JP3067682B2 - Overhead traveling vehicle system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an overhead traveling vehicle system for transporting a work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An overhead traveling vehicle system is for transporting a work in a factory or a warehouse. In this system, rails are laid along the ceilings of these buildings, an overhead traveling vehicle runs along these rails, and the work is transported between desired positions. The position at which the overhead traveling vehicle loads or unloads the work is called a station, and the overhead traveling vehicle is controlled so as to stop immediately above this station. By the way, when the station is full of work and cannot accommodate the work any more, a buffer for temporarily storing the work is required. When a buffer is provided, the space is occupied by that amount. This poses a problem in a clean room, for example, because space is at a premium.

[0003]

An object of the present invention is as follows (claims 1 and 2). 1) A conveyor should be provided in the empty space below the rail to store the work, and the space in the clean room should be used effectively. 2) The number of stop positions of the overhead traveling vehicle with respect to the above-mentioned conveyor is reduced to simplify the stop control of the overhead traveling vehicle. 3) The conveyor should be used as a buffer between the processing units of the work to absorb the shift in the work timing between the processing units, and the rails of the overhead traveling vehicle system should be used to suspend the conveyor, thereby simplifying the installation of the conveyor. An additional object of claim 2 is to allow a work to be stored on a first-in first-out basis using a conveyor so that the work can be unloaded from a work previously received.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a rail is laid along a ceiling of a clean room, and a ceiling traveling vehicle for transporting a work is run by the rail. In an overhead traveling vehicle system in which a work is carried in and out by a car, a conveyor for work storage is suspended by the rail as a buffer of the processing device in correspondence with the processing device, and A predetermined position immediately below the rail is allocated to a work transfer station, and the work is transferred between the conveyor and the overhead traveling vehicle at the station. The type of the conveyor is not limited to the belt conveyor, and any conveyor, such as a slat conveyor or a roller conveyor, can be used as long as the work can be placed on the upper surface and transported. In addition, allocating a predetermined position of the conveyor to a work delivery station means that an overhead traveling vehicle is configured to be able to stop immediately above the delivery station, and when receiving a work from the overhead traveling vehicle, the station is vacated, and the overhead traveling vehicle is emptied. This means that the conveyor is configured to arrange the work to be delivered to the station when the work is delivered to the traveling vehicle.

[0005] The transfer station is provided, for example, at about one to three locations per conveyor, preferably a pair of stations is provided on the conveyor, and the work received at one station is moved to the other station by the conveyor, and the other station is transferred to the other station. From the overhead traveling vehicle.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the conveyor for storing the work is suspended between the rail and the floor of the clean room by the rail. Space can be used effectively, and the installation of conveyors is easy. Further, even if the capacity of the station of the processing apparatus is small, the shift of the operation timing between the processing apparatuses can be absorbed by the conveyor.
Then, since a predetermined position immediately below the rail of the conveyor is assigned to the work transfer station, the received work can be moved to a position other than the transfer station of the conveyor. As a result, since the overhead traveling vehicle only needs to be stopped immediately above the delivery station, the stop position of the overhead traveling vehicle is reduced, and the stop control is facilitated.

[0007] Preferably, a pair of delivery stations are provided on the conveyor, and the work received at one station is moved to the other station side by the conveyor.
In this way, the work received first is carried out first, and the work is carried out in the order of production at the factory or in the order of entry into the warehouse.

[0008]

1 to 10 show an embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an outline of an overhead traveling vehicle system excluding a work storage conveyor, 1 is a rail laid along a ceiling of a clean room, for example, and 2 is an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the rail 1. , 3 are a pair of trolleys. Reference numeral 4 denotes a hoisting unit below the carriage 3, which raises and lowers the elevating platform 5 with a hanging material such as a belt or a rope. Here, the work means the article itself, a case containing the article, or the like. In the case of the embodiment, the work 6 is formed of a case accommodating a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal substrate and the like. FIG. 2 shows the structure of the truck 3. A traveling motor 10 drives a traveling wheel 14 via a gear 12, and 16 is a guide roller for causing the truck 3 to travel smoothly along the rail 1. A pivot shaft 18 is provided at the bottom of the bogie 3, and pivotally connects an overhead traveling vehicle body such as the hoisting unit 4.

Turning to FIG. 3, reference numeral 20 denotes a rail support member.
2 is a bolt and 24 is a cover for fixing the rail support member 20 to the ceiling 26 of the clean room with the bolt 22. At a position above the rail 1, a support frame 30 of a belt conveyor 42 described later is fixed. In this specification, the rail support member 20 is treated as a part of the rail 1, and it is optional whether the support frame 30 is literally fixed to the rail 1 or fixed to the rail support member 20. Reference numeral 32 denotes an overhead line provided on the rail 1, and reference numeral 34 denotes a current collector of the truck 3. A communication cable 36 is used for communication between the overhead traveling vehicle 2 and a host computer 52, which will be described later, and communication between the belt conveyor 42 and the host computer. It is assumed that a signal line is transmitted from the communication cable 36 to the belt conveyor 42 via the frame 30 by a branch line (not shown) or the like. Similarly, it is assumed that power is supplied from the overhead line 32 to the belt conveyor 42 by a branch line (not shown) or the like. 38 is a mark indicating a stop position, 4
Reference numeral 0 denotes a sensor for reading the mark 38.

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement of the belt conveyor 42 in the clean room. As described above, the belt conveyor 42 is suspended by the support frame 30 above the rails 1, 44 is a conveyor shaft, and the belt conveyor 42 can accommodate, for example, about five works 6.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of the belt conveyor 42. Reference numeral 46 denotes a controller, which is connected to a host computer 52 via a communication cable 36, and 48, a motor connected to the overhead wire 32. And host computer 5
The controller 46 operates in response to a command from the controller 2, and moves the belt conveyor 42 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The right end of the belt conveyor 42 in the figure is a storage station 49, and the left end is a discharge station 50. The host computer 52 communicates with and controls the overhead traveling vehicle 2 and the belt conveyor 42. FIG. 6 shows the operation of the belt conveyor 42. The elevator 5 of the overhead traveling vehicle 2 grips the work 6 and descends to the storage station 49, where the work 6 is landed on the belt conveyor 42 and loaded. Take it down. The unloaded work 6 is delivered to the delivery station 50 by the belt conveyor 42.
The container is conveyed to the side, and is gripped by the elevator 5 from the delivery station 50 and is carried out.

FIG. 7 shows a circulation type conveyor 54 of a modified example. In this conveyor 54, the position 5 immediately below the rail 1
Stations 5 and 56 are the loading and unloading stations, and station 55
The work 6 unloaded to the station 56 is sent to the station 56 by the conveyor 54, and the work unloaded to the station 56 is sent to the station 55. The conveyors 42 and 54 are belt conveyors, but may be chain conveyors, slat conveyors, roller conveyors, or the like.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the arrangement of the overhead traveling vehicle system. Reference numeral 60 denotes a work processing apparatus such as a film forming apparatus, an impurity injection apparatus, or a cleaning apparatus. Reference numerals 61 and 62 denote stations thereof. The work 6 is received from the overhead traveling vehicle 2 and is transferred into the processing device 60, and after removing the case, the substrate and the like inside are taken out and processed.
Then, it is stored in the case again in the processing device 60 and is carried out of the station 62. Thus, the station 61,
Reference numeral 62 also serves as a buffer between processes. The belt conveyor 42 is disposed, for example, along the rail 1 between the processing devices 60, 60. For example, in the case of the drawing, the belt conveyor 42 is used as a buffer between the left and right processing devices, and after the processing is completed in the right processing device, Used as a buffer before transferring to the left processing unit. In this way, the capacity of the stations 61 and 62 of the processing device 60 can be reduced, and the volume of the clean room can be effectively used accordingly.

The conveyor 42 is arranged, for example, in association with the processing unit 60 as shown in FIG.
a is used as a buffer in front of the processing device 60a, and the conveyor 42b is used as a buffer on the exit side of the processing device 60a. Similarly, the conveyor 42c is used as a buffer on the front side of the processing device 60b, and the conveyor 42d is
Used as a buffer between 0b and 60c. As described above, there are two types of the conveyor 42: one corresponding to the processing device 60 (conveyors 42a, b, c) and one corresponding to the processing device 60 1: 2 (conveyor 42d).

FIG. 10 shows the operation of the conveyor 42. When the host computer 52 instructs the stocking of the work 6, the controller 46 checks the stock quantity of the work 6 in the conveyor 42, and the remaining one becomes full. Check whether or not. In any case, the work 6 is unloaded from the elevating platform 5 to the previously empty storage station 49, and the controller 46 waits for the arrival of a landing signal confirming that the unloading of the work 6 has been completed. Increase the inventory counter by 1. When the conveyor 42 becomes full due to the landing of the work 6, a full signal is sent to the host computer 5.
Report to 2. In other cases, the conveyor 42 is moved forward by one piece of the work 6, and the work 6 is moved to the unloading station 50 side by one step.

When a retrieval command arrives from the host computer 52, it is checked whether or not the work 6 exists in the retrieval station 50. If not, the leading work 6 is advanced to the retrieval station 50. Next, it waits for a signal indicating that the chuck of the work 6 has been completed on the lift 5 to arrive via the host computer 52, and then advances the conveyor 42 by one work.
The counter indicating the stock number in 6 is decremented by one.

In the embodiment, the empty space in the clean room can be effectively used, and in particular, the empty space below the rail 1 can be effectively used. Since the belt conveyor 42 can be used as a buffer between the processing devices 60, the time lag between the processing devices can be absorbed even if the stations 61, 62 of the processing device 60 are reduced in size. The belt conveyor 42 is hung on the rail 1 by the support frame 32, and installation and positioning of the belt conveyor 42 are easy. Since the belt conveyor 42 has only to stop the overhead traveling vehicle 2 at the two points of the entrance station 49 and the exit station 50, the stop position decreases. Therefore, the number of marks 38 provided on the rail 1 can be reduced, and the stop control can be simplified. In the conveyor 42, since the work 6 received first in the first-in first-out manner is carried out first, the older work is sent to the next process earlier. Further, the controller 46 counts the number of stocks of the work 6 on the conveyor 42, and always keeps the stocking station 49 free, and manages the other work 6 so that each work 6 is continuously arranged. There is no need to manage which location is located. Therefore, the management of the conveyor 42 is also simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an overhead traveling vehicle according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a main part of a bogie of the overhead traveling vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the bogie of the overhead traveling vehicle according to the embodiment in a vertical plane.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view around a conveyor in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation of the conveyor in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a conveyor according to a modified example.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing an arrangement of a conveyor and a processing apparatus in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 rail 2 overhead traveling vehicle 3 carriage 4 hoisting unit 5 elevating platform 6 work 10 traveling motor 12 gear 14 traveling wheel 16 guide roller 18 pivot shaft 20 rail support member 22 bolt 24 cover 26 ceiling 30 support frame 32 overhead wire 34 collecting electron 36 communication Cable 38 Mark 40 Reading Sensor 42 Belt Conveyor 44 Conveyor Shaft 46 Controller 48 Motor 49 Entry Station 50 Departure Station 52 Host Computer 54 Conveyor 55,56 Entry / Exit Station 60 Processing Unit 61,62 Station

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rail is laid along a ceiling of a clean room, a ceiling traveling vehicle for transporting a work is run by the rail, and a work processing device is provided along the rail to transfer a work by the overhead traveling vehicle. In the overhead traveling vehicle system, which is carried in and out, a conveyor for work storage is suspended by the rail as a buffer of the processing device in correspondence with the processing device, and the conveyor is directly below the rail on the conveyor. A ceiling traveling vehicle system, wherein a predetermined position is assigned to a work transfer station, and the work is transferred between the conveyor and the overhead traveling vehicle at the station. 2. A pair of said stations is provided on said conveyor, and a work received at one station is moved to another station by said conveyor,
2. The overhead traveling vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the overhead traveling vehicle is carried out of the other station.