Patent classifications
B65G2201/0297
Article transport facility
An article transport facility includes article transport vehicles that travel along a specified travelable path, and a control device that controls the article transport vehicles. The travelable path includes nodes and links each connecting a pair of the nodes. The control device sets a setting path based on a link cost that is set for each of the links. The link cost includes a reference cost and a variable cost. The reference cost is a value that is set based on a reference passage time that is required for a target vehicle to pass through a target link in a state in which another vehicle is not present in the target link. The variable cost is a value that is set based on a vehicle count-related increased time by which an actual passage time is increased relative to the reference passage time according to the number of the other vehicles present in the target link, the actual passage time being a time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link.
FACTORY TRANSITION SYSTEM AND TRANSITION DEVICE THEREOF
A factory transition system and a transition device thereof are provided. The transition device is provided for being disposed on a partition wall that separates two rooms from each other, and includes a chamber and a filtering module assembled to the chamber. The chamber has a transition channel formed therein. The transition channel has two entrances respectively arranged on two ends thereof. The chamber is configured to correspond in position to the communication opening of the partition through one of the two entrances. The filtering module is spatially communicated with the transition channel. The filtering module is configured to perform a ventilation and filtration process for continuously suctioning air from an external environment of the transition device into the transition channel after filtering the air.
Semiconductor wafer cassette warehouse transportation structure system
A semiconductor wafer cassette warehouse transportation structure system includes a wafer cassette lift transportation structure body, a wafer cassette frame structure body, an arm structure body, an arm gripping wafer cassette structure body, and a wafer cassette warehouse structure body. The suspension support rods are suspended on a ceiling. The wafer cassette lift transportation structure body lifts the wafer cassettes to the inlet and outlet. The arm structure body grips the wafer cassettes and puts same on the tracks so that the wafer cassettes can be transported to the wafer cassette warehouse structure body to be precisely accessed. The system saves space and facilitates the access of the wafer cassettes because the wafer cassettes are stored on the wafer cassette warehouse structure body suspended on the ceiling.
Stocker
A stocker may include a load port which a cassette for receiving wafers is either loaded on or unloaded from, an aligner configured to align the wafers and to confirm identification codes of the wafers, a plurality of shelves each having slots for receiving the wafers, a first transfer robot having a first robot arm for transferring the wafers between the load port and the aligner and a second transfer robot having a second robot arm for transferring the wafers between the aligner and the shelves.
Article Transport Vehicle
In an article transport vehicle that is able to transport a plurality of types of articles, the efficiency of operations is improved in accordance with the type of article, while suppressing an increase in the size of the article transport vehicle. If a control device determines that an article held by a holding portion is a first-type article, the control device controls the transfer mechanism so as to cause the turning mechanism to perform a turning mechanism and cause a sliding mechanism to perform a sliding operation such that operation periods of these operations do not overlap. If the control device determines that the article held by the holding portion is a second-type article, the control device controls the transfer mechanism so as to perform the turning operation and the sliding operation such that the operation periods of these operations overlap.
SUBSTRATE HOLDER REPLACEMENT WITH PROTECTIVE DISK DURING PASTING PROCESS
A shutter disc for use in a cluster tool assembly having a processing chamber and a transfer arm includes an inner disc and an outer disc configured to be disposed on the inner disc. The inner disc includes a plurality of locating features configured to mate with locating pins of a transfer arm of a cluster tool assembly and a plurality of centering features configured to mate with alignment elements of a substrate support disposed in the processing chamber of the cluster tool assembly.
Article Transport Facility
A first carriage is provided with a support rail that supports a main body, and is configured to travel together with a second carriage that includes the main body along the first path, in a supporting state that is a state of supporting the main body, using the support rail. In a state where the first carriage is located at a connection part of the first path, which is connected to the second path, the support rail is located on an extension line of the travel rail.
CEILING CONVEYANCE VEHICLE AND CEILING CONVEYANCE VEHICLE SYSTEM
A ceiling conveyance vehicle includes a traveling wheel to roll on a track including a first track and a second track and a main body below the track and coupled to the traveling wheel. The ceiling conveyance vehicle includes a direction changer to change between a first state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the first track and a second state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the second track, with an orientation of the main body with respect to the track maintained, an article holder capable of holding an article, a hoisting-and-lowering driver to hoist and lower the article holder, a lateral slider to slidingly move the hoisting-and-lowering driver in a horizontal, linear direction, and a first rotational driver to rotationally drive the lateral slider around a first perpendicular axis with respect to the main body.
CEILING TRAVELING VEHICLE, CEILING TRAVELING VEHICLE SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR DETECTING OBSTACLE
A ceiling traveling vehicle includes a traveler to travel along a grid-shaped track, a main body coupled to the traveler and below the track, and a detector on a rear side of a center of the main body in a traveling direction of the traveler and below the main body to apply detection light forward in the traveling direction and downward and receive reflected light of the detection light to detect an obstacle.
CEILING SUSPENDED SHELF
An overhead transport vehicle temporarily places a FOUP at a ceiling suspended shelf while transporting the FOUP to a target position by traveling along a rail on a ceiling of a building from which the ceiling suspended is suspended. The ceiling suspended shelf includes an upper shelf including an upper support surface that supports the FOUP. A level of the upper support surface is the same or substantially the same as a level of the rail.