JP2010120768A - Automated warehouse for clean room and method for storing articles in automated warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent stored articles from being contaminated using a small amount of clean air. <P>SOLUTION: An article loading device is installed on the lift of a stacker crane. The article on the lift is surrounded by a case, the clean air is supplied from a first fan filter unit into the case, and the entry of the air in a traveling path into the case is cut out. The clean air is supplied from a second fan filter unit into a rack and the air in the traveling path is prevented from intruding into the inside of the rack. The inside of the case and the inside of a rack are thus locally kept in a high-degree of cleanliness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to storage of articles in an automatic warehouse for a clean room.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 2,817,605), in an automatic warehouse for a clean room, a travel path of a stacker crane is provided in the center of the warehouse, and a pair of shelves are provided on both left and right sides. The shelf has an opening on the traveling path side, and the entire automatic warehouse is kept clean by the flow of clean air blown from the shelf to the traveling path.

However, in Patent Document 1, a large amount of clean air is required in order to keep the entire automatic warehouse at a high degree of cleanliness. Further, air may enter the shelf from the traveling path due to the traveling wind of the stacker crane, and the articles in the shelf may be contaminated. In particular, in the manufacture of flat panel displays (FPD), the substrate is housed in a skeleton-shaped cassette with openings on each side, so it is necessary to reliably prevent air from entering the shelves from the travel path, and clean air consumption. There are many. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent contamination of stored articles while reducing clean air consumption.
Patent 2817605

An object of the present invention is to prevent contamination of stored articles with a smaller amount of clean air.
An additional object of the invention is to minimize the increase in equipment on the shelf side.
An additional object of the present invention is to prevent the articles from being contaminated with air in the travel path when the articles are delivered between the shelf and the stacker crane.

This invention is an automatic warehouse provided with shelves along the travel path of a stacker crane,
An article transfer device, a case surrounding the article drawn onto the elevator table by the transfer device, a first fan filter unit for supplying clean air into the case, and the transfer device. A first blocking means for blocking the entry of air into the traveling path into the case while allowing the loading device to put in and out the article from the case;
The shelf is provided with a second fan filter unit for supplying clean air into the shelf and the transfer route air to the shelf while allowing the article to be transferred to and from the shelf. And a second blocking means for blocking intrusion.

The present invention is also a method for storing articles in an automatic warehouse provided with shelves along a travel path of a stacker crane,
An article transfer device is provided on the lifting platform of the stacker crane, the article on the lifting platform is surrounded by a case, clean air is supplied from the first fan filter unit into the case, and a traveling route into the case is also provided. Block the ingress of air,
And while supplying clean air from the second fan filter unit to the inside of the shelf, and blocking the intrusion of air in the travel path to the inside of the shelf,
It is characterized in that the inside of the case and the inside of the shelf are locally kept at a high degree of cleanness compared to the outside.
In this specification, the description related to the automatic warehouse for the clean room also applies to the method for storing articles in the automatic warehouse.
As the blocking means, an openable / closable door or an air shutter may be used.

Preferably, the first blocking means and the second blocking means are a first door and a second door that can be opened and closed, respectively, and a first door for opening and closing the first door on the lifting platform of the stacker crane. One opening / closing means and a second opening / closing means for opening / closing the second door are provided.
Particularly preferably, the air between the shelf and the case is controlled by controlling the first and second opening / closing means and opening one of the first door and the second door in advance of the other door. The stacker crane is provided with a control unit that allows the transfer device to deliver articles by purging with clean air and then opening the other door.
Most preferably, when the door is opened and closed, the flow rate of clean air from the fan filter unit on the side provided with the first door opened in advance is increased so that the air between the shelf and the case flows backward from the door. To prevent.

  In the present invention, the article is surrounded by the case on the lifting platform, and clean air is supplied from the first fan filter unit into the case. And the penetration | invasion of the air of the driving | running route into a case is interrupted | blocked by the 1st interruption | blocking means. Also, clean air is supplied from the second fan filter unit to the inside of the shelf, and the intrusion of air from the travel route into the shelf is blocked. For these reasons, it is possible to prevent contamination of stored articles simply by locally cleaning the inside of the case and the inside of the shelf on the lifting platform of the stacker crane as compared with the outside.

  The first blocking means and the second blocking means are respectively a first door and a second door that can be opened and closed, and the first door is opened and closed by the first opening and closing means provided on the lifting platform of the stacker crane, When the second door provided on the shelf is opened and closed by the second opening and closing means, it is not necessary to provide a drive mechanism for opening and closing the door on the shelf.

  One of the first door and the second door is opened prior to the other door, and the air between the shelf and the case is purged with clean air. Next, when the other door is opened, depending on the relationship between the flow of clean air blown out from the first door side and the flow of clean air blown out from the second door side, air flows back into the case or the shelf. There are things to do. However, this air is clean air and is less likely to contaminate stored items.

  In the following, an optimum embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be shown.

  1 to 7 show an embodiment and its modifications. FIG. 1 shows an outline of an automatic warehouse 2 according to an embodiment. Reference numeral 4 denotes a stacker crane. The stacker crane runs on a pair of left and right rails 6 and 6 provided on the floor surface. . Reference numeral 10 denotes a carriage that supports, for example, a pair of front and rear masts 12, and a lifting platform 14 moves up and down along the mast 12. For example, a fixed case 16 is provided on the lifting platform 14, and the case 16 is airtight on the upper surface and both front and rear surfaces in FIG. 1, and is provided with a fan filter unit 18 on the upper portion of the case 16, for example. Further, there are a pair of doors 20 and 20 on both the left and right sides of the case 16, and the door 20 may be provided only on one of the left and right sides. The case 16 has an opening in the lower portion, and clean air from the fan filter unit 18 flows from the inside of the case 16 to the lifting platform 14 as indicated by the white arrow in FIG.

  For example, the pair of left and right drive units 22, 22 attached to the case 16 opens and closes the doors 35 on the left and right shelves 30, 30 side. In addition, a pair of left and right communication units 24, 24 are provided at the upper portion of the mast 12, and communicate with the communication unit 38 on the fan filter unit 36 side of the shelf 30 by visible light, infrared light, or the like. When the drive unit 22 opens and closes the door 35 on the shelf 30 side, the communication unit 24 sends a signal to that effect to the fan filter unit 36 side. When the fan filter unit 36 receives a signal to open the door 35, the fan filter unit 36 increases the amount of clean air blown. A plurality of fan filter units 36 are arranged in the depth direction of FIG. Then, in the vicinity of the position where the stacker crane 4 opens and closes the door 35, for example, the air flow rate of about 1 to 3 fan filter units 36 is increased. Instead of the communication units 24 and 28, a photoelectric sensor or the like may be provided in the vicinity of the door 35 to detect the opening / closing of the door 35 and change the air flow rate of the fan filter unit 36. However, if it does in this way, the wiring to the shelf 30 will increase.

  There are a pair of shelves 30, 30 on the left and right sides of the travel route 8, for example, and a plurality of fan filter units 36 are provided on the shelf 30, for example. One fan filter unit 36 may be provided not on the shelf 30 but on the back of each frontage. Further, the shelf 30 is provided with a door 35 facing the traveling route 8 for each frontage, and the frontage is a unit of a cassette storage location, for example, a storage location for one cassette is one frontage. A communication unit 38 is provided in the vicinity of the fan filter unit 36 and communicates with the communication unit 24 on the stacker crane 4 side to control the amount of clean air from the fan filter unit 36.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes a cassette as a storage article, which is a skeleton-like cassette that accommodates a substrate of a flat panel display. Instead of a flat panel display cassette, a cassette for semiconductor wafers or a cassette for storing medicines or foods may be used. Reference numeral 34 denotes a shelf holder, which is attached to a post (not shown) and supports the cassette 32. Further, a roller conveyor or the like is provided at a part of the shelf 30 so as to be a station for carrying out / incoming the cassette 32 into and out of the automatic warehouse 2.

  The air from the fan filter unit 36 flows downward in the shelf 30 as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 1 and flows out from the opening 40 to the vicinity of the height position of the carriage 10 below the stacker crane 4. It is exhausted to the surroundings through 44. The inside of the case 16 and the inside of the shelf 30 are kept in the C-10 class by the fan filter units 18 and 36, and the traveling route 8 is kept in the C-1000 class, for example. In addition, when the air around the automatic warehouse 2 is more polluted, an airtight ceiling or the like may be provided on the upper portion of the travel route 8 to block the travel route 8 from the ambient air. In this case, clean air leaking from the shelf 30 or the like sets the cleanliness of the travel route 8 to an intermediate value between the shelf 30 and the case 16 and the surroundings of the automatic warehouse.

  FIG. 2 shows an opening / closing mechanism of the shelf door 35. In FIG. 2, each member is shown with an interval. The door 35 is composed of, for example, an airtight and flexible sheet, and is guided by a roller 45 supported by bearings 46 and 46. For example, a belt 48 is attached to the shaft of the roller 45, and the belt 48 is circulated by pulleys 49 and 50. Then, the belt 48 is driven by rotating the shaft of the roller 45 by the friction wheel 58 attached to the drive unit on the lifting platform so as to freely move back and forth. Further, for example, one of the upper ends of the door 35 is attached to the belt 48 by the fixing portion 51, and guides 52 to 54 guide positions on the opposite sides of the belt 48 on both sides of the lower end of the door 35 and the upper end of the door 35. A guided body 56 or the like is used for these guides.

  When the roller 45 is rotated by the friction wheel 58, the belt 48 circulates and the fixed portion 51 moves horizontally. The other three vertices of the door 35 are guided by guides 52 to 54 by a guided body 56 or the like. Further, the weight of the door 35 or the weight of a bar or the like provided at the lower end of the door 35 does not sag, and the lower end of the door 35 is lowered when the fixing portion 51 is moved toward the roller 51. For this reason, the door 35 is opened and closed by the friction wheel 58.

  In the embodiment, the door 35 opens up and down, but it may be opened left and right. In that case, a pair of left and right doors may be provided with the center of the frontage as a boundary, and these may be opened and closed together. Alternatively, one door may be provided for each frontage so that the door opens to the left or right side. When the door 35 is wound up with a roller 45 or the like, the front surface (the surface facing the traveling path) and the back surface (the surface facing the inside of the shelf) of the door 35 may come into contact with each other to contaminate the back side. . Therefore, although winding is avoided in the embodiment, the door 35 may be wound to save space.

  The opening / closing mechanism of the door 35 can be variously modified. For example, in FIG. 3, by supplying air from one of a pair of nozzles 61, 62 provided on the lifting platform side to the windmill 60, the windmill is rotated to open the door 35. Open and close. The windmill 60 is attached to the shaft of the roller 45 in FIG. A pipe 64 supplies air such as clean air to the nozzles 61 and 62.

  In the modification of FIG. 4, for example, a protrusion 65 is provided at the lower end of the door 35, and is lifted and lowered by being sandwiched by a holding member 66 on the lifting platform side. A solenoid 67 advances and retracts the holding member 66 to reciprocate between a position where the protrusion 65 is held and a position where the protrusion 65 does not interfere. A solenoid 67 is attached to the elevating member 68 and is moved up and down along the elevating guide 69. 3 and 4 are the same as the embodiment of FIG. 2 in other points.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration on the lifting platform 14 side. The friction wheel 58 is driven by the drive unit 22 and can be moved back and forth by a retracting mechanism (not shown) between a position where the shelf door is driven and a retracted position. The drive unit 26 opens and closes the door 20 of the case 16, 70 is a roller, 72a and 72b are belts, the pulley 73a is attached to the right belt 72a in FIG. 5, and the pulley 73b is attached to the left belt 72b. . The door 20 is attached to the belts 72 a and 72 b by a fixing portion 74. When the roller 70 is rotated by a motor (not shown) provided in the drive unit 26, the belt 72a or 72b is driven accordingly, the fixing unit 74 attached to the belt is also moved, and the door 20 is opened and closed. The lower end of the door 20 is guided by a guide 71. In other respects, the mechanism is the same as in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lifting platform 14 is provided with a transfer device 80 such as a slide fork or a SCARA arm. In the embodiment, the transfer device 80 transfers the cassette 32 on both the left and right sides, but it may be transferred only on one side. Clean air from the fan filter unit 18 may flow downward from the gap of the elevator 14 and an exhaust fan 82 may be provided on the elevator 14 to change the amount of clean air exhausted as shown in FIG. A control unit 84 is provided, for example, on the lifting platform 14 and drives the drive units 22 and 26 to control the opening and closing of the doors 20 and 35.

  6 and 7 show the delivery of the cassette in the embodiment. When the stacker crane stops and the elevator platform stops facing the target frontage, the fan filter unit of the shelf is requested to increase the air volume of clean air via the communication unit. In the embodiment, it is assumed that the shelf fan filter unit has more supply capacity of clean air than the elevator fan filter unit, and the shelf door 35 is opened ahead of the elevator door case door 20. . As a result, as shown in 1) of FIG. 7, the gap between the case 16 and the shelf 30 is purged with clean air.

  Next, as shown in 2) in FIG. 7, the door 20 of the case of the elevator platform of the stacker crane is opened. At this time, preferably, the air volume of the fan filter unit on the elevator platform side is increased, or the exhaust amount of the exhaust fan on the elevator platform side is increased. Increasing the flow rate of clean air from the fan filter unit of the elevator can prevent clean air from entering the case from the shelf side. Further, when the amount of exhaust air from the elevator is increased, clean air that has entered from the shelf side is quickly exhausted from the case. As a result, it is possible to prevent even a small amount of dust from entering the case 16 with the clean air from the shelf. Next, the cassette 32 is transferred by the transfer device of the stacker crane.

  When the transfer is completed, as shown in 3) in FIG. 7, the door is opened and closed on the case side and the shelf side, for example, at the same time or for each door. Then, the air volume of the fan filter unit on the lifting platform is returned to the original value, and the fan filter unit on the shelf is requested to return the air volume to the original value via the communication unit.

In the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The inside of the case and the inside of the shelf need only be kept highly clean compared to the outside, and the amount of clean air consumption can be reduced. Here, the outside refers to the inside of the case and the outside of the shelf. For example, the inside of the case and the inside of the shelf are kept at a higher degree of cleanliness than the outside of the travel route 8 and the automatic warehouse 2.
(2) When the shelf door 35 is opened and closed by the drive unit 22 provided on the elevator platform side, it is not necessary to provide a door opening and closing drive unit for each shelf opening.
(3) The transfer path of the cassette 32 between the shelf and the case can be made into an air tunnel by clean air.
(4) If one of the doors is opened in advance and the air between the case and the shelf is purged with clean air, contamination in the case and the shelf can be prevented more reliably. That is, if both doors are opened at the same time, air between the shelf and the case may enter the shelf or the case due to the balance of the air flow of clean air from both the left and right sides.
(5) Increasing the amount of clean air supplied from the fan filter unit of the shelf or stacker crane when delivering the goods can more reliably prevent contamination in the shelf or case.
(6) When communicating with the communication part on the fan filter unit side by optical communication etc. by the communication part provided on the upper part of the mast, compared with the case where the opening and closing of the door is detected by a photoelectric sensor etc. and the air volume of the fan filter unit is changed. Wiring becomes easy.

In the embodiment, an openable / closable sheet-like shutter is used as the door, but an air shutter such as a clean air downflow may be used. Further, in order to form an air tunnel between the case and the shelf, a clean air nozzle or the like for forming an air tunnel may be provided on the case 16 side.
In the embodiment, after the lifting platform stops at the target frontage, the shelf door and the lifting platform door are opened. However, an opening / closing drive unit for the door 35 is provided at each shelf opening, and the air volume of the fan filter units 18 and 38 is increased before the lifting platform stops at the target opening, thereby preventing air from entering the travel path 8. You may make it open the doors 20 and 35 in the state prevented. If it does in this way, since it will begin to open a door before a lift stand stops, transfer of a cassette can be performed more rapidly.

The figure which shows typically the automatic warehouse of an Example seeing from the front The perspective view which shows the opening-and-closing mechanism of the shelf door in an Example with the space | interval opened between members The figure which shows the modification of the opening-closing mechanism using a wind pressure The figure which shows the modification of the opening / closing mechanism which opens and closes a door by chucking The partial front view of an Example which shows the raising / lowering stand of the stacker crane in an Example The flowchart which shows the delivery algorithm of the cassette in an Example In the embodiment, it is a plan view showing the delivery of the cassette between the stacker crane and the shelf, where 1) first opens the shelf door, 2) opens both the elevator platform and shelf doors. 3) shows the state where the delivery of the cassette is completed and the doors of both the lifting platform and the shelf are closed.

Explanation of symbols

2 Automatic warehouse 4 Stacker crane 6 Rail 8 Travel path 10 Car 12 Mast 14 Lift platform 16 Case 18, 36 Fan filter unit (FFU)
20, 35 Door 22, 26 Drive unit 24, 38 Communication unit 30 Shelf 32 Cassette 34 Shelf receiver 40-44 Opening 45, 70 Roller 46 Bearing 48, 72 Belt 49, 50 Pulley 51, 74 Fixed part 52-54 Guide 56 Covered Guide body 58 Friction wheel 60 Windmill 61, 62 Nozzle 64 Pipe 65 Projection 66 Holding member 67 Solenoid 68 Lifting member 69 Lifting guide 71 Guide 73a, b Pulley 80 Transfer device 82 Exhaust fan 84 Control unit

Claims (4)

An automatic warehouse with shelves along the travel path of the stacker crane,
An article transfer device, a case surrounding the article drawn onto the elevator table by the transfer device, a first fan filter unit for supplying clean air into the case, and the transfer device. A first blocking means for blocking the entry of air into the traveling path into the case while allowing the loading device to put in and out the article from the case;
The shelf is provided with a second fan filter unit for supplying clean air into the shelf and the transfer route air to the shelf while allowing the article to be transferred to and from the shelf. An automatic warehouse for a clean room, comprising a second blocking means for blocking intrusion. The first blocking means and the second blocking means are respectively a first door and a second door that can be opened and closed, and a first opening and closing for opening and closing the first door on the lifting platform of the stacker crane. 2. The automatic warehouse for a clean room according to claim 1, further comprising: means and second opening / closing means for opening / closing the second door. Purging the air between the shelf and the case with clean air by controlling the first and second opening / closing means and opening one of the first door and the second door in advance of the other door 3. The automatic warehouse for a clean room according to claim 2, wherein a control unit is provided on the stacker crane that allows the transfer device to deliver articles by opening the other door. A method of storing articles in an automatic warehouse provided with shelves along the travel path of a stacker crane,
An article transfer device is provided on the lifting platform of the stacker crane, the article on the lifting platform is surrounded by a case, clean air is supplied from the first fan filter unit into the case, and a traveling route into the case is also provided. Block the ingress of air,
And while supplying clean air from the second fan filter unit to the inside of the shelf, and blocking the intrusion of air in the travel path to the inside of the shelf,
A method for storing articles in an automatic warehouse, characterized in that the inside of the case and the inside of the shelf are locally kept at a high degree of cleanness compared to the outside.

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