Lift communication device for a transport vehicle of an automated transport system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a technology in which a master communication unit and a slave communication unit of an elevator device perform power line communication through a power supply line equipped on a belt, and a technology in which a carrier frequency different from each other is used to individually communicate a carrying trolley controller connected to the master communication unit side and a plurality of jig devices connected to the slave communication unit side.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a technology in which a master communication unit and a slave communication unit of a hoist device perform power line communication through a power supply line equipped on a belt, and individually communicate a carrier vehicle controller connected to the master communication unit side and a plurality of jig devices connected to the slave communication unit side using mutually different carrier frequencies. BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor elements or liquid crystal displays, an automated material handling system (AMHS) is used to transfer manufacturing articles to manufacturing devices of each manufacturing process, and the articles are manufactured according to the processes of the manufacturing devices. The automated material handling system transfers a carrier in which a semiconductor substrate or a liquid crystal substrate is accommodated to each manufacturing equipment provided on a manufacturing process line, and then re-accommodates the article on which the process is completed in the manufacturing equipment in order to transfer it to a manufacturing device of the next process.

[0003] The carrier vehicle is classified according to the moving method, and includes an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) that automatically travels by wheels, an RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle) that travels along a guide rail provided on the ground, and an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport) that travels along a guide rail provided on the ceiling. The carrier vehicle moves to the corresponding manufacturing equipment by using wheels on the vehicle body or a guide rail provided on the ground or a guide rail provided on the ceiling, and then uses a work arm or a hoist and a jig to carry / accommodate the carrier to the corresponding manufacturing equipment.

[0004] Figure 1 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of a carrier vehicle of the existing automated material handling system, and shows a hoist work execution process of the carrier vehicle. Figure 1 (A) of the middle is a step in which the carrier vehicle 10 moves along the rail 1 with the carrier 3 to the position of the manufacturing equipment 2, (B) is a step in which the carrier vehicle 10 lowers the belt 12 to place the carrier 3 on the manufacturing equipment 2, and (C) is a step in which the carrier vehicle 10 raises the belt 12 after placing the carrier 3 on the manufacturing equipment 2, and thus the manufacturing equipment 2 performs a corresponding process work with respect to the carrier 3.

[0005] REFERENCE Figure 1It is known that the transport trolley 10 includes: hoist 11, belt 12, and gripper 13.

[0006] This transport trolley 10 moves along the track 1. When it reaches the position of the manufacturing equipment 2, the clamping unit 13 is raised and lowered by the belt 12, thereby performing the operation of moving the carrier 3 into or out of the manufacturing equipment 2.

[0007] If we consider the components of the transport trolley 10 from a functional perspective, such as Figure 2 As shown, it includes a transport trolley controller 15, a lift 11, and a clamping unit 13. The clamping unit 13 is equipped with a clamping controller 13-1, a clamp 13-2, and at least one motor and sensor for operating the clamp 13-2.

[0008] In addition, the main communication unit 11-1 of the elevator 11 communicates with the slave communication unit 11-2 via a wired power line L installed on the belt 12 using a communication system (e.g., periodic communication).

[0009] That is, the transport trolley 10 performs the following process: If the motors or sensors located in the fixture unit 13 want to transmit schedule information to the transport trolley controller 15, it first communicates with the fixture controller 13-1, then the fixture controller 13-1 communicates with the slave communication unit 11-2, the slave communication unit 11-2 communicates with the master communication unit 11-1 via PLC, and the master communication unit 11-1 communicates with the transport trolley controller 15. Additionally, the following process is also performed: If the transport trolley controller 15 wants to control or transmit information to the motors, sensors, or other devices located in the fixture unit 13, the communication process is reversed: the transport trolley controller 15 communicates with the master communication unit 11-1, the master communication unit 11-1 communicates with the slave communication unit 11-2 via PLC, and the slave communication unit 11-2 communicates with the fixture unit 13. Thus, the fixture unit 13 communicates with the motors and sensors located inside the fixture 13-2 through the fixture controller 13-1.

[0010] The motors and various sensors located inside the fixture 13-2 continuously transmit information to the fixture controller 13-1 and receive instructions from the fixture controller 13-1. In addition, after the fixture controller 13-1 issues instructions to the motors and various sensors located inside the fixture 13-2, it aggregates the information received from the motors and various sensors in the fixture 13-2 and transmits it upwards.

[0011] In this case, the communication system controlled and required by the motor and various sensors inside the clamp is different from each other. In contrast, the elevator 11 communicates using only one communication system using a wired transmission line. Therefore, the clamp controller 13-1 must aggregate the information of the devices inside the clamp 13-2 to establish a communication system for transmission, and the carrier controller 15 can only be equipped with one communication system to transmit commands and information to the clamp controller 13-1 through the master communication unit 11-1 and the slave communication unit 11-2.

[0012] Thus, in a structure in which communication is performed between each other through one transmission line, periodic communication in which communication is performed at a certain time interval is generally performed.

[0013] Therefore, an alarm device requiring real-time control and communication or a device requiring control and communication at a certain period can only be bundled into one communication system. Thus, it is obvious that not only various control problems can occur, but also the communication performance required by each communication system is subordinate to the "communication system after aggregation and transmission", and thus communication delay can occur, and in a periodic communication system, motion delay can occur in system operation when real-time data transmission is required, and the like.

[0014] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0015] PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0016] 1. Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2020662 (Title: Communication method between master communication device for clamp unit control and slave communication device in elevator device for carrier) SUMMARY

[0017] TECHNICAL PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED

[0018] Therefore, the present application has been developed in consideration of the above-described circumstances. The technical object of the present application is to provide an elevator communication device for a carrier of an automatic carrier system, in which a master communication unit and a slave communication unit of an elevator device perform power line communication through one power supply line equipped on a belt, and a plurality of communication paths are formed using different carrier frequencies, thereby enabling a carrier controller to communicate with a motor and various sensors inside a clamp individually.

[0019] METHOD FOR SOLVING THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0020] In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a lift communication device for an automated guided vehicle (AGV) of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system, which is a communication device for performing a lift operation by connecting a master communication unit connected to an AGV controller with a slave communication unit connected to a clamp unit via a belt and operating the clamp unit according to a control signal of the AGV controller, the lift communication device comprising: the master communication unit, which, when receiving a control signal including clamp device identification information related to a destination from the AGV controller, assigns mutually different carrier frequencies to the clamp device identification information to modulate, superimposes at least one modulated control signal on a power source, and transmits to the slave communication device via a power line provided on the belt; and the slave communication unit, which supplies the power source provided from the master communication unit to the clamp unit equipped with a plurality of clamp devices performing the lift operation, demodulates the modulated control signal using the corresponding carrier frequency, and then transmits the demodulated control signal to the clamp device matching the corresponding identification information, respectively, and assigns mutually different carrier frequencies to the signals applied from the respective clamp devices to modulate, and then transmits to the master communication unit via the power line provided on the belt.

[0021] In addition, the lift communication device for an AGV of the AGV system according to the present application, wherein the clamp device includes a clamp controller and at least one motor and at least one sensor connected to the clamp. The slave communication unit communicates with the motor and the sensor connected to the clamp through the clamp controller, or directly communicates with the motor and the sensor, or they communicate with the clamp device in a mixed form.

[0022] In addition, the lift communication device for an AGV of the AGV system according to the present application, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit simultaneously perform real-time communication and periodic communication with mutually different clamp devices using mutually different carrier frequencies.

[0023] In addition, the lift communication device for an AGV of the AGV system according to the present application, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit set carrier frequency intervals according to a communication system division, and set the carrier frequency interval allocated to the real-time communication and the carrier frequency interval allocated to the periodic communication as mutually different frequency intervals.

[0024] In addition, the lift communication device for an AGV of the AGV system according to the present application, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit, when transmitting and receiving each other through the carrier frequencies, detect the transmission level and the reception level by analyzing the signal transmission and reception waveforms of the corresponding carrier frequencies, and then transmit them to the opposite side, respectively, and the master communication unit and the slave communication unit set their own transmission signal level and reception gain for the corresponding carrier frequencies according to the difference between the transmission level and the reception level of the opposite side.

[0025] Further, the present application provides a lift communication device for a transport vehicle of an automated transport system, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit respectively detect a noise level of a corresponding carrier frequency by analyzing a transmission and reception waveform of the corresponding carrier frequency, if the detected noise level does not satisfy a reference value, make additional adjustment of a transmission signal level and a reception gain in proportion to the current noise level, and if the detected noise level exceeds the reference value, re-allocate the carrier frequency for the corresponding destination to another carrier frequency in a dormant state or adjust the transmission signal level and the reception gain.

[0026] Further, the present application provides a lift communication device for a transport vehicle of an automated transport system, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit respectively detect a noise level of a corresponding carrier frequency by analyzing a transmission and reception waveform of the corresponding carrier frequency, if the detected noise level does not satisfy a reference value, make additional adjustment of a transmission signal level and a reception gain in proportion to the current noise level, and if the detected noise level exceeds the reference value, re-allocate the carrier frequency for the corresponding destination to another carrier frequency in a dormant state or adjust the transmission signal level and the reception gain.

[0027] Further, the present application provides a lift communication device for a transport vehicle of an automated transport system, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit respectively detect a noise level of a corresponding carrier frequency by analyzing a transmission and reception waveform of the corresponding carrier frequency, if the detected noise level does not satisfy a reference value, make additional adjustment of a transmission signal level and a reception gain in proportion to the current noise level, and if the detected noise level exceeds the reference value, re-allocate the carrier frequency for the corresponding destination to another carrier frequency in a dormant state or adjust the transmission signal level and the reception gain.

[0028] Effects of the Invention

[0029] According to the present application, a control signal required for a lift operation is transmitted in a modulated signal form through one power line embedded in a belt, and a transport vehicle controller and a plurality of devices provided on a clamp unit perform individual communication with each other, so that the transport vehicle controller can optimally communicate with each of the devices provided in the clamp and having different communication protocols from each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a transport vehicle of a conventional automated transport system.

[0031] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 The internal structure of the transport trolley 10 is shown in a block diagram, which is divided functionally.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the communication device for the elevator of the automated transport system according to the present invention.

[0033] Figure 4 It is Figure 3 The schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the main communication unit 100 is presented in terms of its functions.

[0034] Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the signal measurement method performed by the first signal measurement unit 170.

[0035] Figure 6 Yes Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the method by which the first control unit 190 automatically recovers data based on verification and information.

[0036] Figure 7 It is Figure 3 The diagram shown is a functional separation of the internal structure of the communication unit 200.

[0037] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the communication method of the elevator for the transport trolley in the automated transport system according to the present invention.

[0038] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0039] 100: Master communication unit; 200: Slave communication unit

[0040] 110, 210: Communications Department; 120, 220: Carrier Allocation Department

[0041] 130, 230: Modem / Demodulator section; 140, 240: Power supply section

[0042] 150, 250: Transmission section; 160, 260: Filtering section

[0043] 170, 270: Signal measurement unit; 180, 280: Sensors

[0044] 190, 290: Control Department

[0045] 30: Transport trolley controller; 50: Fixture unit

[0046] 51: Fixture controller 52: Fixture

[0047] 52-1: motor 52-2: sensor

[0048] L: power line DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Hereinafter, the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same components in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals wherever possible. Also, the terms or words used in the foregoing description and the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to the meanings that are usually used in the present technology and should be interpreted in light of the principles in its broadest range on the basis of the concept of terms in accordance with the technical idea of the present application. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present application and do not completely represent the technical idea of the present application, and it should be understood that there are a plurality of equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing the present application.

[0050] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the main part configuration of the lift communication device for the transport trolley of the automatic transport system according to the present application.

[0051] Referring to Figure 3 As can be understood, the lift communication device for the transport trolley of the automatic transport system according to the present application includes a master communication unit 100 communicating with the transport trolley controller 30 and a slave communication unit 200 communicating with the clamp unit 50. The master communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200 perform power line communication through one power line L equipped on the belt.

[0052] In this case, the transport trolley controller 30 controls all the movements of the transport trolley, transmits power and information for controlling the clamp to the clamp unit 50 through the lift communication device, and the clamp unit 50 collects information related to the movement of the clamp through the lift communication device.

[0053] The master communication unit 100, as a device equipped on the master side of the lift communication device, transmits power and control signals for transferring or transporting a carrier to the slave communication unit 200 through the power line L equipped on the belt. In this case, a lifting body (not shown) including a motor for lifting the belt is equipped on the master side.

[0054] The slave communication unit 200, as a device equipped on the slave side of the lift communication device, provides the control signals for transferring or transporting a carrier received from the master communication unit 100 to the clamp unit 50 while providing power supplied through the power line L equipped on the belt as a driving power source of the clamp unit 50, thereby enabling the clamp 52 to operate in correspondence with the control signals.

[0055] In addition, the state information of the clamp unit 50 is transmitted from the slave communication unit 200 to the master communication unit 100.

[0056] The clamp unit 50 includes a clamp controller 51, and a plurality of clamp devices including at least one motor 52-1 and at least one sensor 52-2 provided on the clamp 52, and can further include a plurality of devices additionally required when the carrier is carried to the clamp 52. In this case, the motor 52-1 is not a simple motor, but includes a control device required to control the motor and is controlled by the carrier controller. The sensor 52-2 is a sensor that uses a sensor other than a simple sensor and includes a control device to control the clamp peripheral instrument so as to be controlled by the carrier controller. In addition, the motor 52-1 and the sensor 52-2 can have different communication protocols, and can be set according to a different communication system in which the relevant information is transmitted in real time or periodically according to the position where the motor 52-1 is provided and the type of the sensor 52-2. For example, the motor 52-1 can transmit drive information to the carrier controller 30 through the elevator communication device in real time, and the 1st to 3rd sensors 52-2 can periodically transmit the clamp state information to the carrier controller 30 through the elevator communication device.

[0057] That is, the master communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200 of the present application perform power line communication through one power line L provided on the belt, and the main feature is that it is possible to individually communicate with a plurality of clamp devices having different communication systems, and the master communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200 can simultaneously perform real-time communication and periodic communication with different clamp devices using different carrier frequencies.

[0058] In addition, the carrier controller 30 communicates with the clamp unit 50 in various combinations according to the use purpose, such as controlling only one motor 52-1 among the clamp devices, controlling a plurality of motors 52-1, receiving sensing information from one sensor 52-2, and receiving sensing information from a plurality of sensors 52-2.

[0059] That is, the present application can be implemented in a structure in which Figure 3 the carrier controller 30 communicates with the clamp device through the clamp controller 51 via the elevator communication device as shown in (A) of FIG. 1; or Figure 3 the carrier controller 30 communicates with the clamp device through the clamp controller 51 via the elevator communication device as shown in (B) of FIG. 1, and directly communicates with the clamp device including the motor 52-1 or the sensor 52-2; or Figure 3The transport trolley controller 30 shown in (C) is configured to communicate with the clamp device only directly through the elevator communication device.

[0060] In addition, the present application can be implemented in such a manner that the master communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200 perform unidirectional communication using the same carrier frequency, or the frequency range of the carrier frequency allocated to the master communication unit 100 and the carrier frequency allocated to the slave communication unit 200 are set to be different, so that the master communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200 perform bidirectional communication through one power supply line L.

[0061] Figure 4 is a configuration block diagram showing the internal configuration of the master communication unit 100 functionally separated. Figure 3

[0062] Referring to Figure 4 As can be seen, the master communication unit 100 includes a first communication section 110, a first carrier allocation section 120, a first modulation / demodulation section 130, a first power supply section 140, a first transmission section 150, a first filter section 160, a first signal measurement section 170, a first sensor 180, and a first control section 190.

[0063] The first communication section 110, which serves as an interface component for communication with the transport trolley controller 30, includes a parallel communication section composed of a plurality of communication ports (Port #1 to Port #n) and performing parallel communication, and a serial communication section composed of a plurality of communication ports (Port #1 to Port #n) and performing serial communication.

[0064] The first carrier allocation section 120 allocates a carrier frequency for demodulating a demodulated signal received through the power supply line L, while allocating a carrier frequency for modulating a signal to be transmitted to the clamp unit 50 side in accordance with the control of the first control section 190.

[0065] The first modulation / demodulation section 130 demodulates a modulated signal received from the first transmission section 150 and transmits it to the transport trolley controller 30 side, while outputting a signal in which a signal applied from the first control section 190 is modulated using a carrier frequency selected by the first carrier allocation section 120 to the first transmission section 150.

[0066] The first power supply section 140 supplies a power supply from the outside including the transport trolley control section 30 as a driving power supply of the master communication unit 100, while supplying it to the clamp unit 50 side through the power supply line L. In this case, the first power supply section 140 can measure the voltage level of a signal transmitted through the transmission line L and transmit it to the first control section 190.

[0067] ​While transmitting at least one modulated signal modulated by the first modulation and demodulation unit 130 at different carrier frequencies to the first filtering unit 160, the first transmission unit 150 also transmits the modulated signal received from the first filtering unit 160 to the first modulation and demodulation unit 130.

[0068] The first filtering unit 160 transmits a main modulation signal carried on a carrier frequency different from that of the first transmission unit 150 to the transmission line L, while simultaneously filtering the secondary modulation signal received through the transmission line L according to the carrier frequency and transmitting it to the first transmission unit 150. In this case, multiple first filtering units 160 are provided corresponding to the allocable carrier frequencies. For example, if power line communication is achieved through the power line L using the first to Nth carrier frequencies, then first to Nth filters are provided.

[0069] The first signal measurement unit 170 measures in real time the signal level and noise level of each carrier frequency for the slave modulation signal received through the power line L and the master modulation signal to be transmitted through the transmission line L, and provides this information to the first control unit 190. That is, as shown... Figure 5 As shown, the communication cycle (25ms) of the modulated signal transmitted and received via the power line L includes the transmitted signal T, the received signal R, and the waiting interval S. The first signal measurement unit 170 measures the signal during each communication process between the main communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200. Figure 5 At location ①, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) is repeatedly measured, and the transmitted signal level is detected in real time based on its average value. Figure 5 At position ② shown, RSSI was repeatedly measured, and the received signal level was detected in real time based on its average value. Figure 5 At position ③ shown, RSSI is repeatedly measured to extract the maximum and minimum values, and the difference between them is used to detect the noise level.

[0070] The first sensor 180 may consist of at least one sensor for sensing the status of the main elevator. In particular, it may include a motion sensor for sensing motion.

[0071] The first control unit 190 is a device for controlling all operations of the main communication unit 100. It is equipped with a memory for storing carrier frequency bands and various reference information including whether each carrier frequency is allocated, as well as various information processed by the first control unit 190.

[0072] This first control section 190 modulates the respective data using mutually different carrier frequencies according to the destination to which the data is to be transmitted from the slave communication unit 200, and transmits the data to the slave communication unit 200. The first control section 190 gives an identification code matching the destination among the plurality of clamp devices provided on the clamp unit 50 to the header area of the transmission packet.

[0073] In this case, the first control section 190 allocates one of the carrier frequencies in the current dormant state in order, obtains the noise level of each carrier frequency of the transmission signal, and if the noise level is above a certain standard, reallocates the other carrier frequencies in the current dormant state or adjusts the transmission level and the reception gain and performs data transmission. Here, if communication omission occurs during the periodic communication, the first control section 190 confirms the noise level of the corresponding carrier frequency after communication is stopped, and if the noise level is not above the set reference level, starts communication again. If the noise level is above the reference level, a new carrier frequency can be reallocated for the corresponding periodic communication.

[0074] In addition, the first control section 190 receives the information of the transmission level, the reception level, and the noise level of each carrier frequency currently being transmitted from the slave communication unit 200, and adjusts the transmission level and the reception gain according to the difference between the transmission level and the reception level. For example, if the transmission level is above the set reference level compared to the reception level, the main transmission signal level and the reception gain are adjusted to be weaker. If the transmission level is below the set reference level compared to the reception level, the main transmission signal level and the reception gain are adjusted to be stronger, thereby ensuring that the transmission signal of the slave communication unit 200 can have the same signal strength even in an environment where the power level state and the power line communication environment change at any time due to belt movement or the like.

[0075] In addition, in the process of adjusting the main transmission signal level and the reception gain by the first control section 190, the strength of the main transmission signal can be fine-tuned considering the electrical stability of the device including circuit damage.

[0076] In addition, the first control section 190 distinguishes between the noise-free state and the noise state by cumulatively analyzing the difference between the transmission level and the reception level, and can fine-tune the main transmission signal or change the carrier frequency or fine-tune the reception gain according to whether there is noise.

[0077] Furthermore, the first control unit 190 is used to control: generating checksum information for error detection of control signals provided to the slave communication unit 200, providing it to the first modem 140, and attaching it to the data packet of the corresponding control signal, thereby performing modulation processing. Additionally, if an error occurs in the checksum information received from the slave communication unit 200, the data is automatically recovered by analyzing the signal waveform of the corresponding received signal. That is, when the first control unit 190 first transmits a signal from the slave communication unit 200, it measures the power line transmission waveform (…). Figure 6 In (1), when a check and error occur, the waveform is transmitted on the corresponding power line. Figure 6 (1) Analyze the graph (pattern) of RSSI values ​​(in the middle) Figure 6 (2) in the middle, and identify the bits at noise locations in the RSSI values ​​with high relative differences from previously tested RSSI values ​​( Figure 6 of (2) This changes the data of the corresponding bits. For example, if the data corresponding to the noise position of the received signal is "1", it is changed to "0"; if the data is "0", it is changed to "1". Additionally, after restoring the corresponding received data by referring to previously received data, the checksum information is confirmed. If the checksum is normal, successful reception processing is performed.

[0078] Additionally, the first control unit 190 provides the signal demodulated by the first modulation and demodulation unit 130 to the transport trolley controller 30. In this case, the demodulated signal may be a response signal for elevator operation, communication status information, operation status information, etc., received from the communication unit 200.

[0079] Furthermore, the first control unit 190 compares the main motion information collected more specifically from the motion sensor by the first sensor 180 with the secondary motion information received from the secondary communication unit 200 to monitor the status of the transport trolley or guide rail. Specifically, if a movement greater than a preset size is sensed in the secondary communication unit 200 while the main communication unit 100 is stationary—for example, a lateral sway or impact greater than a preset size—the clamping unit 50 is determined to be in an abnormal state. If a movement greater than a preset size is sensed in the secondary communication unit 200 while the main communication unit 100 is in motion—for example, a downward movement or lateral sway greater than a preset size—the transport trolley movement is abnormal and the guide rail is in an abnormal state. Additionally, if an abnormality is determined in the transport trolley or guide rail, it is reported to the administrator terminal or upstream, and timely repairs can be requested for parts of the transport trolley that may be causing the problem.

[0080] Figure 7 is to be Figure 4 is a structural block diagram showing the slave communication unit 200 from the internal configuration and the function.

[0081] Referring to Figure 7 It is known that the slave communication unit 200 includes a 2nd communication section 210, a 2nd carrier allocation section 220, a 2nd modem section 230, a 2nd power supply section 240, a 2nd transmission section 250, a 2nd filter section 260, a 2nd signal measurement section 270, a 2nd sensor 280, and a 2nd control section 290, and the same elements as the master communication unit 100 are configured. However, the 2nd communication section 210 communicates with a plurality of jig devices or a jig controller provided on the jig unit 50. Hereinafter, for the devices performing the same function as the master communication unit 100, the configuration and function thereof will be omitted.

[0082] Figure 7 The 2nd sensor 280 includes a motion sensor, and can further include a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, a tilt sensor, and the like. With these sensors, the moving distance, the moving speed, the left-right swing, the impact, and the like of the belt can be detected, and provided to the 2nd control section 290.

[0083] The 2nd control section 290 is the same as the 1st control section 190 of the master communication unit 100, and performs the following control: the communication paths between the plurality of jig devices and the carrier controller 30 are set with mutually different carrier frequencies, the carrier frequency in the rest state is allocated, and the power line communication is performed through the power supply line L. In this case, the 2nd control section 290 performs the following control: various slave information including the slave communication state information including the slave transmission level and the slave reception level and the noise level of each carrier frequency, the slave state information sensed by the 2nd sensor 280, and the response information corresponding to the control signal received from the master communication unit 100 are modulated with mutually different carrier frequencies, and then transmitted to the master communication unit 100 through the power supply line L.

[0084] In addition, the 2nd control section 290 demodulates the signal for controlling the operation of the jig unit 50 applied by the master communication unit 100 according to different carrier frequencies, extracts the identification code corresponding to the destination from the demodulated data packet, and then transmits the corresponding data packet directly to the jig device corresponding to the extracted identification code.

[0085] Next, the operation of the carrier lift communication device in the automatic carrier system having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 8

[0086] Hereinafter, the communication method between the master communication unit 100 and the slave communication unit 200 will be applied to the lowering operation of the jig unit 50 and described. ​

[0087] If the transport trolley moves along the track and stops at the position of the manufacturing equipment where the work is to be performed, the main communication unit 100 drives the belt to lower the clamp unit 50 to the manufacturing equipment.

[0088] In the above state, in step ST10, the main communication unit 100 supplies a certain level of power supplied from the outside to the slave communication unit 200 through the power line L provided on the belt according to the control of the transport trolley controller 30, and then sets the clamp unit 50 to the operation standby state from the slave communication unit 200.

[0089] In the above state, in steps ST20 and ST30, if the main communication unit 100 receives the main information for controlling the elevator work from the transport trolley controller 30, it allocates one of the carrier frequencies of the rest state, for example, the 1st carrier frequency, and then modulates the corresponding main information using the allocated 1st carrier frequency, superimposes the modulated main information on the power, and thereby transmits it to the slave communication unit 200 through the power line L. In this case, the transport trolley controller 30 provides the main communication unit 100 with the clamp control information including the clamp device ID to which the corresponding data is to be received, and then the main communication unit 100 transmits the main information including the clamp device ID to the slave communication unit 200.

[0090] In this case, the carrier frequency band can be divided into a 1st interval and a 2nd interval according to the communication system, and in the above step ST20, the main communication unit 100 allocates the rest carrier frequency of the corresponding interval to the communication system corresponding to the clamp device ID. For example, the 1st interval can be set as the carrier frequency range set when performing real-time communication with the motor of the clamp unit 50, and the 2nd interval can be set as the carrier frequency range set when performing periodic communication with the sensor of the clamp unit 50.

[0091] In addition, the main communication unit 100 can attach the check sum information for confirming the error to the packet including the main information, and transmit it to the slave communication unit 200.

[0092] In addition, in step ST40, the main communication unit 100 detects the main transmission level by analyzing the transmission signal waveform of the corresponding 1st carrier frequency while transmitting the data through the power line L in step ST30.

[0093] Further, in the step ST50, the master information received through the power line L is demodulated by the corresponding carrier frequency from the communication unit 200, and the demodulated jig control signal is transmitted to the jig device matching the corresponding ID, thereby operating the jig unit 50. For example, the demodulated data can be transmitted to the motor 52-1 or to the sensor 52-2 or to the jig controller 51 from the communication unit 200.

[0094] In the step ST50, after the communication unit 200 confirms the checksum information of the corresponding packet, when there is a checksum error, the master information can be automatically recovered by analyzing the RSSI pattern of the corresponding master received signal waveform to change the bit data of the position having the RSSI difference above the set reference level.

[0095] Further, in the step ST60, the communication unit 200 analyzes the received signal waveform of the carrier frequency received through the power line L in the step ST50, and detects the from-reception level.

[0096] Further, in the step ST70, the communication unit 200 allocates the carrier frequency of the rest state and modulates the from information, and transmits it to the master communication unit 100 through the power line L. In this case, the from information includes the response information to the master information received in the step ST30 or the jig state information detected by the sensor 52-2.

[0097] In the step ST70, the communication unit 200 generates and transmits the packet including the jig device ID, and can transmit it in real time or periodically according to the jig device ID, and allocates the carrier frequency of the rest state in the set carrier frequency region according to this communication system.

[0098] Further, in the step ST80, the master communication unit 100 demodulates the from information received from the communication unit 200 by the corresponding carrier frequency, and transmits it to the transport trolley controller 30.

[0099] Further, in the step ST90, the communication unit 200 detects the from-transmission level by analyzing the transmission signal waveform of the corresponding carrier frequency while transmitting the from information through the power line L in the step ST70.

[0100] Further, in the step ST100, the communication unit 200 transmits the from-reception level of the corresponding carrier frequency detected in the step ST60 and the from-transmission level information of the corresponding carrier frequency detected in the step ST90 to the master communication unit 100. In this case, the communication unit 200 can transmit the from-transmission level and reception level information to the master communication unit 100 by the 1st carrier frequency matching the corresponding transmission level information.

[0101] In step ST110, the master communication unit 100 analyzes the slave signal waveform received from the slave communication unit 200 to detect the master reception level for the corresponding carrier frequency.

[0102] In addition, in step ST120, the master communication unit 100 determines the master transmission signal level to be transmitted using the corresponding carrier frequency using the slave transmission level and the reception level received in step ST100. In this case, the master communication unit 100 can set the transmission level and the reception gain to ensure that the signal level transmitted using the corresponding carrier frequency remains at a certain level according to the difference between the slave transmission level and the slave reception level for the corresponding carrier frequency.

[0103] In addition, in step ST120, the master communication unit 100 detects the noise level for the corresponding carrier frequency, and if the noise level is not detected, sets the signal transmission level according to the difference between the slave transmission level and the slave reception level, and if the noise level is detected, can additionally adjust the transmission signal level higher in proportion to the noise level.

[0104] In addition, in step ST120, if the noise level for the corresponding carrier frequency exceeds a set reference, the master communication unit 100 can reallocate other carrier frequencies in an idle state to the corresponding destination or adjust the transmission level and the reception gain.

[0105] In addition, in step ST130, the master communication unit 100 transmits the master transmission level for the corresponding carrier frequency detected in step ST40 and the master reception level information detected in step ST110 to the slave communication unit 200. In this case, the master communication unit 100 transmits the master transmission level information using the transmission level for the corresponding carrier frequency set in step ST120.

[0106] In addition, the slave communication unit 200 sets the slave transmission level and the reception gain to ensure that the transmission level remains constant according to the difference between the master transmission level and the master reception level for the corresponding carrier frequency received in step ST130. Then, in step ST140, the slave communication unit 200 transmits the slave information according to the set slave transmission level for the corresponding carrier frequency.

[0107] In step ST140, the slave communication unit 200, like the master communication unit 100, can reset the slave transmission level and the reception gain or reallocate the carrier frequency considering the noise level for the carrier frequency.

[0108] In addition, after receiving the state sensing signal provided by the second sensor 280 from the slave communication unit 200, the state sensing signal level is transmitted to the master communication unit 100 at a certain period using a carrier frequency, and the master communication unit 100 analyzes the slave state information received from the slave communication unit 200 and the master state information sensed by the first sensor 180, thereby detecting an abnormal state of the transport vehicle or the guide rail. In addition, when the abnormal state is detected, an abnormal state alert process of transmitting the abnormal state to the transport vehicle controller 30 is performed.

Claims

1. A lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automated transfer system, The present application relates to a lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automatic transfer system which performs an elevator operation, and is characterized by comprising: a master communication unit connected to a transfer vehicle controller; a slave communication unit connected to a clamp unit; and a belt which connects the master communication unit and the slave communication unit, wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication unit are connected by the belt, and the slave communication unit operates the clamp unit according to a control signal of the transfer vehicle controller. The device comprises: a master communication unit which, after receiving a control signal containing jig device identification information related to a destination from the transfer vehicle controller, modulates mutually different carrier frequencies for each jig device identification information, superimposes at least one modulated control signal on a power source, and transmits it to a slave communication unit through a power line provided on a belt; a slave communication unit which, while supplying a power source provided by the master communication unit to a jig unit equipped with a plurality of jig devices performing a lift operation, demodulates the modulated control signal using the corresponding carrier frequency, transmits the demodulated control signal to the jig device matching the corresponding identification information, respectively, modulates mutually different carrier frequencies for signals applied from each jig device, and then transmits it to the master communication unit through the power line provided on the belt, The transfer vehicle controller and the plurality of jig devices equipped on the jig unit communicate with each other individually.

2. The lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automated transfer system according to claim 1, wherein The jig device comprises a jig controller and at least one motor and at least one sensor connected to the jig, The slave communication unit communicates with the motor and the sensor connected to the jig through the jig controller, or directly with the motor and the sensor, or in a mixed form.

3. The lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automated transfer system according to claim 1, wherein The master communication unit and the slave communication unit simultaneously perform real-time communication and periodic communication with mutually different jig devices using mutually different carrier frequencies.

4. The lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automated transfer system according to claim 3, wherein The master communication unit and the slave communication unit set the carrier frequency range according to the communication system division, and set the carrier frequency range allocated to the real-time communication and the carrier frequency range allocated to the periodic communication as mutually different frequency ranges.

5. The lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automated transfer system according to claim 1, wherein When transmitting each other through the carrier frequency, the master communication unit and the slave communication unit detect the transmission level and the reception level by analyzing the signal transmission waveform of the corresponding carrier frequency, and then transmit them to the opposite side, respectively, The master communication unit and the slave communication unit set the transmission signal level and the reception gain for the corresponding carrier frequency according to the difference between the transmission level and the reception level of the opposite side.

6. The lift communication device for a transfer vehicle of an automated transfer system according to claim 5, wherein The master communication unit and the slave communication unit detect the noise level for the corresponding carrier frequency by analyzing the signal transmission waveform of the corresponding carrier frequency, respectively, If the detected noise level does not meet the reference value, the transmission signal level and the reception gain are additionally adjusted in proportion to the current noise level, If the detected noise level exceeds the reference value, the carrier frequency for the corresponding destination is re-assigned to another carrier frequency in an inactive state or the transmission signal level and reception gain are adjusted.

7. The lift communication device for an automated guided vehicle of an automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein The master communication unit or the slave communication unit attaches check sum information to the corresponding signal for error detection of the signal to be transmitted through the power line, modulates the signal, and transmits the modulated signal, If the check sum information is erroneous when the received signal is demodulated, the bit data of the position where the RSSI pattern of the corresponding received signal waveform is different from the previous RSSI pattern by a level above a reference level is changed by analyzing the RSSI pattern to perform a data recovery process.

8. The lift communication device for an automated guided vehicle of an automated guided vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein The master communication unit and the slave communication unit are respectively provided with a motion sensor that senses the degree of motion of the corresponding position, The slave communication unit transmits slave motion information received from the motion sensor of the slave communication unit to the master communication unit, The master communication unit compares the master motion information received from the motion sensor of the master communication unit with the slave motion information, judges whether the clamp unit or the guide rail is abnormal, judges that the clamp unit is in an abnormal state if the motion of the clamp communication unit above a predetermined size is sensed in a state where the master communication unit is stopped, and judges that the automated guided vehicle is moving abnormally and the guide rail is in an abnormal state if the motion of the clamp communication unit above a predetermined size is sensed in a state where the motion of the master communication unit is sensed.

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