KR20240010651A - Traffic monitoring system and traffic monitoring method of semiconductor processing goods transport facility - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a traffic monitoring system for semiconductor process product transfer facilities that can monitor the traffic situation of transfer vehicle units moving along a running rail installed on the ceiling side of a semiconductor manufacturing plant for product transfer and control them to bypass congested sections; and It relates to a traffic monitoring method, which is installed on a transport vehicle unit functioning as a traffic situation monitoring unit, and when the identity of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on a running rail is discovered, the front transport vehicle units Based on the sensor unit for detecting the traffic situation and the traffic situation detected through the sensor unit, the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units is analyzed, and the cause of the congestion is located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail according to the cause of the congestion. It may include a control unit that transmits the cause of the congestion to the logistics control system so that at least some of the rear transport vehicle units can move to an alternative route that bypasses the congestion section.

Description

Traffic monitoring system and traffic monitoring method of semiconductor processing goods transport facility}

The present invention relates to a traffic monitoring system and a traffic monitoring method for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a traffic monitoring system and a traffic monitoring method for transporting goods. More specifically, the present invention relates to the traffic situation of transfer vehicle units moving along a running rail installed on the ceiling side of a semiconductor manufacturing plant for product transfer. It relates to a traffic monitoring system and traffic monitoring method for semiconductor processing product transfer facilities that can monitor and control to bypass congested sections.

To manufacture a semiconductor, various processes must be performed using semiconductor processing equipment, and for this purpose, an article such as a wafer must be transported from a random location to a desired location depending on the process to be performed. For example, a container containing wafers to be processed as an article may be transferred and provided to a load port of one semiconductor processing equipment, and a container containing processed wafers may be transferred to a load port of another semiconductor processing equipment. It can be transferred to .

Generally, in semiconductor manufacturing sites such as clean rooms, product transport equipment including an overhead hoist transport (OHT) is mainly used to transport products efficiently. Goods transport facilities may largely consist of an overhead hoist transport (hereinafter also referred to as OHT) and a buffer device (side track buffer, STB). The OHT includes a transport vehicle unit traveling along a traveling rail, and the buffer device provides an article storage space for temporarily storing articles transported by the transportation vehicle unit on the side of the traveling rail of the OHT.

The OHT of the goods transfer facility can transfer goods by receiving a return command from the upper system OCS (OHT control system). At this time, OCS can conduct route search from the starting point to the destination and deliver the optimal route to OHT. Accordingly, the OHT can transport the goods by moving along the path received from the OCS.

However, although the OHT transfers the goods through the optimal route through the calculation of OCS, if a congestion section occurs due to a concentration of OHTs in the section that is actually passing, congestion occurs in a chain reaction to the subsequent OHT that must pass through the section. There was a problem that it took a lot of time to transport the goods.

The present invention is intended to solve various problems including the problems described above. When a congested section is discovered in the transfer route where OHTs are concentrated, a replacement is made so that subsequent OHTs that must pass through the section can bypass the congested section. The purpose is to provide a traffic monitoring system and a traffic monitoring method for semiconductor process product transfer facilities that can be distributed along a route. However, these tasks are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment is provided. The traffic monitoring system of the semiconductor process product transfer facility establishes an operation plan for a plurality of transfer vehicle units that transport goods while moving along a running rail installed on the ceiling side of the semiconductor manufacturing factory, and performs transfer operations according to the operation plan. At least one transport vehicle unit among the plurality of transport vehicle units operating according to a command of a logistics control system that commands a command is utilized as a traffic situation monitoring unit, and the plurality of transport vehicle units moving on the traveling rail are monitored. In the traffic monitoring system capable of monitoring traffic conditions, it is installed in a transport vehicle unit functioning as the traffic situation monitoring unit, and the identity of front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the running rail is discovered. In this case, a sensor unit that detects traffic conditions of the front transport vehicle units; and analyzing the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units based on the traffic situation detected through the sensor unit, and at least a portion of the rear transport vehicle units located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail according to the cause of the congestion. It may include a control unit that transmits the cause of the congestion to the logistics control system so that it can move to an alternative route that bypasses the congestion section.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit is installed in the traffic situation monitoring unit, and when the congestion of the front transport vehicle units is discovered, the forward transport unit is located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail. It may include a vision sensor that photographs the traffic situation of vehicle units.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the vision sensor is installed on one side of the traffic situation monitoring unit, and photographs one side of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail. 1 camera; and a second camera installed on the other side of the traffic situation monitoring unit and photographing the other side of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit uses the vision sensor when receiving information from the logistics control system about the occurrence of congestion in the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail. Thus, the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units can be photographed.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit is a distance sensor installed on the front of the traffic situation monitoring unit and detecting the separation distance from the transport vehicle unit moving in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail. It may further include ;.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit, when the separation distance detected by the distance sensor reaches a preset proximity threshold distance, the front transport vehicle located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail It is determined that congestion of units has occurred, and the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units can be photographed using the vision sensor.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit includes a traffic situation receiver that receives captured images or captured images of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail from the vision sensor; a congestion cause analysis unit that analyzes the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units based on the captured image or the captured video; and a congestion cause transmission unit that transmits the analyzed congestion cause to the logistics control system.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the logistics control system searches for an optimal travel path of the plurality of transfer vehicle units on the travel rail according to the travel plan and sends the transfer work command to each transfer vehicle unit. An OCS (OHT control system) that commands and controls the movement, is included in the OCS, and is located at the rear of the traffic situation monitoring unit based on the congestion cause transmitted from the congestion cause transmitter. It may further include an alternative path setting unit that sets an alternative path.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the alternative route setting unit is configured to cause all the transport vehicle units among the rear transport vehicle units that pass through the work location to take different routes when the cause of the congestion is a worker working on the travel rail. An alternative route is set and transmitted so that a detour can be made, and if the cause of the congestion is the transport of goods in any one of the front transport vehicle units, via the transport location among the rear transport vehicle units. In order to distribute the traffic volume of the transport vehicle units, an alternative route for at least some of the transport vehicle units passing through the transport location is set and transmitted in consideration of the goods transport time, and the cause of the congestion is in the front If an accident occurs in one of the transport vehicle units, an alternative route can be set and transmitted so that all transport vehicle units passing through the accident location among the rear transport vehicle units can detour to another route. .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the congestion cause transmitting unit, when the cause of the congestion analyzed by the congestion cause analysis unit is an accident in any one of the front transport vehicle units, the worker is sent to the scene. In order to check the situation and take action, the captured image or video can be transmitted to the worker terminal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit determines that congestion is cleared when the traffic situation monitoring unit passes the congestion section, and allows the plurality of transport vehicle units to move again to the optimal driving path. It may further include a congestion relief transmitter that transmits a congestion release signal to the logistics control system.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for monitoring traffic in a semiconductor processing product transfer facility is provided. The traffic monitoring method of the semiconductor process product transfer facility includes at least one transfer vehicle unit among a plurality of transfer vehicle units that transport goods while moving along a running rail installed on the ceiling side of a semiconductor manufacturing factory as a traffic situation monitoring unit. A patrol step of patrolling the traffic situation of the plurality of transport vehicle units moving on an optimal operation route according to instructions from a logistics control system; A congestion detection step of detecting whether congestion occurs in front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail; When congestion of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit is discovered, a congestion section photographing step of photographing the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units; The cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units is analyzed based on the photographed traffic situation, and at least some of the rear transport vehicle units located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail bypass the congestion section according to the cause of the congestion. A congestion cause transmission step of transmitting the congestion cause to the logistics control system to enable movement to an alternative route; And when the traffic situation monitoring unit passes the congestion section, it determines that the congestion has been cleared, and transmits a congestion relief signal to the logistics control system so that the plurality of transport vehicle units can move to the optimal operation path again. It may include a congestion release notification step;

According to an embodiment of the present invention made as described above, at least one transport vehicle unit among a plurality of transport vehicle units operating according to a command of a logistics control system is utilized as a traffic situation monitoring unit and moves on a traveling rail. The traffic situation of multiple transport vehicle units can be monitored.

In addition, when congestion of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit is discovered on the running rail, the cause of the congestion of the front transport vehicle units is analyzed based on the traffic situation detected through the sensor unit installed in the traffic situation monitoring unit. , depending on the cause of congestion, at least some of the rear transfer vehicle units located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail may be dispersed to an alternative route to bypass the congestion section.

In this way, if a congested section is discovered in the transfer route where transfer vehicle units are crowded together, the logistics of the goods transfer facility are improved by dispersing to an alternative route so that subsequent transfer vehicle units that must pass through the section can bypass the congested section. It is possible to implement a traffic monitoring system and traffic monitoring method for semiconductor process product transfer facilities that can be operated effectively and reduce product transportation time. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by this effect.

1 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a product transfer facility to which a traffic monitoring system for a semiconductor process product transfer facility according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the schematic configuration of the product transport facility of FIG. 1.
3 and 4 are front and side views of a traffic situation monitoring unit to which the traffic monitoring system of the semiconductor processing product transport facility according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied among the transport vehicle units moving along the traveling rail in the product transport facility of FIG. 1. These are cross-sectional views schematically showing.
Figure 5 is a configuration diagram showing the schematic configuration of a traffic monitoring system for a semiconductor process product transfer facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a configuration in which a subsequent transport vehicle unit detours when a congestion section occurs in the product transport facility of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a configuration in which a traffic situation monitoring unit detects the separation distance from a transport vehicle unit located in front.
Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a schematic flow of a traffic monitoring method for semiconductor process product transfer equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the following examples may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to the examples. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more faithful and complete and to fully convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Additionally, the thickness and size of each layer in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience and clarity of explanation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to drawings that schematically show ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, variations of the depicted shape may be expected, for example, depending on manufacturing technology and/or tolerances. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific shape of the area shown in this specification, but should include, for example, changes in shape resulting from manufacturing.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a product transfer facility 1000 to which the traffic monitoring system 300 of a semiconductor process product transfer facility according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the product transport facility 1000 of FIG. 1. It is a configuration diagram showing the schematic configuration of the transfer facility 1000, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the transfer vehicle unit 100 of the present invention moving along the traveling rail 10 in the product transfer facility 1000 of FIG. 1. These are cross-sectional views schematically showing the front and side surfaces of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 to which the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility according to one embodiment is applied. And, Figure 5 is a configuration diagram showing the schematic configuration of the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor process product transfer facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a congestion section in the product transfer facility 1000 of Figure 1. It is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the configuration in which the subsequent transfer vehicle unit (100-3) detours when an occurrence occurs, and Figure 7 shows the traffic situation monitoring unit (100-1) detecting the separation distance (D) from the transfer vehicle unit located in front. This is a conceptual diagram that schematically shows the configuration.

A semiconductor manufacturing factory may consist of at least one clean room, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment for performing a semiconductor manufacturing process may be installed in the clean room. Semiconductors can be completed by repeatedly performing semiconductor manufacturing processes on wafers.

In this process, wafers that have completed processing in a specific semiconductor manufacturing facility can be moved to the semiconductor manufacturing facility for the next process. At this time, the wafer may be transported by OHT (Overhead hoist transport), referred to as a transfer vehicle unit, in a state in which the wafer is stored in a FOUP (Front opening unified pod), referred to as an article in the following section.

The overall configuration of the product transfer facility 1000 for transporting products is conceptually shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1, the product transfer facility 100 may largely include a traveling rail 10, a transfer vehicle unit 100, and a buffer unit 200.

As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling rail 10 may provide a transfer path 11 for transferring the FOUP, which is an article F, between semiconductor manufacturing facilities 1. The traveling rail 10 may be placed on the ceiling side of a semiconductor manufacturing plant, and the transfer path 11 includes at least one straight section 12, at least one curved section 13, and It may be composed of combinations of at least one connection section 14 for branching or merging of paths. Here, the layout of the traveling rail 10 is not necessarily limited to FIG. 1, and may be formed in various shapes depending on the conditions of the semiconductor manufacturing site.

In addition, the transfer vehicle unit 100 may directly transfer the article F from a specific facility among the semiconductor manufacturing facilities 1 to another facility while moving along the traveling rail 10, and the buffer unit 200 It can be stored temporarily and then transferred to another facility. The buffer unit 200 is a side track buffer (STB) installed on the side of the running rail 10, and is installed on the side of the running rail 10, and transports the goods ( F) can be stored temporarily. In addition, the buffer unit 200, although not shown, may also include an under track buffer (UTB) installed below the traveling rail 10 to temporarily store the article F.

In this way, the goods transport facility 1000, which includes the transfer vehicle unit 100 that transports the goods F while moving along the traveling rail 10, is referred to as the logistics control system 30 in the overall operation of which will be described later. It can be controlled by the referred to OCS (OHT control system). The OCS includes map information, which is information about the shape of the driving path, etc., a code that is a type of tag applied to the traveling rail 10 and the transfer vehicle units 100, and a sensor unit that can recognize the code. (S in FIG. 4) can be used to recognize the locations of the transfer vehicle units 100, and control the movement of the transfer vehicle units 100 based on the location information of the recognized transfer vehicle units 100.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the logistics control system 30 receives instructions regarding transport according to the work process from the MCS (Material Control System) 20, and performs each transport according to the command of the MCS 20. In order to enable the vehicle unit 100 to complete the transfer operation in the shortest time, the shortest path from the starting point to the destination is searched, and the transfer vehicle unit 100 in the optimal location suitable for performing the transfer operation is selected and transferred. Commands can be issued. Accordingly, the transfer vehicle unit 100 selected according to the transfer command of the logistics control system 30 can transfer the goods F from any port commanded by the logistics control system 30 to the destination port. You can.

At this time, tens to hundreds of transfer vehicle units 100 are moving on the traveling rail according to the transfer command of the logistics control system 30, and even if the movement is made according to the optimal path search, the transfer vehicle units 100 ), a close driving section may inevitably occur, and in fact, if a bottleneck occurs due to the concentration of transfer vehicle units 100 in a specific section, it may take a lot of time to transfer the goods (F).

In order to solve this problem, the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility of the present invention is configured to detect a congestion section in a specific section of the running rail 10 when the transfer vehicle units 100 are crowded together. Subsequent transport vehicle units that must pass through the congested section may be dispersed onto alternative routes so that they can bypass the congested section.

For example, the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor process product transfer facility includes a plurality of transfer vehicle units 100 that transport the goods (F) while moving along the running rail 10 installed on the ceiling side of the semiconductor manufacturing factory. Establishing an operation plan and commanding a transfer operation command according to the operation plan, at least one of the plurality of transfer vehicle units 100 that are operating according to the command of the logistics control system 30 is controlled by traffic conditions. By using it as a monitoring unit (100-1 in FIG. 6), the traffic situation of a plurality of transfer vehicle units 100 moving on the traveling rail 10 can be monitored.

In more detail, the configuration of the transfer vehicle unit 100 on which the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility can be installed and the traveling rail 10 that provides the travel path of the transfer vehicle unit 100 will be described in more detail. , As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of running rails 10 is spaced apart in the left and right directions so that a first rail (R1) and a second rail (R2) can be paired with each other, and the running rails 10 are By including rail support members 15 that are mounted on the ceiling, it can be placed in the upper area of a semiconductor manufacturing plant. The running rail 10 may provide a running surface forming the transfer path 11 on the upper side.

In addition, although not shown, a feed line may be installed at the lower part of the traveling rail 10 along the transfer path 11. The feed line may be configured as a pair, like the traveling rail 10, and may be electrically connected to a power supply device that provides driving power to the transfer vehicle unit 100.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport vehicle unit 100 largely includes a vehicle module 110 running along the travel rail 10 and a hoist that grips and ungrips the article F. It may include a module 120.

For example, the vehicle module 110 may include a traveling wheel 111, and an axle (not shown) extending in the left and right directions may be installed on the vehicle module 110. The axles may be provided in plurality and may be installed to be spaced apart from each other in the front and rear direction of the vehicle module 110.

The traveling wheel 111 may provide mobility to the vehicle module 110 so that the vehicle module 110 can travel according to the guidance of the traveling rail 10. The running wheels 111 are mounted on both ends of the axle, and can make a rolling motion by contacting the running surface provided on the upper side of the running rail 10.

In addition, although not shown, the vehicle module 110 may have a driving device installed inside or outside that provides power to rotate the axle to rotate the traveling wheel 111. In addition, although not shown, the vehicle module 110 may further include guide wheels each contacting guide surfaces formed on opposing inner sides of a pair of traveling rails 10.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hoist module 120 may include a hoist housing 121. The hoist housing 121 may be connected to the vehicle module 110 at the lower side of the traveling rail 10. For example, the upper part of the hoist housing 121 may be connected to the lower part of the vehicle module 110 by a single or plural connector.

In addition, the hoist housing 121 can provide a receiving space (A) in which the article (F) is accommodated, and can move the article (F) in the left or right direction or downward in the receiving space (A). It can be formed to have an open structure on both the left, right, and bottom sides.

In addition, the hoist module 120 may further include a hand portion 122 for gripping or ungripping the article F and a hand moving device for moving the hand portion 122 between the first position and the second position. there is. For example, the first position is a position where the article (F) gripped by the hand portion 122 is accommodated in the receiving space (A) of the hoist housing 121, and the second position is away from the first position. The location may be the outside of the hoist housing 121, that is, the inside of the article storage of the buffer unit, or the location corresponding to the load port of the semiconductor manufacturing facility 1.

The hoist module 120 is a hand moving device that moves the hand unit 122, and may include a vertical drive unit 123, a rotation drive unit 124, and a horizontal drive unit 125.

More specifically, the hand unit 122 may include a hand that grips and ungrips the article F, and a hand support that supports the hand. Additionally, the vertical driving unit 123 can move the hand unit 122 in the vertical direction by winding or unwinding at least one belt with respect to the drum. In addition, the rotation drive unit 124 can rotate the hand unit 122 around an axis in the vertical direction, and the horizontal drive unit 125 can move the hand unit 122 in the left and right directions.

For example, the hand part 122 is moved in the vertical direction by the vertical driving part 123, the vertical driving part 123 is rotated around the axis in the vertical direction by the rotational driving part 124, and the rotational driving part 124 is By moving in the left and right directions by the horizontal driving unit 125, the article F gripped by the hand unit 122 is moved in the vertical direction, rotated around the vertical axis, or moved in the left and right directions, thereby forming the hoist housing. The article F accommodated in the storage space of 121 can be moved to a position corresponding to the inside of the article storage of the buffer unit or the load port of the semiconductor manufacturing facility 1.

The traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility may be installed in the transfer vehicle unit 100 that functions as a traffic situation monitoring unit (100-1 in FIG. 6) among the transfer vehicle units 100, Broadly speaking, it may be composed of a sensor unit 310 and a control unit 320.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the sensor unit 310 is installed in a transport vehicle unit functioning as a traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1, and is installed on the traveling rail 10 as a traffic situation monitoring unit ( When the congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of 100-1) is discovered, the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 can be detected.

More specifically, the sensor unit 310 is installed in the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 and monitors the traffic situation on the traveling rail 10 when congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 is discovered. It may be a vision sensor 311 that photographs the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the unit 100-1.

The vision sensor 311 is installed to be able to see ahead from both sides of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1, and can detect the situation ahead of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1.

For example, the vision sensor 311 is installed on one side of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1, and front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the traveling rail 10 ( The first camera 311-1, which photographs one side of 100-2), is installed on the other side of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1, and monitors the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the running rail 10. It may be configured with a second camera 311-2 that photographs the other side of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in the front.

In this way, the sensor unit 310 including the vision sensor 311 is sent from the logistics control system 30, which controls the transport vehicle units 100, to the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the traveling rail 10. ), the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 can be photographed using the vision sensor 311.

However, recognition of the occurrence of congestion is not necessarily limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 7, the sensor unit 310 is installed on the front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 and detects traffic on the running rail 10. It is also possible to independently determine the occurrence of congestion using the distance sensor 312 that detects the separation distance (D) from the transport vehicle unit moving in front of the situation monitoring unit 100-1.

For example, when the separation distance D detected by the distance sensor 312 reaches the preset proximity threshold distance, the sensor unit 310 is located at the front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the traveling rail 10. It is determined that congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in has occurred, and the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 may be photographed using the vision sensor 311.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the control unit 320 analyzes the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 based on the traffic situation detected through the sensor unit 310, and , so that at least some of the rear transfer vehicle units 100-3 located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the traveling rail 10 can move to an alternative route that bypasses the congestion section depending on the cause of the congestion. , the cause of the congestion can be transmitted to the logistics control system 30.

More specifically, the control unit 320 receives, from the vision sensor 311, a captured image or A traffic situation receiver 321 that receives the captured image, a congestion cause analysis unit 322 that analyzes the cause of congestion of the forward transport vehicle units 100-2 based on the captured image or the captured video, and the analyzed When the congestion cause transmitting unit 323 and the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1, which transmit the congestion cause to the logistics control system 30, pass through the congestion section, it is determined that the congestion is cleared, and a plurality of transport vehicle units It may include a congestion relief transmitter 324 that transmits a congestion relief signal to the logistics control system 30 so that the vehicle 100 can move back to the previously set optimal operation path. This control unit 320, along with the sensor unit 310, may be installed in the transfer vehicle unit 100 designated as the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1.

For example, when the congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 is discovered on the traveling rail 10, the traffic situation receiver 321 of the control unit 320 The captured image or the captured image of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 is received from the vision sensor 311 of the sensor unit 310, and the congestion cause analysis unit 322 receives the captured image or the captured image. Based on this, the cause of the congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 can be analyzed.

In this analysis of the cause of congestion, the operator may directly read the captured image or the captured video and directly input the analyzed cause of the congestion into the congestion cause analysis unit 322. It may be automatically read by the congestion cause analysis unit 322 using the correlation between the captured image or the captured image and the congestion cause stored in . The captured image or the correlation between the captured image and the congestion cause used here is derived by deep learning the conventional congestion cause reading history data using artificial intelligence and stored in advance in the congestion cause analysis unit 322. It can be.

Accordingly, the congestion cause transmission unit 323 of the control unit 320 may transmit the congestion cause analyzed through the congestion cause analysis 322 to the logistics control system 30.

For example, the logistics control system 30 searches for the optimal operation path of the plurality of transfer vehicle units 100 on the travel rail 10 according to the operation plan, and commands a transfer operation command to each transfer vehicle unit. , is an OCS (OHT control system) that controls the movement, and the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility further includes an alternative route setting unit 330 included in the OCS, and a congestion cause transmitting unit 323 Based on the cause of the congestion transmitted from ), an alternative route for the rear transfer vehicle units 100-3 located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 can be set.

More specifically, the alternative route setting unit 330 is configured to configure all transfer vehicles passing through the work location among the rear transfer vehicle units 100-3 when the cause of the congestion is a worker working on the travel rail 10. An alternative route is set and transmitted so that the units can detour to another route, and when the cause of the congestion is the transfer of goods in any one of the front transfer vehicle units 100-2, the rear transfer vehicle unit In order to disperse the traffic volume of the transfer vehicle units passing through the transfer location among the transport locations 100-3, an alternative route for at least some of the transfer vehicle units among the transfer vehicle units passing through the transfer location is established in consideration of the product transfer time. Set and transmit, and if the cause of the congestion is an accident in any one of the front transport vehicle units (100-2), all of the rear transport vehicle units (100-3) passing through the accident location Alternate routes can be set and transmitted so that transport vehicle units can take a detour to another route.

At this time, if the cause of the congestion analyzed by the congestion cause analysis unit 322 is an accident in one of the front transport vehicle units 100-2, the congestion cause transmitter 323 is configured to allow the worker to The captured image or video can be transmitted to the worker terminal (CP) so that the on-site situation can be checked and action taken.

In this way, the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility detects the identity of the front transfer vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the traveling rail 10. If possible, the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 is photographed through the sensor unit 310, and the photographed traffic situation is photographed through the control unit 320. After analyzing the traffic situation and reading the cause of the congestion, the transfer vehicle units 100 can be appropriately distributed to alternative routes according to the cause of the congestion through the alternative route setting unit 330.

In addition, after the occurrence of congestion, when the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 exits the congestion section, it determines that the congestion has been cleared and transmits the congestion release signal to the logistics control system 30, thereby allowing multiple transfers. The vehicle units 100 can be induced to move back to the previously set optimal driving path.

Hereinafter, a traffic monitoring method using the traffic monitoring system 300 of the above-described semiconductor processing product transfer facility will be described in detail.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart schematically showing the flow of a traffic monitoring method for a semiconductor processing product transfer facility according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the traffic monitoring method of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility largely includes a patrol step (S100), a congestion detection step (S200), a congestion section photography step (S300), and a congestion cause transmission step (S400). and a congestion release notification step (S500).

First, in the patrol step (S100), at least one of the plurality of transfer vehicle units 100 that transport the goods (F) while moving along the running rail 10 installed on the ceiling side of the semiconductor manufacturing plant The unit can be used as a traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 to patrol the traffic situation of a plurality of transfer vehicle units 100 moving along an optimal operation route according to instructions from the logistics control system 30.

Next, in the congestion detection step (S200), it is detected whether congestion occurs in the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 on the traveling rail 10, and the traffic situation is monitored. When congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the unit 100-1 is discovered, the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 is checked in the congestion section photographing step (S300). You can shoot.

Next, in the congestion cause transmission step (S400), the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 is analyzed based on the photographed traffic situation, and the traffic situation is monitored on the traveling rail 10 according to the cause of the congestion. The cause of the congestion may be transmitted to the logistics control system 30 so that at least some of the rear transfer vehicle units 100-3 located behind the unit 100-1 can move to an alternative route that bypasses the congestion section. .

More specifically, in the alternative route setting step (S410), the transport vehicle units 100 may be appropriately distributed to alternative routes according to the cause of congestion.

For example, in the alternative route setting step (S410), if the cause of the congestion is a worker working on the traveling rail 10, all transport vehicle units passing through the work location among the rear transport vehicle units 100-3 An alternative route is set and transmitted so that it can be detoured to another route, and if the cause of the congestion is the transfer of goods in any one of the front transfer vehicle units 100-2, the rear transfer vehicle units ( In 100-3), an alternative route is set for at least some of the transfer vehicle units among the transfer vehicle units passing through the transfer location in consideration of the product transfer time so as to disperse the traffic volume of transfer vehicle units passing through the transfer location. transmission, and if the cause of the congestion is an accident in any one of the front transport vehicle units (100-2), all transport vehicles passing through the accident location among the rear transport vehicle units (100-3) Alternate routes can be set and transmitted so that units can take a detour to another route.

Subsequently, when the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 passes the congestion section, it is determined that the congestion has been cleared, and the congestion is cleared so that the plurality of transport vehicle units 100 can move to the optimal travel route again. Through the notification step (S500), a congestion relief signal can be transmitted to the logistics control system 30.

Therefore, according to the traffic monitoring system 300 of the semiconductor processing product transfer facility and the traffic monitoring method using the same according to various embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of transfer vehicle units operating according to instructions of the logistics control system 30 ( 100), at least one of the transport vehicle units can be used as the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 to monitor the traffic situation of a plurality of transport vehicle units 100 moving on the traveling rail 10 in real time. there is.

In addition, when the congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 is discovered on the traveling rail 10, the sensor installed in the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 Based on the traffic situation detected through the unit 310, the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units 100-2 is analyzed, and the traffic situation monitoring unit 100-1 is installed on the traveling rail 10 according to the cause of the congestion. At least some of the rear transfer vehicle units 100-3 located at the rear may be distributed to alternative routes to bypass the congestion section.

In this way, when a congested section is discovered in the transfer route where transfer vehicle units are crowded and congested, the product transfer facility 1000 is dispersed to an alternative route so that subsequent transfer vehicle units that must pass through the section can bypass the congested section. It can have the effect of reducing the transportation time of goods by effectively operating the overall logistics.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the attached patent claims.

1: Semiconductor manufacturing equipment
10: Running rail
11: Transport path
12: Straight section
13: Curved section
14: Connection section
15: Rail support member
20:MCS
30: Logistics control system
100: Transport vehicle unit
100-1: Traffic situation monitoring unit
100-2: Forward transport vehicle units
100-3: Rear transport vehicle units
110: vehicle module
111: driving wheel
120: Hoist module
121: Hoist housing
122: Hand part
123: Up and down driving part
124: Rotation driving unit
125: horizontal driving unit
200: buffer unit
300: Traffic monitoring system for semiconductor process product transfer equipment
310: sensor unit
311: Vision sensor
311-1: First camera
311-2: Second camera
312: Distance sensor
320: control unit
321: Traffic status receiver
322: Congestion cause analysis unit
323: Congestion cause transmitting unit
324: Congestion release transmitter
1000: Goods transport equipment
A: Accommodation space
F: Goods
S: sensor part
R1: 1st rail
R2: 2nd rail
CP: operator terminal

Claims (12)

An operation plan is established for a plurality of transfer vehicle units that transport goods while moving along a running rail installed on the ceiling of a semiconductor manufacturing plant, and the operation is performed according to the commands of a logistics control system that commands transfer operation commands according to the operation plan. In a traffic monitoring system that can monitor the traffic situation of the plurality of transport vehicle units moving on the traveling rail by using at least one transport vehicle unit among the plurality of transport vehicle units in motion as a traffic situation monitoring unit. ,
It is installed in a transport vehicle unit functioning as the traffic situation monitoring unit, and when the congestion of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit is discovered on the traveling rail, the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units is detected. sensor unit; and
The cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units is analyzed based on the traffic situation detected through the sensor unit, and at least some of the rear transport vehicle units located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail are determined according to the cause of the congestion. a control unit that transmits the cause of the congestion to the logistics control system so that the user can move to an alternative route that bypasses the congestion section;
A traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment, including a. According to claim 1,
The sensor unit,
A vision sensor installed in the traffic situation monitoring unit and photographing the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail when congestion of the front transport vehicle units is discovered;
A traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment, including a. According to claim 2,
The vision sensor is,
a first camera installed on one side of the traffic situation monitoring unit to photograph one side of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail; and
a second camera installed on the other side of the traffic situation monitoring unit to photograph the other side of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail;
A traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment, including a. According to claim 2,
The sensor unit,
When receiving from the logistics control system the occurrence of congestion in the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail, the vision sensor is used to photograph the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units. , Traffic surveillance system for semiconductor process material transfer equipment. According to claim 2,
The sensor unit,
A distance sensor installed in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit and detecting a separation distance from a transfer vehicle unit moving in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail;
Further comprising: a traffic monitoring system for semiconductor process product transfer equipment. According to claim 5,
The sensor unit,
When the separation distance detected by the distance sensor reaches a preset proximity threshold distance, it is determined that congestion of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the travel rail has occurred, and the vision sensor is activated. A traffic monitoring system for a semiconductor processing product transfer facility, wherein the traffic situation of the front transfer vehicle units is photographed. According to claim 2,
The control unit,
a traffic situation receiver that receives captured images or captured images of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail from the vision sensor;
a congestion cause analysis unit that analyzes the cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units based on the captured image or the captured video; and
a congestion cause transmission unit that transmits the analyzed congestion cause to the logistics control system;
A traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment, including a. According to claim 7,
The logistics control system is,
According to the operation plan, an OCS (OHT control system) searches for an optimal operation path of the plurality of transfer vehicle units on the travel rail, commands the transfer operation command to each transfer vehicle unit, and controls the movement. ,
an alternative route setting unit included in the OCS and setting an alternative route for the rear transfer vehicle units located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit based on the cause of the congestion transmitted from the congestion cause transmitter;
Further comprising: a traffic monitoring system for semiconductor process product transfer equipment. According to claim 8,
The alternative route setting unit,
If the cause of the congestion is that a worker is working on the traveling rail, an alternative route is set and transmitted so that all transfer vehicle units passing through the work location among the rear transfer vehicle units can detour to another route,
When the cause of the congestion is the transfer of goods in any one of the front transfer vehicle units, the transfer of goods is carried out so that the traffic volume of the transfer vehicle units passing through the transfer location among the rear transfer vehicle units can be dispersed. Setting and transmitting an alternative route for at least some of the transfer vehicle units among the transfer vehicle units passing through the transfer location in consideration of time,
If the cause of the congestion is an accident in one of the front transport vehicle units, all transport vehicle units passing through the accident location among the rear transport vehicle units can be replaced by another route. A traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer facilities that sets and transmits routes. According to clause 9,
The congestion-causing transmitter,
If the cause of the congestion analyzed by the congestion cause analysis unit is an accident in any one of the front transport vehicle units, the captured image or the A traffic monitoring system for semiconductor processing product transfer facilities that transmits captured images to worker terminals. According to clause 9,
The control unit,
When the traffic situation monitoring unit passes the congestion section, it determines that the congestion has been cleared, and transmits a congestion relief signal to the logistics control system so that the plurality of transport vehicle units can move to the optimal operation route again. release transmitter;
Further comprising: a traffic monitoring system for semiconductor process product transfer equipment. At least one transport vehicle unit among a plurality of transport vehicle units that transport goods while moving along a running rail installed on the ceiling of a semiconductor manufacturing plant is used as a traffic situation monitoring unit to determine optimal operation according to instructions from the logistics control system. A patrol step of patrolling traffic conditions of the plurality of transport vehicle units moving along the travel route;
A congestion detection step of detecting whether congestion occurs in front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail;
When congestion of the front transport vehicle units located in front of the traffic situation monitoring unit is discovered, a congestion section photographing step of photographing the traffic situation of the front transport vehicle units;
The cause of congestion of the front transport vehicle units is analyzed based on the photographed traffic situation, and at least some of the rear transport vehicle units located behind the traffic situation monitoring unit on the traveling rail bypass the congestion section according to the cause of the congestion. A congestion cause transmission step of transmitting the congestion cause to the logistics control system to enable movement to an alternative route; and
When the traffic situation monitoring unit passes the congestion section, it determines that the congestion has been cleared, and transmits a congestion relief signal to the logistics control system so that the plurality of transport vehicle units can move to the optimal operation route again. release notification step;
A traffic monitoring method for semiconductor processing product transfer equipment, including a.

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