the other load are continuously performed between the storage provided with the means and the transport vehicle capable of moving up and down each of the one load and the other load. A first control step of controlling the outer / inner moving means to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the outside when the one load is to be received, After the first control step, after the one load is placed on the one shelf portion, a second control that controls the outer / inner movement means to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the inside. A process.

  According to the first loading / unloading method of the present invention, similar to the above-described first storage box of the present invention, one load to be loaded and another load to be unloaded are transported directly without temporarily leaving them. Transfer from the vehicle to the warehousing port or from the warehousing port to the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit with a relatively simple configuration.

  In addition, also in the 1st loading / unloading method of this invention, it is possible to take the various aspects similar to the various aspects in the 1st storage of this invention mentioned above.

  In one aspect of the first loading / unloading method of the present invention, the storage has a loading section having a first loading surface capable of supporting the one load and the other load from the bottom side, and the loading section. And a driving means that is movable between the plurality of shelf portions, and when the one load is to be received, the one shelf portion is moved inward by the second control step. After the horizontal movement, the driving means is controlled to move the one load from the one shelf portion to a shelf portion other than the one shelf portion among the plurality of shelf portions after the horizontal movement. 3 control step and when the other load is to be delivered, the other load is placed on the plurality of shelf parts by the above-described placement unit in parallel with or in parallel with the first to third control steps. The drive means is controlled to move from a shelf portion other than the other shelf portion to the other shelf portion. Further comprising a fourth control step.

  According to this aspect, the storage at the time of warehousing and at the time of warehousing is performed by moving the placing portion having the first placing surface between the plurality of shelf portions by using the driving means in the third control step. Internal conveyance is possible. In the transport in the storage, specifically, one load placed on one shelf portion after the one shelf portion is horizontally moved to the inside of the housing or the frame is other than one shelf portion. Moved to the shelf part. When the shelf portion other than the one shelf portion is, for example, a storage shelf portion, the received one load is at least temporarily accommodated in the storage. Further, at the time of delivery, another load is moved from a shelf portion other than the other shelf portion to the other shelf portion among the plurality of shelf portions. When the shelf part other than the other shelf part is, for example, a storage shelf part, another load stored in the storage is placed on the delivery port. When such preparation for unloading is performed prior to warehousing, other cargo can be unloaded by the transporting vehicle immediately after the warehousing is completed. Thereby, the delivery operation can be made more efficient.

In order to solve the above problems, the second loading / unloading direction of the present invention includes (I) a housing or a frame, (II
) Arranged in the casing or frame and capable of accommodating or placing one load and another load, and (i) via one doorway provided on the outer wall of the casing or the outer frame of the frame The other load is configured to be horizontally movable in a state where the other load is placed between the inside and the outside of the casing or the frame, and when the other load is moved to the outside, the other load is transferred to the transport vehicle. One shelf part that functions as an exit port picked up by vertical placement, and (ii) located above the one shelf part, through another entrance provided in the outer wall or the outer frame, A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including another shelf part functioning as a warehousing port in which the one load is placed by transfer from the transport vehicle, and (III) the one shelf part is placed on the outside And outer / inner movement to selectively move horizontally inward A storage provided with a means, and the loading of the one load and the unloading of the other load are capable of raising and lowering the one load and the other load, respectively, and the transfer vehicle capable of lateral transfer, It is a loading / unloading method for continuously loading and unloading the one load and unloading the other load, and when the other load is to be unloaded, the other load is placed on the one load. A first control step for controlling the outer / inner movement means so as to horizontally move the shelf portion to the outside, and after the other load is taken up following the first control step, the one shelf portion is moved And a second control step of controlling the outer / inner moving means so as to horizontally move inward.

  According to the second loading / unloading method of the present invention, like the second storage box of the present invention described above, one load to be loaded and another load to be unloaded are transported directly without temporarily leaving them. Transfer from the vehicle to the warehousing port or from the warehousing port to the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit with a relatively simple configuration.

  In addition, also in the 2nd loading / unloading method of this invention, it is possible to take the various aspects similar to the various aspects in the 2nd storage of this invention mentioned above.

  The operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the best mode for carrying out the invention described below.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First Embodiment>

  A configuration of the storage according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

  First, an outline of a transport system having a storage will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a transport system including a storage according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the transport system 100 includes a rail 1, a vehicle 2, a stocker 10, and a controller 20. The transport system 100 drives the vehicle 2 and transports the FOUP 3 on the rail 1. The rail 1 serves as a track for the vehicle 2 to travel.

  The vehicle 2 is, for example, an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport) (overhead traveling vehicle) driven by a linear motor as an example of the “transport vehicle” according to the present invention, and includes a stocker 10, a manufacturing apparatus (not shown), an OHT buffer, and a large stocker. For example, the FOUP 3 is conveyed. The vehicle 2 includes a main body 2a, a vertical movement unit 5, and a horizontal movement unit 6, and enables vertical transfer of the FOUP 3 to be stored and horizontal transfer of the FOUP 3 to be output.

  The main body 2a has an up / down moving part 5 and a horizontal moving part 6 arranged therein. The vertical movement part 5 is attached to the lower part of the horizontal movement part 6 so that horizontal movement is possible. In the main body 2a, a space that can accommodate the FOUP 3 is provided below the up-and-down moving unit 5. The main body 2a opens a bottom surface below the space and a side surface on one side of the space (that is, the left side surface of the vehicle 2 in FIG. 1), and moves the FOUP 3 accommodated therein vertically and horizontally. It is possible to move.

  Next, the internal configuration of the storage shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 2 schematically shows the internal structure of the storage of FIG. 1 together with the operation state of the vertical transfer by the transport vehicle, and FIG. 3 shows this internal structure together with the operation state of the lateral transfer by the transport vehicle. This is shown schematically.

  2 and 3, the up-and-down moving unit 5 includes a hoist 5a, a belt 5b, and a gripper 5c. The hoist 5a includes a motor (not shown), and performs an operation of feeding or winding the belt 5b under the control of the motor. In the belt 5b, one end is fixed to a winding shaft (not shown) of the hoist 5a, and the other end is fixed to the upper surface of the gripper 5c. The gripper 5c is bent inward at both ends so that the flange 4 attached to the upper part of the FOUP 3 can be gripped. The gripper 5c can be displaced between a gripping state in which the flange 4 is gripped and a released state in which the flange 4 is released. The hoist 5a moves the gripper 5c up and down by feeding or winding the belt 5b. The vehicle 2 may further include an adjustment mechanism that finely adjusts a position (for example, a position in two horizontal directions and a rotation direction) of the gripper 5c with respect to the entry or exit port.

  The horizontal moving unit 6 includes a main body 6a, a rail 6b, and a motor or actuator (not shown). A recess (not shown) is formed on the bottom surface of the main body 6a, and a rail 6b is fitted in the recess. The rail 6b is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the horizontal direction orthogonal to the rail 1, and is moved in the horizontal direction by the main body 6a. The upper part of the vertical movement part 5 is fitted to the lower part of the rail 6b, and the vertical movement part 5 is moved along the rail 6b.

  When the vehicle 2 receives the FOUP 3 to / from the stocker 10 and / or issues the FOUP 3 to the stocker 10, the vehicle 2 stops above the warehousing port P 1 in the stocker 10 and to the side of the evacuation port P 4. Is done. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, when moving in, the up-and-down moving unit 5 lowers the gripper 5c in the gripping state, and the gripper 5c brings the bottom surface of the FOUP 3 in the gripping state into contact with the storage port P1. The FOUP 3 to be stored is placed on the storage port P1 (that is, vertically transferred) by releasing at the closed position. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal moving unit 6 moves the hoist 5a horizontally above the shipping port P4 by moving the rail 6b horizontally and moving the vertical moving unit 5 along the rail 6b. Move. Further, the up-and-down moving unit 5 lowers the released gripper 5c from the moved position, and grips the FOUP 3 placed on the delivery port P4 by the gripper 5c, so that the FOUP 3 to be delivered is delivered to the delivery port. Take out from P4 (that is, transfer horizontally). In the present embodiment, the vehicle 2 continuously performs such a warehousing operation and a warehousing operation.

  As an example of “one load” and “other load” according to the present invention, the FOUP 3 is transported (that is, stored) in the stocker 10 for entering and leaving the vehicle 2 and adjusting the storage position. Inside transport).

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the structure and operation for transferring the FOUP between the placement units will be described. FIG. 4 shows the engagement state of the first and second placement surfaces according to the first embodiment with respect to the load, and FIG. 5 shows the operation state of the placement portion according to the embodiment in one horizontal direction. Show.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the FOUP 3 has a recess 5 and a recess 6 on the bottom surface. The recessed part 5 is formed in the size corresponding to the convex part 16 provided in the below-described shelf part 15. On the other hand, the recessed part 6 is formed in the size corresponding to the convex part 12 provided in the mounting part 11 mentioned later.

In FIG. 1 again, the controller 20 instructs the stocker 10 to load / unload the FOUP 3 (conveyance in the storage) based on, for example, a process schedule for manufacturing semiconductor elements. In response to this instruction, the stocker 10 is driven, and various processes are performed on the FOUP 3 conveyed by the vehicle 2 to manufacture a semiconductor element.
(Storage only)

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the structure and operation of the single storage will be described. The stocker 10 is laid adjacent to the rail 1 as an example of a “storage” according to the present invention, and stores a plurality of FOUPs 3. In the present embodiment, the stocker 10 continuously performs a loading operation of a load to be loaded and a loading operation of a load to be unloaded with the vehicle 2.

  In FIG. 2, the stocker 10 includes a main body portion 10 a, an in-storage transport device 19, a plurality of shelf portions 15, and a slide portion 21. The in-storage transport device 19 includes a placement unit 11, a horizontal drive unit 13, and a vertical drive unit 14, and transfers the FOUP 3 between the plurality of shelf portions 15 under the control of the controller 20.

  As an example of the “casing or frame” according to the present invention, the main body 10a is opened so that the FOUP 3 can be loaded and unloaded. Specifically, the main body 10a is formed with an opening H1 for taking in the FOUP 3 to be received into the main body 10a and an opening H2 for taking out the FOUP 3 to be taken out from the main body 10a. The opening H1 is provided in the side wall on the rail 1 side as an example of the “one doorway” according to the present invention, and the opening H2 is the side wall on the rail 1 side and the side as the example of the “other doorway” in the present invention. It is provided in a part of the top wall following the side wall. In addition, although the opening H2 is largely cut around the exit port, the exit port may be surrounded by a wall as long as the vehicle 2 can pick up the load by lateral transfer.

  The placement unit 11 is moved in one horizontal direction by the horizontal drive unit 13 and in the vertical direction by the vertical drive unit 14 in order to transfer the FOUP 3 between the plurality of shelf portions 15. The placement unit 11 has a first placement surface 11a on the upper surface. The first placement surface 11a contacts the bottom surface of the FOUP 3 during transfer, and supports the FOUP 3 from its bottom side. On the first placement surface 11a, a convex portion 12 is formed as a support member. As shown in FIG. 4B, the convex portion 12 is formed in a size corresponding to the concave portion 6 of the FOUP 3, and is engaged with the concave portion 6 at the time of transfer.

  In FIG. 2 again, the horizontal drive unit 13 is driven on a horizontal guide 17 extending in one horizontal direction by, for example, a motor (not shown) as an example of the “drive unit” according to the present invention. The horizontal drive unit 13 is connected to the mounting unit 11 and reciprocates the mounting unit 11 along the horizontal guide 17 in one horizontal direction D1.

  As an example of the “driving means” according to the present invention, the vertical driving unit 14 is driven on a vertical guide 18 that extends in the vertical direction by a motor (not shown), for example. A center portion of the horizontal guide 17 is fixed to the vertical drive unit 14. The vertical drive unit 14 reciprocates the horizontal guide 17 along the vertical guide 18 in the vertical direction D2. During this reciprocating movement, the placement portion 11 is located at the center of the horizontal guide 17. In this way, the placement unit 11 is moved by the horizontal drive unit 13 and the vertical drive unit 14 in the biaxial directions of the vertical direction and the horizontal one direction.

  The plurality of shelf portions 15 are composed of a total of 14 shelf portions, with seven rows in the vertical direction, two rows in one horizontal direction in each step, and one row in the thickness direction in each step. Each shelf portion 15 has a second placement surface 15a on the upper surface, and the FOUP 3 is placed on the second placement surface 15a. A convex portion 16 is formed as a support member on the second placement surface 15a. As shown in FIG. 4A, the convex portion 16 is formed in a size corresponding to the concave portion 5 of the FOUP 3, and is engaged with the concave portion 5 during mounting (storage).

  Referring again to FIG. 2, one of the 14 shelf portions 15 (in other words, the second placement surface 15a included therein) is configured to be horizontally movable to the outside and the inside of the main body portion 10a. The one shelf portion is a warehousing shelf portion I15 that functions as a warehousing port P1 for receiving the FOUP 3 from the vehicle 2 when positioned on the outside of the main body 10a. The warehousing shelf portion I15 is a shelf portion close to the opening H1 among the two shelf portions 15 in the second row from the top (that is, in the two-dot chain line P1 in FIG. 2).

  One of the 13 shelf portions 15 excluding the storage shelf portion I15 is a delivery shelf portion O15 that functions as a delivery port P4 for delivering the FOUP 3 to the vehicle 2. Outlet shelf portion O15 is a shelf portion close to opening H2 among the two shelf portions in the uppermost stage (that is, in a two-dot chain line P4 in FIG. 2).

  As an example of the “outside / inside moving means” according to the present invention, the slide portion 21 includes a storage position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) at which the storage shelf portion 15 is disposed outside the main body portion 10a, and the main body. It is moved horizontally between the transfer positions (indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2) arranged inside the section 10a. The slide part 21 includes a main body part 21a and a support part 21b. The main body 21 a includes an actuator (not shown), and moves the support 21 b in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the rail 1. The upper surface of the support portion 21b is fixed to the bottom surface of the storage shelf portion I15, and supports the storage shelf portion I15 from the bottom side. The sliding part 21 moves the support part 21b to the outside of the main body part 10a at the time of warehousing, thereby displacing the warehousing shelf portion I15 to the warehousing position, and sets the warehousing port P1. The slide part 21 moves the support part 21b to the inside of the main body part 10a after the FOUP 3 to be stored is placed on the storage shelf part I15 at the storage position (in other words, stored in the storage port P1). Thus, the storage shelf portion I15 is displaced to the transport position, and the stored FOUP 3 is brought into a state in which it can be transported in the storage.

  As an example of the “control means” according to the present invention, the controller 20 controls the slide portion 21 when the warehousing shelf portion I15 is in the transport position when attempting to enter the warehousing portion, so that the warehousing shelf portion I15 is Move to warehousing position. As a result, the FOUP 3 to be stored can be transferred from the vehicle 2 to the storage shelf portion I15 (in other words, the storage port P1). Further, the controller 20 controls the slide portion 21 after the warehousing (that is, the FOUP 3 to be warehousing is placed on the warehousing shelf portion I15), and moves the warehousing shelf portion I15 to the transport position. As a result, the FOUP 3 that has been received is in a state in which it can be mutually transported in the storage between all the shelf portions 15 including the storage shelf portion I15.

  The other twelve shelf portions 15 excluding the entry shelf portion I15 and the exit shelf portion O15 are storage shelf portions 15 for storing the FOUP 3 (that is, for example, within the two-dot chain line P5 in FIG. 2). is there. After moving the warehousing shelf portion I15 to the transport position, the controller 20 transfers the FOUP 3 placed on the warehousing shelf portion I15 to one of the storage shelf portions 15 and accommodates it in the stocker 10 To do.

  The controller 20 controls the in-storage transporting device 19 until the FOUP 3 to be stored is transferred from the vehicle 2 to the storage shelf portion I15 when it is about to output following the storage. 11 is moved from the desired storage shelf portion 15 to the delivery port P4, and the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed on the delivery shelf portion O15. As a result, the FOUP 3 to be unloaded can be transferred from the unloading shelf portion O15 (in other words, the unloading port P4) to the vehicle 2. Thereafter, the controller 20 controls the vehicle 2 to transfer the FOUP 3 to be delivered from the delivery port P4 to the vehicle 2. At this time, the FOUP 3 to be unloaded is moved from the unloading port P4 into the main body 2a of the vehicle 2 in a shorter time than any of the storage rack portions 15 positioned above the loading shelf portion I15. As described above, it is advantageous that the exit port P4 is closer to the vehicle 2 stopped at the stop position corresponding to the stocker 10 in order to perform a quick exit operation.

  Regarding the arrangement of the stocker 10, the warehousing port P1 is arranged below the rail 1, and the warehousing port P4 is arranged on the side of the space between the rail 1 and the warehousing port P1. More specifically, the azimuth in one horizontal direction in which the placement unit 11 is moved intersects the azimuth of the rail 1 at a right angle.

  Next, the shape of the first and second placement surfaces according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Specifically, FIG. 5A corresponds to the A1-A1 cross section in FIG. 2, and two rows of shelf portions 15 (second mounting surface) installed in the second stage from the top of the stocker 10. 15a). Of the two rows of shelf portions 15, one row of shelf portions 15 is a storage shelf portion I15.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when viewed from the upper surface side of the stocker 10, the second placement surface 15a is formed in a U shape like a horseshoe, and the first placement surface 11a is the center of the U shape. It is formed like an island that fills up. Therefore, the first and second placement surfaces 11a and 15a have mutually complementary planar shapes. The FOUP 3 is transferred between the first and second placement surfaces 11a and 15a.

In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the first placement surface 11a is located on the inner side of the second placement surface 15a in a plan view, and the outer diameter is smaller. . However, conversely, the first placement surface 11a is positioned on the outer side of the second placement surface 15a, and both may be configured such that the outer diameter becomes larger. In this case, as a modification of the shape of the first and second placement surfaces shown in FIG. 5A, as shown in FIG. 5B, for example, the first placement as viewed from the upper surface side of the stocker 30. The surface 31a is formed in a U shape like a horseshoe, and the second placement surface 35a is formed in an island-like shape filling the center of the U shape. As described above, when the first mounting surface 31a moved up, down, left, and right is increased, the stability of the FOUP 3 placed on the mounting unit 31 during transport in the storage is increased, and the FOUP 3 is prevented from falling or rattling. Help prevent.
(Transport operation in storage)

  Next, the operation of transferring the load in the storage according to the present embodiment, that is, the operation of carrying in the storage, will be described with reference to FIGS.

  2 and 5, the vehicle 2 causes the FOUP 3 placed on the second placement surface 15a of the storage shelf portion 15 outside the main body 10a (that is, the storage position) to be replaced with another FOUP 3 on the same stage. The sample is transferred onto the second placement surface 15a (that is, in the area P5 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). In this case, first, the sliding portion 21 moves the storage shelf portion I15 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5A) in the storage position to the inside so that it can be transported in the storage ( That is, it is indicated by a solid line in FIG. Subsequently, the placement section 11 (that is, indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2) that has finished transferring the FOUP 3 to the second placement surface 15a in the area P2 (that is, indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). Is moved directly below the second placement surface 15a of the storage shelf portion I15. At this time, the placement unit 11 is moved to the approximate center of the horizontal guide 17 by the horizontal drive unit 13, and then moved to a predetermined vertical position along the vertical guide 18 by the vertical drive unit 14. This predetermined vertical position is below the second placement surface 15a of the storage shelf portion I15 located inside the main body 10a (that is, the transport position). Thereafter, the placement unit 11 at a predetermined vertical position is moved by the horizontal drive unit 13 along the horizontal guide 17 to a predetermined horizontal position (that is, indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4A, this predetermined horizontal position is a position where the convex portion 12 of the mounting portion 11 exists in the vertically downward direction of the concave portion 6 of the FOUP 3.

  The placement unit 11 moved to the predetermined vertical position and the horizontal position is raised by the vertical drive unit 14. Due to this rise, the first placement surface 11a passes through the center of the second placement portion 15a and becomes higher than the second placement surface 15a, as shown in FIG. 4B. At this time, the concave portion 5 and the convex portion 16 are disengaged in the warehousing port P1, and the FOUP 3 is supported by the first placement surface 11a instead of the second placement surface 15a, and the convex portion of the placement portion 11 12 and the concave portion 6 of the FOUP 3 are engaged with each other, whereby the FOUP 3 is transferred from the second placement surface 15a to the first placement surface 11a.

The placement unit 11 to which the FOUP 3 is transferred is moved directly above the second placement surface 15a in the area P5. At this time, the placement unit 11 is moved to a predetermined horizontal position in one horizontal direction by the horizontal drive unit 13. The predetermined horizontal position is a position where the concave portion 5 of the FOUP 3 exists in the vertically upward direction of the convex portion 16 of the second placement surface 15a in the area P5. The placement unit 11 moved to a predetermined horizontal position is lowered by the vertical drive unit 14. By this lowering, the first placement surface 11a passes through the center of the second placement portion 15a in the area P2, and becomes lower than the second placement surface 15a as shown in FIG. At this time, the engagement of the convex portion 12 and the concave portion 6 in the area P5 is released, and the FOUP 3 is supported by the second placement surface 15a instead of the first placement surface 11a, and the concave portion 5 and the second placement of the FOUP 3 are supported. When the convex portions 16 of the placement surface 15a are engaged with each other, the FOUP 3 is transferred from the first placement surface 11a to the second placement surface 15a in the area P5. Thereby, the transfer operation of the FOUP 3 from the warehousing port P1 (that is, the warehousing shelf portion I15 at the warehousing position) to the area P5 (that is, the storage shelf portion 15) is completed. If this transfer process is performed in the reverse order, the transfer operation from the area P5 to the warehousing port P1 is performed.
(Entry / exit operation processing of the first embodiment)

  Next, the operation of loading and unloading the storage according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation process of entering / exiting the storage according to this embodiment. It is assumed that the warehousing shelf portion is in the warehousing position outside the main body 10a as an initial setting.

  In FIG. 6, first, the controller 20 determines whether or not there is a request for delivery from the stocker 10 based on the process schedule for manufacturing the semiconductor element (step S31). When it determines with there being no request | requirement here (step S31: NO), the preparations for the delivery by step S32 and S33 are skipped, and the process of step S34 is performed.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S31, when it is determined that there is a request for shipping (step S31: YES), the storage device in the storage area 15 stores the storage shelf portion 15 stored in the storage rack portion 15 by the storage device 19 in the storage. The power FOUP 3 is transferred to the placement unit 11 (that is, taken out from the storage shelf portion 15) (step S32). Subsequently, when the placement unit 11 in a state where the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed is moved to the delivery port P4, the FOUP 3 to be delivered from the placement unit 11 to the delivery port P4 (that is, the delivery shelf portion O15). ) (Step S33).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 2 has arrived at the stop position corresponding to the stocker 10, and it is also determined whether or not the arrived vehicle 2 can be entered or exited (step S34). If it is determined that the vehicle 2 does not arrive (step S34: not arrived), the process of step S31 is executed again.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S34, when it is determined that the vehicle 2 does not hold the FOUP 3 to be stored and can be discharged (step S34: shipping vehicle), the process of step S38 is executed. On the other hand, when the vehicle 2 holds the FOUP 3 to be received and it is determined that the vehicle 2 can be received (step S34: warehousing vehicle), the FOUP 3 to be received is received from the vehicle 2 by the vertical transfer by the vehicle 2. It is transferred to the port P1 (that is, the storage shelf portion I15 at the storage position) (step S35). Subsequently, when the storage shelf portion I15 is moved to the transport position inside the main body 10a by the slide unit 21, the stored FOUP 3 is horizontally moved to a position where it can be transported in the storage (step S36).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the FOUP 3 to be delivered is at the delivery port P4 (step S37). Here, when there is no FOUP 3 to be delivered (step S37: NO), the process of step S40 is executed. On the other hand, when there is a FOUP 3 to be delivered (step S37: YES), the FOUP 3 to be delivered is transferred from the delivery port P4 to the vehicle 2 by the lateral transfer by the vehicle 2 (step S38).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the received FOUP 3 is in the warehousing shelf portion I15 at the transport position (step S39). When there is no FOUP 3 that has been received here (step S39: NO), the series of storage / exit operation processing is terminated, and the processing of step S31 is executed again. On the other hand, when the received FOUP 3 is still present (step S39: YES), the stored FOUP 3 placed on the warehousing shelf portion I15 at the transfer position by the in-storage transport device 19 is loaded. It is transferred to the placement unit 11 (that is, taken out from the storage shelf portion I15) (step S40). Subsequently, when the placement unit 11 in a state where the received FOUP 3 is placed is moved to the area P2, the received FOUP 3 is transferred (accommodated) from the placement unit 11 to the storage shelf portion 15. (Step S41). Thereby, a series of loading / unloading operation processing is completed.

  Thus, according to the stocker 10 of 1st Embodiment, the main-body part 10a provided with the opening H1 and the opening H2, the shelf part I15 for warehousing, and the shelf for delivery located above the shelf part I15 for warehousing A plurality of shelf portions 15 including a portion O15 and a slide portion 21 for moving the warehousing shelf portion I15 to the outside and the inside of the main body portion 10a are provided. In such a stocker 10, at the time of warehousing, the unmounted warehousing shelf portion I15 is moved from the inner side of the main body 10a to the outer side through the opening H1, or the vehicle is kept moving. As a result of the vertical transfer by 2, it is possible to place the FOUP 3 to be received from the vehicle 2 onto the storage shelf portion I15. Further, at the time of delivery, the FOUP 3 to be delivered can be taken out from the delivery shelf portion O15 to the vehicle 2 through the opening H2 by lateral transfer by the vehicle 2. In the loading / unloading operation performed continuously with the vehicle 2 capable of vertical transfer and horizontal transfer, the vehicle 2 is directly stored without temporarily holding the FOUP 3 to be loaded and the FOUP 3 to be unloaded. Are transferred to the vehicle 2 from the storage port P1 (that is, the storage shelf portion I15 at the storage position) or from the storage port P4 (that is, the storage shelf portion O15). Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit with a relatively simple configuration.

According to the present embodiment, the warehousing port P1 is disposed below the rail 1 and the warehousing port P4 is disposed on the side of the space between the rail 1 and the warehousing port P1, but instead of the warehousing port P1, The exit port P4 may be arranged below the rail 1 and the entrance port P1 may be arranged on the side of the space instead of the exit port P4.
Second Embodiment

  Next, the configuration of the storage according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view having the same concept as in FIG. 2, schematically showing the internal structure of the storage according to the second embodiment. Specifically, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the warehousing port P1 shown in FIG. 2 is set as a warehousing port and the warehousing port P4 shown in FIG. 2 is set as a warehousing port. . In addition, in the storage shown in FIG. 7, the same number is attached | subjected about the element comprised equivalent to the storage shown in FIG. 2, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In FIG. 7, the transport system 200 includes a rail 1, a vehicle 2, a stocker 110, and a controller 120. The stocker 110 includes a main body part 110 a, an in-storage transport device 19, a plurality of shelf parts 115, and a slide part 121. The in-storage transport device 19 includes a placement unit 11, a horizontal drive unit 13, and a vertical drive unit 14, and transfers the FOUP 3 between the plurality of shelf portions 115 under the control of the controller 120.

  As with the stocker 10 shown in FIG. 2, the main body 110a is opened so that the FOUP 3 can be loaded and unloaded. Specifically, the main body 10a is formed with an opening H11 for sending out the FOUP 3 to be delivered out of the main body 10a and an opening H12 for placing the FOUP 3 to be received into the main body 10a.

  Similar to the stocker 10 shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of shelf portions 115 includes 14 shelf portions 15.

  One of the 14 shelf portions 15 is configured to be horizontally movable to the outside and the inside of the main body portion 10a. The one shelf portion is an exit shelf portion O115 that functions as an exit port P14 for delivering the FOUP 3 to the vehicle 2 when positioned on the outside of the main body 10a. The delivery shelf portion O115 is a shelf portion close to the opening H1 among the two shelf portions 15 in the second row from the top (that is, in the two-dot chain line P14 in FIG. 7).

  One of the 13 shelf portions 15 excluding the exit shelf portion O115 is a storage shelf portion I115 that functions as a storage port P11 for receiving the FOUP 3 from the vehicle 2. The warehousing shelf portion I115 is a shelf portion close to the opening H2 among the two shelf portions in the uppermost stage (that is, in the two-dot chain line P11 in FIG. 7).

  The slide part 121 has an exit position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 7) for placing the exit shelf portion O115 on the outside of the main body part 110a and a transfer position (ie, FIG. 7) on the inside of the main body part 110a. (Indicated by a dotted line).

  The controller 120 controls the in-storage transport device 19 and sets the FOUP 3 to be transported to the transport position when the transport shelf portion O115 is not placed and is at the transport position. It is mounted on a certain shelf part O115 for delivery. Then, the slide part 121 is controlled to move the delivery shelf portion I15 on which the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed to the delivery position. As a result, the FOUP 3 to be unloaded can be transferred from the unloading shelf portion O115 (in other words, the unloading port P14) to the vehicle 2. Further, the controller 120 controls the slide unit 121 after the delivery (that is, the FOUP 3 to be delivered is picked up from the delivery shelf portion O115), and moves the delivery shelf portion O115 to the transport position. As a result, the FOUP 3 to be delivered next time can be placed on the delivery shelf portion I15.

In particular, the controller 120 controls the transfer device 19 in the storage and controls the loading until the FOUP 3 to be loaded is transferred from the vehicle 2 to the loading shelf portion I115 when attempting to unload following the loading. The unit 11 is moved from the desired storage shelf portion 15 to the delivery shelf portion O115 at the transfer position, and the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed on the delivery shelf portion O115. Furthermore, the slide part 121 is controlled to move the delivery shelf portion I15 on which the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed from the transport position to the delivery position.
(Entry / exit operation processing of the second embodiment)

  Next, the operation of entering / exiting the storage according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation process of storage / exit of the storage according to this embodiment.

  In FIG. 8, first, similarly to step S31 shown in FIG. 6, the controller 120 determines whether or not there is a request for delivery from the stocker 110 based on the semiconductor device manufacturing process schedule (step S51). ). When it determines with there being no request | requirement here (step S51: NO), preparations for leaving the warehouse by steps S52-S54 are omitted, and the process of step S55 is performed.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S51, when it is determined that there is a request for leaving (step S51: YES), the storage device in the storage P 115 stores the goods stored on the storage shelf 115 in the storage P1. The power FOUP 3 is transferred to the placement unit 11 (that is, taken out from the storage shelf portion 15) (step S52). Subsequently, when the placement unit 11 in a state where the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed is moved to the delivery shelf portion O115 at the transport position inside the main body 110a, the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed on the placement unit 11. To the unloading shelf portion O115 (step S53). Subsequently, when the exit shelf portion O115 is horizontally moved to the exit position outside the main body 110a by the slide portion 121 (step S54).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 2 has arrived at the stop position corresponding to the stocker 110, and it is also determined whether or not the arrived vehicle 2 can be entered or exited (step S55). Here, when it is determined that the vehicle 2 does not arrive (step S55: not arrived), the process of step S51 is executed again.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S55, when it is determined that the vehicle 2 does not hold the FOUP 3 to be stored and can be discharged (step S55: shipping vehicle), the process of step S58 is executed. On the other hand, when the vehicle 2 holds the FOUP 3 to be received and it is determined that the vehicle 2 can be received (step S55: warehousing vehicle), the FOUP 3 to be received is received from the vehicle 2 by the lateral transfer by the vehicle 2. It is transferred to the port P11 (that is, the storage shelf portion I115) (step S56).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the FOUP 3 to be delivered is in the delivery shelf portion O115 at the delivery position (step S57). Here, when there is no FOUP 3 to be delivered (step S57: NO), the process of step S61 is executed. On the other hand, when there is a FOUP 3 to be delivered (step S57: YES), the FOUP 3 to be delivered by the vertical transfer by the vehicle 2 is the vehicle from the delivery port P14 (that is, the delivery shelf portion O115 at the delivery position). 2 (step S58). Subsequently, the exit shelf portion O115 is horizontally moved to the transport position by the slide portion 21 (step S59).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the received FOUP 3 is in the warehousing port P11 (that is, the warehousing shelf portion I115) (step S60). If there is no FOUP 3 that has been received here (step S60: NO), the series of storage / exit operation processing is terminated, and the processing of step S51 is executed again. On the other hand, when the received FOUP 3 still exists (step S60: YES), the stored FOUP 3 placed on the warehousing port P11 is transferred to the placement unit 11 by the in-storage transport device 19. (I.e., it is taken out from the storage shelf portion I115) (step S61). Subsequently, when the placement unit 11 in a state where the received FOUP 3 is placed is moved to the area P2, the received FOUP 3 is transferred (accommodated) from the placement unit 11 to the storage shelf portion 15. (Step S62). Thereby, a series of loading / unloading operation processing is completed.

  Thus, according to the stocker 110 of the second embodiment, the main body 10a provided with the opening H1 and the opening H2, the shed shelf portion O115, and the warehousing shelf positioned above the shed shelf portion O115. A plurality of shelf portions 115 including a portion I115 and a slide portion 121 that moves the exit shelf portion O115 to the outside and the inside of the main body 110a are provided. In such a stocker 110, at the time of warehousing, the FOUP 3 to be warehousing can be placed in the warehousing shelf portion I115 from the vehicle 2 through the opening H2 by lateral transfer by the vehicle 2. Further, at the time of delivery, the delivery shelf portion O115 in a state where the FOUP 3 to be delivered is placed is moved from the inside of the main body 110a to the outside through the opening H1, or is left moved. By the vertical transfer by the vehicle 2, the FOUP 3 to be delivered can be taken up from the delivery port to the vehicle 2. In the loading / unloading operation performed continuously with the vehicle 2 capable of vertical transfer and horizontal transfer, the vehicle 2 is directly stored without temporarily holding the FOUP 3 to be loaded and the FOUP 3 to be unloaded. To the vehicle 2 from the storage port P11 (that is, the storage shelf portion I115) or from the storage port P14 (that is, the storage shelf portion O115 at the storage position). Therefore, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit with a relatively simple configuration.

  In addition, it is also possible to selectively execute the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above in the same storage. For example, depending on the contents of the currently requested entry / exit, the availability or placement status of the placement unit 11 in the storage, the availability or placement status of the delivery port or entry port, etc. The shelf part that is horizontally moved facing the opening H1 in the second stage from the top may be appropriately used as a warehousing port or a warehousing port. Furthermore, according to such a situation etc., you may utilize the shelf part which faces the opening H2 in the uppermost stage as a warehousing port or a warehousing port suitably. In particular, in a transport system including a large number of storages and a large number of transport vehicles, the transport efficiency can be further improved by properly using such a warehousing or unloading port.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Moreover, it is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a conveyance system provided with the storage which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the storage which concerns on 1st Embodiment with the operation state of the vertical transfer by a conveyance vehicle. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the storage which concerns on 1st Embodiment with the operation state of the vertical transfer by a conveyance vehicle. It is sectional drawing which shows the engagement state of the 1st and 2nd mounting surface which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the operation state to the horizontal one direction of the mounting part which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement process of the storage / exit of the storage which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the storage which concerns on 2nd Embodiment with the operation state of the vertical transfer by a conveyance vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement process of the storage / exit of the storage which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rail, 2 ... Vehicle (ceiling traveling vehicle), 3 ... FOUP (load), 10 ... Stocker (storage), 20 ... Controller, 21 ... Slide part, 11 ... Mounting part, 13 ... Horizontal drive part, 14 ... Vertical drive unit, 15 ... Shelves, 100 ... Transport system

Claims (10)

The loading of one load and the unloading of another load are storages that are continuously performed between the one load and the other load, and a transfer vehicle that can be moved sideways. And
A housing or frame;
(I) a doorway provided in an outer wall of the casing or an outer frame of the frame, which is disposed in the casing or the frame and can store or place the one load and the other load; And is configured to be horizontally movable in a state where the one load is placed between the inside and the outside of the casing or the frame, and the one load from the transport vehicle when moved to the outside. One shelf part that functions as a storage port placed by vertical placement, and (ii) is positioned above the one shelf part, and other entrances provided in the outer wall or the outer frame A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including other shelf parts that function as a delivery port through which the other load is taken out by lateral transfer to the transport vehicle,
An outer / inner moving means for selectively horizontally moving the one shelf part to the outer side and the inner side.   When the one load is to be received, the outer / inner moving means is controlled to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the outside, and the one load is placed on the one shelf portion. The storage according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the outer / inner moving means so as to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the inside. A mounting portion having a first mounting surface capable of supporting the one load and the other load from the bottom side thereof;
The mounting unit further comprising driving means movable between the plurality of shelf parts,
The control means includes
When the one load is to be received, after the one shelf portion is horizontally moved inward, the one load is transferred from the one shelf portion to the plurality of shelf portions by the placement unit. Controlling the drive means to move to a shelf part other than one shelf part,
When the other load is to be delivered, the drive unit moves the other load from the shelf portion other than the other shelf portion to the other shelf portion among the plurality of shelf portions by the placement unit. The storage according to claim 2, wherein the means is controlled. The driving means includes
A horizontal driving unit capable of reciprocating the mounting unit in one horizontal direction;
A vertical drive unit capable of reciprocating the mounting unit in the vertical direction;
The plurality of shelves are provided at one or more horizontal positions reachable by the horizontal drive unit for each of the plurality of steps in the vertical direction, and the load between the first mounting surface and the first mounting surface. Each having a second mounting surface configured to be able to transfer each other,
One of the plurality of shelf parts at the top stage functions as the exit port,
4. The storage according to claim 3, wherein the second placement surface of a shelf portion located at a lower stage of the delivery port among the plurality of shelf portions functions as the entry port.   The said delivery port is set as a thing for which the time when the conveyance vehicle in the stop position for delivering said other load is transferred from said delivery port is relatively short. The storage according to any one of 1 to 4. The loading of one load and the unloading of another load are storages that are continuously performed between the one load and the other load, and a transfer vehicle that can be moved sideways. And
A housing or frame;
(I) a doorway provided in an outer wall of the casing or an outer frame of the frame, which is disposed in the casing or the frame and can store or place the one load and the other load; The other load is configured to be horizontally movable with the other load being placed between the inside and the outside of the housing or the frame, and the other load is transferred to the transport vehicle when moved to the outside. One shelf part that functions as an exit port that is taken up by vertical placement, and (ii) located above the one shelf part, and through another entrance provided in the outer wall or the outer frame A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including other shelf parts functioning as warehousing ports in which the one load is placed by side transfer from the transport vehicle;
An outer / inner moving means for selectively horizontally moving the one shelf part to the outer side and the inner side.   When the other load is to be unloaded, the outer / inner movement means is controlled to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the outside in a state where the other load is placed, and the other load is controlled. The storage according to claim 6, further comprising a control unit that controls the outer / inner moving unit so as to horizontally move the one shelf portion inwardly after being picked up. (I) a case or frame; (II) arranged in the case or frame and capable of accommodating or placing one load and another load; (i) an outer wall of the case or outside the frame When the one load is placed between the inner side and the outer side of the casing or the frame through one door provided in the frame, the horizontal movement is possible. One shelf part that functions as a warehousing port on which the one load is placed vertically by the carriage, and (ii) located above the one shelf part, and the outer wall or the outer A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including other shelf parts that function as exit ports through which the other loads are taken out by lateral transfer to the transport vehicle via other entrances provided in the frame, And (III) selecting the one shelf portion to the outside and the inside. Storage of the one load between a storage having external moving means for horizontally moving and a transport vehicle capable of moving up and down each of the one load and the other load and capable of lateral transfer A loading / unloading method for continuously unloading the other loads,
A first control step of controlling the outer / inner moving means to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the outside when the one load is to be received;
After the first control step, after the one load is placed on the one shelf portion, a second control that controls the outer / inner movement means to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the inside. A loading / unloading method comprising the steps of: The storage has a placement portion having a first placement surface capable of supporting the one load and the other load from the bottom side, and the placement portion between the plurality of shelf portions. Drive means that is movable,
When the one load is to be received, after the one shelf part is horizontally moved inward by the second control step, the plurality of the one loads are removed from the one shelf part by the placement unit. A third control step of controlling the drive means to move to a shelf portion other than the one shelf portion among the shelf portions of
When the other load is to be delivered, the other load is placed on the other shelf among the plurality of shelf portions by the placement unit before or after the first to third control steps. The loading / unloading method according to claim 8, further comprising: a fourth control step of controlling the driving unit so as to move from the shelf portion other than the portion to the other shelf portion. (I) a case or frame; (II) arranged in the case or frame and capable of accommodating or placing one load and another load; (i) an outer wall of the case or outside the frame When the other load is placed between the inside and the outside of the casing or the frame through one doorway provided in the frame, and is configured to be horizontally movable, and when moved to the outside And (ii) one shelf part that functions as a delivery port through which the other load is taken up by the vertical placement on the transport vehicle, and (ii) located above the one shelf part, on the outer wall or the outer frame A plurality of shelf parts arranged in the vertical direction, including other shelf parts that function as warehousing ports through which the one load is placed by lateral transfer from the transport vehicle via another doorway provided, and ( III) Select the one shelf part to the outside and the inside A storage with external moving means for horizontally moving, and the receipt of the one load and the unloading of the other load can move up and down the one load and the other load, respectively, and can be laterally transferred A loading / unloading method for continuously performing loading and unloading of the one load and unloading of the other load with the transport vehicle,
A first control step for controlling the outer / inner movement means to horizontally move the one shelf portion to the outside in a state where the other load is placed when the other load is to be delivered; ,
A second control step of controlling the outer / inner movement means to horizontally move the one shelf portion inward after the other load is taken up following the first control step. Entry / exit method.

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