JP2000203702A - Automatic carrier system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a carrier to the next process in a short time and to make a carrier system simpler by directly storing a work to a storage shelf by an inter-process carrier system and directly carrying the work to a manufacturing device by an automatic carrier system within a process. SOLUTION: A transfer machine main body 3a travels on a transfer machine track 5a, holding a work 1 on a transfer arm 4, and stores the work 1 into an empty shelf of a holding shelf 2a by the transfer arm 4 mounted on the transfer machine main body 3a. The stored work 1 is taken out from the holding shelf 2a by transfer arms 4 mounted on transfer machine main bodies 3c, 3e traveling on a transfer machine track 6, is carried up to a storage shelf 2b by the transfer machine main bodies 3c, 3e and is stored in an empty shelf of the storage shelf 2b by the transfer arms 4 mounted on the transfer machine main bodies 3c, 3e. Subsequently, the work 1 taken out from the storage shelf 2b by a transfer arm 4 mounted on a transfer device 3b traveling on a transfer machine track 5b is carried up to a manufacturing device 7g and is taken down to the manufacturing device 7g.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for automatically transporting a plurality of objects to be produced, such as a semiconductor wafer, a disc-shaped information recording medium, a liquid crystal, a thick film substrate, etc., in a cassette, and in particular, to each manufacturing apparatus The present invention relates to an automatic transport apparatus for automatically transporting an object to be produced in a form in which the production is sequentially performed through processing steps according to (1).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor wafer production plant, on a production line having a large number of production apparatuses, a production object is supplied to each production apparatus, or a production object is carried out from each production apparatus by manual conveyance. Alternatively, an automatic transport system is used. In a semiconductor factory, a method (job shop method) of arranging manufacturing apparatuses collectively for each process (process) is a mainstream, and products move in and out of shops divided into shops of the same type of manufacturing process in a complicated manner. The process proceeds while processing.

In a conventional semiconductor wafer production plant, transfer between shops is performed automatically by an inter-process transfer system, and transfer within a shop is performed automatically by an in-process transfer system. Each shop has a stocker that also serves as a buffer because the processing throughput of each manufacturing apparatus is different. The stocker, which is mainly transported by hand in the process, carries out inventory management in addition to the buffer function. The configuration consists of shelves for storing workpieces, stacker cranes for transporting the inside of the stocker, and processes between processes. It is a transfer machine for transferring works to and from a transport system, and manages works stored on shelves and carries out / in between / into processes.

[0004] The inter-process transfer automatically transfers between the stockers arranged in each shop described above, and the in-process transfer automatically performs the transfer between the above-mentioned stockers and the manufacturing apparatus arranged in each shop. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional automatic transfer systems include those represented by JP-A-8-8324 as an automatic transfer device between processes, and those represented by JP-A-9-193053 as an in-process transfer device.

[0005]

In the conventional automatic transfer system configuration, in order to automatically transfer a work from a production apparatus to a production apparatus of a next process, a manufacturing apparatus → an in-process transfer system → a stocker → an inter-process transfer system. The workpiece is transported by following a transport route such as → stocker → in-process transport system → manufacturing apparatus. The reason stockers are needed at each shop is that the previous in-process transportation
This is because a manual transfer was the mainstream, and a stocker was indispensable for temporarily storing and managing the work transferred to each process.

In examining the automation in the process, only the automation of the manual conveyance is examined, and the examination as the in-process automatic conveyance system including the stocker is insufficient. Has become an indispensable system configuration. When examining the automation of in-process conveyance, it is necessary to consider the necessity of the function in the stocker.

[0007] Further, in production, it is required to convey to the next process in a short time, and if the conventional transport equipment is used, a time for transfer by a stocker is required. Even if the operation time of the transfer mechanism of each transfer device is shortened or the operation speed of the transfer device alone is improved, there is a limit due to problems such as damage to the transfer object.
That is, it is necessary to reduce the number of transfer systems to be connected.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional transport system, and to provide a simpler transport system which enables the transport to the next process in a short time.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention eliminates a stocker between an automatic transfer system between processes and a transfer system in a process, arranges only storage shelves for placing workpieces, and transfers between processes. The system is characterized in that the system is directly stored in the storage shelf by the system, and the system is configured such that the in-process automatic transfer system can directly transfer the work to the manufacturing apparatus from the storage shelf.

That is, it is possible to reduce the number of stacker cranes (stockers) for managing storage shelves and the number of transfer devices for transferring the stockers and the inter-process automatic transfer system. Since it is possible to shorten the time, it is possible to convey to the next step in a short time.
Further, since the number of components of the transport system can be reduced, a simpler system can be provided.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 1, the equipment configuration of the present invention will be described.
The configuration of the equipment includes a manufacturing apparatus 7 and a storage shelf 2, and a transfer machine main body 3 and a transfer machine track 5, 6 for transferring between the manufacturing apparatus 7 and the storage shelf 2. The transfer machine main body 3 has a transfer machine arm 4 having a traveling mechanism and an elevating mechanism, and conveys between the traveling manufacturing apparatus 7 and the storage shelf 2 on the transfer machine track 5.

The transfer machine main body 3 can transfer the work 1 to a target shelf position by a transfer machine arm 4 having a traveling mechanism and an elevating mechanism. A transfer machine track 6 is provided on the back of the storage shelf 2 to store the work 1 transported from the previous process in the storage shelf 2 or to store the work 1 stored in the storage shelf 2 after completion of the processing in the manufacturing apparatus. It is transported to the storage shelf 2 in the installation area of the manufacturing apparatus in the next step.

Referring to FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatuses 7c to 7
The case of transporting to g will be described. The work 1 that has been processed by the manufacturing apparatus 7c is taken out of the manufacturing apparatus 7a by the transfer arm 4 of the transfer machine main body 3a traveling on the transfer machine track 5a. The transfer machine main body 3a travels on the transfer machine track 5a while holding the work 1 on the transfer arm 4, and moves to the empty shelf of the storage shelf 2a. The work 1 is stored.

The stored work 1 is taken out of the storage shelf 2a by the transfer arm 4 mounted on the transfer machine main bodies 3c and 3e running on the transfer machine track 6, and is transferred to the transfer machine main body 3c. , 3e to the storage shelf 2b and the transfer machine body 3
By the transfer arm 4 mounted on c and 3e, it is stored in an empty shelf of the storage shelf 2b. Thereafter, the transfer arm 4 mounted on the transfer device 3b traveling on the transfer machine track 5b.
The work 1 taken out of the storage shelf 2b is transported to the manufacturing apparatus 7g and is wholesaled to the manufacturing apparatus 7g.

In an area where high transfer capacity is not required, a system including a storage shelf 2a, a transfer machine track 5a, and a transfer machine main body 3a is used, and the transfer machine main body 3a is of a forward-reverse type. In areas where high transport capacity is required, storage shelves 2b,
A loop trajectory such as the transfer machine track 5b, the transfer machine body 3b, and the transfer machine body 3d is configured to have a system configuration capable of running a plurality of transfer machine bodies 3.

Next, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described.
This system configuration stores between a system constituted by the transfer machine body 3a traveling on the transfer machine track 5a and a system constituted by the transfer machine bodies 3b and 3d traveling on the transfer machine track 5b. This is a configuration in which shelves 2e are arranged, and when transporting from the manufacturing apparatus 7c to the manufacturing apparatus 7g, the system is configured by the transfer machine main body 3a traveling on the transfer machine track 5a, taken out of the manufacturing apparatus 7c, and stored in the storage shelf. 2a, the transfer machine body 3b traveling on the transfer machine track 5b via the storage shelf 2b by a system composed of the transfer machine bodies 3c and 3e running on the transfer machine track 6 A route that is transported to the manufacturing apparatus 7g by the configured system and a system configured by the transfer machine main body 3a traveling on the transfer machine track 5a are taken out of the manufacturing apparatus 7c by using the storage shelf 2e,
Transported to the manufacturing apparatus 7g by a system composed of the transfer machine main bodies 3b and 3d traveling on the transfer machine track 5b;
It is possible to select one of the transport routes.

By adopting the equipment configuration as described above,
It is possible to secure a backup transfer route for the transfer, and the transfer machine bodies 3c and 3e traveling on the transfer machine track 6
In the case where the system configured by the above is broken, or when the transfer instruction is concentrated on the system configured by the transfer machine main bodies 3c and 3e in which the transfer travels on the transfer machine track 6, the transfer route is changed and the transfer is performed. Transfer machine body 3 traveling on machine track 5b
The transport system can be backed up by the system composed of b and 3d. As described above, by making it possible to select the transport route, it is possible to avoid concentration of the transport instruction, and it is possible to transport efficiently.

The tracking of the shelf location and inventory of the storage shelf 2, the location of the manufacturing equipment, and the work are managed by a host computer. The transfer instruction is generated by a host computer in response to a request from the manufacturing apparatus, and is provided to the transfer machine main body. The transfer machine main body 3 automatically transports the work 1 in accordance with the given transport instruction. A work number is attached to each work,
The transfer machine body 3 is read by a work number reading device attached to a transfer arm 4 mounted on the transfer machine body 3.
Confirms the work to be transported.

The transfer machine main unit 3 receives a transfer source location, work number,
The transfer destination location data is received, the work is confirmed at the transfer source location, the transfer is performed, and after the transfer is completed, a transfer completion report is sent to the host computer. The host computer automatically updates the tracking and the location based on the completion report.

When the work 1 is stored in the storage shelf 2 by hand and the work 1 is taken out from the storage shelf 2 manually, the stock and location are corrected manually by a computer for stock and location correction. Fix it. When storing in empty shelves manually, set an area for manual storage in the storage shelves in advance to avoid duplication of the automatic transfer destination and manual storage shelves, It can be taken out or stored in a storage shelf manually.

[0022]

According to the present invention, a stacker crane (stocker) and a transfer device, which have conventionally been used for transferring between an inter-process transfer system and an in-process transfer system, can be eliminated, and the number of times of transfer can be reduced. Therefore, the transfer time can be reduced and the components of the transfer system can be reduced, so that a more inexpensive automatic transfer system can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the transfer device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the transport device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Work, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e ... Storage shelf,
3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e: transfer machine main body, 4: transfer machine arm, 5a, 5b, 6 ... transfer machine track, 7a, 7b,
7c, 7d, 7e, 7f, 7g, 7h, 7i, 7j, 7
k, 7l, 7m, 7n, 7o, 7p ... Manufacturing equipment.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of manufacturing devices are transferred along a running path arranged in parallel along the manufacturing devices in front of the work input port side of the manufacturing devices linearly adjacent to each other along both sides of the passage in the production building. An automatic transport system for transporting a work by a tracked automatic transport vehicle equipped with a machine arm, wherein the automatic transport vehicle directly transports a conveyed product from a storage shelf to a manufacturing apparatus. 2. A work for unloading work from a storage shelf and loading work from the storage shelf from both front and back sides of the storage shelf by a tracked automatic carrier equipped with a transfer machine arm. An automatic transfer system characterized by eliminating the need for a stocker for transferring a work between automatic transfer devices by making it possible. 3. The automatic transfer system according to claim 1, wherein a temporary placing table component is disposed on a carrier of the automatic transfer vehicle capable of simultaneously transferring a plurality of works. 4. The automatic transport system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic transport vehicle is of a trackless type.