JP2010058890A - Carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying device capable of restraining damaging to a carrier, when the carrier strongly contacts with an obstacle, even if the carrier is started in a state of placing the obstacle such as a tool in a travel area of the carrier. <P>SOLUTION: This carrying device has a carrying table 111 capable of traveling in the preregulated travel area R and capable of carrying a carrying object, a contact sensor 220 capable of detecting an intrusion object intruding into the travel area, a control part 500 capable of controlling driving of the contact sensor 220 and a placing table 111, and an operation part capable of transmitting a starting signal for starting the carrying table 111 or a stopping signal for stopping driving of the carrying table 111 to the control part. The control part 500 has a stopping processing part for stopping the carrying table 111 when receiving the stopping signal T2, and a starting processing part for putting the carrying table 111 in an ordinary travel state at an ordinary travel speed when determining that there is no intrusion object in the traveling area R by putting the placing table 111 in a stopping state when determining that there is the intrusion object in the travel area R based on a signal of the contact sensor 220 by starting when receiving the starting signal T1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device, and more particularly, to a transfer device in which a travel area is defined in advance.

Conventionally, various types of conveying devices for conveying an object to be conveyed such as a glass substrate have been proposed. For example, in the track transport system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-179205, a plurality of transport vehicles are provided so as to be movable along a loop-shaped guide track, and between processing devices constituting a bay. Carrying out and carrying in cassettes.
JP 2002-179205 A

  In the track transportation system described in JP 2002-179205 A, there is no detection means for detecting whether an obstacle or the like is placed in the traveling area of the transport vehicle when the system is activated. .

  For this reason, for example, when an operator who has performed maintenance or the like at the time of stopping forgets to place a tool or the like in the traveling region of the transport vehicle, and then causes the transport vehicle to track, the transport vehicle and the tool collide, and the transport vehicle is damaged. There is a fear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and the purpose thereof is that even when an obstacle such as a tool is placed in the traveling region of the carriage, the carriage starts. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport device that can prevent the transport vehicle from coming into strong contact with an obstacle and damaging the transport vehicle.

  A transport apparatus according to the present invention is capable of traveling in a predetermined travel area, and is capable of transporting an object to be transported, a detection unit capable of detecting an intruder that has entered the travel area, and a detection unit And a control unit capable of controlling the drive of the transfer table, and an operation unit capable of transmitting to the control unit a start signal for starting the transfer table or a stop signal for stopping the drive of the transfer table. And when the said control part receives a stop signal, it will start when the stop process part which stops a conveyance stand, and a start signal is received, Based on the signal of a detection part, intruders will enter in a travel area in a travel area. When it is determined that there is an intruder, the mounting base is placed in a stopped state, and when it is determined that there is no intruder in the travel area, an activation processing unit is provided that places the transport base in a normal travel state at a normal travel speed.

  Preferably, the detection unit includes a contact detection unit. And the said contact detection part is provided in the advancing direction both ends of a conveyance stand, and when a contact is made with an intruding substance, a signal can be transmitted to a control part. Further, when the activation processing unit receives the activation signal, the activation processing unit travels at the inspection traveling speed set to be lower than the normal traveling speed, and determines whether the transportation platform has traveled over the entire traveling area. And an emergency stop unit that stops the carriage that travels at the inspection travel speed when it is determined that an intruder has been detected based on a signal from the detection unit. Further, when the control unit determines that the conveyance table has completed the travel of the entire travel region based on the output from the travel region determination unit, the control unit stops the drive control of the conveyance table by the start speed control unit, and A traveling state switching unit that switches from the inspection traveling state to the normal traveling state is included.

  Preferably, the contact sensing unit is provided at a bumper portion that is movable toward and away from the traveling direction end of the transport table, and is provided at an end portion in the traveling direction of the transport table and contacts the bumper unit to the control unit. A touch sensitive sensor capable of transmitting a signal.

  Preferably, the detection unit includes a non-contact detection unit that is provided on the transport table and can detect an intruder. Preferably, the detection unit can detect the presence or absence of an intruding object over the entire area in the traveling region.

  According to the transfer device according to the present invention, even if the transfer stand is started in a state where an obstacle is placed in the traveling area of the transfer stand, the transfer stand collides with the obstacle, so that the transfer stand is greatly damaged. This can be suppressed.

A substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a transport vehicle 110 that travels within a travel region R defined by the fence unit 101, a rail 150 that guides the transport vehicle 110, a control unit 500 that controls driving of the transport vehicle 110, The control unit 500 includes an operation unit 600 capable of transmitting a start signal T1 for starting the transport vehicle 110 or a stop signal T2 for stopping driving of the transport vehicle 110.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the fence unit 101 is provided with a sensor 160 and a sensor 161, and the sensors 160 and 161 receive position detection signals S 3 and S 4 corresponding to the detected distance to the transport vehicle 110. The information is transmitted to the control unit 500, and the control unit 500 grasps the position of the transport vehicle 110 based on the position detection signals S3 and S4.

  Furthermore, the fence unit 101 is provided with a door. For example, when the driving of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 is stopped, an operator enters the fence unit 101 to perform maintenance of the transfer vehicle 110, the rail 150, and the like. It can be performed.

  The transport vehicle 110 is configured to be able to travel with the substrate storage cassette 300 placed thereon, and a plurality of loaders 120 on which the substrate storage cassette 300 is placed are provided outside the fence unit 101 at intervals. Yes.

  The fence unit 101 is provided with a loading / unloading unit 121 such as an opening and a door for loading the substrate storage cassette 300 into the loader 120 and unloading the substrate storage cassette 300 from the loader 120 to the transport vehicle 110. Yes.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the transport vehicle 110. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 1, the transport vehicle 110 is guided by a mounting table 111 on which a substrate storage cassette 300 can be mounted, and a rail 150. A wheel 250 for driving the mounting table 111, a motor 240 for driving the wheel 250, and a brake mechanism 241 for stopping the rotation of the wheel 250 are provided.

  The control unit 500 controls the driving of the motor 240 and the brake mechanism 241 and sets the traveling speed, starting and stopping of the transport vehicle 110. The output of the motor 240 is controlled by a motor drive signal S6 from the control unit 500, and the brake mechanism 241 is switched ON / OFF by a brake drive signal S5 from the control unit 500.

  During normal driving of the substrate transport apparatus 100, the control unit 500 performs driving of the transport vehicle 110 and opening / closing control of the loading / unloading unit 121 according to a control flow stored in the storage unit of the control unit 500 in advance.

  Thereby, for example, the substrate storage cassette 300 in which the processed glass substrate is stored is unloaded from the loader 120 through the loading / unloading unit 121 and placed on the transport vehicle 110, and the substrate storage cassette 300 is placed in the next processing apparatus. Or transport it.

  The transport vehicle 110 is provided at a contact sensor 220 provided at one end arranged in the traveling direction of the mounting table 111, a contact sensor 221 provided at the other end, and a side portion of the mounting table 111. The sensor 200 and the sensor 205 are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the contact sensor 220. As shown in FIG. 3, the contact sensor 220 is located on the front side of the mounting table 111, and is provided with a bumper 230 provided to be close to one end of the mounting table 111, and one of the mounting tables 111. A plurality of sensors (contact detection sensors) 231, 232, and 233 are provided at the end portion and disposed so as to be covered by the bumper 230.

  The bumper 230 is formed with a shaft portion 235 extending toward the mounting table 111. An end portion of the shaft portion 235 is inserted into a hole formed in the mounting table 111, and an elastic member such as a coil spring that urges the bumper 230 in a direction to separate the bumper 230 from the mounting table 111 on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 235. 234 is provided.

  For this reason, the bumper 230 is located at a position slightly away from the end of the transport vehicle 110 in a normal state.

  When the bumper 230 comes into contact with a misplaced tool or the like and is pressed, the bumper 230 comes close to the mounting table 111 against one of the sensors 231, 232, and 233 against the urging force from the elastic member 234. When the sensors 231, 232 and 233 come into contact with the bumper 230, the sensors 231, 232 and 233 transmit a contact signal S 1 to the control unit 500.

  When receiving the contact signal S <b> 1 from any of the sensors 231, 232, and 233, the controller 500 activates the brake mechanism 241, stops driving the motor 240, and stops the transport vehicle 110. Thereby, it can suppress that the mounting base 111 contacts with the tool etc. which were left misplaced, and is damaged.

  FIG. 4 is a side view of the transport vehicle 110 showing the configuration of the sensor 200 and the vicinity thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor 200 provided on one side portion of the transport vehicle 110 includes a plurality of light emitting elements 201 such as white diodes and a light receiving element 202. The light receiving element 202 emits light from the side surface of the transport vehicle 110 toward the fence unit 101, and the light emitting element 201 receives reflected light from the fence unit 101 and applies a voltage corresponding to the received light intensity of the received light to the foreign matter. The detection signal S2 is transmitted to the control unit 500. When the control unit 500 determines that the reflected light from the fence unit 101 is smaller than the predetermined light receiving intensity based on the foreign object detection signal S2, the control unit 500 has a foreign object between the side surface of the transport vehicle 110 and the fence unit 101. Judgment is made and the traveling of the transport vehicle 110 is stopped.

  3 also includes a plurality of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, and the light receiving elements transmit a foreign object detection signal corresponding to the received light intensity to the control unit 500. If control unit 500 determines that the received light intensity received by the light receiving element is smaller than the predetermined received light intensity based on the transmitted foreign object detection signal, control unit 500 stops driving conveyance vehicle 110.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control unit 500. Then, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 as appropriate, a processing process when starting up the substrate transfer apparatus 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 500 includes a stop processing unit 520 that receives a stop signal T <b> 2 from the operation unit 600, and a storage unit 530.

  When the stop processing unit 520 receives the stop signal T <b> 2 from the operation unit 600, the stop processing unit 520 transmits a brake drive signal S <b> 5 that stops the driving of the motor 240 and drives the brake mechanism 241 to the transport vehicle 110.

  Thus, the operator can stop the transport vehicle 110 by operating the operation unit 600.

  The control unit 500 includes an activation processing unit 510 that receives an activation signal T1 from the operation unit 600. When the activation processing unit 510 receives the activation signal T1, the activation unit 510 performs an activation process on the transport vehicle 110. By this activation process, the activation processing unit 510 checks whether or not there is an intruding object such as a tool left behind in the fence unit 101 while the conveying vehicle 110 is stopped. When the vehicle travels at a normal traveling speed and there is an intruder, the transport vehicle 110 is stopped.

  Thereby, it can suppress that intruders, such as a tool misplaced in the fence part 101, and the conveyance vehicle 110 collide, and can suppress the conveyance vehicle 110 being damaged greatly.

  Here, the activation processing in the activation processing unit 510 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  The activation processing unit 510 receives an activation signal T1 and position detection signals S3 and S4 from the operation unit 600, and an activation direction setting unit 501 that sets a traveling direction when the conveyance vehicle 110 is activated, and an activation direction setting unit. Based on the traveling direction signals S8A and S8B output from 501, it is determined whether the transport vehicle 110 travels at the inspection speed slower than the steady speed and the transport vehicle 110 traveling at the inspection speed travels in the entire travel region R. And a travel area determination unit 502.

  Here, when the transport vehicle 110 is activated, the transport vehicle 110 travels in either the direction approaching the sensor 161 or the direction approaching the sensor 160, but the transport vehicle 110 travels the entire travel region R. Until the vehicle travels, the shorter travel distance traveled by the transport vehicle 110 is selected. Thereby, reduction of inspection time can be aimed at.

  When travel region determination unit 502 determines that transport vehicle 110 travels across travel region R at the inspection speed, it transmits inspection completion signal S9 to travel state switching unit 503.

  When the traveling state switching unit 503 receives the inspection completion signal S <b> 9, the traveling state switching unit 503 causes the transport vehicle 110 to travel according to the normal transport processing flow stored in the storage unit 530. At this time, the transport vehicle 110 travels at a normal travel speed.

  The activation processing unit 510 makes contact with a misplaced tool when a misplaced tool or the like in the travel region R is detected based on outputs from the sensors 200 and 205, or by a signal from the contact sensors 220 and 221. When it is detected that the sensors 220 and 221 are in contact with each other, an emergency stop control unit 504 that stops the transport vehicle 110 is provided.

  Here, a signal output from the travel region determination unit 502 or the travel state switching unit 503 to the transport vehicle 110 is transmitted to the transport vehicle 110 via the relay 550, and is transmitted from the emergency stop control unit 504 to the transport vehicle 110. The signal is transmitted via the relay 551.

  The relay 550 is ON in a normal state, and is turned OFF by a stop signal SA from the emergency stop control unit 504. On the other hand, the relay 551 is in an OFF state in a normal state, and is switched ON by a stop signal SA from the emergency stop control unit 504.

  Then, when the emergency stop control unit 504 detects the presence of an intruder in the fence unit 101 using the sensors 200 and 205 and the contact sensors 220 and 221, the relay 550 is turned off and the relay 551 is turned on. As a result, the signal from the travel area determination unit 502 or the like is disconnected, while the signal from the emergency stop control unit 504 is transmitted to the transport vehicle 110 via the relay 551, and the transport vehicle 110 stops.

  In this way, the wiring from which signals from control unit components other than the emergency stop control unit 504 are transmitted is forcibly disconnected, and the signal from the emergency stop control unit 504 that stops the transport vehicle 110 is transmitted to the transport vehicle 110. By doing so, the conveyance vehicle 110 can be stopped reliably.

  Furthermore, the emergency stop control unit 504 stores a stop command signal SB in the storage unit 530 in order to stop driving of the activation direction setting unit 501 and the travel region determination unit 502 and the like.

  The activation direction setting unit 501 and the travel area determination unit 502 access the storage unit 530 as appropriate during driving, determine whether or not the stop command signal SB is stored in the storage unit 530, and the stop command signal SB is stored. When it is determined that the transfer vehicle 110 has been reached, the transport vehicle 110 is stopped.

  When the control unit 500 determines that there is an intruder in the traveling region R, the control unit 500 stops the transport vehicle 110 and activates a warning unit for alerting the operator. Good.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing performed when the activation direction setting unit 501 sets the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 110. As shown in FIG. 6, the activation direction setting unit 501 determines whether or not the transport vehicle 110 is located at the end of the traveling region R on the sensor 160 side based on the position detection signals S3 and S4 ( (Step 10). If it is determined that the transport vehicle 110 is not located at the end on the sensor 160 side, it is determined whether or not it is located at the end on the sensor 161 side (STEP 11). When it is determined that the transport vehicle 110 is not located at either end of the sensor 160 and the sensor 161, the activation direction setting unit 501 determines whether the transport vehicle 110 and the sensor 160 are based on the position detection signals S3 and S4. It is determined whether or not the distance is shorter than the distance between the transport vehicle 110 and the sensor 161 (STEP 12).

  In (STEP 11), when it is determined that the transport vehicle 110 is located at the end on the sensor 161 side, and in (STEP 12), the distance between the transport vehicle 110 and the sensor 160 is smaller. When the activation direction setting unit 501 determines, a traveling direction signal S8A including information related to the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 110 is transmitted to the traveling region determining unit 502 (STEP 15).

On the other hand, in (STEP 10) and (STEP 12), when the transport vehicle 110 is located at the end on the 116 side, or when it is determined that the distance between the transport vehicle 110 and the sensor 161 is shorter, the travel region determination A traveling direction signal S8B including information related to the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 110 is transmitted to the unit 502 (STEP 19).

  7 to 9 are flowcharts showing a control flow of the travel area determination unit 502. As shown in FIG. 7, the travel region determination unit 502 first accesses the storage unit 530 to determine whether a stop command signal SB is stored (STEP 20).

  When it is determined that the stop command signal SB is stored in the storage unit 530, the stop command signal SB stored in the storage unit 530 is erased (STEP 21), and the drive is stopped.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the stop command signal SB is not stored in the storage unit 530, it is determined whether the traveling direction signal S8A is received from the traveling region determining unit 502 (STEP 22), and the traveling direction signal S8A is determined. When it is determined that it is received, the upper process is performed according to the flow shown in FIG. 9 (STEP 22).

  In FIG. 8, when it is determined that the travel direction signal S8A is received in (STEP 22), the travel region determination unit 502 causes the transport vehicle 110 to travel toward the sensor 160. At this time, a brake drive signal S5 for turning off the brake mechanism 241 is transmitted, and a motor drive signal S6 for driving the motor 240 is transmitted to the motor 240 so that the transport vehicle 110 faces the sensor 160 (STEP 30).

  Here, the motor 240 includes a stator around which a coil is wound, a rotor that is rotated by a magnetic force from the stator, an output shaft that is fixed to the rotor, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the output shaft to the wheels 250. In this power transmission mechanism, the rotation direction of the wheel 250 can be switched in accordance with the motor drive signal S6 from the travel region determination unit 502. Thereby, the transport vehicle 110 travels so as to be close to the sensor 160.

  The travel region determination unit 502 transmits a signal for causing the transport vehicle 110 to travel toward the sensor 160, and then accesses the storage unit 530 to determine whether the stop command signal SB is stored (STEP 31).

  When traveling region determination unit 502 determines that stop command signal SB is not stored in storage unit 530, based on position detection signals S3 and S4 from sensors 160 and 161, traveling vehicle 110 is included in traveling region R. Then, it is determined whether or not the end on the sensor 160 side has been reached (STEP 32).

  When traveling region determination unit 502 determines that transport vehicle 110 has not yet reached the end on sensor 160 side, travel region determination unit 502 causes transport vehicle 110 to travel toward sensor 160 (STEP 30). On the other hand, if it is determined that the transport vehicle 110 has reached the end of the travel region R on the sensor 160 side, the transport vehicle 110 travels toward the sensor 161 (STEP 33).

  Then, the storage unit 530 is accessed, and it is determined whether the stop command signal SB is stored in the traveling state switching unit 503 from the emergency stop control unit 504 (STEP 34).

  If it is determined that the stop command signal SB is not stored, it is determined whether the transport vehicle 110 has reached the end on the sensor 161 side (STEP 35). When it is determined that the end of the sensor 161 has not been reached, the conveyance vehicle 110 is caused to travel toward the end of the sensor 161 while confirming the presence or absence of the stop command signal SB.

  Thereafter, when it is determined that the transport vehicle 110 has reached the end on the sensor 161 side, an inspection completion signal S9 is transmitted to the traveling state switching unit 503 (STEP 36).

  On the other hand, in (STEP 31) and (STEP 34), when it is determined that the stop command signal SB is stored in the storage unit 530, or after the inspection completion signal S9 is transmitted (STEP 36), the transport vehicle 110 is stopped. (STEP 37).

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when the travel region determination unit 502 receives the travel direction signal S8B from the activation direction setting unit 501. When the traveling direction signal S8B is received, the same control as when the traveling direction signal S8A is received is performed.

  Then, the travel region determination unit 502 causes the transport vehicle 110 to travel while confirming whether or not the stop command signal SB is transmitted from the emergency stop control unit 504 (STEPs 40 and 41).

The travel region determination unit 502 confirms that the transport vehicle 110 has reached the end on the sensor 161 side without transmitting the stop command signal SB from the emergency stop control unit 504 to the storage unit 530 (STEP 42). The transport vehicle 110 is caused to travel toward the sensor 160 (STEP 43). Then, while confirming whether the stop command signal SB is transmitted from the emergency stop control unit 504 (STEP 44), the transport vehicle 110 is caused to travel toward the end on the sensor 160 side. Then, when the stop command signal SB is not transmitted from the emergency stop control unit 504 and it is determined that the transport vehicle 110 has reached the end on the sensor 160 side (STEP 45), an inspection completion signal S9 is sent to the traveling state switching unit 503. Transmit (STEP 46).

  On the other hand, in (STEP 41) and (STEP 44), when it is confirmed that the stop command signal SB is transmitted from the emergency stop control unit 504, or after the inspection completion signal S9 is transmitted to the traveling state switching unit 503 ( (STEP 46), the transport vehicle 110 is stopped (STEP 47).

  When the traveling state switching unit 503 receives the inspection completion signal S9 from the traveling region determination unit 502, the traveling state switching unit 503 starts driving the transport vehicle 110 at the normal traveling speed according to the program stored in the storage unit 530.

  As described above, the transport vehicle 110 is in a normal travel state after confirming whether a tool or the like is left behind in the travel region R. Therefore, even if the transport vehicle 110 comes into contact with an intruder such as a tool, the transport vehicle 110 is transported. It is possible to suppress the vehicle 110 from being greatly damaged.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modification of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in this substrate transfer apparatus 100, a plurality of transfer vehicles 110A and 110B travel.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, at the time of start-up, the transport vehicle 110A travels in the divided travel region R2 that is a part of the travel region R, and the transport vehicle 110B travels in another divided travel region R1. Then, the transport vehicle 110A confirms whether there is an intruder in the divided travel region R2, and the transport vehicle 110B confirms whether there is an intruder in the split travel region R1.

  In this way, the traveling area R is divided into a plurality of divided traveling areas R1 and R2, and the intruders are separately confirmed by the transport vehicles 110A and 110B, so that the intruder in the traveling area R can be obtained in a short time. It can be confirmed whether or not.

(Embodiment 2)
A substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 16. In the configurations shown in FIGS. 11 to 16, the same or corresponding components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a side view of the transfer vehicle 110 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a photoelectric sensor 210 is provided at one end of the mounting table 111 arranged in the traveling direction, and a photoelectric sensor 215 is provided at the other end. Is provided.

  Then, the photoelectric sensor 210 senses the presence or absence of an intruder in the inspection space K <b> 1 located between one end of the transport vehicle 110 and the sensor 160 in the traveling region R. Furthermore, the photoelectric sensor 215 senses the presence or absence of an intruder in the inspection space K2 located between the other end of the transport vehicle 110 and the sensor 161 in the traveling region R.

  The control unit 500 confirms that there is no intruder between the side surfaces of the transport vehicle 110 and the fence unit 101 based on the foreign object detection signal S2 from the sensors 200 and 205, and the photoelectric sensor 210 and Based on the area detection signal S7 from the photoelectric sensor 215, it is confirmed that there are no intruders in the inspection spaces K1, K2, and then the transport vehicle 110 is caused to travel.

  The photoelectric sensors 210 and 215 extend in the height direction of the transport vehicle 110 as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. The photoelectric sensor 210 includes light emitting units 211 and photoelectric sensors 210 that are alternately provided in the height direction of the transport vehicle 110. Each light emitting unit 211 is provided to be able to swing 90 degrees left and right with the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 110 as the center.

  The light receiving unit 212 located below the light emitting unit 211 receives the light emitted from the light receiving unit 212, and the control unit 500 determines the reflection position of the light from the phase difference between the emitted light and the received light, and the light emitting unit 211. And the distance is calculated.

  Further, the storage unit 530 of the control unit 500 stores three-dimensional coordinate data of the travel region R. The control unit 500 calculates the reflection distance (reference reflection distance) with respect to the swing angle θ in each light emitting unit 211 from the position of the transport vehicle 110.

  Then, the reflected light calculated by the actual reflected light is compared with the calculated reference reflection distance. When the reflected distance actually measured is shorter than the preset threshold value, the intruder Judge that there is.

  Furthermore, since a plurality of light emitting units 211 and light receiving units 212 are provided in the height direction, it is possible to determine whether or not there is an intruder in the height direction of the transport vehicle 110.

  By using such photoelectric sensor 210 and photoelectric sensor 215, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of an intruding object over a wide range. Depending on the shape of the traveling region R, the transportation vehicle 110 may be stopped and The presence or absence can be determined, and after the determination, the transport vehicle 110 can be driven.

  Note that the photoelectric sensor 210 and the photoelectric sensor 215 shown in the second embodiment may be mounted on the transport vehicle 110 according to the above embodiment.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it should be considered that the embodiment disclosed this time is illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims. Furthermore, the above numerical values are examples, and are not limited to the above numerical values and ranges.

  The present invention can be applied to a transfer device.

It is a top view which shows typically the substrate conveying apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a side view of a conveyance vehicle. It is a top view which shows the structure of a contact sensor. It is a side view of a conveyance vehicle showing the composition of a sensor and its neighborhood. It is a block diagram of a control part. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when a starting direction setting part sets the traveling direction of a conveyance vehicle. It is a 1st control flowchart of a travel area judgment part. It is a 2nd control flowchart of a travel area judgment part. It is a 3rd control flowchart of a travel area judgment part. It is a top view which shows the modification of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a top view of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment 2. It is a side view of the conveyance vehicle shown by FIG. It is a side view of a conveyance vehicle which shows composition of photoelectric sensor 210.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Substrate conveyance apparatus, 101 Fence part, 110 Conveyance vehicle, 111 Mounting stand, 120 Loader, 121 Loading / unloading part, 150 rail, 160, 161, 200, 205 Sensor, 201 Light emitting element, 202 Light receiving element, 210, 215 Photoelectric sensor 220, 221 Contact sensor, 221 Contact sensor, 230 Bumper, 231, 232, 233 Sensor, 234 Elastic member, 235 Shaft, 240 Motor, 241 Brake mechanism, 250 wheels, 300 Substrate storage cassette, 500 Control unit, 501 Start Direction setting unit, 502 travel region determination unit, 503 travel state switching unit, 504 emergency stop control unit, 510 start processing unit, 520 stop processing unit, 530 storage unit, 600 operation unit.

Claims (5)

A transport stand that is capable of traveling in a predetermined travel area and capable of transporting an object to be transported;
A detection unit capable of detecting an intruder that has entered the travel area;
A control unit capable of controlling the driving of the detection unit and the transport table;
An operation unit capable of transmitting to the control unit a start signal for starting the transfer table or a stop signal for stopping driving of the transfer table;
A conveying device comprising:
When the control unit receives the stop signal, a stop processing unit that stops the transport table;
When the activation signal is received, it is activated, and based on the signal of the detection unit, when it is determined that there is the intruder in the traveling area, the mounting base is stopped, and the intruder is in the traveling area. If it is determined that there is not, an activation processing unit that sets the transport table in a normal traveling state at a normal traveling speed,
A conveying device comprising: The detection unit includes a contact detection unit,
The contact sensing unit is provided at both ends in the traveling direction of the carriage, and can contact the intruder to transmit a signal to the control unit.
Upon receipt of the activation signal, the activation processing unit causes the conveyance table to travel at an inspection traveling speed set to be lower than the normal traveling speed, and whether the transportation table has traveled over the entire traveling area. A travel area determination unit for determining
When it is determined that the intruder has been detected based on a signal from the detection unit, an emergency stop unit that stops the transport table that travels at the inspection travel speed, and
When the control unit determines, based on the output from the travel region determination unit, that the transport table has completed the travel of the entire travel region, the drive speed control unit stops driving control of the transport table, The transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a travel state switching unit that switches the transport base from the inspection travel state to the normal travel state.   The contact sensing unit is provided at a bumper portion that is capable of advancing and retreating toward an end portion in the advancing direction of the transport table; The conveyance apparatus of Claim 2 including the contact detection sensor which can transmit a signal to a part.   The said detection part is a conveyance apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3 containing the non-contact detection part which is provided in the said conveyance stand and can detect the said intrusion.   The conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit can detect the presence or absence of the intruding object over the entire area of the travel region.

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