JP2003086655A - Automated guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automated guided vehicle in which the work for transferring a wafer between stations can be performed surely and smoothly by a sheeting machine even if the station itself or its floor surface is inclined due to installation error, manufacturing error, or the like. SOLUTION: The automated guided vehicle 1 comprises a traveling section 2 provided with traveling wheels 9, 9, etc., a sheeting machine 5 and a working section 3 provided with a buffer cassette 6 wherein the working section 3 can oscillate up and down with respect to the traveling section 2. The automated guided vehicle 1 further comprises a servo motor 14 for oscillating the working section 3 with respect to the traveling section 2, and a control section 27 of the servo motor 14 and the sheeting machine 5 is provided with a transfer hand 31 for supporting an article. The control section 27 controls the servo motor 14 such that the surface 31a of the transfer hand 31 for supporting the wafer 10 becomes substantially parallel with the mounting face (shelf 23b) of the wafer 10 on a stocker 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle equipped with a single-wafer transfer device for transferring articles between a station and a main body of a guided vehicle by the device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a posture control technique for smoothly and reliably performing a transfer operation by the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is provided a buffer cassette for storing wafers, and an automatic guided vehicle equipped with a transfer device for transferring the wafers stored in the buffer cassette to a station which is a target of a transfer operation. Are known. As the above-mentioned station, in a manufacturing process using wafers, a station (article placement section) formed in a processing apparatus for processing wafers and a plurality of shelves for temporarily storing a cassette for storing a large number of wafers are provided. There are stations formed on the stocker. Between these stations and the buffer cassette installed in the automated guided vehicle,
Similarly, wafers are transferred by the single wafer transfer device mounted on the automatic guided vehicle.

[0003]

The station may be tilted from the horizontal due to installation errors or the like, and the floor itself on which the station is installed is
There is a risk of being inclined with respect to the floor on which the automated guided vehicle travels. For this reason, there is a possibility that the wafer cannot be placed parallel to the wafer mounting surface on the station. This means that if the station is a station formed in the processor, the processing work will not be performed properly, and if the station is a station formed in the stocker on which the cassette is placed, it will be placed in the cassette. It means that the wafer cannot be stored or taken out from the cassette. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated guided vehicle that can transfer wafers to the station smoothly and appropriately even if the station itself is tilted or the floor surface is tilted.

[0004]

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, the means for solving the problems will be described. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traveling unit provided with traveling wheels, and a working unit provided with an article storage device for accommodating articles and a single-wafer transfer apparatus for transferring the articles. The device is an unmanned transfer vehicle for transferring articles between an article storage device and a station provided along a traveling route, and allows a working unit to swing vertically with respect to the traveling unit. In addition to the provision of a swinging means for swinging the working section with respect to the traveling section and a control section of the swinging means, a transfer hand for supporting the article is provided in the single-wafer transfer apparatus. The control unit controls the swinging means so that the article support surface and the article placement surface of the target station are substantially parallel to each other.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the automatic guided vehicle, the amount of swing of the working portion required for the article supporting surface of the transfer hand and the article mounting surface of the station to be substantially parallel to the target station is: A storage means for storing the target value,
The control section controls the swinging means based on the target value.

In the third aspect, the target value is stored in the storage means in association with each station,
The control unit controls the swinging means based on the target value corresponding to the station for carrying out the transfer work.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The overall construction of an automated guided vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle 1 traveling between stations and performing a transfer work. FIG. 2 is a side view of the automated guided vehicle 1, FIG. 3 is a partial front sectional view of the same, and FIG. 4 is the same. It is a top view. Although the automated guided vehicle 1 can be moved forward or backward, the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1 will be described as the front of the automated guided vehicle 1. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the side where the stocker 22 (described later) or the processing device 21 (described later) is located is
It will be on the right side of the automated guided vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the automated guided vehicle 1 is a guided vehicle that automatically travels on the traveling rails 19 and 20, and travels between stations such as the stocker 22 and the processing device 21 and at the same time as the station and the automated guided vehicle. The transfer work of the wafers 10, 10 ...

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the automated guided vehicle 1
Is composed of a lower traveling unit 2 and an upper working unit 3. Traveling wheels 9 are provided at the front, rear, left and right four corners of the traveling unit 2, respectively. Each of the traveling wheels 9, 9 ... Has a drive motor (not shown). By driving this drive motor, the traveling wheels 9, 9 ...
-Rotate on 20 and let the automated guided vehicle 1 run.

Each device provided in the automatic guided vehicle 1 is driven by electric power. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the automatic guided vehicle 1 is used in a place such as a clean room where the generation of dust is disliked, and the power supply to the automatic guided vehicle 1 is performed by non-contact power supply using electromagnetic induction. Specifically, along the rails 19, the power supply lines 7 and 7 (shown in FIG. 3) connected to the power supply device are laid, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided with the pickup unit 16 which is a power receiving device. . The pickup unit 16 is provided in the traveling unit 2, and the power supply lines 7 and 7 are rails 1
It is held by a power supply line holder 18 provided on the upper part 9.
The pickup unit 16 is provided with a pickup coil to which a voltage is applied by electromagnetic induction, and a core for strengthening magnetic force lines passing through the pickup coil. The power supply to the automated guided vehicle 1 may be performed by, for example, being driven by a battery,
The method is not limited to the above method using electromagnetic induction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the working unit 3 is provided with a single wafer transfer device 5 for transferring the wafer 10 to the center of the main body. In addition, on both the front and rear sides of the single-wafer transfer device 5, the posture alignment device 4 and the buffer cassette 6 are provided.
Are arranged.

The wafer 10 is made of silicon single crystal as a material and is formed in a substantially disc shape. Further, a notch such as an orientation flat or a notch is formed on the outer periphery of the wafer 10 for position detection. Further, an ID mark is engraved on the one surface of the wafer 10 in the vicinity of the outer periphery thereof, and the
By detecting the ID mark by the CR, the information on the manufacturing history of the wafer 10 and the like is specified by the apparatus equipped with the OCR.

The single wafer transfer device 5 is provided with a base 11, a turntable 12, and two sets of robot hands 30M and 30S. The base 11 is provided at the center of the working unit 3 and can be moved up and down with respect to the working unit 3. Thereby, the robot hand 30M mounted on the base 11
・ The height of 30S can be changed. The turntable 12 is configured to be rotatable relative to the base 11 in a horizontal plane, and the robot hands 30M and 30S provided on the turntable 12 are swung to move the robot hand 3
The orientation in the horizontal plane of 0M and 30S can be changed. The robot hands 30M and 30S each include a transfer hand 31 that supports the wafer 10, and a first arm 32 and a second arm 33 that connect the transfer hand 31 and the turntable 12. By changing the angle formed by both arms 32 and 33, the transfer hand 31 can move forward and backward with the turntable 12 as a base point. Both arms 32
The maximum advance limit of the transfer hand 31 is when 33 is continuous in a straight line (when the angle formed is 180 °).

The transfer hand 31 is configured to support the wafer 10 by vacuum suction. Transfer Hand 31
A suction port is formed on the upper surface of the single wafer transfer device 5, and an air pump (not shown) is provided in the single wafer transfer device 5.

The attitude adjusting device 4 is a device for adjusting the supporting position of the wafer 10 with respect to the transfer hand 31. The attitude adjusting device 4 is provided with a mounting table 41 for the wafer 10, and is configured to be able to suck the wafer 10 and rotate it. Further, orientation flat sensors 42, 42 and an OCR (optical character reader) 43 are provided outside the mounting table 41 in the horizontal direction. Then, by rotating the wafer 10 on the mounting table 41, the above-mentioned notch of the wafer 10 is detected by the orientation flat sensor 42, and the supporting position of the wafer 10 on the mounting table 41 is detected. Based on this detection information, the wafer 10 is mounted again on the mounting table 41 by using the transfer hand 31 so that the center of the mounting table 41 and the center of the wafer 10 coincide with each other. In addition, the wafer 1 in the concentric position
0 of the wafer 10 is rotated right below the OCR 43.
Set the D mark so that the I
The wafer 10 is specified by detecting the D mark. Position and ID of the notch provided on the wafer 10.
A certain relationship is preset with the mark printing position, and the wafer 10 is set so that the notch is located at a specific position.
Is rotated so that the OCR 43 and the ID mark are aligned with each other. When the ID mark is read by the OCR 43 and the wafer 10 is specified, the wafer 1
Information about 0 can be obtained on the side of the automated guided vehicle 1.
As described above, the attitude alignment device 4 detects the ID mark and, at the same time, detects the wafer 10 on the mounting table 41.
By adjusting the position of the wafer
Is supported at an appropriate position.

The buffer cassette 6 is an article storage device for storing a plurality of wafers 10 on the side of the automated guided vehicle 1. The buffer cassette 6 includes a cassette 51 that stores a wafer and a support base 50 that supports the cassette 51. The support base 50 is provided on the rear portion of the upper surface of the working unit 3 and rotatably supports the cassette 51. The front side of the cassette 51 (the side facing the single wafer transfer device 5) is opened, and the transfer hand 31 of the single wafer transfer device 5 is inserted into the cassette 51 to store the wafer 10 in the cassette 51. Is. Inside the cassette 51, ribs 51a, 51a are provided on the left and right with respect to the opening direction so that the side edges of the wafer 10 can be supported horizontally, and a pair of left and right ribs 51a, 51a.
A shelf 51b is configured by 51a, and a large number of such shelves 51b are provided vertically. Then, a large number of wafers 10 are horizontally accommodated in the cassette 51. The cassette 51 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the support base 50, and when the wafer 10 is taken in and out of the cassette 51,
The opening of the cassette 51 is oriented horizontally (immediately before), and when the automated guided vehicle 1 is traveling, the cassette 51 is rotated upward so that the opening of the cassette 51 is oriented obliquely upward. With this configuration, even if the inertial force is generated when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is traveling, the wafers 1 stored in
It is avoided that 0, 10 ... Drop out of the cassette 51 or cause a position shift.

Stations provided along the traveling route of the automatic guided vehicle 1 will be described. As described above, along the rails 19 and 20 which are the traveling routes of the automatic guided vehicle 1, the stockers 22 and 22 ...
・ ・ Is placed. Each of the stocker 22 and the processing device 21 is formed with a station as an article placement section, and a transfer operation is performed between these stations and the buffer cassette 6 of the automatic guided vehicle 1. The upper surface of the stocker 22 is a station as an article loading section, and a plurality of cassettes 23
.. are installed in parallel. The internal configuration of the cassette 23 is the same as that of the cassette 51 of the buffer cassette 6 described above, and is provided in the cassette 23 (with respect to the opening direction).
Wafer 1 is provided by a pair of ribs 23a, 23a provided on the left and right.
A shelf 23b capable of supporting the side edge of 0 is formed. Shelf 23b
Are provided in the upper and lower stages, and the wafers 10, 10, ... Can be stored on the plurality of shelves 23b. The processing device 21 has a loading port 21a into which the wafer 10 can be inserted.
Is formed, and the intake port 21a is a station as an article placement section. A wafer mounting table is provided in the loading port 21a, and the wafer 10 sucked by the transfer hand 31 is inserted into the loading port 21a and placed on the loading table described above. 10 inspection processes are performed. When the wafer 10 is inserted into the loading port 21a, the attitude of the wafer 10 is adjusted in advance by the attitude adjusting device 4 so that the inspection process in the processing device 21 can be performed reliably. In addition, a mounting table in the intake port 21a of the processing device 21,
The shelf 23b of the cassette 23 placed on the stocker 22 is
It is a mounting surface of the wafer 10 provided on the station.

Next, the necessity of attitude control in the automated guided vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the automated guided vehicle 1 and the cassette 23 on the stocker 22. In order to enable the transfer operation between the cassette 23 on the stocker 22 and the single-wafer transfer device 5 of the automatic guided vehicle 1, as shown in FIG. It must be inserted between the upper and lower shelves 23b, 23b in 23 without contact. Therefore, the angle θ formed by the shelf 23b (one-dot chain line) which is the mounting surface of the wafer 10 and the support surface 31a (two-dot chain line) of the transfer hand 31 is
It must be below a certain angle. Here, the transfer hand 3
1, the surface that sucks and supports the wafer 10 is the support surface 31a. As described above, the shelf 23b is formed inside the cassette 23 by a pair of left and right ribs 23a and 23a with respect to the opening direction, and is formed by connecting both upper surfaces of these ribs 23a and 23a. The surface on which the wafer 10 is placed is the shelf 23b. It should be noted that the state of the transfer operation shown in FIG. 5, that is, the state of the approach angle of the transfer hand 31 with respect to the cassette 23 is in a state in which the posture control mechanism described later is not operated in the automatic guided vehicle 1, or the posture is not changed. The figure shows the case of an automatic guided vehicle without a control mechanism. Assuming that the error described later is completely zero, the cassette 23 is placed on the horizontal plane, and the shelf 23b in the cassette 23 is arranged in the horizontal direction. At this time, the supporting surface of the wafer 10 by the shelf 23b also becomes a horizontal surface. Further, the transfer hand 31 extending from the single-wafer transfer device 5 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is also located on the horizontal plane.

In reality, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 and the stations (the processing device 21 and the stocker 22) have errors due to installation errors, manufacturing errors, and the like. Further, in the station side, the floor surface at the stop position of the automated guided vehicle 1 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, or the traveling rails 19 and 20 laid on the floor surface have an error due to an installation error or a manufacturing error. May occur. In such a case, in the case of the stocker 22, the shelf 23b of the cassette 23 (the mounting surface of the wafer 10)
However, in the case of the processing device 21, the intake ports 21a are inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. Similarly, on the side of the automatic guided vehicle 1, the transfer hand 31 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. As a result, the wafer mounting surface (shelf 23b
Also, the transfer table 31 and the transfer table in the intake port 21a are not parallel to each other.

In the stocker 22, when the angle θ formed by the shelf 23b of the cassette 23 and the transfer hand 31 is less than or equal to the predetermined angle, the wafer 10 is transferred while being inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. It is possible to work. In this embodiment, the distance between the shelves 23b and 23b is 10 m.
The transfer hand 31 has a thickness of about 3 mm. Further, as the wafer 10, those of 12 inches and 8 inches are used. In order to properly perform the transfer operation under the above conditions, the angle θ formed by the transfer hand 31 and the shelf 23b is required to be ± 0.1 ° or less.
That is, in this embodiment, ± 0.1 ° is the above-mentioned predetermined angle required to properly perform the transfer work. Further, in the processing apparatus 21, in order to perform an appropriate processing operation in the processing apparatus 21, the wafer 10 is placed on the bottom surface of the intake port 21a.
Must be placed substantially parallel to each other. Therefore, also in the processing apparatus 21, it is necessary to control the transfer hand 31 supporting the wafer 10 and the loading port (wafer mounting surface) to be substantially parallel to each other.

The attitude control mechanism of the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7.
FIG. 6 is a top view of the traveling unit 2 showing the attitude control mechanism provided in the automated guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a state in which the working unit 3 is swung in the automated guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. In the first embodiment, the working unit 3 is configured to be swingable in the left-right direction with respect to the traveling unit 2. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 6, between the traveling unit 2 and the working unit 3, the working unit with respect to the traveling unit 2 is provided at both front and rear end portions on one left and right side (right side in this embodiment). 3, hinge 13
It is attached so that it can swing freely. The hinge 13 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting members 13a and 13b and a pivot shaft 13c serving as a fulcrum of both mounting members are provided. The rotation support shaft 13c is arranged so that its axial direction is the front-rear direction, and the mounting members 13a and 13b are relatively rotatable left and right. Then, the mounting member 13a is fixed to the traveling unit 2, the mounting member 13b is fixed to the working unit 3, and the traveling unit 2
On the other hand, the working unit 3 is configured to be swingable. The means for swinging the working unit 3 left and right with respect to the traveling unit 2 is not limited to the hinge 13.
Other mechanisms may be used as long as they have the same action.

Between the traveling unit 2 and the working unit 3, the working unit 3 is swung with respect to the traveling unit 2 at the front-rear center portion on the other side (the left side in this embodiment) with respect to the left and right sides. Means are provided. The swinging means in this embodiment comprises a servomotor 14 provided on the upper surface of the traveling unit 2, a pinion 14a fixed to the motor shaft of the servomotor 14, and a rack body 15 attached to the lower surface of the working unit 3. ing. The rack body 15 is formed in an arc shape, and is arranged such that the surface on which the teeth that mesh with the pinion 14a are engraved faces one of the left and right sides. Then, by driving the servomotor 14, the pinion 14a
The rack body 15 meshing with
The working unit 3 is swung with respect to the traveling unit 2 with 3c as a fulcrum. Further, the tooth forming surface of the rack body 15 is formed so as to draw an arc in a front view, and the rotation support shaft 13c is formed.
The distance from to the formation surface is constant. Accordingly, even if the working unit 3 moves up and down, the rack body 1
The distance between 5 and the pinion 14a is kept constant, and no pressing or separation occurs between them. The swinging means for swinging the working section 3 to the left and right with respect to the traveling section 2 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, by using an electric cylinder that is rotatably supported by the traveling unit 2 and that rotatably supports the working unit 3 or an air cylinder that is operated by an installed air pump, the rotation support shaft 13c is used. The working unit 3 may be swung about the fulcrum.

Further, the mounting member 13a of the hinge 13 and the servo motor 14 constituting the swinging means are provided in the traveling portion 2
Is fixed to the top plate 25 forming the upper surface of the. This top plate 25
The insertion hole 25a for vertically passing the base 11 of the single-wafer transfer device 5 and the rack body 1 fixedly installed in the working unit 3.
An insertion hole 25b is provided for allowing 5 to pass vertically.
Further, the bottom plate 26 forming the lower surface of the working unit 3 also has insertion holes 26a and 26b corresponding to the insertion holes 25a and 25b.
Are formed, and the base 11 and the rack body 15 can pass through respectively.

With the above construction, as shown in FIG. 7, the working unit 3 can be swung left and right with respect to the traveling unit 2. By this posture control, the approach angle of the transfer hand 31 with respect to the cassette 23 can be adjusted. Therefore, the automated guided vehicle 1 or station (stocker 2
2) Even if a tilt error occurs due to an installation error, a manufacturing error, or the like on the floor surface (travel rails 19 and 20) at the transfer work position on the side of the station, the attitude control is performed in a direction along the tilt error. The transfer work can be performed appropriately and smoothly.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the means (hinge 13) for allowing the swing is provided at the front and rear on the left and right sides, and the swing means (servo motor 14).
Is provided at the center of the other side with respect to the left and right sides. That is, the swingable means is provided at two places, and the swinging means is provided at one place, and the traveling unit 2 supports the working unit 3 at a total of three points. However, the hinges 13 are left as they are (while being provided at the front and rear two locations on the left and right sides), the servo motors 14 are provided at the front and rear two locations on the left and right sides, and the traveling section 2 supports the working section 3 by a total of four points. It may be configured.
This structure is advantageous in that the supporting structure of the working unit 3 becomes more stable.

In the above description, the inclination (error) of the automatic guided vehicle 1 or the station with respect to the horizontal plane is the inclination shown in FIG. 5, that is, the inclination about the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 (direction in front view). The explanation is limited. In FIG. 5, the inclination of the automatic guided vehicle 1 or the station from the horizontal plane is illustrated with the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface) as an axis. However, in reality, the axis of inclination of the floor of the automated guided vehicle 1, the station, or the transfer work position with respect to the horizontal plane is not limited to the above-mentioned axis direction. That is, various directions of inclination of the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be considered. Furthermore, the automated guided vehicle 1, the station, and the floor surface generally have different tilt axes. In the second embodiment described below, a countermeasure against a tilt about a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction (a direction belonging to a horizontal plane) and a countermeasure about a tilt about an arbitrary direction will be described.

The attitude control mechanism of the automated guided vehicle 100 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a top view of the traveling unit 2 showing the attitude control mechanism provided in the automated guided vehicle 100 of the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a side view showing the automated guided vehicle 100 of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, in order to deal with the above-described inclination, that is, the inclination about the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction as an axis,
It has the following configuration. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, between the traveling unit 2 and the working unit 3, the working unit 3 is swayed with respect to the traveling unit 2 at the front and rear one side (the front side in this embodiment) on the left and right ends. A hinge 13 is provided so as to be movable. Hinge 13
Is composed of mounting members 13a and 13b, and a rotation support shaft 13c serving as a fulcrum of both mounting members. The rotation support shaft 13c is arranged so that its axial direction is the left-right direction, and the mounting members 13a and 13b are relatively rotatable back and forth. The mounting member 13a is fixed to the traveling portion 2 and the mounting member 13b is fixed to the working portion 3 so that the working portion 3 can swing with respect to the traveling portion 2. The traveling unit 2
On the other hand, the means for swinging the working unit 3 back and forth is not limited to the hinge 13, and another mechanism may be used as long as it has a similar action.

Between the traveling unit 2 and the working unit 3, a swinging motion for swinging the working unit 3 with respect to the traveling unit 2 is provided at the left and right center portion on the other side (rear side in this embodiment) with respect to the front and rear side. Means of movement are provided. In this embodiment, the swinging means is composed of a servo motor 14 provided on the upper surface of the traveling unit 2, a pinion 14a fixed to the motor shaft of the servo motor 14, and a rack body 15 attached to the lower surface of the working unit 3. is doing. Rack body 1
5 is arranged so that the surface on which the teeth that mesh with the pinion 14a are engraved faces either one of the front and rear sides. Then, by driving the servomotor 14, the rack body 15 that meshes with the pinion 14a is moved up and down, and the working unit 3 is swung with respect to the traveling unit 2 with the turning support shaft 13c as a fulcrum. Further, the tooth forming surface of the rack body 15 is formed so as to draw an arc in a side view, and the distance from the rotation support shaft 13c to this forming surface is constant. As a result, even if the working unit 3 swings up and down, the distance between the rack body 15 and the pinion 14a is kept constant, and there is no mutual pressing or separation. In addition, the working unit 3 is different from the traveling unit 2.
The swinging means for swinging back and forth is not limited to the above-described configuration, and is an electric cylinder that is rotatably supported by the traveling portion 2 and rotatably supports the working portion 3, or It is also possible to use an air cylinder that is operated by an installed air pump to swing the working unit 3 about the pivot shaft 13c as a fulcrum.

With the above structure, the working unit 3 can swing back and forth with respect to the traveling unit 2. Further, the mounting member 13 a of the hinge 13 and the servo motor 14 that constitutes the swinging means constitute the top plate 12 that forms the upper surface of the traveling unit 2.
It is fixed at 5. The sheet transfer device 5 is mounted on the top plate 125.
An insertion hole 125a for vertically passing the base 11 of
An insertion hole 125b is provided for vertically passing the rack body 15 fixed to the working unit 3. Further, the bottom plate forming the lower surface of the working unit 3 is also formed with insertion holes corresponding to the insertion holes 125a and 125b, and the base 1
1. The rack body 15 is passed.

Further, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, the means (hinge 13) for allowing the swing is provided on the left and right of the front and rear sides, and the swing means (servo motor 14).
Is provided at the center of the other side with respect to the front and rear side. That is, the swingable means is provided at two places, and the swinging means is provided at one place, and the traveling unit 2 supports the working unit 3 at a total of three points. The swinging means is provided as it is (while being provided at the front and rear two locations on the left and right sides), and the swinging means is provided at the left and right two locations on the front and rear sides. 3 may be supported. At this time,
Means for swinging is also provided at two front and rear positions. With this configuration, the support structure of the working unit 3 can be made more stable.

The attitude control mechanism of the automated guided vehicle 200 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view showing an automatic guided vehicle 200 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the working unit 3 is configured to be capable of swinging back and forth and left and right with respect to the traveling unit 2. The third embodiment deals with the above-described inclination about an arbitrary direction. As shown in FIG. 10, a supporting plate 24 is provided between the traveling unit 2 and the working unit 3, and the traveling unit 2 and the supporting plate 2 are provided.
4 and between the support plate 24 and the working unit 3, an attitude control mechanism is provided. Running part 2 and support plate 24
The posture control mechanism provided in the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment is provided between the support plate 24 and the traveling plate 2.
Is swingable to the left and right. Further, between the support plate 24 and the working unit 3, the automated guided vehicle 1 of the second embodiment is provided.
The attitude control mechanism provided in the
The working unit 3 can be rocked back and forth with respect to No. 4.

With the above construction, in the automatic guided vehicle 200 of the third embodiment, the working unit 3 can be swung left and right and front and back with respect to the traveling unit 2. Therefore, the posture of the working unit 3 with respect to the horizontal plane can be tilted with an arbitrary direction as an axis, and the transfer hand 3 to the cassette 23 on the station can be tilted.
The entry angle of 1 can be adjusted. As described above, the station (processing device 21 and stocker 22)
In an unmanned guided vehicle, an error such as an installation error or a manufacturing error is unavoidable, and an inclination error of the transfer hand 31 and the wafer mounting surface (the mounting table in the intake port 21a and the shelf 23b) with respect to the horizontal plane. Occur in various directions. Even in such a case, in the automatic guided vehicle 200, since the approach angle of the transfer hand 31 can be tilted about an arbitrary direction as an axis, a direction along the tilt error between the transfer hand 31 and the wafer mounting surface can be obtained. Moreover, by adjusting the approach angle of the transfer hand 31, the transfer work can be appropriately and smoothly performed.

The structure in which the working unit 3 can be swung back and forth, left and right with respect to the traveling unit 2 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, the electric cylinders 17 are provided at the four corners of the upper surface of the traveling unit 2. ..... may be provided. The upper surface of the traveling unit 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the electric cylinders 17, 17, ... Are arranged at the tops of the rectangles to support the working unit 3 on the traveling unit 2. Then, by performing drive control of each of the electric cylinders 17, 17, ..., the working unit 3 can be swung back and forth, and left and right, and the approach angle of the transfer hand 31 can be tilted about an arbitrary direction. ing.

The automated guided vehicles 1, 100, 200 are each provided with a control unit, and the control unit controls the swinging means provided in each automated guided vehicle. In the above three embodiments, the control units that manage the attitude control mechanism are substantially the same, and therefore, in the following, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment will be representatively described and will be described using FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an attitude control mechanism provided in the automated guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the controller 27 and the servomotor 14 constituting the swinging means are connected to the controller 27.
The signal is further connected to the servo motor 14 so that signals can be transmitted. The attitude control described above is performed by the control unit 27 controlling the drive of the servo motor 14 that constitutes the swinging means. The control unit 27 is provided with a control circuit 29 that issues a control command to the servomotor 14 and a memory 28 that is a storage unit. Further, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided with a position detection sensor 34 for detecting its own position, and the position detection sensor is connected to the control unit 27 so that signals can be transmitted. In this specification, a specific mechanism for position detection is omitted, but at which station the automatic guided vehicle 1 is stopped based on the detection signal from the position detection sensor 34 (that is, which station is the target station). ) Is determined by the control unit 27.

In the memory 28, the transfer hand 31 and the mounting surface of the wafer 10 (intake port 21) are set for the target station.
The swing amount of the working unit 3 required to be substantially parallel to the mounting table and the shelf 23b in a is stored as a target value. In the case of this embodiment, since the swinging means is constituted by the servomotor 14, the swinging amount is determined by the servomotor 1
4 corresponds to the rotation amount of the motor shaft. That is, this rotation amount is stored in the memory 28.

With the above configuration, the control circuit 29 of the control unit 27 drives the servo motor 14 in the target station based on the swing amount of the working unit 3 stored in the memory 28, that is, the rotation speed of the servo motor 14. It is possible to control and tilt the transfer hand 31. It should be noted that the amount by which the working unit 3 should be swung at the target station is stored in advance, so that before the unmanned guided vehicle 1 stops at the target station (transfer work position), that is, while traveling, the servo motor It is also possible to drive 14 to control to incline the transfer hand 31. With this configuration, the transfer hand 31 is tilted at an appropriate angle when the transfer work is stopped at the transfer work position on the side of the station, and the transfer work can be immediately started. That is, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided with a means for detecting the inclination between the transfer hand 31 and the wafer mounting surface (the mounting table in the loading port 21a and the shelf 23b), and is provided at the transfer work position on the side of the station. As compared with the case where the tilt is detected and the control for tilting the transfer hand 31 is performed after the arrival, the control for tilting the transfer hand can be finished earlier, and the transfer work can be performed quickly. it can.

Since the installation error and the like differ from station to station, the target value of the servomotor 14, that is, the transfer hand 3
1 and wafer mounting surface (mounting table and shelf 2 in the intake 21a)
The amount of rotation of the servo motor 14 required to be substantially parallel to 3b) also differs from station to station.
It is not necessary to change the target value for each station because the floor surface at the station and the station side where the automated guided vehicle 1 stops during the transfer work (travel rails 19 and 20)
It is only when there is no error such as installation error or manufacturing error described above. In reality, an error also occurs on the floor surface at the station and the transfer work position on the side of the station. Therefore, in order to eliminate the influence of these errors, it is necessary to set the target value of the servo motor 14 for each station.

Therefore, before performing the transfer work between the stations using the automated guided vehicle 1, the swing amount of the working unit 3 required in each station is detected in advance. Since the required swing amount corresponds to the rotation amount of the servo motor 14 as described above, the required rotation amount (target value) of the servo motor 14 is stored in the memory 28 in a table format corresponding to each station. Just remember it. Then, when the automated guided vehicle 1 stops at each station and is transferred, the target value corresponding to each station stored in the memory 28 in advance is called, and the servo motor 14 is controlled so as to have the target value. The controller 27 is programmed so as to control the rotation (teaching). By performing the above teaching work in advance, the target value of the servo motor 14 is stored in the memory 28 of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 for all the stations in the range covered by one unmanned guided vehicle 1. It Therefore, in the automatic guided vehicle 1, every time the target station in the transfer work is changed, the control circuit 2
9 reads the target value of the servo motor 14 at the target station at the present time from the memory 28, and the control circuit 29 can control the servo motor 14 so that the target value is reached.

With the above configuration, the floor surface (travel rail 19) at the transfer work position of the station and the station side part
-There is an error such as installation error or manufacturing error in 20), and the transfer hand 31 is set for each station that is the object of the transfer operation.
And wafer mounting surface (mounting table and shelf 23 in the inlet 21a)
Even when the amount of swing of the working unit 3 required to be substantially parallel to b) is different, the tilt of the transfer hand 31 can be adjusted for each station to perform the transfer work properly. it can. Therefore, in all the stations handled by one automated guided vehicle 1, the control of tilting the transfer hand can be completed before the automated guided vehicle stops at the transfer work position.

[0040]

According to the present invention, there is provided a traveling section provided with traveling wheels, and an operation section provided with an article storage device for storing articles and a single-wafer transfer apparatus for transferring articles.
An automatic guided vehicle for transferring articles between an article storage device and a station provided along a traveling route by means of a single-wafer transfer apparatus, in which a working unit is moved vertically with respect to the traveling unit. In addition to being swingably provided, swinging means for swinging the working section with respect to the traveling section and a control section of the swinging means are provided, and the single-wafer transfer apparatus is provided with a transfer hand for supporting the articles, The control unit controls the swinging means so that the article supporting surface of the transfer hand and the article mounting surface of the target station are substantially parallel to each other. It is possible to adjust the approach angle of the transfer hand to the cassette. Therefore, even if there are installation errors, manufacturing errors, etc. on the floor surface (eg running rail) of the unmanned guided vehicle, station (eg stocker), or station side transfer work position, the direction to eliminate the influence of the error By controlling the posture of the working unit, the transfer operation by the single-wafer transfer device can be appropriately and smoothly performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the amount of swing of the working portion required for the article supporting surface of the transfer hand and the article mounting surface of the station to be substantially parallel to the target station is calculated as follows.
Since the control unit controls the swinging unit based on the target value, the control unit controls the swinging unit based on the swinging amount of the transfer hand stored in the storing unit at the target station. Controls the drive of the swinging means and can tilt the transfer hand. In addition, since the swing amount at the target station is known in advance, it is possible to start the control of tilting the transfer hand before the automatic guided vehicle stops at the transfer work position. In this case, the station side It is possible to shorten the time from when the sheet is stopped at the transfer work position to when the transfer work is started. If the control of tilting the transfer hand is completed before the transportation vehicle is stopped, it is possible to start the transfer operation immediately after the stop. For this reason, the automatic guided vehicle is provided with a means for detecting the inclination between the transfer hand and the wafer mounting surface, and the inclination is detected and the transfer is performed after the transfer operation position on the side of the station is reached. Compared to the case where the hand tilting control is performed, the control of tilting the transfer hand can be completed earlier, and the transfer work can be performed quickly.

As described in claim 3, the target value is stored in the storage means in association with each station,
Since the control unit controls the rocking means based on the target value according to the station that carries out the transfer work, installation error and manufacturing on the floor surface (travel rail) at the transfer work position of the station and the station side part There is an error such as an error, and the swing amount of the working unit required to make the transfer hand and the wafer mounting surface on the station substantially parallel differs for each station that is the object of the transfer operation. Also, by adjusting the inclination of the transfer hand for each station, the transfer operation can be appropriately performed. For this reason, in all the stations handled by one unmanned guided vehicle, the control of tilting the transfer hand can be completed before the unmanned guided vehicle stops at the transfer work position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle 1 that travels between stations and performs a transfer operation.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the automatic guided vehicle 1.

FIG. 3 is a front partial cross-sectional view of the automated guided vehicle 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the automatic guided vehicle 1.

FIG. 5: Automated guided vehicle 1 and cassette 23 on stocker 22
FIG.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a traveling unit 2 showing an attitude control mechanism included in the automated guided vehicle 1 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a working unit 3 in the automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment.
It is a front view which shows the state which rocked | fluctuated.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a traveling unit 2 showing an attitude control mechanism included in the automated guided vehicle 100 of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an automated guided vehicle 100 according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing an automated guided vehicle 200 according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an attitude control mechanism included in the automated guided vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Automated guided vehicle 2 running section 3 Working department 4 Positioning device 5 single wafer transfer device 6 buffer cassettes 10 wafers 13 hinges 14 Servo motor 14a pinion 15 racks 21 Processor 22 Stocker 23 cassettes 23a (article) mounting surface 27 Control unit 28 memory 31 Transfer Hand 31a (article) support surface

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B65G 49/07 B65G 49/07 D L F term (reference) 3F022 AA08 BB09 CC02 EE05 KK10 LL12 NN13 PP06 5F031 CA02 DA01 DA17 EA09 FA01 FA03 FA07 FA09 FA11 FA12 FA14 FA18 GA03 GA08 GA24 GA35 GA36 GA44 GA46 GA47 GA49 GA50 GA58 HA13 HA59 JA02 JA04 JA15 JA28 JA29 JA35 JA50 KA10 KA11 KA14 KA15 KA20 LA14 LA15 PA02 PA16

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A traveling unit provided with traveling wheels, and a working unit provided with an article storage device for accommodating articles and a sheet-fed transfer apparatus for transferring the articles, the sheet-fed transfer apparatus comprising:
An unmanned transfer vehicle for transferring articles between an article storage device and a station provided along a travel route, wherein the working unit is provided so as to be vertically swingable with respect to the travel unit, An oscillating unit for oscillating the working unit with respect to the traveling unit and a control unit of the oscillating unit are provided, and the single-wafer transfer device is provided with a transfer hand, and an article support surface of the transfer hand. The automatic guided vehicle is characterized in that the control unit controls the swinging means so that the object mounting surface of the target station and the article mounting surface are substantially parallel to each other. 2. A storage means for storing, as a target value, the amount of swing of the working unit required for the article supporting surface of the transfer hand and the article mounting surface of the station to be substantially parallel to the target station. The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the swinging device based on the target value. 3. The target value is stored in a storage unit in association with each station, and the control unit controls the swinging unit based on the target value corresponding to the station performing the transfer work. The automated guided vehicle according to claim 2.