An overhead transport vehicle system includes an overhead transport vehicle including a traveler and a body supported by the traveler via a suspension to hold an object to be transported, and a traveling rail including a slit, through which the suspension is movable when the traveler travels, and rolling portions along which traveling wheel rolls, and having a tubular shape including an internal space through which the traveler travels. In the internal space in a curved section, above a passing area through which the traveling wheel rolling on the rolling portion on an outer side of a curve passes, a rising restriction portion, with which the traveling wheel having risen by a predetermined amount from the rolling portion comes into contact, extends along an extending direction of the traveling rail.

A substrate transfer system includes a main body on which a carrier configured to store a substrate is loaded, a first wheel assembly disposed inside the main body and configured to travel along a first rail extending in a first direction, a second wheel assembly disposed inside the main body and configured to travel along a second rail extending in a second direction different from the first direction, and a lift disposed inside the main body and configured to move the first wheel assembly up and down between a first lower position at which the first wheel assembly is in contact with the first rail and a first upper position higher than the first lower position, and to move the second wheel assembly up and down between a second lower position at which the second wheel assembly is in contact with the second rail and a second upper position higher than the second lower position.

System and method for cross-fab wafer transportation are provided. An exemplary system includes a first control unit coupled to an associated first automatic material handling system (AMHS), the first AMHS includes a first overhead transport (OHT) track comprising a first portion and a first vehicle movable along the first OHT track and carrying a container, the container is operable to carry semiconductor wafers therein. The system includes a second control unit coupled to an associated second AMHS, the second AMHS includes a second OHT track comprising a second portion adjacent to the first portion and a second vehicle movable along the second OHT track. When the first vehicle is within the first portion of the first OHT track and the second vehicle is within the second portion of the second OHT track, the first and second vehicles are operable to transfer the container directly from the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

A traveling vehicle system includes a traveling path including a branching portion, a traveling vehicle to travel on the traveling path, and a controller. A specific area through which the traveling vehicle is allowed to pass on one of the traveling paths from an upstream side to a downstream side of the branching portion is in a portion within a blocking area including the branching portion. The controller is configured or programmed to transmit a passage permission for the blocking area to the traveling vehicle that issued the passage request for the blocking area if no other traveling vehicle is present in the blocking area, and to transmit a passage permission for the specific area to the traveling vehicle that issued the passage request for the specific area if no other traveling vehicle is present in the specific area. The traveling vehicle enters the blocking area or the specific area for which a passage permission has been acquired.

A transport facility includes a plurality of transport vehicles that travel in a travel area to transport articles, and a control system that controls the plurality of transport vehicles. The travel area includes a plurality of rechargeable points for recharging the plurality of transport vehicles, and a plurality of transfer points at each of which the plurality of transport vehicles transfer the articles. The control system performs a relay transport process. In the relay transport process, a relay point is selected from the plurality of transfer points, and a recharge point for recharging a first transport vehicle is selected from the plurality of rechargeable points. The relay point is a transfer point closest to the unload point on a transport path of the transport vehicle. The recharge point is selected from rechargeable points of the plurality of rechargeable points within a selection range from the relay point.

The traveling vehicle system includes a track having a portion that is a non-self-propelling section where the traveling vehicle is unable to be self-propellable, a traveling vehicle configured to travel along the track, and a moving unit configured to move the traveling vehicle in one direction in the non-self-propelling section. The moving unit includes a moving mechanism configured to move the movable block in the one direction. The traveling vehicle includes an engagement part capable of being engaged with the movable block, and a switching mechanism configured to switch the position of the engagement part between a first position at which the engagement part is engaged with the movable block and a second position at which the engagement part is separated from the movable block. The moving mechanism moves the traveling vehicle by moving the movable block in the one direction with the engagement part engaged.

An overhead traveling vehicle system includes a track at least partially disposed in a grid pattern, and an overhead traveling vehicle including a traveling section configured to travel along the track, and a main body disposed below the track and suspended from the traveling section. The traveling section includes a traveling wheel configured to roll on the track about a rotation axis as a principal axis, and a traveling drive motor configured to drive the traveling wheel. The traveling drive motor is provided on the rotation axis of the traveling wheel.

A substrate transfer device includes a housing accommodating a carrier for storing a substrate, a carrier lifter moving the carrier in a vertical direction relative to an upper surface of the housing, a vertical stabilization unit connected to a lower part of the carrier lifter and reducing a vertical vibration of the carrier, a rotation stabilization unit connected to a lower part of the vertical stabilization unit and reducing rotation of the carrier, and a carrier holder connected to a lower part of the rotation stabilization unit. The carrier holder holds the carrier. The vertical stabilization unit includes an upper plate connected to the carrier lifter, a lower plate connected to the rotation stabilization unit, and a buffer disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate. The buffer contracts or relaxes to reduce the vertical vibration of the carrier.

An overhead transport vehicle includes a transfer section to transfer an article to and from a load port included in equipment, sensors to emit detection waves downwardly to detect presence or absence of an obstacle, the sensors having different detection ranges from each other, and a controller configured or programmed to control the overhead transport vehicle. The transfer section includes a gripping section, a rotating section, and a lifting section. The controller, during transferring of the article by the transfer section, is configured or programmed to control the rotating section in accordance with a direction of accessing onto the load port such that the article is transferred in a specified direction and does not perform detection processing of one or more of the sensors having the detection ranges in which the equipment is included.

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.