An article transport facility includes a transport vehicle and a controller, and the transport vehicle includes: a drive unit; a speed detector configured to detect a traveling speed; and a distance detector configured to detect an inter-vehicle distance, which is a distance to another transport vehicle. The controller is configured to (i) refer to at least one target speed that is set in advance according to the inter-vehicle distance, and (ii) perform an inter-vehicle adjustment control to control the drive unit in such a manner as to cause the traveling speed to approach the at least one target speed, based on the traveling speed and the inter-vehicle distance, the at least one target speed includes an accelerating target speed and a decelerating target speed, and the accelerating target speed is lower than the decelerating target speed for each inter-vehicle distance.

A determination section determines that a transport vehicle entered a curved zone from a straight zone based on a front-rear rotation speed difference between the rotation speed of a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel and the rotation speed of at least either a first or second front wheel. A measurement section measures a distance-to-curve, which is the distance that the transport vehicle travels from when a detector detects a detection target until when the determination section determines that the transport vehicle entered the curved zone from the straight zone. If the detector detects a curve ahead detection target while curve ahead information is stored in a storage section, a travel control section executes speed change control before or when the transport vehicle enters the curved zone.

Proposed are article storage equipment in a semiconductor fabrication facility, the article storage equipment being capable of power supply with a more simplified configuration, and a logistics system of a semiconductor fabrication facility including the same. Article storage equipment in a semiconductor fabrication facility according to one aspect includes a storage unit installed around a rail that provides a travel route of a transport vehicle and configured to store a transport container in which a wafer is accommodated, a purge unit configured to supply an inert gas into the transport container, a control unit configured to identify the transport container stored in the storage unit and control the purge unit to supply the inert gas into the transport container, and a power supply unit configured to supply a current induced from a power supply cable installed along the rail to the control unit.

The present disclosure describes a method for replacing a photoresist (PR) bottle using a vehicle. An exemplary vehicle includes a processor configured to receive a request signal to replace a first PR bottle. The processor is also configured to transmit an order based on the request signal. The vehicle also includes a plurality of wheels configured to move the vehicle from the first location to a second location, and from the second location to the first location. The vehicle further includes a robotic arm configured to load, at the first location, the first PR bottle into a first container; load a second PR bottle in a second container; remove a cap from the second PR bottle and a socket from the first PR bottle; couple the socket of the first PR bottle to the second PR bottle; and unload the second PR bottle from the second container.

The present invention relates to a cross rail structure for an OHT system and an OHT system using the same.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cross rail structure for an OHT system, that is a point at which two orthogonal rails among rails that are installed in an OHT system and transport vehicles intersect with each other. The cross rail structure includes a pair of auxiliary rails that are installed at substantially the same height as the rail at the point at which the rails intersect with each other, and disposed parallel to each other at a predetermined distance; a movement unit that moves the auxiliary rails up and down; a rotation unit that rotates the auxiliary rail so that the auxiliary rails are disposed in any one of two directions orthogonal to each other; and a distance holding unit that holds a distance between the pair of auxiliary rails without an interference with the vehicle.

A storage system prevents a large load from being applied to a part of the ceiling. The storage system in which a rack is provided by being suspended from a first position of a ceiling by a first suspending member attached to a grid ceiling, a second overhead track is provided by being suspended from a second position of the grid ceiling by a second suspending member attached to the grid ceiling, and the first position and the second position are set to be apart by at least a predetermined distance.

Some implementations described herein provide a method that includes loading, from a load port and into a first buffer of a multiple-buffer overhead hoist transport (OHT) vehicle, a first transport carrier storing one or more processed wafers. The method includes unloading to the load port, while the first buffer retains the first transport carrier, and from a second buffer of the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle, a second transport carrier storing one or more wafers for processing. In other implementations, the method includes loading, into a first buffer of the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle, a first transport carrier storing one or more wafers for processing, while a semiconductor processing tool, associated with a load port, is processing one or more wafers associated with a second transport carrier. The method includes positioning the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle above the load port while the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle retains the first transport carrier in the first buffer.

A transport vehicle system includes a transport vehicle having a first travel unit configured to travel on a track and a transfer unit configured to move in a horizontal direction with respect to the first travel unit to transfer an article and a buffer vehicle having a second travel unit configure to travel on the track on which the transport vehicle travels and an article placement unit provided to be movable integrally with the second travel unit and to be able to deliver the article with the transfer unit of the transport vehicle.

An overhead transport system includes an overhead transport vehicle including a conveyor and a body, and a controller. The conveyor includes wheels to travel on rails including straight rails and intersection rails alternately arranged with a gap in each of a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The controller is configured or programmed to execute steering control to steer the wheels in a state in which each of the wheels is positioned on one of the intersection rails different from one another. A steering center of the wheel under the steering control is on the intersection rail and inward of the body from a ground contact point of the wheel on the intersection rail.

A semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB) is provided. The FAB includes a number of processing tools. The FAB also includes a sampling station connected to the processing tools. In addition, the FAB includes a detection vehicle detachably connected to the sampling station and comprising a metrology module. When the detection vehicle is connected to the sampling station, a gas sample is delivered from one of the processing tools to the metrology module of the detection vehicle via the sampling station for performing a measurement of a parameter in related to the gas sample by the metrology module. In addition, the FAB includes a control system configured to issue a warning when the parameter in related to the gas sample from the one of the processing tools is out of a range of acceptable values associated with the one of the processing tools.