TW201924996A - Traveling dolly - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a traveling dolly (5) capable of traveling along both a plurality of first tracks (31) arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second tracks (32) arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the dolly is provided with a travel unit and a drive unit. The travel unit has at least four driving wheels and during any of the travels along the first tracks (31) and along the second tracks (32), the four driving wheels are in parallel orientation and make contact with the first tracks (31) or the second tracks (32). The drive unit rotates each of the four driving wheels about a vertical axis of rotation and thereby causes to intersect, with the tangent line to the clearance circle of a spin turn, a wheel centerline passing through the center of each of the four driving wheels in the plan view, and then rotates each of the four driving wheels about the wheel centerline, thereby performing the spin turn.

Description

Walking trolley

The present invention is mainly related to a walking trolley that travels along an orbit.

Conventionally, in the installation of a semiconductor manufacturing factory or the like, in order to carry various articles, a traveling trolley that travels along a track is used. Such a traveling trolley is disclosed, for example, in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose that the traveling rails are arranged in a lattice shape, and the traveling rails travel along the traveling rails in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the transport system of the overhead traveling vehicle. The overhead traveling vehicles of Patent Documents 1 and 2 each include a wheel for traveling in the vertical direction and a wheel for traveling in the left-right direction. Moreover, these wheels are configured to be movable up and down. According to this configuration, the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle can be switched by differentiating the traveling of the overhead traveling vehicle in the vertical direction and the wheel in contact with the traveling rail when traveling in the left-right direction.

Patent Document 3 discloses that the X-axis traveling rail and the Y-axis traveling rail are arranged in a crosswise manner, and the trolley travels along the traveling rails. In the trolley of Patent Document 3, wheels are disposed on the four sides of the main body, and the direction of the wheels can be changed. With this configuration, the bogie does not need to rotate the bobbin body, but rotates the direction of the wheel by 90°, for example, from the state of traveling along the X-axis traveling rail toward the Y-axis traveling rail. The status is switched.
[Practical Technical Literature]
[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2016/039023
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-175506
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8-157016

[Problems to be solved by the present invention]

In the configurations of Patent Documents 1 to 3, the traveling direction of each traveling trolley (elevated traveling vehicle, trolley) changes, and the surface toward the traveling direction of the trolley changes. Therefore, when moving the traveling vehicle in the four directions, it is necessary to carry out countermeasures against the front obstacles on four sides. Therefore, the composition becomes complicated and the cost of parts increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main object is to provide a traveling vehicle in which the configuration of the countermeasure against conflict can be simplified without increasing the possibility of collision.

[Means and effects for solving problems]

The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above, and the means for solving the problem and the effects thereof will be described next.

According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a traveling vehicle that can travel along a plurality of first tracks arranged along the first direction and a plurality of first tracks arranged perpendicularly to the first direction Both of the second rails have a configuration of a running portion and a driving portion. The traveling portion has at least four traveling wheels, and the direction of the four traveling wheels is parallel when traveling along the first track and when walking along the second track. And the four preceding traveling wheels are in contact with the first track or the second track. The drive unit rotates the four traveling wheels by using the vertical direction as a center of rotation, and rotates the line passing through the center of the four traveling wheels, that is, the center line of the wheel and the original position, in a plan view. After the circular tangent intersects vertically, the four preceding traveling wheels are rotated by the center line of the wheel as a center of rotation to perform a spin turn.

Thereby, the traveling trolley is rotated in place, and the substantially same surface is oriented toward the traveling direction when the traveling trolley travels. Therefore, by focusing on one aspect of the countermeasure against conflicts, the composition of the countermeasure against conflict can be simplified without increasing the possibility of conflict. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of parts relating to the countermeasure against the collision of the traveling trolley.

In the above-described traveling vehicle, the driving unit is configured to move four of the above-mentioned walking wheels by using a line parallel to the vertical direction through a contact point between the first rail or the second rail and the traveling wheel as a center of rotation. When the wheel rotates, it is preferable to vertically intersect the center line of the wheel of the four preceding traveling wheels and the tangent of the winding circle rotated in place.

Thereby, the position of the traveling wheel when the traveling wheel is rotated with the vertical direction as the center of rotation is not greatly changed, and the traveling wheel can be rotated with the vertical direction as the center of rotation by a small space.

In the above-described traveling trolley, the following configuration is preferable. That is, the interval between the first tracks and the interval between the second tracks are the same. The drive unit rotates in place while rotating the four traveling wheels in the vertical direction as a center of rotation by 45 degrees.

Thereby, since the revolving circle which can rotate in place for the traveling trolley becomes small, it can rotate in place from a small space.

In the above-described traveling trolley, it is preferable to provide a holding device for holding the conveyed articles.

Thereby, the traveling trolley can carry the articles by keeping the articles in a walking manner.

In the above-described traveling trolley, the holding device preferably holds the article such that the position of the article is lower than the first rail and the second rail.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the holding device and the article from interfering with the track when rotating in place.

In the above-described traveling trolley, the holding device preferably holds the article such that the position of the article is higher than the first rail and the second rail.

Therefore, since it is not necessary to form a gap for allowing the support for supporting the traveling vehicle to support the rail, the traveling vehicle that can be rotated in situ can be realized by a simple configuration.

In the above-described traveling vehicle, it is preferable to include a transfer device that feeds an article held by the holding device.

Thereby, the article can be carried without the direction of the machine to which the article is transported.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an outline of the conveyance system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 . Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the conveyance system 1 of the first embodiment.

The transport system 1 is, for example, a system that is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory or the like and that transports various types of articles. The articles transported by the transport system 1 are, for example, a FOUP (front-opening general-purpose container) that houses a semiconductor wafer, a grating container that houses a grating, and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 1 includes a rail 30 and a traveling vehicle 5. Further, the traveling trolley 5 may be one set, and a plurality of sets may be used.

The rail 30 is suspended from the ceiling by means of a mounting member. The rail 30 includes a plurality of first rails 31 and a plurality of second rails 32. Each of the first track 31 and the second track 32 is a linear track. The first rail 31 and the second rail 32 are arranged to vertically intersect each other in plan view. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the first rail 31 is also referred to as a first direction, and the longitudinal direction of the second rail 32 is referred to as a second direction.

The traveling carriage 5 travels along the rail 30 in a state of being suspended by the rail 30. Specifically, the traveling vehicle 5 travels in the first direction by rotating the drive wheels 13 to be described later while being supported by the adjacent two first rails 31. In addition, the traveling carriage 5 may be driven in the second direction by rotating the drive wheels 13 while being supported by the two adjacent second rails 32.

Below the rail 30, a processing device 50, a loading cassette 51, a storage device 52, and the like are disposed. The processing device 50 is a device that performs various types of processing on a semiconductor wafer or the like. The loading cassette 51 is connected to the space in which the processing device 50 performs processing. The semiconductor wafer (the FOUP in which the semiconductor wafer is accommodated in detail) transported by the traveling vehicle 5 is placed on the loading cassette 51. Thereafter, the semiconductor wafer is transported from the FOUP by, for example, a robot arm and processed by the processing device 50. The FOUP in which the processed semiconductor wafer is accommodated is transported to the position where another process is performed by the same or another traveling trolley 5. Further, when the storage device 50 and the loading cassette 51 are not usable, the storage device 52 temporarily places the FOUP or the like until it is ready to be used.

Next, the configuration of the traveling vehicle 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the traveling carriage 5. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the traveling carriage 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the traveling carriage 5 is provided with a base portion 11. The base portion 11 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and various members constituting the traveling carriage 5 are attached. The support body 12 is disposed in the four turns of the base portion 11 so as to rise upward from the base portion 11. Further, the drive unit 6 and the running unit 7 are attached to the base portion 11. The drive unit 6 includes a travel motor 14, a revolving motor 15, and an elevating motor 19. The traveling portion 7 includes a driving wheel (traveling wheel) 13, an upper auxiliary wheel 17, and a lower auxiliary wheel 18.

The traveling motors 14 are disposed on the upper side of the base portion 11 and in the vicinity of the four support bodies 12, respectively. Further, the drive wheels 13 are disposed on the upper portions of the four support bodies 12, respectively. The driving force generated by each of the traveling motors 14 is transmitted to the drive wheels 13 through the drive transmission mechanism provided in the support body 12. Thereby, the drive wheel 13 can be rotated with the wheel center line L1 as a rotation center. The wheel center line L1 is a line passing through the center of the disk-shaped drive wheel 13 (i.e., a line passing through the center of the cylindrical-shaped axle). Further, as will be described later in detail, the drive wheels 13 are configured to be in contact with the upper surface of the first rail 31 or the second rail 32 (specifically, the drive wheel guide member 41). Thus, by rotating the drive wheel 13 with the wheel center line L1 as the center of rotation, the traveling vehicle 5 can be made to travel.

The revolving motors 15 are disposed below the four support bodies 12, respectively. By rotating the motor 15, the support body 12 can be rotated in the vertical direction as a center of rotation. Thereby, the drive wheel 13 and the traveling motor 14 attached to the support body 12 rotate in the vertical direction as a rotation center. By revolving the motor 15, it is possible to rotate the direction of the drive wheel 13 by at least 90°. By rotating the direction of the drive wheel 13 by 90 degrees, it is possible to switch between the state in which the traveling carriage 5 can travel along the first rail 31 and the state in which it can travel along the second rail 32. Further, as will be described in detail later, the traveling carriage 5 may be rotated in the original direction by rotating the direction of the drive wheels 13 by 45 degrees.

Further, the center of rotation when the revolving motor 15 rotates the drive wheel 13 is a line that passes through the contact of the first rail 31 or the second rail 32 and the drive wheel 13 and is parallel to the vertical direction. Thereby, since the position of the center of the drive wheel 13 does not change at the time of rotation, the drive wheel 13 can be rotated by a small space. Further, in the case of a line parallel to the vertical direction, the drive wheel 13 may be rotated with a different line as a center of rotation.

Further, the traveling carriage 5 includes an upper auxiliary wheel 17 and a lower auxiliary wheel 18 in addition to the drive wheels 13, and serves as an auxiliary wheel for smoothly traveling along the track 30. The upper auxiliary wheel 17 and the lower auxiliary wheel 18 are not driven by a motor or the like, but are rotated by the friction of the first rail 31 or the second rail 32 as the traveling carriage 5 travels. The upper auxiliary wheel 17 is rotatable in the horizontal direction as a rotation axis. Further, the upper auxiliary wheel 17 is arranged in parallel with the drive wheel 13 in the wheel width direction, and the lower end of the upper auxiliary wheel 17 is disposed higher than the lower end of the drive wheel 13.

The lower auxiliary wheel 18 is disposed above the four end sides of the base portion 11, and two of the end faces are disposed. Further, the lower auxiliary wheel 18 is disposed such that the upper end of the lower auxiliary wheel 18 is positioned lower than the lower end of the drive wheel 13. Further, the lift motor 19 is disposed below the four end sides of the base portion 11, and one of the end faces is disposed. The lift motor 19 can integrally move (lift) the two lower auxiliary wheels 18 in the vertical direction.

The traveling carriage 5 is provided below the base portion 11 and includes a transfer device 21, a holding device 22, and a storage container 23. The transfer device 21 includes a mechanism (a crane or the like) for moving the storage container 23 in the vertical direction, and a mechanism for moving the storage container 23 in the horizontal direction (an arm mechanism that is expandable in the horizontal direction, etc.). Further, the holding device 22 is configured to hold the upper portion of the storage container 23. The storage container 23 is a container for accommodating a semiconductor wafer or the like. In this way, the traveling vehicle 5 is configured to convey the object to be transported, that is, the storage container 23. Further, the transfer device 21 to the storage container 23 are located below the rail 30.

A laser sensor 16 is disposed in the vicinity of one end of the base portion 11. The laser sensor 16 irradiates the laser light and receives the reflected light of the laser light. Thereby, the distance from the front member (an obstacle such as another traveling vehicle 5) is measured in accordance with the time until the reflected light arrives. Further, control such as lowering the speed of the traveling vehicle 5 is performed in accordance with the distance to the member in front. Thus, by providing the laser sensor 16, it is possible to avoid collision of the traveling carriages 5 with each other. Further, instead of the laser sensor 16, or other countermeasures for providing a buffer device or the like at the end of the traveling vehicle 5 may be implemented. Further, in the present embodiment, the countermeasure against the collision is performed only on one of the four side faces of the traveling trolley 5. In place of this configuration, the buffer device is provided on all four sides, and the configuration of the laser sensor 16 or the like is disposed on only one surface (that is, the degree of countermeasure against one of the four side faces is more powerful than the other faces. The composition) is also possible.

Next, the track 30 on which the traveling vehicle 5 travels will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 . Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the traveling carriage 5 travels straight along the second rail 32.

As described above, the rail 30 includes a plurality of first rails 31 and a plurality of second rails 32. The first rail 31 and the second rail 32 are configured by combining the rail portion 40 and the cross member 45. Specifically, the first rail 31 is configured such that the rail portion 40 and the intersecting member 45 are linearly arranged in parallel along the first direction. The second rail 32 is configured such that the rail portion 40 and the intersecting member 45 are linearly arranged in parallel along the second direction. Further, the rail portion 40 and the cross member 45 are connected to each other through another member. In the present embodiment, the rail portion 40 and the intersecting member 45 constituting the first rail 31, and the rail portion 40 and the intersecting member 45 constituting the second rail 32 have the same shape.

Between the rail portion 40 and the cross member 45, a space which allows the support body 12 to pass when the traveling carriage 5 is linearly traveled, that is, a linear gap 48 is formed. Further, in the rail portion 40, a space for passing the support body 12 when the traveling carriage 5 is rotated in the original direction, that is, an arc gap 49 is formed. In other words, the rail portion 40 is formed by arranging one piece of the reverse crown-shaped plate material and two D-shaped plate materials in a plane, and is configured as a rectangular plate material having two arc gaps 49. These three sheets may be hoisted from the ceiling, and it is also possible to hang three units of one unit from the ceiling.

The rail portion 40 includes a drive wheel guide member 41, an upper auxiliary wheel guide member 42, and a lower auxiliary wheel guide member 43.

The drive wheel guide member 41 is a plate-shaped member that is disposed in the same thickness direction as the vertical direction. The drive wheel guide member 41 has a guide surface for contact with the drive wheel 13 (in detail, the lower end of the drive wheel 13). In addition, the arrangement interval of the rail portions 40 (drive wheel guide members 41) disposed to face the first direction or the second direction is the same as the arrangement interval of the drive wheels 13. With this configuration, the traveling vehicle 5 is supported by the rail 30 by the four driving wheels 13 and the four supporting bodies 12 provided in the traveling carriage 5.

The upper auxiliary wheel guide member 42 is formed to extend upward from the upper surface of the drive wheel guide member 41. The upper auxiliary wheel guide member 42 has a guide surface for contact with the upper auxiliary wheel 17 (in detail, the lower end of the upper auxiliary wheel 17). In addition to the drive wheels 13, the traveling carriage 5 can be guided more stably by the upper auxiliary wheels 17.

The lower auxiliary wheel guide member 43 is formed to extend downward from the lower surface of the drive wheel guide member 41. The lower auxiliary wheel guide member 43 has a contact surface for contact with the lower auxiliary wheel 18 (in detail, the end of the auxiliary wheel 18 in the radial direction). In addition to the drive wheels 13, the lower traveling wheels 18 are guided, and the traveling carriage 5 can be smoothly walked along the rails 30.

One of the rail portions 40 is used when both the side (the side in the width direction) of the rail portion 40 and the other side (the other side in the width direction) of the rail portion 40 are used. . Therefore, the one rail portion 40 includes two upper auxiliary wheel guide members 42 and two lower auxiliary wheel guide members 43.

Next, a process of rotating the traveling carriage 5 in place will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of rotating the traveling carriage 5 in place. Fig. 5 to Fig. 9 are plan views showing the flow of the traveling trolley in situ rotation. In the fifth to ninth drawings, in order to prevent the drawing from being complicated, only a part of the members of the traveling carriage 5 are shown. In the present embodiment, the control device for the in-situ rotation is configured by the control device provided in the traveling vehicle 5. Moreover, the process of at least a part of the process of the in-situ rotation may be performed by the management apparatus of the management conveyance system 1.

In the present embodiment, the position of the traveling carriage 5 can be rotated in place when it is in the square of the square surrounded by the first rail 31 and the second rail 32. In detail, the four drive wheels 13 provided in the traveling carriage 5 are rotated in place when the four wheels of the square are located. Hereinafter, a case where the traveling carriage 5 that travels along the second rail 32 rotates in situ and travels along the first rail 31 will be described as an example. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the traveling carriage 5 travels in a direction in which the laser sensor 16 is located on the side in the traveling direction side. At this time, the directions of the four driving wheels 13 of the traveling carriage 5 are all parallel, and the four driving wheels 13 are in contact with the second rail 32 (in detail, the driving wheel guiding member 41).

When the traveling carriage 5 moves along the second rail 32 as shown in FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not it has reached a position where it can be rotated in place (S101). In the fifth drawing, the traveling vehicle 5 that is rotated toward the position where it can be rotated in place is displayed by the lock line, and the traveling vehicle 5 that has reached the position where the home position can be rotated is displayed by the solid line. As shown in FIG. 5, when the traveling carriage 5 linearly travels the cross member 45, the support body 12 passes through the linear gap 48. Further, when the traveling carriage 5 is traveling on the rail portion 40, the support body 12 passes through a space inside the driving wheel guide member 41.

In the present embodiment, when the traveling vehicle 5 is located in the above-described square area, a predetermined identifier (bar code, RFID, or the like) disposed on the rail 30 can be read by the reading device of the traveling vehicle 5. With this configuration, it can be determined whether or not the traveling vehicle 5 has reached a position where it can be rotated in place. Further, the traveling vehicle 5 reads the identifier from another position, and determines whether or not the traveling vehicle 5 has reached a position where it can be rotated in situ based on the number of rotations of the driving wheels 13 from the reading position.

The traveling carriage 5 is determined to have reached a position where it can be rotated in situ. By operating the revolving motor 15, the driving wheel 13 is rotated by 45° in the vertical direction as a center of rotation to make the tangent of the circle and the center of the wheel. The line L1 is vertically crossed (S102). In Fig. 6, the position of the drive wheel 13 before the rotation is displayed by the lock line, and the position of the rotated drive wheel 13 is indicated by a solid line. Further, the revolving circle is a circular path when the traveling carriage 5 is rotated in the original direction as indicated by the arrow of the thick line in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the four drive wheels 13 are arranged in a square shape, the drive wheel 13 is rotated by 45°, and the circle connecting the four drive wheels 13 is a wrap-around circle. Further, the tangent line means the tangent of the orbit around the drive wheel 13 in the vicinity. Further, the rotation directions of one set of the drive wheels 13 facing each other on the diagonal line among the four drive wheels 13 are the same (the rotation direction of the drive wheels 13 of the other groups is different).

Further, after the traveling carriage 5 reaches the position where the home rotation is possible, the lift motor 19 is controlled to contact the lower auxiliary wheel guide member 43 of the second rail 32 until the start of the process of the next step S103. The lower auxiliary wheel 18 of the group descends. Thereby, the lower auxiliary wheel 18 can be prevented from interfering with the lower auxiliary wheel guide member 43 when rotated in place.

Next, the traveling vehicle 5 is rotated by the rotation of the driving wheel 13 with the wheel center line L1 as a center of rotation by the traveling motor 14 (S103). Rotation in place is a direction in which the traveling carriage 5 is changed only without changing the position of the traveling carriage 5 (in detail, the position of the center of rotation). That is, in the present embodiment, the direction of the drive wheel 13 is not included, and the direction in which the base portion 11 and the storage container 23 are changed is also included. Further, in Fig. 7, the position of the laser sensor 16 before the in-situ rotation is displayed by the lock line, and the position of the laser sensor 16 after the original rotation is displayed by the solid line. Since the position of the drive wheel 13 before the original rotation is the position of the other drive wheel 13 after the original rotation, the drive wheel 13 does not display the lock line. Further, the four drive wheels 13 are rotated in the direction of the revolving circle.

Here, the arc gap 49 is formed along the winding circle and corresponding to the position of the support body 12. Therefore, when the traveling carriage 5 rotates in place, the support body 12 passes through the circular arc gap 49. Further, among the driving wheel guide members 41, in the portion through which the driving wheels 13 pass when rotating in place, the holes and the wall portions through which the driving wheels 13 cannot pass are not provided. Therefore, when the traveling carriage 5 rotates in place, the drive wheels 13 travel on the drive wheel guide member 41.

In the above description, the process of performing the 90° in-situ rotation has been described, but the 180° in-situ rotation may be performed. Further, the traveling carriage 5 may be rotated by 90° in the opposite direction to the rotation direction shown in FIG.

Next, the traveling carriage 5 rotates the drive wheel 13 by 45° in the same direction as the step S102 by operating the revolving motor 15 in the vertical direction as a rotation center (S104). In Fig. 8, the position of the drive wheel 13 before the rotation is displayed by the lock line, and the position of the rotated drive wheel 13 is displayed by a solid line. Thereby, the direction of the drive wheel 13 can be matched with the next traveling direction, that is, along the first track 31.

After the end of step S103, until the step S104 is completed and the traveling vehicle 5 starts to travel, the traveling carriage 5 is controlled by the elevation motor 19 to be in contact with the lower auxiliary wheel guide member 43 of the first rail 31. The lower auxiliary wheel 18 is raised.

As described above, by rotating the traveling vehicle 5 in the same manner, the predetermined side surface of the traveling vehicle 5 (the surface on which the laser sensor 16 is disposed) is maintained in the traveling direction, whereby the traveling of the traveling vehicle 5 can be changed. direction. In the ninth figure, the traveling vehicle 5 after the change of the traveling direction is displayed by the lock line, and the traveling vehicle 5 after the start of the travel along the first track 31 is displayed by the solid line. Therefore, since it is not necessary to arrange the laser sensor 16 on all four sides of the traveling carriage 5, the configuration of the traveling carriage 5 can be simplified, and the cost of the traveling carriage 5 can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the traveling carriage 5 is configured to rotate in the original position, the direction in which the container 23 is housed can be changed every time the original rotation is performed. Therefore, the storage container 23 can be placed in the loading cassette 51, the storage device 52, and the like in an arbitrary direction. In particular, the transfer device 21 of the traveling vehicle 5 of the present embodiment has a mechanism for moving the storage container 23 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the loading cassette 51 or the like immediately below the traveling carriage 5 can be placed, and the storage container 23 can be placed in the loading cassette 51 or the like below the inclined side of the traveling bogie 5.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the three or more rail portions 40 are arranged in a group of four groups, the grids are arranged side by side in a continuous manner, so that the direction of the traveling carriage 5 can be changed in all the grids. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a rectangular plate material having no arc gap 49, that is, a lattice member composed of four orbital members (one-direction lattice), and three groups of one or more rail portions 40 are formed of four groups (rotation) Grid), is a coexisting track layout configuration is also possible. In this case, there is a disadvantage that the direction of the traveling trolley cannot be changed in all the lattices, but there is an advantage that the number of man-hours can be reduced when the rail member is suspended from the ceiling.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the conveyance system 1 of the second embodiment. In the description of the second embodiment, the same or similar components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, since the traveling carriage 5 is suspended from the rail 30 suspended from the ceiling, the storage container 23 is positioned below the rail 30. In this case, the traveling vehicle 60 of the second embodiment includes the base portion 61, the drive wheels (traveling wheels) 62, and the storage container 63. Since the traveling carriage 60 is placed on the rail 30 disposed on the ground, The storage container 63 is positioned above the rail 30. Further, the base portion 61 is provided with a transfer device that moves the holding device holding the storage container 63 and the storage container 63 in the horizontal direction.

In the embodiment of the second embodiment, since the support body 12 is unnecessary, the linear gap 48 and the arc gap 49 of the first embodiment are unnecessary. However, a groove-shaped track for guiding the drive wheels 62 of the traveling carriage 60 along the first rail 31 or the second rail 32 is necessary. In the second embodiment, the linear guide 71 that guides the drive wheels 62 when the traveling carriage 60 travels straight and the circular guide rail 72 that guides the drive wheels 62 when the traveling carriage 60 rotates in the original direction are disposed. With such a configuration, the present invention is also applicable to the transport system 1 in which the traveling vehicle 60 is placed on the rail 30 disposed on the ground.

As described above, in the above embodiment, the traveling carriages 5 and 60 can be provided along the plurality of first rails 31 that are arranged along the first direction and that intersect perpendicularly to the first direction. Both of the plurality of second rails 32 arranged in the two directions have a configuration of the traveling portion 7 and the driving portion 6. The traveling portion 7 has at least four driving wheels 13 and 62, and four driving wheels 13 and 62 when traveling along the first rail 31 and traveling along the second rail 32. The directions are parallel, and the four drive wheels 13, 62 are in contact with the first track 31 or the second track 32. The drive unit 6 rotates the four drive wheels 13 and 62 by rotating the vertical direction as a center of rotation, and the line passing through the center of the four drive wheels 13 and 62 in a plan view is the wheel center line and the original position. After the tangential lines of the rotating circle of the circle are vertically intersected, the four drive wheels 13 and 62 are rotated in the original direction by rotating the center line of the wheel as a center of rotation.

As a result, the traveling vehicles 5 and 60 are rotated in situ, and the substantially identical surfaces of the traveling vehicles 5 and 60 are oriented in the traveling direction. Therefore, by focusing on one aspect of the countermeasure against conflicts, the composition of the countermeasure against conflict can be simplified without increasing the possibility of conflict. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the component cost regarding the countermeasure against the collision of the traveling trolleys 5, 60.

Further, in the traveling carriages 5 and 60 of the above-described embodiment, the driving unit 6 is rotated by a line passing through the first rail 31 or the second rail 32 and the driving wheels 13 and 62 in parallel with the vertical direction. The center rotates the four drive wheels 13, 62 separately, and vertically intersects the wheel center lines of the four drive wheels 13, 62 with the tangent of the orbiting circle that rotates in place.

Thereby, since the positions of the drive wheels 13, 62 are not greatly changed when the drive wheels 13, 62 are rotated in the vertical direction as the center of rotation, the drive wheels 13, 62 can be rotated from the vertical direction with the vertical direction as the center of rotation.

Further, in the traveling carriages 5 and 60 of the above-described embodiment, the interval between the first rails 31 and the interval between the second rails 32 are the same. The drive unit 6 rotates in place while rotating the four drive wheels 13 and 62 by 45° in the vertical direction as the center of rotation.

Thereby, since it is possible to make the revolving circle that rotates in place for the traveling carriages 5 and 60 to be small, it is possible to perform the original rotation from a small space.

Further, in the traveling carriages 5 and 60 of the above-described embodiment, the holding device 22 that holds the conveyed storage containers 23 and 63 is provided.

Thereby, the traveling carts 5 and 60 can carry the storage containers 23 and 63 by holding the storage containers 23 and 63.

Further, in the traveling vehicle 5 of the above-described embodiment, the holding device 22 holds the storage containers 23 and 63 so that the storage container 23 is positioned below the first rail 31 and the second rail 32.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the holding device 22 and the storage container 23 from interfering with the rail when rotating in place.

Further, in the traveling carriage 60 of the above-described embodiment, the holding device holds the storage containers 23 and 63 so that the storage container 63 is positioned above the first rail 31 and the second rail 32.

Therefore, since it is not necessary to form a gap for supporting the traveling vehicle 60 to support the support for the rail, the traveling vehicle 60 that is rotated in situ by a simple configuration can be realized.

Further, in the traveling carriages 5 and 60 of the above-described embodiment, the transfer device 21 for feeding the storage containers 23 and 63 holding the holding device 22 is provided.

Thereby, the storage containers 23 and 63 can be conveyed without the direction of the conveyance destination of the storage containers 23 and 63.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above configuration can be modified as follows.

In the above embodiment, the distance between the drive wheels 13 in the first direction and the interval between the drive wheels 13 in the second direction are the same in the traveling carriage 5. Therefore, the pattern in which the four drive wheels 13 are connected is square. Therefore, the rotation angle of the drive wheel 13 in step S102 is 45°. Instead of this, the pattern in which the four drive wheels 13 are connected may be a rectangle. In this case, the rotation angle of the drive wheel 13 in step S102 is smaller than 45° or larger than 45°.

In the above embodiment, the transportation system disposed in the semiconductor manufacturing plant has been described. However, the transportation system of the present invention may be disposed in different configurations.

L1‧‧‧ wheel centerline

1‧‧‧Handling system

4‧‧‧Drive wheel guide member

5, 60‧‧‧ walking trolley

6‧‧‧ Drive Department

7‧‧‧ Walking Department

11‧‧‧Base section

12‧‧‧Support

13,62‧‧‧Drive wheel (walking wheel)

14‧‧‧Travel motor

15‧‧‧Revolving motor

16‧‧‧Laser sensor

17‧‧‧上助轮

18‧‧‧ lower auxiliary wheel

19‧‧‧ Lift motor

21‧‧‧Transfer device

22‧‧‧ Keeping device

23,63‧‧‧ containment container

30‧‧‧ Track

31‧‧‧1 track

32‧‧‧2nd track

40‧‧‧ Track Department

41‧‧‧Drive wheel guide member

42‧‧‧Upper auxiliary wheel guiding member

43‧‧‧ lower auxiliary wheel guiding member

45‧‧‧cross members

48‧‧‧Linear clearance

49‧‧‧ arc gap

50‧‧‧Processing device

51‧‧‧Loading

52‧‧‧Storage device

61‧‧‧Base section

71‧‧‧ Linear Guide

72‧‧‧round rail

[Fig. 1] A plan view schematically showing a configuration of a conveyance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] A perspective view showing the configuration of the traveling trolley.

[Fig. 3] A side view showing the configuration of the traveling trolley.

[Fig. 4] A flowchart showing a process of rotating the traveling carriage in place.

[Fig. 5] A plan view showing a state in which the traveling trolley travels straight along the second track.

[Fig. 6] A plan view showing a driving wheel of a traveling trolley rotated in a vertical direction as a center of rotation along a revolving circle.

[Fig. 7] A plan view showing a state in which the drive wheel of the traveling vehicle is rotated in the same direction as the center of rotation of the wheel center line.

[Fig. 8] A plan view showing a state in which the drive wheel of the traveling vehicle rotates in the vertical direction as a center of rotation along the first track.

[Fig. 9] A plan view showing a state in which the traveling trolley travels straight along the first track.

[Fig. 10] A plan view schematically showing the configuration of the transport system of the second embodiment.

Claims (7)

a walking trolley, The plurality of first tracks that are arranged along the first direction and the plurality of second tracks that are arranged along the second direction that intersects the first direction vertically include: The traveling portion has at least four traveling wheels, and the traveling directions of the four traveling wheels are parallel when traveling along the first track and when traveling along the second track. The four preceding traveling wheels are in contact with the first track or the second track; and The drive unit rotates the four traveling wheels by using the vertical direction as a center of rotation, and rotates the line passing through the center of the four traveling wheels, that is, the center line of the wheel and the original position, in a plan view. After the tangential lines are vertically crossed, the four preceding traveling wheels are rotated in the original position by rotating the center line of the wheel as a center of rotation. For example, the walking trolley of the first application of the patent scope, wherein The driving unit rotates the four traveling wheels by using a line parallel to the vertical direction through a contact point between the first rail or the second rail and the traveling wheel as a center of rotation, and will be viewed from a plan view. The aforementioned wheel center line of the four preceding traveling wheels vertically intersects the tangent of the in-situ rotating circle. For example, the traveling trolley of claim 1 or 2, wherein The interval between the first tracks and the interval between the second tracks are the same. The drive unit rotates in place while rotating the four traveling wheels in the vertical direction as a center of rotation by 45 degrees. For example, the traveling trolley of claim 1 or 2, wherein A holding device for holding the carried articles is provided. Such as the walking trolley of the fourth application patent scope, wherein The holding device holds the article such that the position of the article is lower than the first track and the second track. Such as the walking trolley of the fourth application patent scope, wherein In the above holding device, the article is held such that the article is positioned above the first track and the second track. Such as the walking trolley of the fourth application patent scope, wherein A transfer device that feeds an article holding the holding device is provided.