Wafer box automatic transfer and carrying system

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system, relating to the technical field of wafer cassette handling equipment. The system includes a transfer station with an internal cavity containing a buffer station for stacking wafer cassettes; a loading station and an unloading station on opposite sides of the transfer station; and inlets and outlets corresponding to the loading and unloading stations on opposite sides of the transfer station; a robotic arm located within the cavity, equipped with grippers for picking up wafer cassettes; and a vision positioning mechanism for acquiring visual information about the wafer cassettes and controlling the grippers to move the wafer cassettes from the loading station to the buffer station and from the buffer station to the unloading station. This system automates the transfer station's handling, improving efficiency and preventing damage to the wafer cassettes caused by manual handling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer cassette handling technology, and more specifically to an automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, after the wafer boxes are filled with wafers, they are usually manually moved to the shelves in the transfer station and stacked for centralized storage. When the wafers are needed, the wafer boxes are then manually moved from the shelves to the transport vehicle, which then delivers the wafers to the required location.

[0003] Regarding the existing wafer cassette handling methods, firstly, the current technology involves manual handling of wafer cassettes, resulting in low handling efficiency; secondly, manual handling of wafer cassettes is prone to errors, causing bumps and knocks that damage the wafers inside; and thirdly, existing transfer stations only have the function of temporary placement and cannot achieve automated handling. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system, which solves the problems of existing transfer stations having only a single temporary placement function, requiring manual handling of wafer cassettes to the shelves within the transfer station, resulting in low efficiency and easy damage to the wafer cassettes.

[0005] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] An automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system for handling and storing wafer cassettes includes:

[0007] The transfer station has an internal cavity containing a buffer station for stacking wafer cassettes; a loading station and an unloading station are respectively located on both sides of the transfer station; and inlets and outlets corresponding to the loading station and the unloading station are respectively opened on both sides of the transfer station.

[0008] A robotic arm is disposed within the cavity, and the robotic arm is equipped with grippers for gripping wafer cassettes;

[0009] A vision positioning mechanism is used to acquire visual information of the wafer cassette and control the grippers to move the wafer cassette located at the loading station to the buffer station, and to move the wafer cassette at the buffer station to the unloading station.

[0010] As a further aspect of the present invention: the transfer station has a base, the base has at least one groove, the robotic arm is mounted on the base and located on one side of the groove, the groove has a tray, the placement position formed by the tray forms the buffer station, the cavity has a lifting mechanism for driving the tray to rise and fall, the lifting mechanism adjusts the height of the tray according to the stacking height of the wafer boxes on the tray, so that the robotic arm can pick up and place wafer boxes from the buffer station at a set height each time.

[0011] As a further aspect of the present invention: a height sensor is provided above the cache station, and the height sensor is used to detect the distance between the wafer cell on the cache station and the height sensor.

[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention: the tray is provided with a first tilt sensor for detecting whether the wafer cassette is tilted when stacked on the cache station.

[0013] As a further aspect of the present invention: the tray includes a horizontal base plate and vertical enclosures disposed around the perimeter of the horizontal base plate. The height of the vertical enclosures is less than the height of the wafer cassette. The area on the horizontal base plate surrounded by the vertical enclosures forms the buffer station. The first tilt sensor is disposed on the vertical enclosures.

[0014] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the transfer station is rectangular in shape and has a base, side walls around the base and a top wall above the side walls. The base, the side walls and the top wall enclose the cavity. The inlet and the outlet are respectively opened on the two opposite side walls, and the groove is opened on the base.

[0015] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the robotic arm is located in the middle of the base, two grooves are provided and are respectively located on two opposite sides of the base, and the feed port and the discharge port are respectively located on the other two opposite sides of the base.

[0016] As a further aspect of the present invention, the robotic arm or gripper is provided with a tag reading sensor for acquiring the tag of the grasped wafer cassette.

[0017] As a further aspect of the present invention: it also includes a gate located on one side of the transfer station, the loading station being located inside the gate, an opening for entering the loading station being formed between the gate and the transfer station, and a proximity switch being provided at the opening;

[0018] And / or,

[0019] The loading station is equipped with an in-situ sensor for detecting whether there is a wafer cassette at the loading station and a second tilt sensor for detecting whether the wafer cassette is tilted in the stacking at the loading station.

[0020] And / or,

[0021] Fireproof roller shutters are installed on both the feed inlet and the discharge outlet.

[0022] As a further aspect of the present invention, it also includes a transport vehicle adapted to the transfer station, the transport vehicle comprising:

[0023] The vehicle body has an unloading station located on it. The vehicle body is also equipped with an environmental detection device, which includes multiple sets of radar, multiple sets of ultrasonic sensors, multiple sets of fall protection sensors, and a positioning camera.

[0024] The fall arrestor includes a first frame and a second frame erected on the unloading station and arranged opposite each other. The first frame and the second frame are arranged circumferentially to form a stacking cavity for stacking a row of wafer boxes. A pair of clamping gaps are formed between the first frame and the second frame, respectively located on both sides of the stacking cavity and arranged opposite each other. The width of the clamping gaps is smaller than the width of the wafer boxes located in the stacking cavity.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By installing a visual positioning mechanism within the transfer station, this application enables a robotic arm to automatically transport wafer cassettes based on visual information acquired by the mechanism, thus automating the transport station's handling process. Furthermore, automated handling of wafer cassettes by the robotic arm improves handling efficiency and avoids damage caused by manual handling errors. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a front view of the transfer station in this invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the transport vehicle in this invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a top view of the transport vehicle in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this invention do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Descriptions of directions such as "left," "right," "left side," "right side," "upper part," "lower part," "top," and "bottom" in this invention are defined based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, not to indicate or imply that the described structure must be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0033] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0034] As shown in the background section, current transfer stations only serve as temporary storage facilities, and wafer cassettes need to be manually moved to shelves within the transfer station for stacking. When in use, they also need to be manually removed from the shelves, resulting in low handling efficiency. Stacked wafer cassettes are prone to tilting, and during handling, they are easily bumped and damaged, potentially damaging the wafers inside. Therefore, this application provides an automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system, enabling the transfer station to not only provide temporary storage but also achieve safe and efficient automated handling.

[0035] Please see Figure 1-4As shown, this invention is an automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system for handling wafer cassettes 200. It includes: a transfer station 1 with an internal cavity 2, and a buffer station 5 for stacking wafer cassettes 200 within the cavity 2; a loading station 6 and an unloading station 7 on opposite sides of the transfer station 1; and inlets 3 and outlets 4 on opposite sides of the transfer station 1 corresponding to the loading station 6 and unloading station 7, respectively. A robotic arm 8 is located within the cavity 2 and has grippers (not shown) for grasping wafer cassettes 200. A vision positioning mechanism (not shown) acquires visual information about the wafer cassettes and controls the grippers to move the wafer cassettes 200 from the loading station 6 to the buffer station 5, and to move the wafer cassettes 200 from the buffer station 5 to the unloading station 7. The vision positioning mechanism can be installed on the robotic arm 8 or the transfer station 1 depending on the actual situation; no specific limitation is made here.

[0036] The wafer cassette 200 needs to be transported to the loading station 6 by workers or other equipment. The vision positioning mechanism obtains the accurate position of the wafer cassette 200 on the loading station 6 and drives the robotic arm 8 to move the gripper, so that the gripper accurately picks up the wafer cassette 200 and transports it from the inlet 3 into the cavity 2, and neatly stacks it on the buffer station 5. When it is necessary to remove the wafer cassette 200 from the transfer station 1, the vision positioning mechanism obtains the position of the stacked wafer cassette 200 on the buffer station 5, and controls the robotic arm 8 to drive the gripper to pick it up and transport it out of the cavity 2 from the outlet 4, and neatly stacks it on the unloading station 7.

[0037] Specifically, the transfer station 1 is rectangular in shape, with a base 101, side walls 102 surrounding the base 101, and a top wall 103 above the side walls 102. The base 101, side walls 102, and top wall 103 enclose a cavity 2. An inlet 3 and an outlet 4 are respectively located on two opposite side walls 102, both being rectangular windows, and are symmetrically arranged in the center of their respective sides. Fireproof roller shutters are installed on both the inlet 3 and the outlet 4. When a fire breaks out inside the cavity 2, the fireproof roller shutters are closed to prevent the fire from spreading outside the cavity 2.

[0038] The robotic arm 8 adopts the existing multi-joint axis robotic arm 8, and the gripper also adopts the existing gripper that can hold the wafer cassette 200.

[0039] The visual positioning mechanism is also an existing structure, including a binocular industrial camera and a controller. The binocular industrial camera is used to collect images and video images and send the data to the controller. The controller analyzes the data collected by the binocular industrial camera and calculates the running path of the robotic arm 8 and the gripper based on the analysis results, and controls the gripper to perform gripping and stacking operations on the wafer cassette 200.

[0040] In one embodiment, the base 101 has at least one groove 9. A robotic arm 8 is mounted on the base 101 and located on one side of the groove 9. A tray 11 is provided in the groove 9, and the placement position formed by the tray 11 forms a buffer station 5. A lifting mechanism 10 for driving the tray 11 to rise and fall is provided in the cavity 2. The lifting mechanism 10 can be a scissor lift or a cylinder located at the bottom of the tray, or a lifting module located on the side wall 102. The lifting mechanism 10 can adjust the height of the tray 11 according to the stacking height of the wafer cassettes 200 on the tray 11, so that the robotic arm 8 can pick up and place wafer cassettes 200 from the buffer mechanism at a set height each time. In this application, by setting the lifting mechanism 10 to follow the stacking height of the wafer cassette 200 on the pallet 11, the height of the pallet 11 is changed, so that the robotic arm 8 picks up and puts the wafer cassette 200 from the buffer station 5 at a set height (the height is adaptively set according to the specific situation of the robotic arm 8). This avoids the robotic arm 8 having to reach into the groove 9 every time it picks up and puts up the wafer cassette 200, reduces the range of motion of the robotic arm 8 and the complexity of adjusting the robotic arm 8, and makes the operating trajectory of the robotic arm 8 simpler and the adjustment accuracy higher.

[0041] Preferably, the robotic arm 8 is located in the middle of the base 101, and there are two grooves 9. Each groove 9 is provided with a tray 11. The two grooves 9 are located on two opposite sides of the base 101, and the inlet and outlet are located on the other two opposite sides of the base 101.

[0042] In one embodiment, a height sensor is provided above the cache station 5. The height sensor can be specifically installed on the top wall 103. The height sensor is used to detect the distance between the wafer cassette 200 on the cache station 5 and the height sensor. The lifting mechanism 10 adjusts the height of the tray 11 according to the distance detected by the height sensor, so that the robotic arm 8 is not affected by the number of wafer cassettes 200 stacked on the cache station 5. Each time, the wafer cassette 200 can be moved to the cache station 5 for stacking or moved down from the cache station 5 at a set height.

[0043] In one embodiment, a first tilt sensor is provided on the tray 11. The first tilt sensor is used to detect whether the wafer cassette 200 is tilted on the cache station 5. When the wafer cassette 200 is stacked on the cache station 5 by the robotic arm 8, if the first tilt sensor detects that the wafer cassette 200 stacked on the cache station 5 is tilted, the gripper does not release the wafer cassette 200. The vision positioning mechanism repositions the stacked wafer cassette 200 on the cache station 5 and re-analyzes the operation path of the robotic arm 8 until the wafer cassette 200 held by the gripper is stacked on the cache station 5. Then the first tilt sensor does not send a tilt signal, and the gripper releases the wafer cassette 200 and stacks it on the cache station 5.

[0044] In one embodiment, the tray 11 includes a horizontal base plate 111 and vertical surrounding plates 112 disposed around the perimeter of the horizontal base plate 111. The horizontal base plate 111 is a rectangular plate, and four vertical surrounding plates 112, all L-shaped, are respectively erected at the four corners of the horizontal base plate 111, with adjacent vertical surrounding plates 112 spaced apart. The area on the horizontal base plate 111 surrounded by the vertical surrounding plates 112 is a buffer station 5, and the area of ​​the buffer station 5 is slightly larger than the projected area of ​​the wafer cassette 200 located on the buffer station 5. The height of the vertical surrounding plates 112 is less than the height of the wafer cassette 200, so that the vertical surrounding plates 112 can limit the bottom layer of the wafer cassette 200 stacked on the horizontal base plate 111, preventing the wafer cassette 200 from slipping off the horizontal base plate 111. A first tilt sensor is disposed on the vertical surrounding plate 112 to detect whether the projected area of ​​the wafer cassette 200 exceeds the buffer station 5.

[0045] In one embodiment, the robotic arm 8 or gripper is equipped with an identification reading sensor. The identification reading sensor acquires the identification of the wafer cassette 200 when the gripper picks up the wafer cassette 200 and tracks the position of the wafer cassette 200.

[0046] In one embodiment, a gate 12 is also included on one side of the transfer station 1. The gate 12 includes a first guardrail 121 opposite to the transfer station 1 and a second guardrail 122 perpendicularly disposed between the first guardrail 121 and the transfer station 1 and located at one end of the first guardrail 121. The first guardrail 121, the second guardrail 122, and the transfer station 1 enclose a loading station 6, on which one or more rows of wafer cassettes 200 are stacked. An opening is formed between the other end of the first guardrail 121 and the transfer station 1, allowing the wafer cassettes 200 to be fed into the loading station 6 through the opening. A proximity switch is provided on the first guardrail 121 or the transfer station 1 at the opening. When a worker enters the sensing range of the proximity switch, the robotic arm 8 stops operating to ensure the safety of the worker.

[0047] In one embodiment, the loading station 6 is equipped with an in-situ sensor (not shown) and a second tilt sensor (not shown). The in-situ sensor is used to detect whether there is a wafer cassette 200 on the loading station 6. When the in-situ sensor detects that there is a wafer cassette 200 on the loading station 6, the vision positioning mechanism will then position the wafer cassette 200 on the loading station 6. The second tilt sensor is used to detect whether the stacked wafer cassettes 200 on the loading station 6 are tilted. When the second tilt sensor detects that the wafer cassettes 200 on the loading station 6 are stacked neatly, the gripper will then pick them up and move them, preventing workers from randomly placing wafer cassettes 200 on the loading station 6 and causing interference to the subsequent gripper picking.

[0048] In one embodiment, a transport vehicle 13 adapted to transfer station 1 is also included; please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the transport vehicle 13 includes: a vehicle body 131, a loading station 132 on the vehicle body 131, and an environmental monitoring device on the vehicle body 131. The environmental monitoring device includes multiple sets of radar, multiple sets of ultrasonic sensors 137, multiple sets of fall protection sensors 138, and a positioning camera 139; a fall protection frame 133, including a first frame 1331 and a second frame 1332 erected on the loading station 132 and arranged opposite to each other. The first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 are arranged circumferentially to form an unloading station 7 for stacking a row of wafer cassettes 200. The grippers are used to pick up and transport the wafer cassettes 200 on the loading station 6 to the unloading station 7. A pair of gripping gaps 134 are arranged between the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332, respectively located on both sides of the unloading station 7 and arranged opposite to each other.

[0049] Specifically, the vehicle body 131 includes a running base 1311 and a control box 1312 erected on the top surface of the running base 1311, with the control box 1312 located at one end of the top surface of the running base 1311. The running base 1311 is equipped with multiple sets of parallel casters, a motor for driving the casters, and a battery pack for powering the motor. The control box 1312 contains an electronic control component for controlling the operation of the casters and the motor. The running base 1311 also has a charging port, while the transfer station 1 has a power supply port, enabling the transfer station 1 to provide charging services for the transport vehicle 13.

[0050] In one embodiment, the walking base 1311 is equipped with a vertical radar 135 and a horizontal radar 136. The vertical radar 135 includes two units and can detect obstacles on the vertical surfaces in front of, behind, above, and below the transport vehicle 13. When an obstacle enters a predetermined range, the transport vehicle 13 can reduce its speed or stop. The horizontal radar 136 includes two units, arranged diagonally, and can detect obstacles on the horizontal surfaces around the transport vehicle 13. When an obstacle enters a predetermined range, the transport vehicle 13 can reduce its speed or stop. The walking base 1311 is also equipped with four ultrasonic sensors 137 and four fall protection sensors 138. The four ultrasonic sensors 137 can detect obstacles, including those made of glass, around the transport vehicle 13. When an obstacle enters a predetermined range, the transport vehicle 13 can reduce its speed. The fall protection sensors 138 can detect whether there are any openings (such as gaps in the raised floor) around the transport vehicle 13 to prevent it from falling. A positioning camera 139 is provided at both the front and rear ends of the walking base 1311, which can guide the transport vehicle 13 to perform positioning actions after arriving at the station, so that the transport vehicle 13 can accurately stop at the stopping point on the side of the transfer station 1 and close to the discharge port 4.

[0051] The loading station 132 is located on the top surface of the traveling base 1311 and on one side of the control box 1312. The bottoms of the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 are detachably connected to the top surface of the traveling base 1311, allowing the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 to move closer or further apart to change the size of the unloading station 7, thereby making the unloading station 7 adaptable to wafer cassettes 200 of different sizes. Specifically, the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332 are fixedly connected to the top surface of the traveling base 1311 by bolts. The top surface of the traveling base 1311 is provided with oblong holes that fit the bolts. The first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332 can move along the long axis of the oblong holes, allowing the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 to move closer or further apart.

[0052] The unloading station 7 is a rectangular cavity with an opening at the top. The opening size of the unloading station 7 is slightly larger than the size of the wafer cassette 200. The wafer cassettes 200 can be stacked one by one in the unloading station 7 from the opening, so that the wafer cassettes 200 are limited around the perimeter to prevent them from shaking or falling off during the movement of the transport vehicle 13.

[0053] The clamping gap 134 creates openings on both sides of the unloading station 7. During transport, the grippers can pass through the clamping gap 134 to grip the wafer cassette 200 inside the unloading station 7. The width of the clamping gap 134 is smaller than the width of the wafer cassette 200, which prevents the wafer cassette 200 from falling out of the unloading station 7 along the clamping gap 134 during the transport vehicle 13's operation.

[0054] In one embodiment, the first frame 1331 is disposed close to the control box 1312, and the side of the first frame 1331 is in contact with the control box 1312. The second frame 1332 is disposed away from the control box 1312, and the second frame 1332 is connected to the waist-shaped hole on the top surface of the walking base 1311 by bolts, so that the second frame 1332 can be close to or away from the first frame 1331.

[0055] In one embodiment, the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 are symmetrically arranged U-shaped frames. When the wafer cassette 200 is located in the unloading station 7, the two ends of the wafer cassette 200 are respectively located in the U-shaped slots of the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332.

[0056] In one embodiment, the surfaces of the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332 are hollowed out to reduce the contact area between the wafer cassette 200 and the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332, thereby reducing the wear generated when the wafer cassette 200 collides with the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332.

[0057] In one embodiment, the inner side surface of the first frame 1331 (the surface near the unloading station 7) and / or the inner side surface of the second frame 1332 (the surface near the unloading station 7) are curved surfaces to reduce the contact area between the wafer cassette 200 and the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332, thereby reducing the wear generated when the wafer cassette 200 collides with the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332.

[0058] In one embodiment, a flexible layer is provided on the inner side of the first frame 1331 and / or the inner side of the second frame 1332 to prevent the wafer cassette 200 from making hard contact with the inner side of the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332, thereby reducing wear caused when the wafer cassette 200 collides with the first frame 1331 and / or the second frame 1332.

[0059] In one embodiment, the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 are both assembled from multiple modules that can be detachably spliced ​​along the height direction, so that the height of the first frame 1331 and the second frame 1332 can be freely changed to change the number of wafer cassettes 200 that can be loaded at the unloading station 7 at one time.

[0060] In addition, a set of anti-collision bumpers 140 are provided around the bottom of the walking base 1311 to provide final physical protection when there are obstacles on the ground. When the transport vehicle 13 touches an obstacle, the transport vehicle 13 is started to stop suddenly by short-circuiting the coil inside the anti-collision strip to avoid a violent collision.

[0061] The control box 1312 is also equipped with two emergency stop switches 141 located on the left and right sides respectively, and a driving recorder on the front. The emergency stop switches 141 are used to stop the transport vehicle 13 in case of an emergency, so as to avoid serious accidents. The driving recorder can record the vehicle's surrounding work environment, personnel movements, and cargo handling procedures for playback.

[0062] The control box 1312 is equipped with a tri-color light 142 on its top to display the current status of the transport vehicle 13. These statuses can include normal operation, fault alarm, shutdown, and standby. Operators can understand the equipment's operating status at a glance through the clear status display and take appropriate measures in a timely manner.

[0063] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of one embodiment of the present invention, but this description is merely a preferred embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should still fall within the patent coverage of this invention.

Claims

1. An automated wafer cassette transfer and handling system for handling and storing wafer cassettes, characterized in that, include: The transfer station has an internal cavity containing a buffer station for stacking wafer cassettes; a loading station and an unloading station are respectively located on both sides of the transfer station; and inlets and outlets corresponding to the loading station and the unloading station are respectively opened on both sides of the transfer station. A robotic arm is disposed within the cavity, and the robotic arm is equipped with grippers for gripping wafer cassettes; A visual positioning mechanism is used to acquire visual information of the wafer cassette and control the grippers to move the wafer cassette located at the loading station to the buffer station, and to move the wafer cassette at the buffer station to the unloading station. The transfer station has a base with at least one groove. The robotic arm is mounted on the base and located on one side of the groove. A tray is provided in the groove, and the placement position formed by the tray forms the buffer station. A lifting mechanism for driving the tray to rise and fall is provided in the cavity. The lifting mechanism adjusts the height of the tray according to the stacking height of the wafer boxes on the tray, so that the robotic arm can pick up and put down wafer boxes from the buffer station at a set height each time. A height sensor is installed above the cache station, and the height sensor is used to detect the distance between the wafer cell on the cache station and the height sensor. The tray is equipped with a first tilt sensor for detecting whether the wafer cassette is tilted when stacked at the cache station.

2. The FOUP automatic transfer handling system according to claim 1, wherein The tray includes a horizontal base plate and vertical enclosures located around the perimeter of the horizontal base plate. The height of the vertical enclosures is less than the height of the wafer cassette. The area on the horizontal base plate surrounded by the vertical enclosures forms the buffer station. The first tilt sensor is located on the vertical enclosures.

3. The FOUP automatic handling system according to claim 1, wherein The transfer station is rectangular in shape and has a base, side walls around the base, and a top wall above the side walls. The base, side walls, and top wall enclose the cavity. The inlet and outlet are respectively opened on the two opposite side walls, and the groove is opened on the base.

4. The FOUP automatic handling system according to claim 3, wherein The robotic arm is located in the middle of the base. There are two grooves, which are located on two opposite sides of the base. The feed inlet and the discharge outlet are located on the other two opposite sides of the base.

5. The FOUP automatic handling system according to claim 1, wherein The robotic arm or gripper is equipped with a tag reading sensor for acquiring the tag of the wafer cassette being gripped.

6. The FOUP automatic handling system according to claim 1, wherein It also includes a gate located on one side of the transfer station, the loading station is located inside the gate, an opening for entering the loading station is formed between the gate and the transfer station, and a proximity switch is provided at the opening; And / or, The loading station is equipped with an in-situ sensor for detecting whether there is a wafer cassette at the loading station and a second tilt sensor for detecting whether the wafer cassette is tilted in the stacking at the loading station. And / or, Fireproof roller shutters are installed on both the feed inlet and the discharge outlet.

7. The FOUP automatic handling system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein It also includes a transport vehicle adapted to the transfer station. The transport vehicle includes: a vehicle body with a cargo-carrying station on it. The vehicle body is also equipped with an environmental detection device, which includes multiple sets of radar, multiple sets of ultrasonic sensors, multiple sets of fall protection sensors, and a positioning camera. The fall arrestor includes a first frame and a second frame erected on the loading station and arranged opposite to each other. The first frame and the second frame are arranged circumferentially to form the unloading station for stacking a row of wafer boxes. A pair of clamping gaps are formed between the first frame and the second frame, respectively located on both sides of the unloading station and arranged opposite to each other. The width of the clamping gaps is smaller than the width of the wafer boxes located in the unloading station.

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